Supreeta Preaches Important Lessons of Life through Grace

She is a born optimist and she sprinkles positive vibes. She loves to celebrate life and she speaks from the bottom of her heart. She takes life in its own stride and believes in relationship. That’s Supreeta Singh for you in a nutshell.

The moment we met each other, she smiles. And it is ‘Grace’ in the truest sense of the term. A full-fledged print media journalist turned into a PR person, who decided to come up with her first novelette on love and human relationships is all ‘Grace’. “My career in journalism and PR have probably helped a lot in coming up with this novel and choosing the subject line. Connecting and interacting with different cross section of people helped a lot.” She quips.

‘Grace’ by Supreeta Singh, is an immaculate attempt to unbox “LOVE” and set it free for readers’ choice to look at it from its different facets. Representing Gen Y, she made her novelette a fast read without a traditional introduction. That certainly had struck the chord beyond boundaries. The urban, conversational tone spelled a charm on young minds as if the two lead characters of the story, Kavita and Rana are echoing the readers’ mind, their heartbreaks, disillusionment and bitterness in the pursuit of finding “the one.”

Supreeta percolates a wonderful lesson through her 97 page work. As life doesn’t have all the answers in store, love is also not all about winning someone’s heart and living a life of fulfillment. Rather it teaches you forgiveness, acceptance and a lot of sacrifices through your course of journey. Through four romantic sagas of Kavita, which she has experienced, Supreeta toys with some brilliant attributes of human values…”affection, friendship, heartbreak, loss and self-discovery that men and women are facing today.” And there only ‘Grace’ becomes universal…for all ages.

Life poses a lot of challenges. Whether you fight it out or not, it leaves a lot of “grey and undefined areas.” Supreeta’s unfathomable eyes are seriously on a quest to define those faded areas.

The quest continues while she aims for her next two titles, “Bani” and “Kolkata Kitty”. Stay tuned.

“Grace” is available on Amazon, Flipkart, Barnes & Noble and also at www.gracebysupreetasingh.com

Flipkart: https://www.flipkart.com/grace/p/itmf49szysg5kp4s

Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/Grace-Supreeta-Singh/dp/154370266X

 

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Does the Middle Class Decide on “Good” or “Bad” Food?

Written by Nandana Bhattacharjee

A true Bengali is one whose life seems incomplete without some deep fried ‘luchi’ and potato curry in the breakfast table. Bengalis just like many other communities of India are known for their food habits and of course for their immense good cooking.

Now, we are standing alongside with globalization, everything online and almost all types of restaurants near us. No more do we go to Darjeeling for authentic momos and to south India for dosa and uttapam.

Before talking about the so called Bengali middleclass food habit we should understand the class itself. This middle class has really gone through a lot of things. Earlier middle class families where those who had very little savings and at the end of the month there was an inevitable shortage of money. Situations have changed now, middle class have gone up the ladder and the definition of middle class has also shifted its epicenter.

Middle class is actually a very hegemonic class and has well drawn its boundaries to not let working class and people from other classes enter it. Food habit just the other daily things is going through a lot of change.

Earlier it was a delicacy for Bengalis to have food with lots of spices and oil too but how we are shifting towards a healthier food type where luchies have been replaced by cornflakes and prawn curry by grilled chicken breast.

I remember when I was very small Sunday afternoon meant good mutton curry, French fries (aloo bhaja) , dal and steaming hot rice. But now, the scenario has gone through immense change. Mutton is almost a forgotten story now in most of Bengali families.

Eating healthy is something that the world is focusing towards and middle class Bengalis has historically responded to each and every change. Looking at the lower strata of the society we can well say that they have not shifted that much in their food habit because apparently healthy food is costlier and the very rich section of the society is so less in number that what they about their food habit is unknown. Middle class just as the name suggests falls in between and have made its position well enough in this transition.

Pattern of food consumption well indicates the social class one belongs to. Researches have shown that mothers of the middle class families are more concerned with the nutritional and food value they give their children. For lower class it is primarily the cost and general family preference.

Pierre Bourdieu, had studied middle class very thoroughly and he suggested that it is actually the middle class who decides which food to be labeled as ‘bad’ and which one as ‘good’. People from other class follow these tags and form their food habit.

Something that can be well concluded is that food habit is not a subjective choice, there are actually some laid down pattern and one can do nothing but follow them. Middle class which has been a very influential class and also trend setters in certain areas have a huge impact on others food habit too.

