#ConditionSeriousHai - Sid ♥ Isha - Chapter: Childbirth

This short story is now a part of the upcoming short story collection as requested by multiple readers. Thanks for the love!

Be the Reason for Someone's Smile #Milaap #HopeProject

“Hope” is a beautiful word, which when heard uplifts the mood of broken hearts. Likewise Milaap’s “The Hope Project”, collaboration with ASSET India Foundation, inspires people like you and me towards empowering rural women through small contributions. What makes it more special is that the women involved in this case are ex-Devadasis, rescued from trafficking, and empowering them through entrepreneurship, is certainly a ray of hope for them!

And did you read the word Devadasis? Do they still prevail in India? If this is your question, read more…

Devadasi system is an ancient system in India, in which, young girls are married to Temple Goddess; a life full of service to God, but the system was abused by the rich and they forced these girls into “Temple Prostitutes”, which is illegal, but still exists in certain small towns of India. It continues to force the women who attempt to escape and denies them to lead a normal life. It is a brutal cycle into which future generations are drawn as well.

Watch this video showcasing Mahananda's life…

Wipe out your tears, they don’t need it. Help them instead and it can be done through Milaap, an online platform that connects and enables individuals around the world to make a microloan to a specific poor individual or community in India. Since the contribution is a loan, rather than a donation, the same amount of money helps different people at different times. And trust me, all your contribution goes directly to the end beneficiary with 100% transparency.

And this is how it works:

Choose | Loan | Get Repaid | Relend

There are 15 different projects covered under The Hope Project and from them I chose “Muttavva Belanki and Group” and “Sattevva Taikar and Group” to help them to complete their loan.

Muttavva's life is a heart wrenching tale of a woman who was forced into Devadasi system that stole her childhood and youth. This 47-year-old skilled artisan tailor, from a small village in the Belgaum district of Karnataka, is the proprietor of a flourishing tailoring business that brings in Rs.12,000 a month, pays for her 3 children to go to school, and secures a safe childhood for them. Her friends Shakuntala and Renuka, both middle-aged single mothers, have similarly battled the Devadasi system, starting their own small scale agriculture businesses that keep their families out of poverty and their children in school. All these 3 women now need a loan of Rs.58,000, ($928.00), repayable in 2 years, to buy the raw materials that are needed to expand their businesses. This loan will help them increase their turnover, which in turn will help them independently meet the financial hurdles in daily life, expenses of higher education for their children, and medical expenses that will set in as they age.

Sattevva Taikar is a 50 year old single mother of a single child, from Ghataprabha in the Belgaum district of Karnataka, who is a victim of Devadasi system. She is now striving to live the independent and dignified life that she so truly deserves. She wants to offer her child a more comfortable and secure future by increasing her income. She can achieve this by expanding her existing goat rearing business. Her friends, Saraswathi and Sharavva, who have been through a similar past, are budding entrepreneurs, with small-scale buffalo rearing and brick manufacturing businesses respectively. Having come so far in their pursuit of freedom and social acceptance, all these 3 women needs a little push to firmly establish themselves as competitive entrepreneurs in their region. A loan amount of Rs. 60000 ($960.00), repayable in 18 months, is sufficient to give them a push to realize their objectives. This would help them to secure a good education for their children and for medical expenses that will set in as they age.

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And again tears or touching comments on this post will not help them. Trust them, lend them as little as Rs. 500 ($25) and help them stand on their feet. For those who live in foreign countries, lending (not a donation) $100 or $200 is not a big deal, as we people spend more than that for a good winter jacket? So please lend them and make them win in their life.

And if you are a kind-hearted human being and if you wish to help more people then visit any or all of them below links and help them win in their life as well.

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Get Involved Now... color their life!

#DoYouKnow Kaushal and Prachi, instead of registering for typical wedding gifts, they asked their friends and family to help them fund some deserving students on Milaap who came from low income families. The couple ended up raising $1200 on their wedding day and helped students enrol in a vocational training course. The students they've supported are employed and today are leading a better life. You can pledge your special day here: http://campaigns.milaap.org/pledge/ and experience the joy of bringing a positive change to someone's life.

