Archive for December 2016

Monday 19 December 2016

बस तुम....
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बस तुम....



एक आस, दिल का एहसास..,मेरी सोच में बस तुम..,

एक कमी हर सवाल का जवाब..,तुम्हारा ख्याल और बस तुम.., 

एक शाम तुम्हारा साथ तो क्या बात और बस तुम...! 

दिल की फ़रियाद..,हर पल एक दुआ तुम्हारी याद और बस तुम...,

दिल का सुक़ून और मेरा जूनून तुम बस तुम और तुम...!!!

दीप 

Tuesday 13 December 2016
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Questionnaire with Shikha Kumar

In conversation with Shikha Kumar, who's latest book 'Logically Stupid that's Love' is winning hearts and applauds all over.
Questionnaire with Shikha Kumar

  Can you tell us a little about yourself? Your profession and your hobbies
Professionally I'm an IT Manager, who's life is all about projects and timelines, My books are a mixed blend of entertainment and emotions. I am also a relationship expert and regular columnist with various websites. I love to travel and is movie-buff at heart.Being an author is my creative side. When I first wrote, it wasn't the plan of life, but now it's plan for life. People may have their own ways of meditating and seeking peace, for me, it's writing at least few words a day if not a page.

   1. How did you first get involved in with writing, are you an imaginative person?
As I always say, I'm an accidental author. So with no background in publishing, the first book just happened out of my love for good stories. Yes, I'm very imaginative, romantic and witty, so are my books.

32.  What do you find most challenging about your writing?
My books have made their mark for entertaining conversations amongst lead protagonist. I too agree that's my USP, and that's what drives the story and generates interest. So for me, that is where maximum efforts lie. To make the exchange of words as crisper and engaging as possible, so that book reaches readers hearts.

43.  What do you do when you are not writing?
I'm constantly writing for many websites, and then I have a full-time job too. Then there's family around which my world revolves. So, long story short, I'm never sitting idle. In fact, my daily routine is pretty insane, but I don't think I was created for sanity anyway, so it's okay :)

  4. Where do you see yourself in the next 6 months, and 5 years down the road?
Reaching more bookshelves, winning more hearts. Being a scriptwriter maybe. I'm already an Editor-in-Chief. So enjoying the stride of life and letting it take me by astonishment.

6 5. How do you keep coming up with material / content for your story?
My stories are always 'What-If' version of what I see around. I look through a normal situation with my creative rather mischievous lenses, and that is how I create my plots.
As far as my characters go, they are and never will be perfect. My stories will always be real and character believable, so being flawed is natural.

76. Any specific tips you have for new writers who want to make it big in the world of published books?
Don't succumb to marketing trend or forced intimate content. Just focus on a good story and of course, a sound marketing plan. Respect all reviews equally and never get demotivated with either rejection or negative feedback. Not all audience is alike, so it's alright to have varied reviews.

87. What’s the best thing a writer can give to his readers?
9.       Value for their time more than money. When you watch a movie, you spend quality time with loved ones at least, even if a film turns out to be a disaster. But a book is an individual's Me-time, so it's even more important to embrace a good book. So a book in the genre they cherish at an affordable price is the best gift to a reader from the author.

  8. A lot of people are interested in writing for the money earning potential. What are some tips for people interesting in making money from writing? What are some realistic expectations in regards to what can be made?
Well, to be honest, it's more of investment in initial years. Very few have struck gold in their maiden book, most sail through hardship to reach a decent stage. So don't expect anything stupendous to begin with. If you happen to make it big in the first attempt, consider that as a fortunate surprise and not minimal expectation benchmark.

19.   What motivates you most in life?
I'm in an auto-pilot mode for motivation. My life, particularly my hands are so full always that I don't have to look beyond my little blue planet to push myself up. I don't intend to sound self-pompous but with time I've found ways to filter our negativity and cherrypick positivity in all situations.

110.   The majority of the readers tend to take sides due religion and such other considerations.
Well, I believe genre should be only criteria for readers to take sides. Not even favorite authors. A genuine reader should give every good book it's due and unbiased consideration. So religion shouldn't even be in remote proximity while picking a book.

