The Ancient Barbeque food review!

Gurgaon is a small city. There are only few food havens which you can remember in a jiffy.

There is cyber hub, sector 29, golf course road and galleria market. If anyone was to open a restaurant in gurgaon then these would be the safest bets. But not for this chain, after testing waters in Noida in sector 63 and still doing really well with its unique concept limited to few competitors in the market. TAB has created a brand with its second outlet in sector 50, gurgaon. Yes, Sohna road is the next big destination in gurgaon and TAB was smart to spot that.



The place is on the third floor of Goodearth city center. It is a fine dine restaurant which is contemporary and it is based on the concept of live grill and buffet. The place also has an open seating on the terrace and can easily accomodate 150-200 people in total. After having been to Barbeque nation and Pirates of Grill, I had great expectations from this new entrant. I Believe the place is managed by couple of chef’s who have a great amount of experience in the food industry and hence this was an evening I was really looking forward to.

The first thing that strikes is the huge airy bright interiors. Filled up with energy, it has stylish and comfortable furniture with huge projector screen to showcase sports events.

The moment we stepped into the restaurant,we were warmly greeted by the staff and they ensured that we were comfortably seated. The service is prompt and the table top tandoor was laid with supply of starters in vegetarian and non vegetarian. We were spoilt for choice so we asked to taste everything. The salad counter along with soups had excellent variety of options and were a great start.

The buffet had an option for complimentary drink so we ordered the Virgin Mojito and Masala Cola.They have mouth-watering starters in their menu like Kolhapuri Tiranga Murg Tikka, Konkani Jhinga Fry, Jalandhari Seekh Kebab and Punjabi Tangri, Galouti Kebab. They also had variety of dips and flavors to add to the taste. The starters stuffed us so much that we took time out before heading for the main course. The Paneer Multani and Sufiana aLoo were great, the kashmiri pulao and dal makhani was excellent.The main course was something that could not be missed. We hear they change the menu every other day and so there is always something new on offer. I would suggest that you visit here without having any lunch in order to enjoy the whole palate.

To complete your dining experience they have a great desert menu which comprises of moong dal halwas,cheese cakes to different types of kheer and shahi tukda.

All in all, you exit completely satisfied and it’s a great place to visit with your family and friends or even celebrate a special occasion with it’s pocket friendly pricing and special packages.

A must visit!

Fatburger Cyber hub review

Fat burger, the name says it all. I was curious to find out if this was the fattest burger i was going to have in india . I had read on timescity about this new joint in cyberhub. After doing some googling, i figured that they are a popular chain based in California, USA.

My foodie side made me rush to the place right away with a friend.I was greeted by courteous staff that took us to our table. I browsed through the menu and found a wide
variety of burgers, veg and also non veg from lamb to chicken to beef and lot of siders and choice of sauces.
A compact list of apetisers from chili fries to spicy chicken wings, and loads of pasta and pizzas galore.
I loved the poppers and the chilli, but what made us drool were their World Famous Wings – soft chicken dipped in your choice of sauce, including our favourite chipotle.
In case you are watching your calories, there are wraps and salads on offer as well.

Drinks menu was limited as they have recently opened and awaiting liquor license.
The interiors were well done and gave an american feel to the place. The open kitchen was neat and full of staff ready to make your fresh fat burger and serve it to you in a flash.
I started with chilli cheese fries and a portion of chicken wings.I was delighted to see that the chicken wings i had, was something close to what I had tasted during my college time in the US, and that was a welcome thing.


Then we ordered our choice of burger and i tried the grilled chicken burger which was a welcome change from the other chains that dont offer ample stuffing inside it. Burgers are served with fries and coleslaw salad on the side.
This one was nice and juicy in taste and had bacon, mayo,lettuce, tomato, and extra choice of fillings like eggs,double cheese and all.
The burger isn’t huge as i had imagined so it is a good idea if u add a patty to the burger. Pricing is also very reasonable compared to competition.
After Enjoying the food and stuffing ourselves , we decided that we would also try a brownie with ice cream as it looked really tempting and since it was a new restaurant, it was apt to have something sweet in the end.
So the desert was icing on the cake and i recommend to all.If you must visit Fatburger, go for their perfectly cooked tenderloin burgers and milkshakes.
Overall, a welcome new addition.

Are you shopping discounts online?