Author Bio: Nandana Bhattacharjee is a student of Presidency University, Kolkata. She is in her final year of under graduation, with sociology major. In her first year she had done a summer internship with Hope Foundation, Kolkata. Being primarily interested in gender studies she is to work on ‘gender and body image’ for her upcoming dissertation.

Blogging Meet Up in Bangalore: A Remarkable Day in My Life

 

Written by Nithisha Obbu, 2nd Year, CMRIT, Bangalore 

“A SMALL PIECE OF ART FORM, BE IT LITERATURE,DANCE, MUSIC OR ANY KIND, CAN DO BRING A GREAT CHANGE INSIDE THE SOUL”.

When you have some art form as your passion, no external force can stop you from reaching heights of success. It alone doesn’t make oneself satisfied but also makes the world around you glow and charming by your art form. In particular, when it comes to literature, you are not just a poet or writer, you are that one person who can depict one’s life. You infuse life to the thing which has no life in real. If a musician is admired by a group of people, that shows how passionate he is and how hard he works towards his passion.

 

All this to enlighten the one within you.

“IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO START WHAT INTERESTS YOU AND THE PASSION YOU HAVE. IGNITE THE PASSION UP AND WORK ON IT HARD”.

My passion is writing and I started writing at the age of 7. My sword is my pen, with which I started conquering people’s heart. My journey is not too easy. I spent sleepless nights and fire in my belly to come up to what I am today. Since the teen, I had no platform where I can showcase my passion. But now, I got the platform through “Connect India” and “Inklings” to show my talent. I never thought of communicating through this poem I love.

 

A MOMENT OF PASSION
A MOMENT OF PASSION SO EASILY SHARED,
WITH NO FEAR OR REGRET.
THE MEMORIES FLOOD THROUGH MY MIND,
A MOMENT OF PASSION I’LL NEVER FORGET.
A MOMENT OF PASSION IS LIKE A DRUG, IT TAKES ME SO HIGH.
NEEDING ME TO TAKE ANOTHER FIX,
A MOMENT OF PASSION CAN NEVER LIE
A MOMENT OF PASSION WHEN YOU ARE ALONE,
YOU DESIRE IT TOO.
UNABLE TO CONTROL IT,
A MOMENT OF PASSION SHARED WITH YOU.

1st April 2018 was a remarkable day in my life with a plenty full of memories and new friends. We had a great interactive session with Subhasis sir and Ankush Tiwari and along with Nitheesh, Abhinav, Vaibhav and many more who were tremendously motivated and passionate.

“WE CAN NEVER AND SHOULDN’T COMPARE A POET WITH OTHERS BECAUSE EACH ONE HAS HIS OWN GENRE AND HIS WAY OF EXPRESSING THINGS”. A dream came true, me performing before people who know what goes on in life of a poet. It’s like I am flying with colours. Many thanks to Subhasis sir and Ankush to be so loving and encouraging towards young talents to come and showcase their inner beauty. How can I forget , thank you Abhinav for the meet up and the team which is simply amazing.

Sumit Agarwal: The Name Which Inspires the City

Passion, ambition and a brave heart are the 3 things one needs to have to achieve something meaningful in life. It’s all in the mind and self courage that makes you different from others. And if you have talent and a strong will to get what you want then nothing can stop you. This has been proved with an impactful example by a city boy, Sumit Agarwal.

The name may seem an ordinary one but the person is not. The founder of one of the most promising city-based PR companies, PR Signal, Sumit Agarwal is a man with pure ambition and a strong will. A management post graduate entrepreneur, he is a man with brain who aims to improve the PR vision with new and innovative ideas.

What makes him different and special? He is a special individual. Born with cerebral palsy, he had to undergo four major operations and now 70 % of his movements are restricted. But his medical and physical deficiency had never ever put an impact on his will to excel and make a difference.

Every man has a woman behind his success. And for Sumit, it was his mother who supported him all through the hardships of life. Being specialized in managing non profit organizations and advising them, he aims to increase both the efficacy and efficiency of the PR companies with his remodelling ideas.

A simple boy from the city of joy, he possesses a pure and soft heart. Not only does he rule the business in the PR segment but he loves carrying on with his social deeds listening to his heart.

Being an active member of the Help Age India foundation, he has visited over 10 old aged homes in order to convey a survey consisting of 300 respondents. His survey and contribution have raised funds which ultimately improved the quality of life in the old age home.

