Category: My Friend Alexa

  • Mountainous Small Tale – A new face of Marathi rural literature

    Mountainous Small Tale – A new face of Marathi rural literature

    Maharashtra and Marathi language have a very long illustrious legacy of literature. Today I am going to introduce you to one of the present torchbearers of this legacy. Most of the Marathi household knows him for his wonderful letters for the popular comedy show “Chala Hawa Yeu Dya” of Zee Marathi. Yes, you guessed it right. Mr. Arvind Jagtap. “पत्रास कारण की” was the session in programme where open letters written by him were performed by Sagar Karande. He opened up his heart about social issues via his letters. गोष्ट छोटी डोंगराएवढी (Mountainous Small Tale) is a short story collection written by Mr. Arvind, I feel, is a new face of Marathi rural literature.

    Blurb:

    सगळ्याच गोष्टी दाद मागण्यासाठी सांगितल्या जात नसतात. काही गोष्टी आपल्या मनावर डोंगराएवढं ओझं वाटत असतात. कुणाला तरी सांगायला पाहिजे असं वाटतं. एकदा शुटींगच्या निमित्ताने एका गावात ड्रोन हवेत उडवला होता. गावकरी जमा झाले होते. कुतुहल म्हणून त्यातला एक माणूस म्हणाला, “किती दिवस झाले राव वर बघून! आभाळाकडे बघणंच सुटलं होतं.” धक्का बसला ऐकून. माणसं वर बघायचेच विसरून गेलेत काही ठिकाणी. आग ओकणारा सूर्य असतो खुपदा वर. तेंडूलकर जेवढा कौतुकाने वर आकाशाकडे बघत उतरायचा ना तेवढ्या कौतुकाने बळीराजा वर बघत शेतात जायला हवा. ऐकायला साधी वाटते ही अपेक्षा पण खूप अवघड आहे. गावोगाव अशाच गोष्टी आहेत.

    प्रत्येक शेतकऱ्याची गोष्ट छोटी वाटते पण असते डोंगराएवढी

    – अरविंद जगताप

    Mirroring today’s rural life

    We always have romantic notions like beautiful countryside, lush green farms, clean air. However, ground reality is starkly different from this. Mr. Jagtap has captured this reality with all the nuances of today’s rural life. His storytelling is so crisp and engaging that you don’t feel the weight of serious issues about which a story is written. These stories are from rural areas of Maharashtra. A couple of them take place in cities yet they have a strong rural connection through a student from a village living in a boarding school in the city, or a group of friends who came to the city with an agenda to meet some politician for work, etc. 

    I got introduced to this book by Spruha Joshi’s YouTube video in which she narrated a story from this book titled “अमर रहे! पण कुठे?”. It’s a story about a martyred soldier and the way his village receives his body for last rites. Other than this, पाकिस्तानच यान (Pakistan’s Spaceship), किस (Kiss) and गायीचं काय करायचं? (What to do with this cow?) are some of the stories that made a strong impact on my mind. Arvind has a unique style of visual storytelling. Characters and places from his stories come to life in front of you while you read.

    My Rating

    Book Cover: 4.5/5

    Storytelling: 5/5

    About the book

    Title: गोष्ट छोटी डोंगराएवढी

    Paperback Publisher: Indian Bharat Publications

    E-book Publisher: RBONATO.com

    ISBN: 9788194148203

    Where to buy:

    I’m taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter’s My Friend Alexa. My current ranking is 396,140. I am trying to improve on this. Hope you all enjoy these Marathi books too.

  • Alexa: Once Again, The Journey Begins

    Alexa: Once Again, The Journey Begins

    This year marks the fourth year of my association with this amazing campaign called “My Friend Alexa” started and run by a thriving, buzzing community of Blogchatter. My Friend Alexa is a very unique blogging campaign where creating your own blog takes a back seat in a way and you appreciate and enjoy what your fellow creators have put out. It truly celebrates creativity. When one receives the love of your readers, viewers in the form of comments and shares, it boosts the confidence of the creator 10 fold.

    Who’s this Alexa?

    Blog or any page on this massive world wide web is ranked on various aspects like traffic, content authority, etc. There are many indicators to look out for. But,  Alexa Traffic Rank is one notorious indicator to get hold of and be consistently good with it. I won’t bore you with how techie details about how rank works and all. (To be honest with you, I also don’t know exactly how it works. 😉) It ranks your blog/website based on the traffic and engagement you get on it. Any guesses who must be acing it? Yes, OBVIOUSLY it’s Google. (See, how tough the competition is?) Google is proud owner of Alexa #1.