This diwali season its raining discounts for the buyers. Online is the new buzzword for shopping and it’s very easy to compare and find out which website has better discounts on your favourite products. Sitting in Gurgaon, my father ordered his favorite Chirag din shirts from Jabong.com, yes the online fever is catching across people of all age groups. My teenager cousin does not prefer going to malls for shopping, he rather go on a date with his girl friend and eat at the mall but for shopping he prefers flipkart. whether to buy his next mobile phone or to read a new book. The advantages are plenty. You get to read the customer reviews, compare prices and get details on all the features. They also give a 30 day replacement guarantee.

With online retailers such as Flipkart and Amazon seen cornering a chunk of the expected growth in India’s overall modern retailing, industry insiders say a lot of retailers are nervous.

Select City walk, Delhi is revamping it’s food court by replacing non-branded outlets with branded food sellers like Saravana Bhavan and some international cuisine specialists. “Very few people come to malls only for shopping. They come to us for the whole experience. That is why we have always believed in making the whole experience attractive,” said Arjun Sharma, director at Select Citywalk. A lot of clothing stores are postponing their expansion plans due to leading online retail sites gaining a larger share. A gurgaon resident says “I rather buy two tops at a discounted rate online than go to a branded store which has no discounts running and low on variety.”
Here is a major advantage compared to a brick and mortar store which has less storage and less options.

Delhi NCR people spend most of their income on food and shopping. For food, people regularly choose where they are going to eat or ordering for home delivery on websites such as zomato, timescity and foodpanda, which offer discounts from their own pockets to add to the customers delight.

A customer says, “We go on foodpanda and order for our office parties as they give huge discounts on bulk orders”. Gone are the days when people preferred to order food at home directly from the restaurant, when you have sites like these, you rather get a better deal. Groupon, Timesdeal and what not are doing good business due to their great deals on entertainment, travel and healthcare. “We even get a lot of people booking hotel’s with us” says a Groupon executive. The customer research says that as soon as a customer hears the word discount, his eyes pop up. And that fact can’t be ignored. So if you are a new restaurant you have got to be on these sites for creating footfall and then later when you are doing good, you can go slow with the heavy discounting and offer something on bulk orders or to get repeat customers.

It’s not an easy time even for home delivery outlets in gurgaon, says Paul, owner of Grill & Wok in DLF 3, “we now spend huge chunk of our marketing budget online. If we don’t have a banner on zomato for a few weeks, the calls keep dropping. These sites are creating a monopoly and if you are not on them, you feel left out.As it is, its a highly competitive market here.” As they say in food business, you gotta be on your toes if you want to be in business.

India’s internet user base is expected to grow to over 400 million in the next five years, according to a recent report by consultancy firm Technopak. The size of the Indian e-tailing market at present is $2 billion, and is expected to reach anywhere between $19 billion and $38 billion by the end of this decade, the Technopak report added.

The consumer era has just begun and if trends are to be believed, India has already surpassed the US and other developed nations in shopping online and it’s set to grow much faster now.

Mosaic review -Country Inn & Suites Udyog Vihar

Country Inn & Suites is ideally located near the IGI airport. Just after the toll on NH8 Gurgaon opposite Ambience Mall. As a business traveler, it is the perfect location. Also, there are tons of corporate offices located in cyber city and Udyog Vihar who could use the hotel for the stay of their clients/guests from outside Delhi.
I was greeted at the hotel, by Mr. Jayesh Borkar who showed me around the place. The lobby is very open and friendly, it serves as a flexible space with a reception area, relaxing seating and great atmosphere. The furniture design is contemporary with regional connotations.

The rooms are spacious and light in color which creates the perception of a larger space having an intimate environment. The design is very close to the US model, and adds a big differentiating factor if compared to other hotels. There are 104 appointed rooms and suites of various categories. Complimentary breakfast at Mosaic and complimentary internet access is a great addition to the package.

Also packed with a 24 hr in room dining you couldn’t have asked for more luxury. The swimming pool is just perfect and a great place to relax yourself. The fitness area includes a gym with a personal trainer who takes personal sessions from Stretching to weight sessions.

