Life Inspires

For as long as I can remember, I have held this belief that while science and technology are the body of a society, arts and literature are its soul. No society can progress holistically if both the aspects of its being do not evolve in sync with each other.  For the longest time, there was a lull as far as literature is concerned, or perhaps I was oblivious of what was happening in the society. But recently there has been a surge in literary activities. My organization Literature Studio is just one such organization trying to make a difference. There are many others. The good part is the peaceful co-existence.  One prominent organization that is doing good work in this field is Readomania . The organization is run by the very dynamic and inspiring Dipankar, and is a literary brand with interests in e-library for fiction and poetry, publishing – digital and print, literary products and events. Readomania’s online avatar has a membership of 10000+ literary enthusiasts and...

There's Something About You is Yashodhara Lal's third book after Just Married, Please Excuse and Sorting Out Sid , and what we can definitely say about the author is that it is very difficult to typecast her work. In each book she's tried something new. While the first book is inspired by her own experiences of her marriage, the second book sets out on a different tangent altogether - Sorting Out Sid is told from the point of view of a male character and is essentially his coming-of-age story. This third book is again something she has never attempted before - it is a story of a woman in her late twenties with familiar concerns such as career, marriage, a negative body image, and such. Though There's Something About You is positioned as a romance novel, the male lead does not even make an entry for the first 9 chapters. And I find this very interesting because the author is able to draw us in so well that we almost don't miss the hero.  In the very first ch...

Bookstores are a threatened lot. Not only are small bookstores suffering, even the larger chains are struggling to stay afloat. It isn't that people aren't buying books. It is just that online shops often offer better deals and many books are available as e-books. It makes buying books more affordable and convenient. I am in favor of e-books, especially because I am also passionate about nature, and e-books play a huge role in saving paper. But at the same time, I am a romantic when it comes to books and bookstores and I hate to see bookstores closing down and those that are braving it all, struggling to stay afloat. Running a bookstore in today's world requires passion and persistence. And individuals who invest in bookstores need to be applauded and deserve all our support. Back to Bookstores is just one such attempt to extend our support to bookstores. This is a group of passionate book lovers, who cherish the times when visiting a bookstore to buy books was a n...

My family (my father is the one with the gray shawl) Ever since I started my creative writing venture, the journey has been full of ups and downs emotionally. It is like bringing up a baby. You are protective, proud, and worried for your venture, and things like one deal not working out or one not-so-positive feedback can make you feel like a complete failure. Above everything, there's this fear of letting down your venture. So, as I said earlier, it is a very emotional journey, but it was made even tougher by the fact that my father was never completely comfortable with me leaving my high-paying IT job and taking on a much tougher fight. Till recently, he would mention it every now and then, and would even go to the extent of circling some IT jobs in the Situation Vacant section of newspaper. I have been really close to him and have always felt that he is the person I love the most. So though I never admitted this to him, the fact that he wasn't really beside me in my fig...