MellowDrama

*Where the Peacocks Sing* is a memoir written by internatinally acclaimed journalist Allison Singh Gee. The book has been published by @speakingtiger whom I owe #gratitude for my #reviewcopy as well. . I finished reading the book in almost a couple of days when I finally sat down with it and I must say that it is an easy read. By this I mean the book is not taxing emotionally and the language and the flow are seamless. The memoir is Gee's account of how she- an LA girl who is half Chinese, met with her husband- a journalist and a minor Prince, fell in love and came to Mokimpur- his village and Haveli just outside Delhi. . Gee's life does a complete 360 degree turn from shiny and fast paced Hong Kong life to laid back rural life as she travels to Mokimpur with her boyfriend Ajay Singh. We witness India through her eyes. Everyday systems which we do not even register in our everyday lives like the master servant relationship bring tears to Allison's life as she witnesses

*I Am Thunder and I Won't Keep Quiet* by Muhammad Khan is a book that has brought to the table a few things we need to acknowledge outrightly. More so in the times we live. This #book speaks of the other (for dearth of a more appropriate word) Muslims who are regular people, living mundane lives, trying to be good students, neighbours, employees, friends, thr Muslims we barrly ever see on TVs or about whom we never hear on the news. These are the unfortunate people who bear the brunt of the actions of some from their own relegion who have chosen to interpret and spread the word of the Prophet for their own petty gains. I Am Thunder speaks of Muslim boys and girls who are culled out of the masses and brainwashed slowly and steadily to understand that the world is out there to get them because of their relegion. . I Am Thunder is the story of Muzna Saleem a British born Pakistani Muslim girl who is trying to get through life as would any child standing at the threshold of adolescenc

Just a mythical creature or does it have substance and meat? Read The Legend of the Wolf by Andaleeb Wajid to get the answer and at 148 pages, this book from Speaking Tiger's cub, won't keep you waiting for long. This fact, besides the way Wajid writes are two things that definitely make this book a must read. The book belongs to the fantasy fiction genre and is a refreshing read from an Indian author who already has 15 books under her belt dealing with subjects ranging from Biryani (More than just Biryani) to a Muslim wedding (My Brother's Wedding). Well coming back to our current book, The Legend of the Wolf, is the story of three school friends- Madhu, Gaurav and Sunil who go on a school trip to Chikmagalur. Their teacher Rajesh sir and a few other classmates also are on the trip with them. But quite soon this  two day trip turns into a nightmare of sorts as the three kids find themselves being stalked by a blood-thirsty wolf. The wolf does not seem to be interested

I had been trying to bring changes for a sustainable living for a while now and using reusable cotton pads for Aunt Flo's monthly visits was an idea that appealed massively to my senses. After searching here and there I found a Kolkata based manufacturer- Shomota- who were also involving women from underprivileged background in manufacturing these pads as well as sharing the profit from sales to make these pads available to girls and women in interiors of West Bengal. BONUS point- I have also come to realise that sustainability is more efficient and worthwhile if you choose local. Also the fact that we are dumping non biodegradable waste on the planet and that is equal to some sort of violence in my head and I have been brought up on the beliefs laid by the Arya Samaj movement, I needed a better option than the mass marketed sanitary pads. I looked and examined a few option that I realised were available to me before making up my mind on the reusable cloth pad. Why I chose cloth

A collection of stories that are edgy; stories that might make you uncomfortable but nonetheless will inspire awe in you. For My Father Drank My Lover and Other Stories the author has found inspiration from mythology to the common traits of the citizenry world over; the stories are as interesting as they are shocking. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Father Drank My Lover and Other Stories comes from the pen of the journalist turned author Ashok Banker. He is the man behind the Ramayana series which some people would say laid the  foundation stone for the country's biggest segment of fiction right now- mythological retellings.  Coming back to the book,  My Father Drank My Lover and Other Stories has 11 stories in it. The book has been published by Pan Macmillan India where these stories have been compiled for the first time (says the back cover. Also I have not come across the stories individually