I also had a personal yoga session with Mr. Dalbir which was a great start to the morning for me. The hotel has banquet halls which can acommodate upto 500 guests and also a business centre. The spa is under construction and will add to the luxury quotient of the hotel. There is the lobby bar where you can enjoy your cocktail/mocktail or coffee/tea and have a chat with your partner/friends. We stayed at one of the suites and it was huge. It had a living area with sofa and study desk and the bedroom was nice and huge.

We also visited the Global cuisine restaurant- Mosaic, during my great stay at the Country Inn & Suites, I had the opportunity to taste the chef (Mr. Qureshi’s) special Non Veg Assorted Kebab platter which included Malai tikka, Chicken Seekh kebab that was freshly made, including Schezwan chicken. The dinner buffet was lavish and included Assorted salad table including soups, Greek Salad, spiced chicken salad, Lemon Garlic fish and Thai veg Mango Salad among others. The Steamed fish and Chicken wings was also something I relished as they were different in style and taste. Chicken wings had a sweet flavour to it. The dinner buffet had global cuisine including Indian, continental and chinese cuisine and was great value for money. We stuffed ourselves and then headed to the desert section which included chocolate cake, caramel pudding, vanilla cake and ice creams among others.

They also have a lunch buffet which is priced at Rs. 425 + taxes which includes salads and soups and which is a must try.
I also had the opportunity to have breakfast. The breakfast consisted of south Indian, Indian cuisine. Their were separate live counters for your choice of egg preparation and dosa preparation. English breakfast was also available. The Masala Dosa was stuffed and layered with potato and was different in taste, the Masala Omlette was just perfect in taste and we were delighted with the service provided to us by the staff. They were right there when you needed them and took great care. A special mention for Sumit who took good care of our table. The hospitality was great and we would be coming here again and again for being pampered the way we were.
A great place to enjoy your time out from the hustling city and relax yourself.

Messi Magic in World Cup 2014!

Sheer brilliance is one thing, but sheer brilliance taking you on to do something as mammoth as win a World Cup — now that's something else altogether. No one in their right minds will ever say Messi's over-rated. If someone does, that man is an idiot. You can say that about Neymar, Ronaldo (the ass, not the legend), etc etc. But Messi? No way.

But Messi has a greater shadow to outrun. That of the original badass, Maradona. The skills of both are unparalleled, the strain on Messi's career is already a lot more extreme. But Maradona had the ability to take the team all the way — and when all else failed, Maradona would drag the ball alone from one end of the field to the other — and score! Today is Messi's greatest challenge. Today, he is the only thing standing between an all-European final in a Latin American country. Argentina started off strong, but with Messi himself not netting the ball since the Group matches, the momentum is crashing. They've have barely managed to scrape through since the Swiss, if the ball hadn't ricochet of the feet of Kompany then Argentina would have been seeing penalties against Belgium too. Yes, they're defence is slightly better than Brazil, but the two teams have the same issues. If Messi doesn't rise to the occasion today, then a clinical Netherlands will dominate. Today is Messi's day...rather, today needs to be Messi's day. Yes, the whole team needs to play, but Messi needs to rise today. This is the last WC were Messi will more or less be playing in his absolute prime. And this WC is at home, more or less. This WC needs to be his salvation and secure his place up there with Gods of the game — like Beckenbauer, Pele, Zidane, and of course, Maradona. 0130, here comes Messi!

Heropanti!

Ever since his movie was about to hit the theatres, there has been a buzz in social media about Tiger shroff. And why not, son on the stylish actor 'Jackie Shroff', all eyes were on Tiger's debut movie. With his clean shaven looks and face cut & lean body similar to Bruce Lee, he was the butt of jokes on social media.

Tiger known to be a fan of superheroes like Spider-Man. Bruce Lee, being his inspiration to learn martial arts. With all the hype surrounding the movie, it garnered a great opening response and opened to packed houses. The movie, a remake of the Telugu film 'Parugu' had all the right ingredients to make it a big hit. There is something about South Indian hit movies, and Bollywood directors are also following the trend as it is something that is setting the cash registers ringing.
Prabhu Deva has made three films in Hindi and all of them have been remakes. Two of his films, Wanted (remake of Telugu film Pokiri) and Rowdy Rathore (remake of Telugu film Vikramarkudu) had names like Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. Director Sabbir Khan also doesn't disappoint and makes a full paisa vasool commercial potboiler with ear-pleasing music, eye-filling locales and of course, the crackling chemistry of the lead pair.