    My journey in campaign

    From my experience of past four campaigns, the only thing I can tell you confidently is, “Consistency is the only key to be on top of the game”. If you want to keep your rank following the downward trend, you have to keep investing yourself. You should consistently create and keep engaging with your community.

    2020 – Gems of Marathi Literature

    2019 – My Musings

    2018 – Marathi Poems

    In 2018, I wrote 8 Marathi poems and recited it for my readers while in 2019, I logged in the thoughts triggered by a particular incident / line in the book I was reading and for last year, my idea was to bring gems from Marathi literature for everyone to enjoy. 

    I could only complete the campaign of 2018. For the next 2 campaigns, the only thing I was consistent about was being inconsistent with it. This year I am totally committed to completing this one and continuing the momentum in future too. So, see you around. Hope you will enjoy my works.

    I’m taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter’s My Friend Alexa.

  • A table for two: Photo Series

    A table for two: Photo Series

    Food and drinks have always been a major factors for people to have intimate one on one conversations. Relationships bloomed between friends, colleagues, partners and even formal business associates over a cup of coffee, shared plate of snacks or a couple of drinks. Amazing and cozy cafes and hotels around town help to create these experiences. I thought of sharing such cozy places through this photo series with the hashtag of #ATableForTwo. Hope you will enjoy these cozy corners and visit them to enjoy the vibe.

    1. The Fat Labrador Cafe, Bavdhan, Pune

    2. Chai Tapri, Thatte Nagar, Nashik

    3. Tayo Cafe, Indore

    4. Krozzon, Indore

    5. The Farm Life – Cafe & Store, Off S B Road, Pune

    6. Namgay Artisanal Brewery, Paro, Bhutan

    7. Citrus Cafe, Lemon Tree Hotel, Siliguri

    This series ignited a spark in one of my dear friend Deep Kandekar, who took some pictures following the same theme which she shared with me and allowed me to put them in front of you. So here is a couple of those pictures.

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.

    Just like 2018, I am taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter‘s #MyFriendAlexa campaign. My current rank is 582,659.

    Hope you enjoy my writings. Feel free to share, comment bellow.

  • Only a limitless now

    Only a limitless now

    PicsArt_09-10-01.06.37It has been more than two years since I finished reading “Shogun“, the first book of ‘The Asian Saga’ series of James Clavell. It introduced me to a feudal systems of Medieval Japan. The book revolves around the first British sailor – pilot who crashes on Japanese coast and a very powerful daimyo Lord Yashi Toronaga who is a main contender in a race to the Shogunate. Japanese philosophy is scattered throughout the book in a form of various quotes and dialogues between various characters. However one particular thought stayed with me the most.

    “How beautiful life is and how sad! How fleeting, with no past and no future, only a limitless now.”

    Lord Toranaga, thinks when he is pondering about his situation in whole feudal system and a race to the Shogunate, the arrival of  the Englishman in his province, possibility of clash between the Englishman and the Portuguese Christians at the same time. 

    “Live in the moment” is what we have always been told when one starts to dwell in the past or is daydreaming about the future. Brooding over what we missed in the past is not going to help us unless and until we learn from it and move on. At the same time, thinking about the future just enough to plan for our today’s action is perfectly alright, in fact, is necessary to be successful. However, dwelling either in the past or in future always make us lose the joy of the present.

    I remember a very heart touching scene from an animation movie Kung Fu Panda where Master Oogway gives his last and best teachings for Po, the Dragon Warrior. “There’s a saying, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the ‘present’”. Teachings of Master Oogway and the pondering thought of Lord Toronaga share the same belief. 

    We have always been taught to keep working on your job in hand, neither think about what fruits our efforts will bear nor worry about if we have missed something in the past. Unnecessary worry of future and regretting the past will only make us lose the moment in hand. In a way just like Clavell said, life is a very sad thing which lasts only for a moment. We can’t control the future nor can we change the past. But at the same point, it is very beautiful if we enjoy that moment. The only thing in our hand, is to live in “a limitless now”.

    Just like 2018, I am taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter‘s #MyFriendAlexa campaign. My current rank is 2,883,421.

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  • On religion

    On religion

    PicsArt_08-13-07.16.20Knowing something about Egypt, a country which is far away and boasts one of the ancient civilizations of this world was always on my mind. Recently, I found an anthology of essays written by an Egyptian author of a best seller, ‘Cairo trilogy’ and a Nobel laureate, Naguib Mahfouz. This Anthology, “The meaning of civilization” comprises essays on culture, religion and politics.