#DoYouKnow Milaap’s impact in 2013

Thank you, for reading the post and for lending them.

This post is a part of the The Hope Contest organized by IndiBlogger in association with www.milaap.org/. Connect with Milaap.org on Facebook or Tweet to them on Twitter!

Recharge your hair! Recharge your life!

I was interviewed by a famous Hair expert. Here is the excerpt of what had happened in our meeting.

“Welcome Sid! How are you?”

“Thanks Remo. I am doing great. Trust, you are well too!”

His lips curved a little. “Yeah, I am doing well. And you look great man!”

I smiled. “Thank you!”

“Shall we sit there?” He asked pointing a table and three chairs that was put next to a swimming pool and a coffee shop.

“Oh yes,” I said, smiling. I saw a girl standing next to swimming pool. She was clad in lime green colored shirt, blue-colored jean pant and stood on a high-heeled boot. She was slim, simple and yet looking beautiful. The bracelet on her left hand was thin and yet noticeable, and those three pair of studs looked great on her. Moreover, the way she was holding her golden-brownish hair made her look like an angel. In fact, she was angelic.

“Is she a new model Remo?” I asked after sitting comfortably in a chair.

“Yes, she is our new model. The photo-shoot should be over anytime now.” His face shone brightly and then he added, “She is my new girlfriend.”

We smiled at each other. And he said, “Let’s start.”

“Lights…Camera…Action,” the director said and, he welcomed again showing his thirty-two teeth before the camera.

“What’s hair meant to you?”

“Hair is my first love!”

He corrected his tie and then he asked, “We read your blog post...and that was end of his inferiority complex...Is that the reflection of incidents that happened in your life?”

“Yes, it is. For the first two decades of my life, I was a victim of hair fall. In fact, I had a terrible time during my school days, my self-confidence shattered and I ran away hiding face from everyone because even for a man, his pride, his self-confidence, his happiness and his first love is hair! Anyway, let’s not talk about that.” I paused, cleared my throat and continued, “By God’s grace, I am having a decent hairdo, I recharge my hair regularly and I look great.”

“Can you tell us how?”

“I follow a simple tip, which completely nourishes my scalp, and keeps my hair healthy.” I said smiling gently.

“What’s the tip? Can you share it with us? It will be useful for our subscribers.” He said in a soft tone.

“It’s not the great Chidambara Rahasiyam, so I can very well share it with you. Simply, I heat the oil mildly, wait until it has cooled and then I apply on my scalp. I do this twice in a week. By this way, the scalp gets nourished. Moreover, my silky shampoo takes good care of my hair and keeps it healthy. Simple, isn’t it?” My free hand gestured spontaneously as I answered his question.

And I continued, “Many people have asked me why you recharge your hair twice in a week. What’s the need? I smile at them simply because they forget that we travel to office daily in peak hours – the deadly traffic, the crowded bus, and dozens of foreign materials that contact with us without our knowledge.”

“In that case, shouldn’t we recharge daily?” He asked blinking his eyes twice. He was looking smart.

“I follow a remedy process as well to protect my hair. I shampoo my hair, as soon as I’m home. There are days I reach home after nine in the night. On those days, I skip…but, I make sure I recharge my hair the next day.” I combed my hair inserting my hands into it while answering him. It was my habit since childhood, which was borrowed from our Superstar Rajnikanth.

“That’s a cool tip Sid. I am sure it would help our subscribers to recharge their hair.”

The director said cut and we were given a juice. After drinking the juice, we started again. “Tell us why you need to recharge?” He asked just after glancing at her girlfriend, through the corner of his left-eye.

“Because it will recharge our life,” I said almost instantly and the director signalled Remo to concentrate in the interview.

“Yes…yes…we need to top-up our life no…No…I mean recharge our life right?” He mumbled after shaking his head apologising to the director.

I smiled giving him a minute to rebuild himself. He acknowledged it with a smile and asked, “How it will recharge your life?”