About the movie, Tiger moves out of his comfort zone and does a role which he wouldn't relate to. The movie is full of action stunts and dramatic scenes. The movie is set in a village where Tiger and his friends are held captive by the girl's father, who elopes with her lover from a different caste. The story focus is on honour killing but it takes a different twist altogether. The sensitive angle about a father daughter relationship is focused and it gives an emotional angle to the story. The role of the father played by Prakash Raj,a seasoned actor, is justified and done well. Kriti Sanon, the heroine impresses in her debut movie.
The film's climax is a bit influenced by the all time hit movie "DDLJ" but it justifies the ending being all emotional and high intense drama. All in all, a great launch pad to showcase the acting prowess of the debut actors.

The Truth about South Campus!

Now that the boards result is not even a week away and the career choice has to be made extremely soon, every student has their full devotion to entrance exams and college admissions. The top most universities like IIT, Delhi University are most talked about. Students often take career counseling from elders and senior students that they know to seek advice regarding the same. They are often told that if they plan on getting into Delhi University, their only option is North Campus. Students are often told that North Campus colleges should be their top most priority.

North Campus, a brand name for students who have just got out of school and are waiting for their results desperately. Students are often brought up with the mindset that if they don't get into a good college in North Campus, they have absolutely no bright future left. It is very much true that the North campus colleges like Hansraj and St. Stephens are extremely extraordinary with regard to its academics or co curricular activities. But unfortunately due to the lack of unawareness, students do not know about the life and opportunities that the South Campus offers to them.

Firstly, all the students need to break their boundaries and accept the fact that it is not the end of their life if they do not get into North Campus colleges. Since the students focus on getting only into North campus, they do not realise what all they are missing by skipping the option of South campus. Unfortunately, in the data’s which are collected by researchers to analyse the better campus, the survey is mostly done on students who belong to the north campus or pass outs of the same. The south campus is undermined due to lack of knowledge about its opportunities. Colleges like Lady Shree Ram, Gargi, Shaheed Bhagat Singh and many more are among the most reputed ones which belong to the South Campus. These colleges are among the top 10 colleges in Delhi University.

Then why is it that the students are devastated when they don't get the percentage to get into colleges like Hindu, or Miranda? Why do they not consider the option of going into the South Campus? Why is it that the elders and fellow mates consider South campus a disgrace if any student gets into it? Initially people are reluctant when they get their admission into south campus, but why can't they have the joy of joining it and be as proud as they would have been had they gotten into any college in the north?

South Campus, in the eyes of the Delhi University has equal reputation as that of the North Campus. The life, the atmosphere, the crowd, everything about it is as fascinating as the other colleges or campuses. So to start with, south campus colleges offer the same courses as the others and the lectures provided are up to the mark. The numbers of tests, internal assessment, are equal to the ones that are conducted in the north campus colleges. The dramatics society of Lady Shree Ram college is one of the popular 'DramSoc' in the Delhi University which has brought glories back to their college. The dance society of Bhagat Singh came second in the dance competition held in Banglore, so why aren't they recognised?

It will only happen when the other top colleges will stop undermining the South Campus. Life here in the south is just so refreshing. You get to meet so many tourists as the major tourist spots like Dilli Haat, Hauz Khas Fort are in the south itself. You have places like the Select City Mall, and GK blocks nearby to roam around and have fun when you bunk colleges. Did you know on Thursdays, the rate of the tickets for movies in Select City mall is not more than Rs. 125? And in DLF, it’s Rs. 125 from Tuesday to Thursday? Thanks to the college authorities, the autos don't charge more than 10 rupees per person for any destination in and around the college area. Of course only the south campus students do their research work because even they get broke by going to these porch places. Defence colony, new friends colony are the coolest hangout spots. But the day everyone goes broke, Lajpat amd Sarojini Nagar are our saviours (the best part, they never go out of fashion). We have our 'thekas' from which we get our 'sasti' alcohol from. Even we students have our own 'chacha' who makes absolutely delicious maggie that's one of our last resorts when we have starving after a 3 hour long lecture.

We have as much fun as the other kids in other colleges do. I can say it by experience. We have friends, we bunk together, we study together, we stay over at PG's just to get that feel of the A/C when its the 'beat the heat' saturation point of our days, we have our own fun in the metro rides, our own share of auto rides fun. Break out from the myth that South Campus is a curse. It's the place where the deserving come too. It's the place which transformed my life upside down and has made it much more fun than I could have ever imagined.