Today was the first time I used the salon services of Urban Clap. My beautician was a woman named T Mondol. She was of 32 years, married with a daughter aged 16 and a 5 year old son. This is her story: I ran away from my home and married the boy I loved when I was in Class 9. At 16, married for a year, I gave birth to my daughter. I knew nothing much about anything. My husband was an only son. I had an elder brother and doting parents who fended for me. I don't know why I ran away but I did and this is a fact. Maybe, I am paying for my that mistake now. My husband works as a driver and he did not make much money. My father-in-law drives a rickshaw in Sonarpur. He, my father-in-law said, I should learn something. Just in case, his son abandoned me, he added. I asked my husband to give me some money so that I could learn this work in Gariahat. He refused saying that he would earn enough to sustain the three of us. My mother-in-law was also opposed to the idea of me stepping o

Suicides by two hugely popular public figures- Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain- within three days of each other. One a fashion designer and business woman par excellence and another a famous cook, TV personality. There have been many others before them. Though I knew just a thing or two about them the news about Robin William's suicide was heartbreaking for me. I remember thinking how could someone who laughed so much and made people laugh, do that. While there is so much being written in the social media about mental health in light of these two suicides I was stuck by a particular post in part on Ariana Huffington's Instagram feed. It is a Repost of a tweet by editor Elaine Welteroth and says: ..... And in your death we are reminded once again that there is simply no correlation between happiness and success. How true is that! We have no idea about what makes us happy. It is easy to confuse happiness with material things, isn't it? Getting a Kate Spade bag any da

Is there a thing like pre-script? Anyway much excited to share that the author announced on Istagram that she has started the sequel to this book. The first three chapters are available on Wattpad for free. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I finished reading My Brother's Wedding by  @andaleebwajid  a few days ago. The book is a peek into what all goes behind a Muslim wedding written from the POV of the groom's youngest sister who starts an anonymous blog to describe it. What you get on all those pages though is more than just that! . Saba is the youngest sibling among three having been largely unseen and ignored by her elder brother Zohaib and taunted and traumatised by her very beautiful sister Rabia. . The blog starts as a rant about her brother's wedding but gives a sneak peek into her life, love and interests as well. She is a college goer with not much aspiration in life.

Glitter and Gloss by Vibha Batra is funny, warm and endearing. Misha is a make up artist (whattay refreshing choice of a career for our heroine!)who is witty, hard-working and suffers (literally and figuratively both) from a huge mothering instinct. This very instinct is the cause that she ends up falling for Akshay Aggarwal a dishy, heir of a Marwari business family. Now please focus on the word Marwari. These families are largely rich, make that stinking rich- he sends her a Cavalli gown when she complains she has nothing to wear for an after work party- annnnd more importantly if you want to be expected into the fold then you need you to impress the entire community. Here we have Akshay's overprotective didi who parades Misha to ensure that she gets approved by all the aunties of the Marwari smaraajya in Mumbai. Misha's story is heartwarming because of the life that the author has managed to breathe into the character with her words. She is flawed yet endearing. Misha is e

If you have grown up in a typical north Indian household like me then you would have seen women around you wearing suits. Not just the business kinds but the three piece garment consisting of a kameez/ kurta, a dupatta and a churidar/a salwar. Getting the cloth, going to a tailor ( over and over again) and getting the material designed and stitched has always occupied a major position there because those are, like I said, the everyday clothes worn by women all around, from my mother to the house help. They are worn to the functions- birthday parties, kitties and kirtans. Bollywood even sang a song to the suit wearing girl. But there is this one occasion where there isn't a chance for the suits or for any other garment to make an appearance. These are the shaadis, the weddings, the marriages where the silks, the pochampallys, the kanjivarams, the banarsis- read the heavy guns- put in an appearance like a chief guest at some sarkari function who soon after the initial formalitie