“As I said earlier, even for a man, his first love, pride, self-confidence and glory are his hair! He can walk heads up, work confidently and smile happily without bothering about his look. And trust me, this is a fantastic feeling, which people like me only can understand.” My lips curved a little at first, and then fully – almost.

“I second that Sid! – Even for a man, his first love, pride, self-confidence and glory are his hair.” After a short pause, he added, “But…what will you do in case of a long trip, or trekking, or a party after a long drive?”

“That’s a fantastic question. How is my hairdo in this picture?” Showing my mobile I asked, and he answered affirmative instantly.

“Well, this one was taken on the fifth day of a ten-day-trip. I followed a simple trick. I made sure I oiled my hair after a hot shower at nights and I wash my hair gently the next day. It helps to keep the hair shining, and my life shines just like my hair and face does!”

“That’s really awesome man!” He smiled as soon as I answered. “Do you like to say anything to our subscribers?”

I checked my hairdo in the long mirror placed on the walls of the coffee shop and then I said, “Recharge your hair. It will recharge your life!”

“Wow! Thank you so much Sid. It’s our pleasure to have you here. Keep smiling. I am sure you will be celebrated forever as a romantic writer, stylish blogger and a fantastic human being.”

“Thank you Remo. It’s my pleasure to be interviewed by an ace hair expert!” *Handshake* They clicked a photograph of mine, and I thanked everyone before waking up from the dream.

And when I hit the publish button, I really wished to be interviewed by an hair expert at least once, as I have a lot of memories to share to this world!

This post is a part of the RECHARGE YOUR HAIR. RECHARGE YOUR LIFE contest organized by IndiBlogger in association with www.sunsilk.in. Talk to Sunsilk Hair Experts on Facebook or Tweet to them on Twitter!

Off-Beat Bollywood Movies

BlogAdda is back with an interesting activity for bloggers this weekend. All we need to do is write about 5 off-beat Bollywood movies that are must-watch according to us. I, being a South-Indian, have watched only a few Bollywood movies. To be frank, I have watched around 50 Bollywood movies, which is very less compared to the long list of Tamil movies I watched. All thanks to Vishal Jha, who suggested only off-beat movies to watch.

It all started with this conversation.

“Tum se Hindi me bhath karna acha lakta he.”
“Shukriya Vishal! Muje Hindi thoda thoda maalum. Muje Hindi filmo dekhna pasand he, magar mai ne kuch Hindi filmo ko he dekha. Mere liye aap tho kuch Hindi filmo ki nam bata doh.”

So here is a list of TOP 5 OFF-BEAT MOVIES from the off-beat movies I watched, which were different and yet struck a chord…

The Blue Umbrella:
The Blue Umbrella, directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, is based on a novel of the same name written by Ruskin Bond. He is a self-confessed Ruskin Bond fan. This slice of life movie is the story of how a beautiful Japanese Blue Umbrella becomes center of two lives and how the two lived with it. Binya (played by child-artist Shreya), a little girl in a small Himachal Pradesh village and Nandakishore 'Nandu' Khatri (Pankaj Kapur), the shopkeeper, lived the role of the character brilliantly.

The reason I like the movie are super performances by Shreya and Pankaj, wonderful cinematography by Sachin, and an excellent storytelling by Vishal Bhardwaj. I am sure this is one movie, which everyone has to watch.

The next three movies are from the same director: the one and only Anurag Kashyap, first to come is…

Dev. D:
Dev. D, directed by Anurag Kashyap, is based on Sarat Chanra Chattopadhyay novel Devdas, but with a modern approach to the script. Be it the sexual awakening of a rural Indian Girl or the usage of drugs, this movie has gone an extra-mile to point it out. Dev Singh Dhillon (Abhay Deol) did justice to his role; his yearning for sex – plain and simple.

The reason I like the movie are super performance by Abhay and Mahi, amazing cinematography by Rajeev, and Anurag Kashyap’s direction stands out. In total, I found this movie the most refreshing for dozens of reasons.

Gulaal:
Gulaal, directed by Anurag Kashyap, is an extremely well scripted piece. Perhaps the best political film ever made in Bollywood. It is the story of a simple and innocent law student who witnesses politics, deception, crime and homicide after being elected as the General Secretary of his college, and the way it has been shown is simply amazing.