The truth about the restaurant business!

Are you a foodie. There’s a strong possibility that a large percentage of gurgaonite’s like you love eating out. You love your food and have a great in depth gyaan about food. You want to visit a new restaurant almost every week. Most of us check in through facebook and Post it on our timeline or leading social media sites and share our feedback with friends. Well, Why not? Even the leading food information website, Zomato has its own way of making you participate and share your thoughts about your last visited restaurant. The social media has become a great tool for people to share about their experiences and in turn also helps restaurateur’s interact with their customers and closely listen to their feedback and make use of it to improve their services.

Gurgaon now has more than 1,000 restaurants and tons of take away’s which is a booming market due to the never ending sky-scrappers that are being built. New inhabitants flocking almost every week to a new condominium as we speak, leaving their small cities and coming to the booming city for work or college. Hence, the need for opening eateries has witnessed a boom never seen before.

A lot of us have ambitions to start our own restaurant. If you are a good listener, every second table in a restaurant you will hear people discussing about how good restaurant business is and the way its booming. Most of us often share a desire of opening one of your own with your friends. For some foodies it could be a nice hobby and for others it could be a profitable business if planned well and a well thought of idea. You must have heard that the two most important things in a good restaurant business are a) right location b) right team. These two makes or breaks any restaurant business.

One such young restaurateur shares his story with us. Paul, completed his degree in hospitality from Australia. He also has more than 15 years experience working in leading chains like Barista, Costa coffee, fine dine restaurants like Zinos and Italiano. He was greatly motivated by his father, who is a corporate chef in one of the leading hotel chain ‘Country Inns & Suites by Carlson‘. Like other foodies, Paul always wanted to open his own restaurant and his dream was realized when he along with a couple of friends opened a take away restaurant in the centrally located Dlf phase 3 in Gurgaon by the brand name ‘Grill & Wok’. The journey wasn’t easy. He says ‘I had to convince my father that it was what I really wanted to do, I invested all my savings, money that I made while working and with the help of some loans, we opened our first branch.

‘Each day is a learning experience for me. I realized that this was really a tough challenge. In order to do business one had to know everything. This is where my partners helped me a lot. I was taking care of the kitchen and my team and my other partners would take care of the operations, accounts and marketing. This was a team effort, and I realized it in the beginning. Alone, I would struggle to keep up. The first few months were trial and error, but the learning was immense. We ended up expanding the place and converted it to a dine in due to high footfall and demand as it was the main market of DLF 3. Running my own restaurant, gave me a different high, doing my own thing. The happiness on the customer’s face, the pleasure I got from just watching them enjoy their meal and get valuable feedback on the dishes in the menu, made us learn a lot.’ From my interview I learnt that it’s not that easy to run a restaurant. You have to invest your time, money and emotions. Your social life will suffer, as you are occupied from morning to night, you have to take care of everything from food supply to vendor management to staff handling and operational issues. Weekends are even busier so Paul doesn’t get time to spend with his kid. Often, he reach home at midnight when the kid is asleep. The most important learning for him has been managing people, now he know what big things teamwork can help you achieve.

Hospitality is not at all an easy sector, there is a lot of competition, and you always feel that food line is the best business but there are many examples from café to restaurants that are in the red and some restaurants have also shut down due to some issue or the other. There are many aspects to a hospitality business. Even one glitch can make you suffer badly. Few such examples are Jolly Rogers (Time Tower MG Road), Lemp Brew Pub (Star Mall), Jiji Bakery & Kitchen (Sector 15, Part-2), One Night Stand (Sector-29) Tea Room Co. etc. The list is endless.

Hence, it is ideal that you own the property as rents are very high. As it is, you end up investing a lot on interiors so rent is a big factor when it comes to earning a return on your investment. Even if you have a great concept it is advisable to take a bank loan than go and invest your savings in a restaurant business. The hospitality sector may look very bright from the outside but it sure is a tough nut to crack. The glamour is the least part of it. In today’s world when information is a click away, the customer is the new king and it’s imperative for restaurant’s to be constantly innovative and creative. The menu should be constantly revamped and without few special go to dishes, which pulls a customer to your restaurant it is very tough to stand apart and drive customers to your place repeatedly.

