वो रेलवे की बंद क्रासिंग...

वक़्त कब थम जाता है पता चलता है कभी? 

वक़्त थमते देखा है कभी? 

इस भाग दौड़ वाली दनिया में शान्ति फिर कैसी होती है, महसूस किया है क्या कभी? 

कभी उस रेलवे की बंद क्रासिंग पे रुको तो महसूस कर लेना ये सब...

रोज़मर्रा की ज़िन्दगी की भाग दौड़ का ठहराव है यह सब...

एक अनजानी दौड़ का अल्पविराम, कुछ देर सुस्ताने का इशारा...

वो रेलवे की बंद क्रासिंग जो कुछ देर के लिए ही सही मगर उस शोर से निजाद दिलाती है जिसे आम ज़िन्दगी का हिस्सा मान चुके है |

The Untold Tales: Love and Other Demons - Book Review

The Untold Tales: Love and Other Demons
By Paras
Review By Ila Garg

‘The Untold Tales: Love and Other Demons’ by Paras is an anthology of 13 short stories. Each story covers a different aspect—the highs and lows of relations are explicitly described. From the struggles in the life of a prostitute to the dynamics of a mother-son relationship, all are given space in the book.

Mythological Monologues - Book Review

Mythological Monologues
By Purba Chakraborty
Review by Ila Garg

You must have read a lot of mythological stories and seen them presented as television serials as well. This book ‘Mythological Monologues’ by Purba Chakraborty is an attempt to change the narrative. The book has twenty-six monologues by twenty-six such epic characters who remained unheard in the course of mythology. These characters could never express their viewpoint as the stories were panning out.

Of Holding On and Letting Go!

And just like that, we feel broken,
When all we should do is surrender,
But we choose to feel shaken,
Lying still in emotions that are tender.

Kya Khoob Keh Gya Tha Wo...

Kya khoob keh gya tha wo,
Zamane se alag tha wo.
Aasaan toh kbhi tha hi nhi ye safar,
Magar ulajh gyi hai ab har dagar.

Kya khoob keh gya tha wo,
Meri zindagi ban gya tha wo.
Umaar bhar ka saath nhi bhi toh,
Kuch pal toh theher gya tha wo.

Kya khoob keh gya tha wo,
Meri rooh ko chu gya tha wo.
Hawayon mei khusboo sa,
Wo tha kuch pal ka bharosa.

Kya khoob keh gya tha wo,
Zamane se alag tha wo.
Kaaton bhari zindagi mei tha,
Wo mere daftar-e-gul sa.

© Ila Garg

Mother

I know I haven’t been an easy child, 

There is no way I could be tamed or be mild.
At times, I need to scream and be apart,
But your tender touch is always there to ease my heart.

I get frightened when you are not in my sight,
You are the wall; the force to test my strength,
The chain I hammer at with all my might,
And yet you keep increasing its length.

It’s tough, I know, to be so calm and not be mad,
To at once play both good and bad,
Your care and faith never cease to come along.
The love against all odds still stays strong.

© Ila Garg

Memories :(

Laced with memories, grandma's kitchen called out to me,
As I stepped in, I recalled how it was once filled with the smell of ghee.
She would prepare steaming hot aloo parathas in the shape of triangles,
And tell us stories about the fairies and also the big bad wolves of the jungles.

Each time we visited her, we had so much to look forward to,
Sometimes, she would make us sit on her lap and read to us too.
She would tell us how good always triumphed over the evil,
And then sing a lullaby for us with a touch so gentle.

On the cold nights, grandma used to give us her famous hot chocolate to drink,
It was her secret recipe; even the thought of it now makes my heart sink.
Once upon a time, my grandma's kitchen was full of smiles and spark,
In her absence, now the 'kitchen' feels so lonely and stark.

© Ila Garg

Treasure Within Dreams - Book Review

Treasure Within Dreams
By Shetall Ramsinghani
Review By Ila Garg

‘Treasure Within Dreams’, a novel by Shetall Ramsinghani is published by Revolt House Publishing. The cover is beautiful and reveals the fact that the readers are going to meet a fortune teller "psychic". It seems like a mystic novel at the first glance.

In Conversation with Sujay Malik :)

Hi Sujay,

Hope this finds you in good spirits!

It’s a pleasure to take your interview today. So let’s start:

Sujay Malik candidly talks about himself: "Well, in all fairness, you can call me a brooder, a dreamer, a story-teller, a guy next door, a professional, a husband, a son, a son-in-law, a friend; all rolled into one."

He is a Chartered Accountant and also has a degree in law and commerce. He works with Bharti Axa General Insurance Company Limited as a Senior Manager - Underwriting. As he is quite passionate about writing and story-telling, it prompted him to pursue his interest more seriously. His love for books is not too old but pretty firm, but his love for writing dates back to the time when he was in school.

He loves to be alone at times and at other times he likes the company of my loved ones around him. He can be moody but he is quite actively passive that way - active in the mind and passive by appearance. You might feel that he is almost non-reactive by nature but that’s just how he looks. He is deeply affected by what goes on around him and he chooses to talk about all of that through his stories.

His first book Different Beads of the Same String was a collection of 10 short stories depicting human emotions from various fragments of life. The Sameness in a Consistent Change is his second book.

Here, he lets his readers know a little more about himself and his journey so far. Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring to you Sujay Malik:

A Life to Die For - Book Review

A Life to Die For
By Nilay Shah
Review By Ila Garg

A Life to Die For, a novel by Nilay Shah, is published by Zorba Books. The cover totally grabbed my attention. The amazing use of shades from red to orange to yellow is amazingly spectacular. Somehow the book seems a thriller; red symbolising death.