    One quote in particular, “Religion is neither a science nor a branch of knowledge, it is a spiritual teaching whose essence becomes manifest through social intercourse, behaviour and vision.” is from the essay published on 8th June 1974, ‘Religion and school.’ Even though, this essay particularly talks about the way schools in Egypt were engaged in teaching the Holy Quran in the 70s, this sentence resonated with me.

    Drawing a parallel between the religious journeys of Egypt and the Indian sub continent,  both have witnessed multifarious changes in religion and philosophy throughout their respective histories. In the case of the Indian sub continent, there were witnessed the glorious ages of Hinduism during the Vedic era,  the rise of new ways of life in the form of Buddhism and Jainism, the integration of Parsis and sustained Islamic rule. Not to mention the deep impact the Colonial era also had on the religious equation of this country.

    In today’s world, we witness the madness happening around the globe in the name of religion. Religious fanaticism raises its ugly head in every part of the world with various such groups preaching their own brand of extreme religion. Consequently the less fanatic or hardlined individual is clueless as to what his/her religion is all about. We are witnessing a total disconnect from spirituality as we lack a vision as a religious person, religion has now been  reduced to a few rituals. The social intercourse through which religions evolved and provided individuals with the opportunity of a fulfilling and spiritual journey, has now halted. This blind ritual-centric behaviour has turned us away from this journey. 

    I agree with what Mr. Mahfouz is saying, religion is not a subject to be taught at school. It should be handed over to a child from his/her family with proper care and the freedom to be a theologist. One needs to study the religion and their personal relationship with the idea of God. Religion is not something absolute like 2+2 = 4. There is always a study involved, following the interpretation which leads to realisation. I remember the verse from a Marathi abhang by Sant Sohirobanath (18th century saint of Nath Sampraday, from the Sawantwadi area of Southern Konkan, Maharashtra)

    संत संगतीने समज, आणून मनी पुरते उमज,

    अनुभवावीण मान हालवू नको रे।।

    It literally means “first you learn from someone knowledgeable, ponder upon those learnings and don’t accept unless and until you experience the truth behind those thoughts.”

    One should follow these steps to understand and believe in something. Religion is not a thing which you should accept blindly. The attitude, “बाबा वाक्यम् प्रमाणं।” (The words of the elders are the ultimate truth) will lead to a disastrous life. So let all of us start being observant, think about the teachings of our elders, meditate and ponder the meaning with a fine tooth comb and then accept whatever is agreeable to you. Let’s try to make religion a spiritual again.

    Just like 2018, I am taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter‘s #MyFriendAlexa campaign. My current rank is 4,213,181.

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  • A negative neon

    A negative neon

    PicsArt_08-29-02.06.38I am reading this very interesting book by an Austrelian – Kashmiri food writer turned author, Sarina kamini – “Spirits in a Spice Jar”. It is her memoir of a journey of rediscovering her roots. It says for Sarina’s Kashmiri family, food is love, love is faith, and faith is family. I reached the point in a book where Sarina is readying herself to once again accept who she is, where her roots are. And she says, 

    “That instead of being known by the sum of all the things that I am, I have become framed by the sum of all the things that I am not. A life scratched in negative neon.”

    These lines hit me hard. In those words, she is explaining her struggle of defining herself with “I am not one of them”. Many a times, in our lives, we tend to define ourselves in exclusionary terms. I am not this, I am not that, We don’t do such things. This generates preconceived bios about the community, race or any social group from which we are excluding ourselves from. It’s ok when we try to exclude ourselves from antisocial elements like thieves, frauds and cons. It won’t create any social strife. 

    However, when we start excluding from our fellow citizens based on particular habit of doing things in a certain way, we saw seeds of descrimination. Even though the criteria of exclusion is as simple and small as use of small amount of sugar / jaggery in savoury dishes. When a child is exposed to such statements very often, it may develop a strong beliefs about that particular point.

    Instead of defining ourselves in terms of “We aren’t like this” or “We don’t do that”, if we start defining in terms of who we are, I believe, we will start developing as an individual as well as society because having a positive identity always helps. It makes you self aware. It creates confidence about talents, good characters and values when we define ourselves based on these things. It is always good to tell “Be like him / her” rather than “Don’t be like him / her.” 

    In the age of social strife and discomfort, this “inclusive identity” will serve as a key to the happy and thriving society. I hardly doubt that there will be anyone who won’t desire for such happy and thriving society. Let’s all start creating this “Inclusive Identity” and wish for happiness…

    Just like 2018, I am taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter‘s #MyFriendAlexa campaign. My current rank is 5,316,449.

    Hope you enjoy my writings. Feel free to share, comment bellow.