Wednesday 26 December 2018

A LONG WAY HOME BY MITALI MEELAN



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Home! Sweet home! 
""Home is where the heart is”” are the facts about home. Growing up in an environment of a sweet home, no doubt the benefits, children reap are countless. ”Children require guidance and sympathy far more than instruction”-Anne Sullivan.
When it comes to Children careers, many parents impose a lot, they become extra cautious, more surveillance & it creates a sudden burst of volcanoes. From there, their difference of opinion starts and it takes many twist &turn to settle.  Few get amicable and rest the worst.
One such is the cause of separation of Adhikari’s family in the book A LONG WAY HOME BY Mitali Meelan.  A couple in the suburbs of Mumbai with three children- two boys and a girl, were shocked to find their children going in a different direction from the way they were directed or expected to go. A major weapon used by children at this point is lie- a statement the speaker knows to be untrue. I quote from page 222- “”I have been so disappointed in my children, so much so that I’m starting to question myself and your upbringing. First, my daughter, then both of you. Where did you three learn to lie and fool people so much?”
The feelings, the mood and the reactions of the parents are finely crafted and very lively arguments and discussions at home has found place in the book. The author handles the situation in an unbiased way, presenting the plus and minus of both the children and parents. Even children long for appreciation, it is best described in the page134 “”I had wanted nothing but my father to look at me with brimming eyes, his wrinkled hand patting my back, telling me he was proud of me, of my choice and of whatever I’ve chosen to do with my life,””
The author has given a light description of Mumbai skyline, summer, traffic, way of life, restaurants, colleges, student’s life, campus  interviews, relationship between the employer &employee, business tactics, shopping centres, bloggers, impact of social media and the cost of living too. Three children from a middle class family cross their childhood with lot of memories right from sharing bed rooms, cycles, sibling-wars, jokes, drawings and many more. The author clearly sent a message to all the children out there in page 82 of the book –‘’Trying to be someone you’re not and shredding pieces of yourself-like principles and values – to fit in and please others is a one way ticket to the land of misery.””
Mitali Meelan is successful in bringing out the true pictures of a family with diverse interest and ideas in about 312 pages. This is her second book. She is also the creator of COFFEE AND ORDINARY LIFE AND THE GUEST.
To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe-Anatole France. In many cases children just dream, but they don’t put the required effort, because only desire is not enough to make dreams come true. The author puts forth before the readers the steps to climb to reach a target,  I quote from page 180 of the book  “”A dream like this…it had to be backed by experience, research, knowledge, support and a generous investment. Knowing where you wanted to be wasn’t enough while starting a business. You needed to figure out exactly how you’d reach there, before you even began your journey.””
A sense of fulfilment is achieved when we accomplish a goal, the author beautifully put it in these words, I quote from page-174, A rush of cool relief calmed me. “”I promise I won’t leave.’” Taking in the hustle, the heat and the rhythmic, chaotic noises of steel against the steel, I got to preparing custard. That moment, a euphoric sensation began to seep in and the contrast of how I felt in the  concrete walls of confinement and in this free-spirited frenzied workplace was astonishing.””
The children should speak out their dreams and ambitions with their parents, and they should support &encourage their true interest after thorough verifications. “”Teach your children poetry; it opens the mind, lends grace to wisdom and makes the heroic virtues hereditary””- Walter Scott

(Received a copy of the book from WRITER’S MELON in return of a honest review)


Jan 18, 2019
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing the book :) Such a detailed and literary-styled analysis of the book. I had a grin on my face while reading it. I'm sharing your review on my official Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts @mitalimeelan. :)
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Friday 21 December 2018

A TRIP TO TEMPLE TOWN -TANJORE


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 TANJORE or Thanjavur is a town situated in the state of Tamil Nadu in south India. It has a strong association with the history of Tamil Nadu. It was ruled by many great kings like Cholas, Nayakas and Marathas. This town is well known for his paddy production and it has a title  as “” STORE HOUSE OF PADDY””   CHOLA NADU CHORUDAITTHU is an adage that can be found in Tamil Literature which highlights the quality of good hospitality. It is a sign of prosperity and assures that no one is deprived of food. Moreover it is a place of origin for art &culture. The biggest testimony stands in the form of a temple in Tanjore. It is a world heritage site. The big temple of Tanjore is named as Bruhadeesvarar Temple built by Raja Raja Chola.