Jokes on Modi sarkar and first family!

Agar aap ab ki baar modi sarkar sun sun ke pak chuke hain, to suniye kuchh naya…

Surakshit Kaale mere baal, Pagal ho gaya Kejriwal

Chyavanprash ho Sona Chandi, Nahin Jeetega Rahul Gandhi

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Ab to Congress ke bhi achche din aane wale hain
ND tiwari ke baad, Digvijay Bhabhi laane wale hain!

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Upar Chhatri, Neeche Chhaya
Bhaag Rahul, Modi Aaya!!

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Rahul jahan bhi ho Ghar aa jao, mata aur bahen dono paresan hai. Koi kuchh nahi kahega, sari jimmedari Manmohan uncle ne li hai. Jaldi aajao bas…

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New Congress slogan :
Abki baar……..
Antim sanskaar

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Urgent Update – Pakistan declares On GeoTv – we don’t want Kashmir now…but we will not give karachi.

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Pakistan mein dast rokne ki bikri mein aaj subah se apratyashit badhawa dekhne ko mila hai!!

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16 May 2014 ko dopahar delhi railway station se pakistan ke liye special train rawana hogi..
Shahrukh Khan, Lalu Yadav sahi jin bhi mahanubhaavo ne Modi ke PM banne par desh chhodne ki ghoshna ki thi, wo sabhi samay pat station pahunch jaayein!

1) 5 saal se bade bachcho ka poora ticket lagega (Rahul Gandhi Ka Bhi)
2) Jeb Katro se saawdhaan (Train mein chidambaram bhi honge)
3) Nav-vivahit jode ke liye S-1 mein seat rahegi (Diggi Raja)

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Aap ke paas Seatein Chaar
Ab ki baar Modi Sarkar!!

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Finally, the bizarre is over and here goes the awards for different category.
Best Actor- Aravind Kejriwal
Best Debut child actor- Rahul Gandhi
Best female actor in supporting role- Mamta Banerjee
Best female actor in negative role- Soniya Gandhi
Best actor in comic role- Digvijay Singh
Life time achievment award-Lal Krishna Advani
Movie of the year-Abki baar Modi Sarkar
Its heard that Anurag Basu has approached Manmohan Singh for “Barfi 2″.

Voting selfies- the new cool!

It has traditionally been a duty for some, a chore for others. The voting ink mark is meant to prevent fraud. In earlier times, “ridiculing politicians” used to be cool but this election, the voters are taking it upon themselves, to say that a vote is an important duty of every citizen and they are expressing it and urging others, and its the new cool.

In this age when every single step taken deserves a selfie to be uploaded, one had begun to wonder where we would get dragged to with this crazy obsession with self. But surprise, surprise. Somebody actually hit upon a brilliant idea to use this for something constructive. Something that would bring about a result. Something that would be more than a race to get the maximum likes on Facebook. The idea was to post a selfie. A proof that you had cast your vote. And Facebook, Instagram, twitter were flooded. Pictures of people in every age group popped up on profile everywhere. It was a cool thing to do , and that too showing the finger! With the ink! Well, this had to be the best tattoo, right.

People voted, because it would be wrong to not have that selfie up there. And it was heartening to see the great turnout. The wave of change had set in. And it was obvious that people were looking for a change, and what better proof than the Delhi elections. The middle class Indian has had enough. He wants to now take matters in his own hand, and exercise his power and do the right thing. But like everything, every fad, hope this too doesn’t fizzle out before it reaches its true potential and the young voters are able to put their point across.
India has an unrivalled youth demographic: 65% of its population is 35 or under, and half the country’s population of 1.25 billion people is under 25 years of age.

According to the Election Commission of India, as of 1 January 2014, more than 42,000 voters between the ages of 18 and 19 were registered, on average, in each of the 542 parliamentary constituencies. In percentage terms, this comprises of 14% of eligible voters.

They are the future of our country, and if they are taking help of social media to spread awareness and send out a constructive, enlightening and empowering social message, then it is the right thing to do. No matter, whether the political parties are focusing on the right issues of development and jobs, secularism or growth, the youth of this country want a change for the better and hope they help in creating an awareness overall and are able to change the mindset of a billion Indian’s and convince them to vote. Because if that happens, there is hope, and when there is hope there is a life.

Respect the QUEEN in YOU!