The list of his achievement is endless. And not a single one is less impressive. A man of excellence, Sumit became the first cerebral palsy individual from India to score a 9.05 CGPA from IBS. He has been presented with the state award of role model for academic excellence by Governor of West Bengal. He even has bagged “The Surendra Paul Memorial Award for Courage” by the Telegraph in the year 2008.

He is a master of chess and imbibes a weakness towards planting and gardening. His powerful brain knows the binary language of R, Java and SPSS and has a good hand in the cloud computing programs.

In their free time when people freak out for vacations, he invests his quality time with different organization he is a part of, i.e. the general secretary of international human rights, life time member of rotary means business, national advisor at national media confederation and many more such things.

“The Jack of all trades and the master of none” is the fitting proverb to describe his excellence. PR signal boasts of a unique strategic approach towards the public relationship and its management. And it makes all the work easy and smooth.

A great man with a greater innovation can really make a difference. Sumit Agarwal comes from that legacy. Bless him by paving the way.

 

Darpan Shows the Way: Jayanti Devi, the Real “Sitara”

What a way to remember (Smaran 2017) the third death anniversary of Kathak Queen Sitara Devi!! What a way to pay tribute and gratitude towards Indian Classical Art and Culture!! And the credit goes to Kalindi Darpan Socio-Cultural Organization, a non-profit outfit from North Kolkata which strives to commemorate the lives of legendary names in the field of Indian Classical Art and Culture. It was a perfect homage, neatly crafted by Darpan in the name of bold and beautiful Sitara Devi on her death anniversary.

Darpan had chosen to felicitate the life long struggle of an old, worn out, physically challenged, but immensely talented classical dancer Smt Jayanti Mukherjee not just to show gratitude and respect towards her huge contribution to Indian Classical dance form, but to enlighten many more lives with her example of fighting, struggling, winning and performing. She is a living example of how powerful and healing Indian classical art form can be. In spite of her broken nervous system at the age of 8 due to a severe attack of meningitis, she continued with her dance and went on to master the art of Kathak from Pt. Birju Maharaj, Pt. Krishna Maharaj and Pt. Om Prakash Maharaj. She also learnt Bharatnatyam from Maestro Manishankar. She earned the titles like Prabhakar (Bharatnatyam) and Sudhakar (Kathak). Owing to a very poor condition of her family, she had to take up a job of a nurse at Calcutta Medical College and didn’t have the luxury to think of getting married. Even then she was destined to perform and she was constantly making headlines in the newspapers every alternate day through her immaculate performance in different parts of the country and abroad. In 2000, she encountered with another blow of misfortune. She was detected with CMV infection in the blood which gradually was destroying all her organs. She lost her eye sights. And, she went on losing her innumerable students in the process. But then she was full of life and the soul was already dedicated to dance. So, she didn’t give up and remained as a “fire fighter” who can celebrate life through her dance form.

The stage performances on that winter evening at the packed Mohit Moitra Mancha was designed keeping in mind to celebrate life through Indian classical art in its myriads of colours. “Mann ki Meera” by Kathak artist Surashree Bhattacharya and her group was a little off colour in front of a duet kathak presentation by Pt. Deepak Maharaj (son of Pt. Birju Maharaj) and his daughter Ragini Maharaj (grand daughter of Birju  Maharaj). Darpan took the honour of presenting Ragini for the first time in front of the viewers in Kolkata. And the traditional Indian culture of Guru Shishya Parampara was depicted nicely through the father-daughter duet.

The celebration of colour continued when 12^th International Devdasi Award winner Smt Madhumita Roy and her group took the stage and set it on fire in no time. But then also, there was a huge surprise in store by the organizers!! The grand children of two legends, Vishal Krishna (grandson of Sitara devi) and Ragini Maharaj (grand daughter of Padma Vibhushan Pt. Birju Maharaj) representing two separate gharanas (Lucknow and Benaras) performed and took the show to a greater height.

The architecture and depth of the show speaks of its own. And in spite of taking all the pains to organize such a brilliant musical extravaganza, Darpan remains silent. That’s the way it should be. That’s the way you should guide others.

Woodland Brings Techno Jacket to Know Your Winters

If you want to “Know your Winters”, Woodland has the answer for you!!!

This winter they’ve come back with their all new Techno Jacket Collection 2017 in 3 different and vibrant varieties, in the form of “InfraLite, Heat Lock and Storm Breaker. Keeping in mind every outdoor and winter demand, to safeguard ourselves, Woodland, country’s leading outdoor gear brand has geared up to launch this new range of winter wear with utmost care.