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My Travel Experience with this place is filled with many memories of hot and sweating summer days. It all happened during the summer vacations, we hired a mini -van for all our family members to accommodate and started to travel towards Tanjore. It took about 7 hours to reach the place starting from Chennai. Though we started early in the morning, the time we reached the temple was noon, imagine without chappals in the big temple corridor, our feet turned red and all are jumping &hopping, finding place near the shades, unable to sit too  because of  the complete rock flooring. As we entered the main part of the temple, it was cool & We had the darshan of the lord, &happily forget about the sufferings, but again to get back to our vehicle, it has become too tough as the sun was getting too hot.

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Tanjore is a place that encouraged many poets &poetess to present their best in Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit &Marathi. The great trinity of Carnatic music were patronised by the great kings of Tanjore. The king Karikaalachola built a dam across the river Cauvery is a famous tourist attraction as it is built with rocks and named as Kallanai. There are many saivites &vaishnavites shrines in &around Tanjore.  Tanjore dolls, Tanjore Paintings &Tanjore plates are three major symbols of that place depicting its richness.
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There are many Universities &Libraries in Tanjore. One of the Maratha‘s mahal has now become a world famous Manuscripts library called Thanjavur saraswathi mahal. After all these visits &in between we all relished tender coconuts, raw mangoes, mangoes, cucumbers topped with red chilly powders, guavas, ice apples, ice creams, fruit juices &the special halwa made out of moong dal called Asoka –speciality of Thanjavur. Musical instruments like Veena, Thavil, Mrudangam &Kangira are finely crafted in this place. With loads of memories &shopping bags we got back to Chennai.

(This blog post is prepared for indi bloggers’ indispire.)

Tuesday 18 December 2018

A TO Z BENEFITS OF AMLA


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Amla (Botanical Name Emblic Myrobalan) is a popular, easily available variety of berry with numerous benefits.  Rich in vitamin c, and antioxidant properties, it is a low cost berry.  It is round in shape, green in colour and sour in taste. Highly used in both culinary and medicinal fields.  Especially in Ayurveda, Intake of Amla before meals is advised. “अभुक्त्वात् आमलकं पथ्यम्“Abhukthvaat Aamalakam Pathyam’.  A simple recipe of Amla Pachadi ,i.e amla raita, Take raw or Cook the amla and then grind it along with green or red chillies, add salt &mix it with curd. Add seasoning .Amal raita is ready just in minutes. To preserve Amla for a long time, it is cooked and stored along with honey in air-tight jars. Amla pickle is a most relished one and is a good combination with curd rice.
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The Amla tree is also worshipped in India, during the month of Nov-Dec. i.e (15 Nov-15 Dec) Karthika masa, month of Karthika, according to Indian calendar.  Let’s take a quick look at its benefits - - - - -
A-   Anti- inflammatory
B-    Boosts immunity
C-    Controls  diabetics
D-    Detoxifies
E-    Eaten raw
F-    Fights against cancer
G-   Gut protector
H-   Helps in hair growth & colour
I-       Iron content/ Increases HDL
J-      Juice promotes longevity (In Tamil literature, Because of this unique quality of Amla, The King Adiyamaam, presented Amla to Avvaiyar-the great Tamil Poetess.)
K-    Keeps constipation at bay
L-     Lose weight
M-                        Maintains blood pressure
N-  Nutritious as well as nourishes
O-  Organs friendly
P-    Prevents premature greying
Q-  Quick digestion
R-    Restores good vision
S-    Strengthens bones
T-    Throat healer
U-  Ulcer free
V-   Very effective in treating cold and fever
W-                        Wound healing
X-    X…..
Y-    Youthful skin
Z-    Zest enhancer





A SHRINE WHERE BRIGU MAHARISHI WORSHIPPED THE LORD

     The Divya Desam TIRUPPAVALAVANNAM is located in the temple town of Kanchipuram. There are two shrines of Pachai vanna Perumal and Paval...