The reason I like the movie are super performance by Kay Kay and Raj Singh, awesome cinematography by Rajeev, and I love the way Anurag Kashyap tells the story. In total, I found this movie bloody awesome.

No Smoking:
No Smoking, directed by Anurag Kashyap, is a neo-noir psychological thriller. It is the story about a narcissistic person known as K, who visits a rehabilitation centre to quit his chain smoking habit, but only to be tricked. The way the movie appears on the screen is truly magic.

The reason I like the movie are super performance by John and the entire team, fantastic cinematography by Rajeev, and I applaud Anurag Kashyap for his guts to attempt this thriller.

Udaan:
Udaan, directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, is a fantastic movie. 100 is a unanimous goal for school-goers in India. This movie is based on the real life of Anurag Kashyap. A 17-year-old boy is kicked out of boarding school and he returns home to his father, who is abusive and oppressive. Rohan, stuck in a small town with no friends, forced to study engineering and work in his father's iron and steel works, did justice to his role. This movie has a lot of soul, and that’s why this is in my top 5.

The reason I like the movie are super performance by Rajat, soulful music by Amit, and a wonderful direction by Vikramaditya.

These are the top 5 thought provoking films according to me, which won a lot of critical acclaim, but when it comes to overall viewership, they are unable to compete with typical Bollywood blockbusters. I think it is high time that we bridge the gap between Blockbusters and Off-Beat Movies.

I also wish you to watch this lovely trailer. Miss Lovely, an off-beat film directed by Ashim Ahluwalia is set in the lower depths of Bombay’s “C” grade film industry. It follows the devastating story of two brothers who produce sex horror films in the mid – 1980s. A sordid tale of betrayal and doomed love, the film dives into the lower depths of the Bollywood underground, an audacious cinema with baroque cinemascope compositions, lurid art direction, wild background soundtracks, and gut-wrenching melodrama. Miss Lovely is scheduled for commercial release on 17 January 2014.

This post is a part of the Miss Lovely Activity in association with BlogAdda.

The Night after the Storm

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 45; the forty-fifth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

That night she slept early. I did not ask why, but then I knew that she must have been terrified by the storm. Maybe, the whistling storm must have scared her, or the ghost stories. Maybe or may not be!

I sat on the windowsill with a notebook and the pen gifted by her a year ago. I wanted to write badly. That was peace for me. What should I write? Poem or prose, I asked my heart. I knew the answer though. Poem is the way to express my emotions, but…but…that night I was not interested to pen down one, I said to myself.

A ray of hope arose inside me saying. Ah! What’s stopping me from penning down my experience with the storm?

And I wrote, “It was a Monday evening. The weather was terribly bad, and our city was listed under red zone. My colleagues and I left to home from office early, as we expected the storm to clean the city and…” all that happened in one hundred and twenty minutes in my diary.

When I finished writing the diary, all I remembered was the smile on my wife’s face – calm and serene, beautiful too. I looked at the clock; the time was half past one. I stared out the window. The weather was normal. I saw uprooted trees, thrown-away roofs and other debris, and yet it was calm. That was when I recalled a saying in Tamil, “புயலுக்கு பின்னே அமைதி” (Peace after the storm) and a non-detail lesson. I understood the reason behind that lesson after ten years. My lips curved. I turned back to see my wife. She was sleeping peacefully. Her smiling face was one thing I always connect with my Mom. Maybe, just maybe, I am lucky to have them both in my life, I thought. I kept my diary and pen back inside my cub-board.

I lay on the bed. Maybe, wherever I am, whatever I do, the night after the storm is peace. I said to myself. Peace.

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Participation Count: 28

Rockstar - IX

Chapter: The End

Sahana left the college, as she hated Rahul for all that happened. Rahul went inside a nutshell. He stopped playing guitar and singing, concentrated on his studies. Five years have gone by since he took over the family business and now he ended up in nothing. He lost everything in life. He went to his favourite bar to drink, on the way back to his home, he saw the park where he spent most of his life, and so he went inside the park and sat on the same bench he used to sit in his college days. He looked all over the park, “Memories!” He said to himself, slipped into it and slept there on the bench.

