SERIAL NOVELS

Chapter 5 of Karna, My Son By Uma Shankari, Bangalore, India 

The piercing looks of Bhishma seemed to ask me one constant question: when are you going to give us a baby – the reason you have been brought in here. Bhishma, as I said, was born to my husband's grandfather Santanu and Ganga. His austerity, formidable appearance and total commitment to the Kuru empire had given him a larger-than-life image.

Chapter 14 of CROSSRO@DS By Gagan Sohal, Mumbai, India 

After what seemed like an eternity, Sneha finally got herself separated from Raj’s embrace and led her inside the house. Raj followed sobbing all the while. Sneha quickly got into the kitchen to get a glass of water for Raj. Fifteen minutes later, when she finally thought that Raj seemed to have controlled himself a little bit, she asked as slowly as possible, “How?”

SHORT STORIES

Whispers of love from a leaf By Joy Clarkson, Gurgaon, India 

If love isn’t unconditional, it is not love. You might like someone conditional to their looks, personality, or mannerisms, circumstances and so on and so forth. But love accepts no boundaries. So I can not tell you exactly why I love you and I do not need any ‘whys’ from you. I believe that when someone says, 'I love you because', the person is limiting himself by his own boundaries.

The Quit School Movement By Vibha Batra, Chennai, India

Mohan hated going to school. And I mean, really hated going to school. In that respect, he was no different from the scores of kids who despise the mere thought of attending school. But there was something about Mohan that set him apart from his peers. What made him different was his thinking. It was way way radical.

JESSIE'S CORNER

Life isn't Fair

How many times have we heard this statement time and again? We crib about games that life plays with us. Do we deserve what we get or do we happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time? Many a times even we are at the right places – it’s probably the wrong timing. One can’t really say Life is fair because life simply isn’t!

SHAIL'S SPACE

Should HIV test be made compulsory before marriage?

When such a test is suggested there are many who wouldn’t mind going for it especially when it is a couple who are going to get married. After all, it is going to safeguard their future isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be more relieving to know that your would-be spouse is HIV/AIDS free and that you are in no danger of getting affected by this deadly incurable disease?

 MOVIE REVIEW BY IRENE

Harishchandrachi Factory

Harishchandrachi Factory is a slap in the face to all big budget star-studded disasters that eschew the path of simple storytelling. The film talks about the father of Indian cinema, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke’s – known popularly as Dadasaheb Phalke – discovery of cinema and his journey towards making India’s first feature film Raja Harishchandra.

THIS AND THAT BY SREELATA

Happiness on sale!

Every few billion years there walks upon this earth a messiah. A messiah who has been sent to change the world and its way of thinking, before it self destructs. And while we await this messiah, religions wax and wane, new thinkers, new apostles, new men of God arise anew, to resurrect and revive what has been and what has existed since genesis.

OTHER BLOGS

In Current Events - Of Republic Day, Padma Shri awards and IPL By Namrata Suri, Hyderabad, India   

It was an extremely eventful week – these last few days have witnessed a myriad of stories taking centre stage, each trying relentlessly to not give up its place in limelight. The week started off on an extremely proud moment for every Indian with the nation celebrating its 60th Republic Day.

In Current Events - India (My Motherland) Through The Eyes Of My Son By Deepika Sharma, Chandigarh, India    

Every year for Indians, January comes with the feeling of patriotism. On 26th January we celebrate our independence day with all dignity and splendor. Every young and old try to show some gesture of patriotism, never mind if it disappears next day. Soaked in the same feeling, I was searching TV channels, to find out, what special do they have on the occasion of our 61st republic day?

In Social Issues - Jungle Book Revisited – In Conversation By Asha Venugopal, Nashik, India    

Vaagobal: Roarrrr… Grrrrr… I hereby declare that Mumbai belongs only to the ‘Marathi Manoos’. If anyone has other Ambanitions, they can Saifly, Khan it, as I am the only Aamir manoos in Mumbai. I won’t SRK from the one and only one agenda left. You see I have to revive my dying pride, (pun intended). So, Mumbai is my ‘Raj’, no one can give me any ‘Ra’hool.

In True Incidents - The fighting spirit of woman By Malavika Roy, Kolkata, India    

Numerous are the dreams of a married girl, who steps into a new world with strangers surrounding her. With years rolling by, this very new world becomes a known one and her pre-married life seems like a distant pleasant dream. However, what if things are not in her favor and the dreams woven by the girl about a happy family are destroyed in a second. Mishappenings may be so grave at times that they may simply not just ruin one’s life but also snatch away one’s ability to dream any further.

In Family - Honeymoon Caper By Mita Banerjee, Pune, India    

The first lap of the journey from Howrah to Kharagpur by local train was quite uneventful. At Kharagpur we had to detrain and take a bus. My visions of an intimate cosy deluxe ride received a rather rude shock with the wheezing arrival of an ancient, dilapidated, rickety country bus, almost falling apart at the seams and loaded high with bicycles, baskets of animal and vegetable produce, and people of definite rustic attire.

In Travelogue - A day's trip to Srirangapatna By Sudha Harihara Sharma, Bangalore, India    

We have always wanted to take a trip to Nimishamba Temple in Srirangapatna for a long time, but somehow it never happened until recently when we decided that we would head to Srirangapatna just before my daughter’s school opened after Christmas vacation. Enthused after doing a long journey by car to Pondicherry and Chennai, hubby was only too willing to lug us all to Nimishamba.