Reading trail

I & my brother would fight for comics like Mandrake-the magician ,Phantom -the Ghost who walks, & Bahadur.We read Amar Chitra Kathas in school library.I read children’s magazines like Chandamama,Champak,Nandan & Parag.Chandamama’s illustrations have stayed with me, ever since.

Later ,I graduated to reading Nancy Drew & Hardy boys series.I would, borrow these, from the school library.I would not budge an inch, till I had devoured the book completely.

I attended secondary school in a smaller town & to facilitate & encourage reading ,the school library was kept open, even during holidays.The librarian was a teacher named Mr. Lal. Sometimes ,he would get bugged by our antics & noise .We would whisper ,”Mr.Lal is getting red ! “

This reading habit was further strengthened by my dad, as he wanted us, to read ,to  get enriched.He would buy books & borrow for us .He subscribed to Shankar’s magazine ,’The Children’s  world “  for us.I also recall  magazines like Filmfare,Star & Style,Movie,Cine Blitz ,Stardust ,Femina,the Illustrated Weekly of India ,India today & the like.

In College,I started reading novels by Agatha Christie , Sir Arthur Conan Doyle & Ruskin Bond .I started working & during this time,I felt the need to read self help books though my well wishers vouch,  that I have hardly improved ! I read books by Tony Buzan on speed reading ,using our brains,effectively etc.I have also read Deepak Chopra.

I buy many books & even borrow from acquaintances ,friends & relatives.The space crunch in my modest flat, has dampened my urge of buying books.I better join a library now.

I have started loving humour & this has made me read books by P.G.Wodehouse .I also find reading “Yes Minister “ & “Yes Prime Minister “more fulfilling, than watching the televised shows.My legal inclination, has made me read John Grisham & Leila Seth’s autobiography.”We, the people,” by Nani Palkivala & M.C.Chagla’s “Roses in December “ have been inspiring . Medical novels by Robin Cook  are interesting too . Newspapers are read  to keep myself updated .I read increasingly  on the net & “share “ as well.I read recipes, travelogues & about environment,art,culture etc. also.In fact ,my reading has grown  as wide, as it can get.

Slowly & surely ,I must upgrade & start reading classics.Presently,I feel insecure, after completing a book.That is why,nowadays, I take breaks in reading so that I can read it for some more time.I feel lost, after finishing a book.What next , in the book queue ? !

This is my blog post for letter "R" for the A to Z Blogging Challenge.

Sharing blog posts of fellow bloggers :

Richa Kholkute Sonpatki

Jaibala Rao

Straight hair make over

I have brown hair which is quite old now .There are shades of red as well, due to henna application.I go for regular hair cuts.I oil & shampoo my hair.Recently ,I felt, that I must try to get straight hair  so that I get some makeover.My hair is short  & curls at the neck to give me a bob look.

I tried by keeping books & pillows on my tresses ( not head )  as I slept.I would just spread my hair away from my head as I lay on bed & keep the pillow or rather two to three pillows on the hair.Then I would sleep away, imagining that by the next morning,I would wake up to straight hair.But alas,that just remained a dream !

I went to a parlor & asked them for straightening my hair.They were glad to do it, for an ostentatious amount which made my purse lighter by a few hundreds.A cream was used & I had to sit with that cream over my hair for some hours whiling away my precious time.After that, my hair was cleaned of that cream & viola ,my hair was straight ! Sadly ,this was only for that day.Slowly & surely ,the next day ,my hair just like the dog's tail had started curling the way it was before ! Such a colossal   way to spend money.I felt defrauded by the cream as also by the beauty salon ! I marched to the salon, to be told that all depends on the way the hair cooperates & stays that way.So ,it was all my fault- sorry, my hair had non -cooperated & that's why ,my hair had bounced back to its natural state ! I was informed curtly that my hair ( well almost, except for that day when it was straight ) was just like the dog's tail which can never become straight.

I tried tying strands of my hair tightly with threads to straighten them up in groups.I would do this in the night & wake up hoping that as I untied those threads ,my hair would have transformed into straight sleek hair ! This did not happen .I was at my wit's end.I wanted straight hair as it looks stylish ,eat & gives me a sleek look.I may have to do away with combing altogether.Just run my fingers through my straight hair & I would be ready to face the world ! I needed straight hair as my tresses   needed combing every now & then.