In Conversation with Prita Yadav! :)

Hi Prita,

Hope this finds you in good spirits!

It’s a pleasure to take your interview today. So let’s start:

Priti Yadav is a fitness freak with a passion for writing! She enjoys running, playing hockey and swimming. Her writing journey has been slow and steady, but she is happy and satisfied with the response on both her books.

Here, she lets her readers know a little more about herself and her journey so far. Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring to you Prita Yadav:

 
1. Tell us something about you that only people close to you know. 

 
Prita: Only people close to me know that I'm extremely emotional in real life and cry very easily while watching movies! Especially a death scene has me choking as I remember my late grandmother.

Love Sutra: Secret to Happily Ever After - Book Review

Love Sutra: Secret to Happily Ever After
By Urvashi Pahwa
Review By Ila Garg

Love Sutra: Secret to Happily Ever After is a series of short stories by Urvashi Pahwa, published in a kindle format. The cover has a nice gold font for the title and combined with black, it looks really rich and exotic just like love is. There’s a heart shaped pendant reflecting love and of course the sutra—love ties. Overall, the cover has a royal feel to it. It looks impressive to me.

Singapore Under Attack - Book Review

Singapore Under Attack
By Uzi Ellam
Review By Ila Garg

Singapore Under Attack, a novel by Uzi Ellam, is published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. The cover is so apt. The men with guns represent some shooters and can be the attackers. Backdrop shows the city of Singapore. With such an interesting cover, I was sure it would not disappoint me.

Razor-Sharp - Book Review

Razor-Sharp: 13 Short Stories
By Abhinav Kumar
Review By Ila Garg

Razor-Sharp is a collection of 13 short stories by Abhinav Kumar. The author himself has published it as a kindle version. The cover has a very simple feel to it. With the yellow backdrop and just the title and author’s name on it, not much can be inferred about the stories from the cover. But I like how the colour is bright and the cover is minimalist.

You Never Know - Book Review

You Never Know
By Akash Verma
Review By Ila Garg

You Never Know, a novel by Akash Verma, is published by Penguin Random House India. The cover is so apt; you will realise this after reading the book. With a backdrop of red—which is a colour of love, rage, fury, blood and hell. It’s tagline—sometimes love can drag you through hell—says a lot about the plot. With such an interesting cover, I was sure it would not disappoint me.

The Colours of Passion - Book Review

The Colours of Passion
By Sourabh Mukherjee
Review By Ila Garg

The Colours of Passion, a novel by Sourabh Mukherjee, is published by Readomania. The cover totally grabbed my attention. The amazing use of shades from red to orange to yellow is amazingly spectacular. The knife and blood drops further make it a captivating cover. The sub-title—Unveiling Dark Secrets behind the Limelight—further adds to the mysterious outlook of the plot.

In Conversation with Saswati Rath and Manaswini Dwibedi :)

Hi,

Hope this finds you in good spirits!

It’s a pleasure to take interview of two lovely ladies today. So let’s start:

Saswati Rath, a strong believer, age 17 years is a native to Odisha, India. She believes in a power not just to dream but to accomplish every dream once dreamed  of. She has a power to infuse emotions in words. Apart from writing, this teenager has a great passion for painting, she strives with the ambition of standing among the eminent artists.

Manaswini Dwibedi, a 17-year-old dreamer emanating from Odisha, aspires to be a prolific writer and an educationist. She is keen on studying English literature after her intermediate and claims that the segment of the book that belongs to her is the rawest version of her pen. She is a good learner and along with that, holds a national scholarship in Odissi dance. She loves debates and hosting various programme and along with her passions, she is a fashion freak and loves lip colours.

Here, these teen authors let their readers know a little more about themselves and their journey so far.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring to you Saswati and Manaswini:

Rendezvous with Lovely Sharma :)

Hi ,

Hope this finds you in good spirits!

It’s a pleasure to take your interview today. So let’s start:

Lovely Sharma is turning 23 soon. She has been in some really nice cities as her part of growing up! Durgapur (an emerging steel city), Kota (the IIT sheep hub), Bhubaneswar (city of temples, and weekend getaways to beaches!) and now Bangalore (the Silicon Valley of India). She has been writing since the age of 14. Her solo debut, ‘The Weekend’ has released and now she’s here to talk about it!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring to you Lovely Sharma:

In Conversation with Shilpi Chaklanobis!

Hi Shilpi Chaklanobis,

Hope this finds you in good spirits!

It’s a pleasure to take your interview today. So let’s start:

Shilpi Chaklanobis hails from the beautiful city of Kanpur and has spent the majority of her adult life in Delhi. By profession she is a Digital Marketer. The amalgamation of her years spent amongst the quiet, calm streets of a small city and the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan like Delhi has lent her a unique perspective towards life. She aims to translate her experiences and understanding of human relationships into stories that not only move people but also resonate with them. She believes that the beauty of a story lies within its ability to be interpreted by the reader in the way they desire as is evident from her writing. Apart from writing, she spends her time devouring books by the dozen. This is her second endeavour as a writer and her writing not only shows promise, but also has a sense of sensitivity that compels you to think about the lives you touch every day.

Here, she lets her readers know a little more about herself and her journey so far. Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring to you Ms. Shilpi Chaklanobis:

The Writer's Bloom - Book Review

The Writer’s Bloom
By Neha Katyal
Review By Ila Garg

The Writer’s Bloom, a novel by Neha Katyal, is published in Kindle edition. The cover is quite a sight. The blend of colours is attractive. The night glittery sky is amazing! I loved the colours and the concept. A writer is blooming from within the flower in a free flow. One of the best covers I have seen lately…