Speaking on the occasion on Tuesday, 6^th December, 2017, Mr. Harkirat Singh, Managing Director, Woodland said, “being the leader of the outdoor wear in India, we have always focused on promoting outdoor sports while ensuring safety of the users. Technology has helped us bringing in this range on board. It supports one’s expedition and ensures one’s safety under rough and rugged climatic conditions.”

Pointing out Eastern India as one of the primary and growing markets for Woodland, Mr. Singh added, “last year we had a decent 1200 crore business and the market contributes to almost 15 to 20% growth every year. Out of our total 600 COCO stores across 250 cities in India, covering a total retail space of nearly nine lakh sq ft and over 5000 MBOs. We already have 9 stores in Kolkata and will be adding 3 more by the end of this financial year 2017.” Meanwhile, Woodland is adding up 30 – 40 outlets every year across the country. Thus, the company is planning to reach 2000 crore mark in next 2-3 years.

Mr. Vivek Sabharwal, the Marketing & PR Head, Woodland informed me that InfraLite Jacket is made up with thin loft insulation, which is made up of micro fibers with excellent compatibility and softness. It can combat extreme cold by delivering superior degree of warmth, softness, durability and light weight.

For Heat Lock, the technology has two variations. One is the foil and the other is the fleece. Heat Lock Foil is made up of silver dots coated fabric. They not only regulate the body temperature, but also help retaining the body heat up by 20% and dissipate excess body heat. On the other hand, Heat Lock Fleece is made up of micro fibers which form air chambers. These chambers trap air and prevent loss of body heat. It provides excellent heat insulation.

Storm Breaker jackets are completely windproof, water and cold resistant that provide protection against severe weather conditions. So, to ensure that, these jackets are made up of highly concentrated woven fabric consisting of a versatile insulating layer comprising of a polyester body shell with soft stretchy sleeves and side panels.

To justify their innovative spree in the footwear division, they’ve launched the HeatLock Shoes. They ensure to fight out extreme winter conditions during a mountain expedition. They also have a thermal layer inside just to protect the feet.

Woodland, which operates globally through three different arms for three different regions- Asia Pacific, CIS and GEC countries, is planning to come up with lots of adventure sports accessories very soon. In between, they’ve just launched sports bicycles in the regions like Delhi, Chandigarh, Manali etc. What next? The MD smiles. The sparkling in the eyes probably says it all.

 

Giving Birth to Your Own Blog

In simple terms a blog is a kind of website which emphasizes largely on written contents called blog posts. Bloggers mainly write from a subjective point of view with a view to connect with the readers in an interactive way through the comment section attached with the blog.

A very common misconception with regards to writing a blog is that one needs to be a talented writer to start a blog. On the contrary one just needs to be extremely passionate about the subject he or she is willing to write the blog on. And as long as you are intensely interested in a subject, your passion for it is sure to reflect through your blog. Moreover you can also earn money as well as public recognition by running a successful blog of your own.

How to Create a Blog through A Few Simple Steps –

1. Choose an Interesting Subject and a Catchy Blog Name

The first step is to choose an attractive subject for your blog and name it in an interesting manner. The subject could be related to your hobbies such as traveling, cooking, sports, fashion, art and culture and many more. It can also be based on your life experiences and details accounts of it. Once you have selected the subject name it wisely in keeping with the topic. The name should be precise and catchy so as to attract the attention of the readers.

2. Publish it online

In order to make your blog visible to the worldwide readers you will require a hosting company who will put it up on the web. New bloggers should begin with a basic hosting plan to initiate their blog. Many hosting companies offer different affordable plans for the beginners and one that suits you better.

3. Customize the Blog

Everyone wants his blog to look unique and attractive and WordPress can help you a lot in your endeavor. It offers you different catching themes which can be used to customize the design and layout of your blog in a creative and attractive way.

4. Write Your First Post to Publish

Now that the structure of your blog is ready it’s time to start blogging. Invest the best of your creativity and come up with a unique composition of your own to address your readers. You can also add some interesting images related to your post to make it more impressive.

5. Promote the Blog

Building a well organized blog and creating quality contents for it are not enough to make it successful. You need to promote it effectively to attract readers especially when you are a beginner. Using different social media such as Facebook, Tweeter etc. could be of immense help in this respect. You can also employ different online marketing strategies such as email marketing and many others for this purpose.

6. Make Money through Your Blog

There are many ways to make money using your blog such as selling the products and services of your own through the blog, getting paid for writing reviews and selling space for advertising.