Kangna Ranaut has hardly ever failed to impress me in any movie that she's acted in. She really has a strong sense of whatever role she is doing.
She completely gets into the role, to me she is the lady Aamir Khan. She being from a non filmy background, fought many stereo types before getting into the film industry.
Her recent movie, Queen, reassures my faith in her acting skills and that she has a great acting future ahead of her. This is only the start.
I am a big fan of women who can act and also look good. Gone are the days in cinema when women would just be told to dance around trees. Cinema is a reflection of the society, and the way our cinema is changing proves that the society is also maturing. Women now have a big role in everything that they weren't allowed to do before. They were not even allowed to leave their home. The man of the house was expected to be the bread winner.

Today's Indian woman is a strong woman. She knows everything, her family is conservative, but she is not cloistered and confined to the life that she was living few decades ago. Her worldview is not limited to getting married, and listening to her parents approval for most of life's decisions. Now she is able to stand up for herself and become a Queen.

In ancient India, women were treated equally with men. As a result of their newly gained freedom Indian woman have distinguished themselves in various spheres of life as politicians, orators, lawyers, doctors, administrators and diplomats. They are not only entrusted with work of responsibility but also they perform their duties very honestly and sincerely.
However, Male chauvinism has been responsible for trapping our women. We suffocate them in the name of security, safety and tradition. We are not comfortable with an Indian woman expressing herself. Some men don't respect women, the way they should be. Even Our parliament is not ready to give them the quota they deserve. In this day and age, where women are overtaking men in every field of life, from corporate houses to businesses to politics, women need to be recognised. The Indian women voter is 49% of the nation's vote share. It's time they stand up and support the party that stands for their rights, it't time the political parties make their views clear and make note of this rising breed of women who need to be taken seriously.

Women are special and they should go ahead and discover the Queen in them. RESPECT!

My first experience of writing a novel

I listened with dread to the message on the answering machine. “Hi, This is Shikha. Please call me when you get a chance.”

I began analyzing her every inflection, her tone, her pauses with an intensity that would have done a CBI profiler proud. Goddammit! She didn’t sound happy, she didn’t sound like she wanted to sign me. The last couple of months had been a blur as I had waited to hear if publishers were interested in signing a contract for my debut novel.

Now with that short message, my hopes went crashing to the ground. It was all over for me before it had begun. I spent the next ten minutes pacing the floor.

Phone her! I can’t! Phone her! I can’t! ….. I don’t want to hear bad news!

The inner dialogue continued, until even I tired of the drama, finally dialed her number and attempted a feeble nonchalant air, as if my books being rejected didn’t matter a damn. I was an artiste!
Published? Who cares about publishing when you can simply create!

“Hi Karan, We are interested in helping you publish your debut novel. It is a hilarious novel and we are sure it will do well.” she said.
I could feel her smiling, explaining details to do with the contract, fireworks were going off inside me. Feebly, I attempted a speech of thanks. Useless. There are some emotions that don’t translate easily into words.
This was it. My dream, which happened, again almost Accidentally. I couldn’t believe that it had happened, and pinched myself to be assured.

I remembered the journey again flashing in my mind. Devoting an hour a day and writing in order to finish my first draft. The constant ideas and instances that would come into my mind and how I would take notes and pen them down later. It involved a lot of thinking, you had to be in the mood to write. It was not that simple. It took around six months of discipline and self belief and finally it was ready. Then the next obvious step would be to get an editor to work on the draft. The constant follow up, the pestering and daily reminders to meet and discuss. Publisher’s are always busy handling many books at one time. So you really need to focused on getting your book become their current focus. That only happens if you are confident about your product. Then when your book is ready and dressed with the help of few editors and you are satisfied with the final output, you put it into market, emailing manuscripts and letters to leading publishers and then waiting few weeks for them to read it and give their feedback. The journey is nerve wracking.

Then when you finally get it published, the experience and happiness you get from your readers is the most satisfying one which you cannot put in words. It’s bliss, the realisation that you are able to share your thoughts, your feelings with so many people at once and touch their lives is self fulfilling. The book launch events, the PR events and constant visits to bookstores to make sure that your book is available all the time. An author’s role has never been tougher. Marketing yourself and the book are now a must do, in today’s day and age, you got to be on the social media. It’s a boon for author’s as we get to interact directly with our reader’s and hear their feedback. It only motivates you for going ahead and continue writing.