I tried conditioning my hair after shampooing .I again repeated the numerous attempts with books & tightly wounding  with threads after conditioning.Yet ,I failed to get straight tresses..

Then , I heard that Sunsilk hair experts have got the magic potion for getting hair straight ! I  was amazed by the results.And believe me ,it works ! Now,my head is at rest & my hair is straight ! My hair looks neat & stylish -as if I visit the parlour daily.Wow ! It is that parlour hair look -blow dried ,sleek  & stylish ! Sunsilk has kept the cost  reasonable too, which means the world to me.Thank you ,Sunsilk !

This is my blog post entry for The Straight Hair Experiment contest on IndiBlogger. Do "like ","comment " & "share".

Elixir of life !

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

I love books & so do many others.Books provide us companionship at all times & places.When we read books ,we are not alone.We have a friend and a confidant in the book.

Books give us immense joy as we read them . Confucius rightly said ,"You cannot open a book without learning something".They help us with learning & educating ourselves.Books help us in getting creative &  get us thinking.Books divert our attention & relax us.They may give us solutions to problems & by this, I do not mean guides & keys ! 

There are self help books,books on crafts & arts ,story books,books on facts & figures,account books,science books ,etc.There are so many varieties to choose from.There are coffee table books & books with illustrations and lovely photographs !

We may not be able to own all books we want & need.We can borrow from friends & the library to  read & stare.In this age ,our matchbox like houses, seldom have space to accommodate all the books we would love to read & store to re read.

Unconditional acceptance is what books give us.There are no demands by books,isn't it ? We, of course, demand to be enlightened as also  entertained by books.Seldom, are we disappointed by books.

Ernest Hemingway said "There is no friend as loyal as a book ."I think the best thing in life is / are  books as they are for a lifetime ! Many book can be read many times over.Each time ,we may come across some new idea which the author intended & we failed to  get it the last time we read it.

In this age of the internet,books seem to be losing to the net.Many books are downloaded on electronic devices & can be read online.Many book stores are closing down.People seem to have decreasing attention span to appreciate books.Still ,all is not lost.

The fact, that books are being downloaded on the web, proves that there are readers who feel printing on paper is anti green & prefer the net !

I am lucky, as I have started reviewing books gifted to me by BlogAdda. I get to read the latest books by so many writers.Incidentally ,book reviewing may get other wannabe readers interested in reading ! In essence,I stay in touch with  what is happening in the world of letters.Hence,I am in tune with  the times, on the net ,with the net & by the net, by blogging reviews of books  !

Fulfilling life !

Leisure is basically relaxation -doing our own thing -things which we like . Leisure is like a paid holiday ! In these stressed times,we pine for relaxation.


I have a washing machine,a microwave ,a mixer grinder ,a computer ,etc -many gadgets to make life easy for me.Out of these ,the washing machine is arguably the best as it has made me independent of my maid for washing clothes.I can put on the machine at my convenience.I can also wash ,towels,curtains,woollens, bedsheets- in fact, all types of  fabrics-thick & thin.Moreover ,the machine wrings the clothes so dry, that it just takes a few hours to be completely dry.Earlier ,the clothes would be dripping water all over the house & one could sense a monsoon session in progress ! In our matchbox size flats,this is a pre -essential !


With the assistance of Surf Excel Matic,my washing problems have decreased many times over.I have to just rub it on the stain ,grease mark etc  & put it in the washing machine.After the washing cycle is over ,I have to strain  my eyes for the fabric which had got  stained ! This also means, that now ,I have more time at my command than before.I have more time to unwind.I save money as I can wash stained clothes at home instead of giving the clothes to the laundry.


There are lots of things that I do in these extra hours that have become available .I am a book lover .I love reading.I have plenty of books & also keep adding to my bookshelves.I read books many times to relax & recharge.They widen my viewpoint & also add new perspectives.I love reading thrillers,humour,politics etc.


I watch reruns of shows on the idiot box if I have missed my favourite ones.I  also chat with my chums on the net .I have started blogging too & that also needs that I continue reading a lot.Blogging has its rewards & how ! I am a participant, in this Surf Excel Matic contest wherein I have to list out things which  I would do if I had two extra hours in a day !


