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I had signed up for #halfmarathon- a 15day blogging marathon challenge by a blogging community, Blogchatter. As expected I started with much enthusiasm and fervently rolled out a few posts. In spite of the crazy hectic schedules and travel routines, I was making sure that I write down something daily. I used all those pending ideas and thoughts and turned them into blogposts. Sharing them one post a day. However, there were days when the schedules over-powered and I missed posting even a single article. When I missed one post initially, I was upset over it. But then I realized that I have been achieving the objective I had in mind while signing up for this blogging marathon.

Almost 16 years back in time, Indian army won a strategic war in one of the most difficult mountain terrains of the world. Pakistani army and Kashmiri militants infiltrated the LOC in Jammu and Kashmir from Kargil district. The Indian army gave a fitting response and re-claimed all the critical points in a war that lasted almost 2 months.   July 26, 2016 is remembered as Kargil Vijay Diwas every year to commemorate the heroes of that war. As we peacefully sits in our living rooms and relish our comfortable lives, we should not forget that we owe it to the soldiers who fought relentlessly in most inhuman conditions. We also owe it to our kids to share this heroic tale of valor with them. And this is what you should tell them about Kargil war:-

On Saturday, July 23, 2016, the auditorium of Prestige Institute of Management, Indore was packed with enthusiastic youngsters to get their dose of inspiration from 6 people who found and followed their passion. And as these 7 speakers took turns to share their tales of endurance, the auditorium was overflowing with enthusiasm and inspiration. At the end of the talkshow, everyone was determined to find their passion and work relentlessly towards turning that into something that could improve the world in some way.

This ones for all the coffee lovers out there So how do you like your coffee (or tea)? I know everybody has very typical preferences for their preferred beverage. And I am talking only about the passionate ones here. Not the ones who can drink any tea/coffee no matter how poorly it is made. I refuse beverages (especially coffee) most of the times not because I don’t want it but only because I can’t drink a tasteless cup of coffee no matter how hard the craving is. Even the lovely husband who wants to make me a cup of coffee in the mornings has realized this and now he dutifully brings every ingredient separately and leaves it to me to make my kind of coffee, just as I like it. Am I sounding too critical to you? Sorry, when it comes to coffee (or even tea), no compromise. I like my coffee strong and mildly sweet. Not too hot though. But am I the only one who is being over-demanding here. If you think I am, read on to see how weird it can get when it comes to tea/coffee.

Todd Tavolazzi is the author of Looking into the Sun- A novel of the  Syrian Conflict.   It is a fictional account of life in Syria and is being appreciated unanimously for its accurate and real-life description of Syrian crisis on its population, especially children. It details the tragedy forced on the civilians and also highlights the valor of journalists who take on this task of bringing the heart-wrenching stories out for the world. Todd has been kind enough to agree to an email interview and share his thoughts about the cause and the book.

She was drowning. She doesn’t remember how she got into the water. All that she remembers is playing with the kids near the lake. She knew her husband was taking a walk somewhere close by but couldn’t see him. The bright sun felt a little too hot after some time. But the kids didn’t want to go home. Oscar, their adorable pet, was also happy playing with them. It was so close to being a picture perfect day.

Guru Purnima celebrates the eternal wisdom of Gurus and their willingness to share this wisdom with their protégés.   The ancient festival is also marked as a day to pay sincere respects to your respective mentors. Somehow, the importance of this festival is slowly getting diluted due to multiple reasons. We no longer have Gurus in our lives. And as education industry becomes more and more commercialized, even the respect for teachers (in schools and colleges) has somehow alleviated.   But it is important to have a Guru in your life. So what does a Guru do for us.

Day # 3 of   #HalfMarathon Blogging Challenge with Blogchatter. It is the same old story. Women who want to work but have to take some tough decisions like leaving the kid in a daycare or with a nanny. And it’s the same old battle. Inner conflicts, guilt, being judged by one and all, juggling the responsibilities; and the fear of losing it all more and more often. Yes, it is the same old story of the same old battle. Every story has a different kind of color. But share the same canvas of endurance.

Blogging, or for that matter, writing had always been a part of my life. But let me confess something today. And I am sure I speak for most of the amateur bloggers out there, I don’t spend as much time with my blog as I wish I did. Not that I don’t want to. But there is always a clash of priorities. Jobs, family, social engagements, health issues and what not! Despite the fact I am always stealing some time from all other chores to make time for what I really like to do- to read and write; I am not sure I am spending enough time with my pen (or sometimes laptop).

Brutal and inhuman massacres of innocent people in the name of religion stare at the World shamelessly again and again. And each time such an incident happens, humanity loses a battle against alleged religious extremism. While there are different schools of thoughts about plausible causes or reasons behind such deadly attacks on an obviously harmless and unassuming group of people, it does unanimously force us to think where we are falling short in tackling brutalities in the name of religion. Closer home, in India, the circumstances are no different.