100th Post & 7 Best Reasons to Celebrate!!

Yes dear readers, followers and friends, this is my hundredth post on this blog. I just kept on writing and suddenly realized that today my post is going to be the 100th! Its in deed a time to celebrate and to thank you all for the love and support. There are actually a hundred reasons to celebrate, but I limit myself to listing the 7 best reasons and revel in being a part of the great Blogging Community. These are the reasons that contributed in my personal growth as a writer and also as a human being. Here they go-

1. A Lesson in Being Persistent: In my first few posts when I had just started blogging I had expressed my joy and excitement for becoming a part of the blogging community. Someone commented that it was very easy for the initial excitement to wear off and he hoped that this did not happen to me. I agreed with him as blogging is actually a labour of love and back breaking (and neck breaking) at times. I took that comment really seriously, tried to remain as persistent as possible to continue to follow my blogging dream. So here I am with my hundredth ( 100th) post! 
2. A Global Platform: There have been times when due to travelling, problematic internet connectivity or other reasons I neglected my blog for certain periods of time. My ranking may have gone down a bit during those times but the imprint of my thoughts through my articles and posts was now a permanent part of the internet and blogging firmament. My blog ‘riturang’ continued to get views from far off places and as many as at least 76 different countries. To be able to get a global platform for sharing your thoughts is indeed laudable.
3. Outlet for self Expression: Ever since I started my blog, there just has been no looking back. I have become a happier and more contented person. My lap top is my best companion and my fingers itch to type. There is never a dull moment, as my mind is always working and observing. Earlier I used to scribble my thoughts down on paper ( do that even now sometimes), but now I straight away type on the keyboard with confidence. The best thing about my blog is that all my work is saved and organised at one place,offering me easy access to it as and when I need. I no longer need to save pieces of fading paper and its goodbye to bulky diaries. 
4. Closer to Becoming a Better Writer: One of the first advice pieces one gives to becoming a better writer is to write more. To get into the writing habit, as this eventually improves the writing style , vocabulary and grammar. The more you write the more you wish to learn. The universe then listens and helps you to imbibe all that you wish for and takes you closer to your goals. The various writing prompts and participation in writing challenges like NaBloPoMo polish one’s writing further.
5. Becoming More Knowledgeable: This is one great perk of good  writing! In order to write an article or story on your travels or any other topic, one needs a certain amount of research for the piece to be authentic and true. I always research and clarify any doubts I may have before posting my article. As I mentioned earlier, I have also consciously become more observant of the happenings around me. I have also become a better listener, because as they say, everyone has a great story inside them. My fellow bloggers too have also contributed immensely to my knowledge. I remain engrossed and hooked to the writings posted by them for hours learning about various cultures, cuisines and getting an insight into opinions from all over the world.
6. Developing the Reading Habit: I must thank my desire to write and to blog for developing the reading habit. Actually read I always did, but what blogging did was to push me toward quality reading. Now I read the best books across various genre and really enjoy being surrounded by books. Never a dull day or moment for me as books are my best friends.
7. The Colours of the Rainbow: My 7th best reason to celebrate! Over the past 2 years I have written blog posts on various topics akin to the lively colours of the rainbow. I have written on travel, food, blogging, nature and book reviews. I was grateful for my family and talked about relationships and found a suitable audience for some heartfelt poetry. I became interested in photography and used my own pictures as far as possible. Feeling grateful for all these rewards! Cheers!

Addicted to My Phone? Sorry, I Refute This Charge!

An ode to my friend,(my lovely mobile phone) in the form of a prose poem:

My phone is my notebook, my postbox, my gaming station, my book stand, my news reporter and my business supporter! My phone is also my camera and my pictures album folder. My phone is my banker,my meeting place with friends and a place to look up the latest trends. The device even doubles up as my vanity mirror and my music system. My phone is my dictionary and spelling corrector, it can teach me to strum the guitar and also teach me mandarin if I want. Its also my magnifying glass you bet! Use your imagination and you’ll know how. It takes me to far off places and is a small doorway to the big bountiful world which I can hold in my fist or my pocket. The big bonus is that it can also be used to make calls! Yes you heard that right.I can also make calls. I need all these facilities in my life, so when my phone is my true friend indeed, when in need, why do people call it phone addiction?

It’s not just a phony phone after- all; its so much more!

NaBloPoMo: A Giant Step towards Substantial Blogging!

NaBloPoMo? Not ever heard of this word? If not then perhaps you are new to the blogging world. NaBloPoMo is actually an acronym for National Blog Posting Month. November is the chosen month and one is supposed to make a blog post each day of this month, even on weekends! Sounds exciting isn’t it? It definitely is provided you are willing to take up the challenge. NaBloPoMo is a challenge because in order to write good, interesting and quality posts you need to keep the fire burning inside you for 30 continuous days. As for me I love accepting challenges. Mind you, it does wonders for your blog winning you new readers, creating a bond with the community as you share your experiences besides giving you that much needed jump in views on the stats page. My phone never stops buzzing on the WordPress app I have downloaded on my phone, whenever I publish a new post, signaling a new like or comment. It is a tremendous boost of confidence in your abilities as a writer.