111.   What is the story behind the name of your book?
Since its inception, I knew I'm writing about a tale of heart v/s brain. It's not war-of-sexes and not even collision of two different worlds; it's a tussle between two most crucial elements of our existence that resides within us. So, Kartik was Logic and Sahana was Love. So after some deliberation, 'Logically Stupid that's Love' was arrived as an apt title for this today's generation love-story that never values what comes easy to them.

1 12.  What are your views on increasing plagiarism?

It's very disheartening to know indeed. If you don't have a story to tell to the world then better not write rather than disgracing the profession. So, please don't make it money-making business, it's primarily a creative task. Being inspired is okay but not shamelessly repeating someone's original content.

Tuesday 6 December 2016

Materialism and today’s World...
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Materialism and today’s World...

Materialism and today’s World
In some ways the gold diggers' rampant materialism was understandable, since they were living at a time of great poverty, and for many of them gold digging seemed to offer an escape from starvation. But most of us in the country today, industrialized world don't have that excuse. Our appetite for wealth and material goods isn't driven by hardship, but by our own inner discontent. We're convinced that we can buy our way to happiness, that wealth is the path to permanent fulfilment and well-being. We still measure ‘success' in terms of the quality and price of the material goods we can buy, or in the size of our salaries.
Our mad materialism would be more forgivable if there was evidence that material goods and wealth do lead to happiness. But all the evidence fails to show this. Study after study by the psychologists it has shown that there is no association between wealth and happiness. The only exemption is in cases of real poverty, when extra income does relieve suffering and brings sanctuary. But once our basic material needs are satisfied, our level of income makes little difference to our level of happiness. Research has shown that, for example, that extremely rich people such as billionaires are not significantly happier than people with an average income, and suffer from higher levels of depression. Researchers in positive psychology have concluded that true well-being does not come from wealth but from other factors such as good relationships, meaningful and challenging jobs or hobbies, and a sagacity of connection to something bigger than ourselves (such as a religion, a political or social cause, or a sense of mission).
Explanations for Materialism
Many economists and politicians believe that materialism - the desire to buy and possess things - is natural to human beings. This seems to make sense in terms since natural resources are limited, human beings have to compete over them, and try to claim as large a part of them as possible.
One of the problems with this is that there is actually nothing ‘natural' about the desire to mount up wealth. In fact, this desire would have been disastrous for earlier human beings. For the vast majority of our time on this planet, human beings have lived as hunter-gatherers - small tribes who would usually move to a different site every few months. As we can see from modern hunter-gatherers, this way of life has to be non-materialistic, because people can't afford to be weighed down with unnecessary goods. Since they moved every few months, unnecessary goods would simply be a hindrance to them, making it more difficult for them to move.
Another thing is that the restlessness and constant wanting which fuels our materialism is a kind of evolutionary mechanism which keeps us in a state of alertness. Dissatisfaction keeps living beings on the look out for ways of improving their chances of survival; if they were satisfied they wouldn't be alert, and other creatures would take the advantage.
In my view, acquisitiveness is best understood in psychological terms. Our mad materialism is partly a reaction to inner discontent. As human beings' it's normally for us to experience an underlying ‘psychological discord', caused by the incessant chattering of our minds, which creates a disturbance inside us, and often triggers negative thoughts.
We look to external things to try to alleviate our inner discontent. Materialism certainly can give us a kind of happiness - the temporary thrill of buying something new, and the ego-inflating thrill of owning it afterwards. And we use this kind of happiness to try to override - or compensate for - the fundamental unhappiness inside us.
In addition, our desire for wealth is a reaction to the sense of lack and vulnerability generated by our sense of separation. This generates a desire to makes ourselves more whole, more significant and powerful. We try to ‘bolster' our fragile egos and make ourselves feel more complete by accumulating wealth and possessions.
It doesn't work, of course - or at least, it only works for a very short time. The happiness of buying or owning a new item rarely lasts longer than a couple of days. The sense of ego-inflation generated by wealth or expensive possessions can be more enduring, but it's very fragile too. It depends on comparing yourself to other people who aren't as well off as you, and evaporates if you compare yourself to someone who is wealthier than you. And no matter how much we try to complete or bolster our ego, our inner discontent and incompleteness always re-emerges, generating new desires. No matter how much we get, it's never enough. As Buddhism teaches, desires are inexhaustible. The satisfaction of one desire just creates new desires, like a cell multiplying. The only real way of alleviating this psychological discord is not by trying to escape it, but by trying to heal it.