I am in this contest to win prizes & get famous ! Also ,I make it a point to read blog posts of other contestants & promote their posts so that they in turn, promote mine ! I may not win .Still, this ensures that people, visit my blog.This in itself, is great, in this age, when it is difficult to command attention even for a few seconds ! All this reading on the net keeps me up to date !

My leisure has made me seek avenues to improve myself.One of this has been my improved cooking.From a reluctant cook to an innovative one,I have travelled far ! I even have a blog wherein, I note down my recipes with snaps of the dish ! I now  find time to pray & draw rangolis which I click & put on to my blog.My Deepavali rangolis turned out pretty well & got compliments !


Since my housework has eased ,I recently applied for a home based job opportunity.I  was initially skeptical about my sincerity.I felt, that after a long gap from work,I may be unable to do justice & that too from home.I have proved myself wrong ! I am thrilled to be working & I continue to add new tasks for myself.

Like yesterday evening only,I attended a meditation session.I got a CD there & I practised it in the morning.This will relax me further & make me more productive. I plan to continue my meditation to recharge myself on daily basis ! All said & done ,extra hours for me has improved & rejuvenated me ! I am happy now with my self .

All this has been possible,  because of the many gadgets that I have & products like Surf Excel Matic ! I am sure ,many can find a renewed zest for life once they are able to relax & enjoy life ! Then life will be like child's play ! We must have the inclination,then obviously ,we will find  the time for our passions,hobbies,ideas etal.This would make life truly fulfilling !

Books

Books are very dear to me & I am sure, to many of you.Maybe, more dearer than books are to me.I have a reasonable collection of books.There are a lot more books which I would like to possess but I wonder if I will be able to read them.Moreover space is a big problem -where do I keep the books ?

I have books like Yes Minister,Yes,Prime Minister ,Sudha Murthy's collection of stories,Politically Correct bedtime stories ,one book on Vedic Mathematics,Development as Freedom by Amratya Sen,Laurie Baker by Gautam Bhatia,On Balance by Leila Seth,books by P.G.Wodehouse ,etc.I have read some of the books & some are still to be read.

I have read many comics whilst in school-Phantom,Mandrake,Amar Chitra Kathas & the likes.Later,  I  was in awe of film stars & would lap up all gossip in film magazines but as I grew up,I lost interest in them.In my higher secondary,I would borrow Nancy Drew ,Hardy boys,etc   from the well equipped school library & ; read them in one stretch.Later,I discovered , Agatha Christie,Sherlock Holmes,etal which survives to this day.But I have also developed an interest for humour as well.That is why, I consider, the Yes Minister & Yes Prime Minister as classic books-the satire & sarcasm is really applaudable.In fact,I have enjoyed the reading of the books more than watching the televised series.At one roadside stall,I even glanced, at the Indian version titled,"Ji Mantriji" .I wish I had brought it then.I will try to buy that one as soon as I can.I still remember, the Desi  televised version "Ji Mantriji " starring Farooq Shaikh as the  helpless Mantriji .It was very well made .

I have tried to inculcate in my daughter, a love for reading books but have drawn a blank, so far.I got many books for her but, she insists, that I read & tell her stories, even now, that ,she is more than nine years old.So,I have stopped buying books for her- at least, for the time being.I have given away books as return gifts on a few  of her birthdays as I feel, that reading is a worthy habit .But my daughter pleads with me all the time,"Mama,no books please."She tells anyone & everyone  who asks her about her choice of a gift that except books,she will like everything ! I wonder, when she will start her love affair with books ? !

But a local library has manged to attract her.As ,the charges are quite unreasonable,I have forbidden my daughter from joining it.I have told her that she can join the library after she finishes reading all the books got for her at home.She has not asked about joining the library again.So,I failed ,yet again, in getting her to read.

My blogging & household  chores leave me little spare time in which I can read books now.I know,I am the loser, as I have to read more to enrich myself.Books have helped me so far, in making my life interesting by informing me about a variety of subjects.Even, my  blogging, is a result of my ideas formed by reading books.So,if ,I want to attract more readers to my blog,I better start reading books with renewed vigor .