Somebody patted on his back and asked, “Hello Rahul. Are you okay?”

He opened his eyes slightly, turned back and saw a dimmed image. He cleared his view, “Sahana…” he exclaimed.

Sahana said that she read Ramya’s diary and she could not digest her suicide. Later she realized that Rahul was not the sole reason for her suicide, and she also heard about Rahul through his personal assistant and came down to Chennai to meet him. They spoke for hours.

“Are you married?” Rahul asked after an hour’s talk.

“I am still waiting for my Rockstar to come back in my life.” She said.

Rahul scratched his beard and said, “I hate this unclean stubble. I should shave soon.”

Epilogue

Rahul gave up his family business. He joined his band again and became a Rockstar! Rahul and Sahana married happily.

Protest Against Unclean Stubble Activity in association with BlogAdda.

Words Count: 260

I am accepting tag from Cifar. And I would like to tag
Cifar

To dear fellow blogger friends and BlogAdda,

I wrote for P.A.U.S activity because of two reasons. One – I was sure, that this is going to be fun and the other – I was unable to do write properly from the start of this year. I thought writing 50 posts in 2013 is going to be tough. I gave up, almost. That was when I read about BlogAdda’s P.A.U.S activity. I liked the concept. I started writing. And see what has happened now – I am done with 79 posts this year, out of which, I posted 37 posts in this month – second highest in a month in the last four years and three months. I am happy.

I would like to thank all my blogger friends for accepting my tags. In fact, repeated tags, (Cifar, Ayushi, Sreeja, Thewhitescape, and Simran) and made this activity interesting. I wholeheartedly thank all the friends who accepted my tag, and to all who tagged me. I am sorry, if I missed to accept your tag. I may not have known that you tagged me in your post or I happened to miss, as all I could accept was only 28 tags out of the 30 posts I wrote.

A very big Thank You to BlogAdda.com for hosting this activity, and for the Book My Show and FlipKart Vouchers

The year 2013 started and ended on a happy note. I got married. I flew to Germany. Having a fantastic time with my family. In terms of blogging, I won many contests in this year. Two of my short stories got published in two anthologies. I am really happy. I am looking forward for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Wish you all a Very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year 2014!

Cheers,
Sarav

Boyfriend or Uncle – The Trouble

Slowly Ritesh’s tummy grew as much as his beard and sorrows grew. His girlfriend Sahana was irritated because of this, so she called him on his phone and urged him to join her in the park. He knew that she called him to join her for jogging. So he prepared himself for the jog. He wore a green-colored kurta, tucked into ash-colored pant and in his newly bought Reebok shoe, he was hoping to sweep her off the feet at first sight and left to park.

“Hello dear. I am planning to join you daily.” He said smiling.

“Good for you and your tummy.” She said.

“By the way, you look very beautiful today.” He tried to change the conversation. She smiled. And the conversation went into different roots.

Suddenly she heard a voice from behind, “Sister, time please!” She turned back, looked at him and said, “Sorry little brother. I don’t have a watch.”

Ritesh jumped into the conversation and said, “Time is half-past-seven.”

The little boy said, “Thank you Uncle. Bye Sister” and he continued jogging.

Uncle, his face became dull. His confidence shattered. He sat in a chair put in the park. Sahana sat next to him, “How many times I have to tell you that you look aged?”

Tears accumulated in his eyes. He was just twenty-two, single and a great fan of Hrithik Roshan. She sat silent for a minute, and then she added, “You look old, very old, and just like an uncle. You know what I hate that unclean stubble and your big tummy. Get rid of it soon, or else we have to break-up. I do not want to live my life with an uncle.” She said and left the park angrily.

Protest Against Unclean Stubble Activity in association with BlogAdda.

Word Count: 290

I am accepting tag from Thewhitescape. And I would like to tag
Cifar Shayar
Thewhitescape
Ayushi
Sreeja