Who thought up NaBloPoMo and why?

Well, I’ll answer in the words of Eden Kennedy herself, who thought up the brilliant idea of NaBloPoMo in the year 2006 ( The following excerpt is taken from an interview by Deb Rox)

‘A lot of people don’t sort of take blog writing all that seriously.  A lot of blog writers don’t take it that seriously themselves because they are posting links to current events, or using it as a discussion forum rather than as a place to thoughtfully express using good interesting verbs or good descriptive writing of what’s going on in their life or in their brain.  I thought let’s just focus on that part of it, see if you can sit down and write something everyday and throw it up there.  What happens after you do that for a while and you are doing it publicly it’s not like you are writing it in your diary everyday, you are throwing it out there for between 10 and 100 or 1000 people to read depending on your traffic.  Your barriers start to come down and you start that perfectionism thing and start to loosen up for better or worse sometimes worse.  Sometimes you end up posting up stuff you never thought was worth writing about and it turns out “Hey I really liked writing that post and I want to explore that more.” or you get more feedback or whatever.  It’s just a way of loosening up that nasty perfectionism thing if you have that.’

The biggest advantage of being a part of NaBloPoMo is to ingrain in you the writing habit. Write whatever you like on any topic that catches your fancy. You may even just publish some eye catching pictures of your travels or the blooming flowers in your garden with some small details. You can look for inspiration on ideas to write even on The Daily Post or BLOGHER. Once you have developed this habit your hands and brain will itch to write and slowly but surely NaBloPoMo becomes a prominent factor for your personal growth. So say good bye to procrastination forever and register for NaBloPoMo here, preferably before November 5. It will take you a giant step forward towards substantial blogging. Enjoy!!

 

 

Book Review: The Lowland

When I picked up this book, The Lowland, by Jhumpa Lahiri, it was with a mixture of awe, apprehension and determination. This was because I was about to read a book by a Pulitzer Prize winning author for the first time.(Correction there- because actually this was the second. The first being Gone with the wind, which I had read long long ago, without being conscious of it being a Pulitzer Prize winning book at that time). The Lowland was also long listed for the Man Booker Prize and these awards to my mind gave the book a superior air.But surprisingly right from page 1 to the last page (page no. 340), I remained hooked to the book and so I was compelled to write its book review as soon as possible. It is a tale that begins in Calcutta (or Kolkata) and unfolds across continents and covers 4 generations. Primarily a story of two boys who live in Calcutta during the time of the Naxalite movement. They live along with their parents in the swampy lowlands. The author beautifully describes their growing up years from school days to youth and dwells deep into their similarities and differences. The bonding between the two brothers as well as their complexes is brought to life. You remain hooked to the tale of the different paths in life on which they eventually walk; in a narration that’s fluid, gripping, and a command over language that is nonpareil. There being absolutely no clue at all as to whats coming ahead, you are curious to quickly  find out and continue to flip page after page becoming a part of the whole scenario.

The characters are finely sketched to the minutest details. It is as if the lead characters, Subhash, Udayan and Gauri are living and breathing people whose lives are unfolding right before your eyes. They keep secrets from one another, but their individual thoughts, fantasies and feelings are laid thread before the reader in a brutally honest description. Revealing anything more of the story-line would in deed be a huge spoiler, so I wish to desist from that. Please read the book if my review inspires you enough.

Yes, there is some negativity in some of the characters etched. But towards the end of the book, we do see hope emerge and one character shines with his selfless and unconditional love. Needless to say , I’m now a fan of Jhumpa Lahiri ! And the next time I pick a Pulitzer Prize winning book, it will be not be with awe but a lot of excitement and expectation 🙂

P.S- My next pick is ‘To kill a mocking bird’ by Harper Lee, a 1961 Pulitzer prize winning book.

 

Perspective- Is what you see always true?

The other day I saw a pretty woman at a party. Although she looked quite gentle, her behavior was somewhat odd. She sat bossily on a chair, with her husband in attendance. He kept offering her drinks and took care that she was served with all the snacks. Of-course some of them she declined, perhaps the secret to her slim trim figure. Many other people too seemed to be hovering around her,but the woman did not budge an inch from her place.( You must be thinking whether I had nothing better to do! Well that’s my favourite pastime- observing people. And no, I was not envious).