For me, finally It Happened and I hope it happens again!!

Valentine's day in today's world

So the big teeny-bopper day is here. Yes it’s the 14th of February, Valentine’s Day. What images does that conjure up in your head? Go on define them; they give a fair idea of what decade child you are.
If it’s nothing but a ‘western’ concept you are trying to understand, you surely are the eighties teen. The seventies teen however would have been well aware. We as a nation somehow just totally declassed in the eighties, crushing flower power happiness and ecstasy and moving on to crazy Sanjay Dutt hairstyle’s and obscene Govinda gyrations.

If it’s the nineties where your teens began, then Valentine’s has got to mean Archies. The retail chain of gooey mushy stuff. Giant heart balloons, giant teddies and giant cards. All scaled to unimaginable proportions. While most people would regard Valentine’s Day as a harmless, light-hearted diversion, to extreme right-wing Hindus and ultra-nationalists, the holiday represents a dire threat to traditional Indian values and represent part of what they believe is a conspiracy by the West to destroy Indian culture. However, the current scenario changes things.

The current teen generation, the new Indian lover doesn’t exist. Yes, It’s not about love anymore. Not about gifting sweet nothings to your sweetheart. Love now exists only in books. No wonder why lakh’s of copies are selling, and making few Indian writer’s fiction love stories, bestselling books of current times. Even beating few big time author’s in a matter of few weeks. Oh yes, this technology crazy generation, in all its psychedelic craziness has completely lost the plot. It’s all about me, myself.
Social media is creating a generation of people who are self absorbed. Are they building a persona of people who they are aspiring to be, not who they are?

Talking from experience, teenagers use the cell-phone as a constant companion! It is like the cell-phone has become an extension to their body. Whenever I see them, I see their cell-phone with them glued to their hands. While in a café, I saw a group of teenagers sitting close by. I noticed that every one of them had constant supervision on their cell-phone. If they don’t read from the screen or texting, they play with the cell, swing and turn it around, open and close the lid and they do this while they communicate with the ones that are present in reality! Amazing capacity! And nobody seems to be annoyed over the fact that the others are paying attention to their cell phones instead of being totally present. Is technology making them social or anti- social, the debate is never ending.

Selfie is the latest fad, it defines truly the type of self obsessed generation they have become. If you are a guy, you will tend to spend more on looking good and hanging out in the coolest place in town to find a great chick for a date for valentine’s. You will get a jazzy hairdo, dress up like Yo Yo Honey singh, and look for your blue eyed girl. How to find her, well in today’s day and age it’s simple. You have a smartphone, well that clearly makes you smart enough to find a date. Yes, just keep regularly updating your status on facebook, post a dashing macho photo with cool and branded clothes on Instagram and send a common message to all girls on your Watsapp and find out who’s available on the big day in a few seconds. When you go on a date, don’t forget to check in on facebook when you enter the jazzy pub or restaurant.

If you are a girl, then it ain’t gonna be that tough on you. You probably already have been offered number of proposals for a valentine date and are having a tough time choosing who to go with. Well, why worry, your smart phone will make it simple for you.
Love shove is gone out of the window. It’s just what makes you happy for some period of time that is what matters to the new Indian teen. Feelings, love, relationships are passé. Love is ‘ME’ and ‘ME’ is love.

And when your date is fixed, then now you get stressed as zomato gives you so much to choose from. What pub to go to? How much the entry will dent the wallet? It’s got to be a high end place or the girl/guy will dump you. Then what about the gift? Flowers and balloons don’t count anymore. Even for college kids. And are you going to score? Where? Friend’s place, her place, his place, hotel?

So much to plan, so much to do! And what about those hooligans that every boy fears encountering on this day. Drunk unsavoury characters trying to tease/grab/molest any girl even remotely revealing her nails, forget skin. Valentine’s has become nothing but a sick orgy of expensive theme parties, kids guzzling alcohol, doping, making out, buying outrageously expensive gifts and basically losing track. The same goes for adults. Well some of them at least. There is a section of them who don’t just bother and stay home which is actually kind of better in many ways.
Whatever images flash through your mind, there is one thing for sure. Never ever do you think of the kind St. Valentine marrying off couples in a time it was prohibited. The legend is lost; the obscenity lives on.