Later in the evening I saw my husband talking to that couple- he is really good at making friends. He signaled to me to join them. I walked up towards their seat and my husband introduced us. “How arrogant she is, did not even bother to stand up,” I thought. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, she spoke apologetically. Actually just as she and her husband were entering the party hall, she had tripped over a loose wire left by a careless decorator and fell flat on the floor; with the result that now there was a slight sprain in her foot and a rip in her dress. Her husband had immediately decided to leave, but she was a real sport and did not wish to spoil his evening and insisted that they stay on for some time. She had cleverly hidden the tear in her dress with her scarf. Immediately I realized that there is always more than meets the eye and one should not judge people and situations in a jiffy. People behave differently in different circumstances. It is all a matter of perception. I eyed the mystery woman with a new found respect. She had decided to bear the slight pain and discomfort with a smile for the sake of the people she loved.

Lets look at this in a slightly different way. Can you guess what’s depicted in the picture featured above?
A bench perhaps? A railing with some beautiful shadow play! Monochrome image!

Monochrome- Shadow play

Really?

Now look at the actual picture–

Monochrome

Its an iron railing alright, clicked in Scotland (my brother jokes that there are better things to see in Scotland than iron railings- but I’m like that only). So what changed the perspective? Modern editing tools. Just some cropping and rotation through 270 degrees give you a totally new and amazing result!

This post has been inspired by photo101 by WordPress. I have tried to incorporate different elements of photography in the post along with some philosophy 🙂
I hope you enjoyed reading.

Day 5: Photo 101 Solitude

Photo challenges are fun and great inspiration for new posts. Today’s inspiration is Solitude with the ‘Rule of thirds’.

Alone and happy- Bulbul bird

Sticking to just a picture today, as I’ve already composed an earlier post on solitude in the form of a haiku poem 🙂 See link below

https://riturang.wordpress.com/2015/12/21/solitude-haikusenryu/ . The picture in this earlier post was clicked in Switzerland’s Lake Lucerne.

 

 

The Mighty Trummelbach falls, Switzerland

There are certain things which I always find quite imposing, towering and magnificent at the same time. These are so impactful in terms of their effect that they have the power to make one feel like a dot, a mere dot; minuscule in comparison. This is good for inflated egos at times because it puts you in your place. This the kind of feeling I get whenever I visit the mountains. Besides enjoying their majestic presence and enjoying the cool weather, when you look closely at their rugged raw strength, you realize how fragile you are. Add to that the roar of water from a gurgling waterfall and this is what you get- The mighty Trummelbach falls in Switzerland!

Located in the Lauterbrunnen valley, they are Europe’s largest subterranean water falls and are one of 72 waterfalls.The Trümmelbach Falls are the world’s only glacier waterfalls that are accessible underground by lift, galleries, tunnels, paths and platforms. They alone carry the meltwater of the glaciers from the Jungfrau down to the valley – up to 20,000 liters of water per second. The water carries with it over 20,000 tons of boulders and scree per year and causes the entire mountain to shudder and make a thundering noise.

OMG! So much water and so much force ! It has to be seen to be believed. It is one amazing experience of my Switzerland holiday that I treasure and is a joy to relive. Mind you, although a huge lift carries you up to the falls there are a number of broad, sometimes slippery and watery steps to climb to get good views. It is also a bit dark as you are actually tunneling through the falls. The Trummelbach falls are hidden in the ‘Black Monk’ mountains and are often called the ‘Cork screw’ falls due to the spiral nature of flow of the water. I hope you enjoy my pictures in this post.

Trummelbach Corkscrew falls, Switzerland

Trummelbach Falls, Switzerland

Good luck charm!
Spectrum at Trummelbach falls, Switzerland.

Busy Indian Street

We are fortunate to experience varied seasons in our country. Currently, we are enjoying spring in all its glory. The days are longer and warmer. The evenings are breezy and balmy. These pictures reflect the mood on a busy street in the market place. Ice-cream, milkshake and juice are welcome along with long walks!

 

 

what does home mean to you?

Almost invariably, the word ‘home’ reminds me of the three little pigs story read in nursery school. Home is indeed a sanctuary where you live your dreams and happy children play. East or west home is the best.

Home for me is also a cozy corner, where one can curl up with a book and a piping hot cup of chai ! Do you agree?

A Time To Give Back

I received a most amazing New Year gift on the last day of year 2015. Guess what? A surprise nomination for an award by dear @mescalime (Psychochromatic Inception). The best part was that she very graciously permitted me to choose between 3 different awards she had received herself, namely : Sunshine Blogger Award, Liebster Award and The Word Magician Award. I have accepted the Sunshine Blogger Award as I can identify with it. I truly believe that a blog should be inspirational and spread some joy!

As per the ‘general rules’ of awards, I shall nominate 7 more bloggers for this award whose posts I enjoy reading. Mind you this is a tough task as each and every blog is fabulous in its own way.

My nominees:

1. Dr. Rohit Reddy
2.  xoxolovedee
3. Upen Reddy
4. alifemoment  
5. poetreecreations        
6. Arun
7. tenny

Many thanks to the whole blogging community and wish you all a very happy and fulfilling new year 2016!