Vitamin H - Book Review

Vitamin H: Volume 2
By Abhishek Vipul Thakkar
Review By Ila Garg

Have you come across the concept of affirmations and the power of manifestation? This book ‘Vitamin H’ by Abhishek Vipul Thakkar gives the much-needed dose of motivation to all the readers while playing on the concept of daily affirmations that do change lives.

The book has a collection of quotes covering topics like mindful living, life journey, faith, compassion, confidence, acceptance, success, gratitude, happiness and forgiveness. These are presented day-wise for daily stimulation.

Happy Stretching!! Happy Yoga Day!! :)

So, one thing that is trending everywhere and gripping the attention across the country is the International Yoga Day. Finally, after eons, we have a thing that has united us in all our spirits. Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness. Today, it is practiced in various forms around the world and continues to grow in popularity. Recognizing its universal appeal, on 11 December 2014, the United Nations proclaimed 21 June as International Yoga Day by resolution 69/131. International Yoga Day aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga.

'International Yoga Day' is one of the best things that has happened to humanity in recent times. It has given us a 'food for thought'. No real transformation can happen in one day but a day is enough to bring awareness about the ancient technology that had long been forgotten. Yoga is much more than a system of exercises. It’s a recipe for peace. It is a path to transformation of the self, something that has the solution to all the problems. It is after all an ancient secret of beauty, both internal and external. Yoga is an inspiration, a self-realization. It de-stresses you and holds the key to the ultimate happiness. 

With few cities already having events like 'Rahgiri', which was introduced as a new kind of experience. City dwellers can reach here and indulge in all sorts of recreational activities to keep themselves healthy and happy. Rahgiri has special activities for kids too. Activities such as scatting, cycling, gully cricket, painting, rangoli, volleyball, lemon race, tug of war, aerobics, guitar playing, other musical programs and cultural programs are organised in this event. In Delhi, Rahgiri is organised every Sunday at CP (inner circle) during early morning hours (starting as early as 6:30AM). 

International Yoga Day has managed to rekindle the interest of the masses towards a healthy lifestyle and has given an encouragement to bring back the zeal that was lost in the race of life. It has also ensured that people finally step out and embrace nature and see what they usually let go unnoticed. Often, we pass through beautiful gardens while on way to our work place but we can't find time to step out and breathe with open arms, International Yoga Day has finally given us an avenue to unleash our desires. It's almost like serving the old wine in a new bottle.

Happy Stretching!! Happy Yoga Day!! :)

Chit-Chat with Parul Tyagi :)

1.    Tell us something about yourself and the book?

I am a marketer by profession with over eleven years’ experience in handling Brands and their life cycles. I completed my MBA from MICA and along with a Post Graduate degree, I got the love of my life there. I am married to him right now and we have two sons. I have grown up in Delhi and my parents have spoiled me rotten. Have a younger brother who has actually become my older brother over the years - he is more patient and positive about life than I should be!

Hurry Om Hari is my second book. This book is about two people who are like you and me. What makes them inspire us is the fact that they choose to think about themselves and dare to achieve their unfulfilled dreams - albeit in a HURRY!

2.      How did you select this particular title?

I love playing with words for fun. It’s nice to twist them around and see what a world of difference they can make by simply getting arranged in different ways. The play with Hurry and Hari is a product of that curiosity. We have all grown up dancing on this cult yesteryear song and when I started writing a story on how two protagonists are determined to live their lives, even when they are in a hurry, I instantly knew I would call one of the Om and the other one Hari.

3.      What inspired you to write it?

A good plot. Once I knew this would be an interesting story to tell, I had to sit down and take it to a logical end. I knew I had to let people know that success is not just a by product of hard work. It is also a must resultant of dreaming about it. I have experienced this phenomenon in my personal life and instead of preaching about it I weaved into a story and tried to send the message across.

4.      How does it feel to be a writer?

In one word I could say - Liberated! Writing takes me away from the routine. It gives me independence. It gives me wings. It fuels my imagination. Oh and it also seems a little awkward when I get a million requests from everyone around to write letters to some government agencies, resignation letters, status updates only because : “Hey you are a WRITER. Must be a two minute thing for you!”

5.      What is your biggest strength when it comes to writing?

Imagination. I can do that quickly. It is part of my personality actually. I imagine scenarios, always negative, in every situation. You have to ask my husband how ably I imagine the worse things that will happen to us just because something little occurred at one moment. On a serious note, I strongly believe that if you can put yourself in every situation and think what could be the next move of a situation, character or time - you are a writer.

6.      Share some of your interesting memories you lived while writing this book.

The most important was all the Hockey I watched on TV or on YouTube. My sons are sports buff and they knew my book has Hockey in it. Sometimes they would watch something and fill me up with what I could include in the story.

Another significant memory is the pains I took to not let anyone know the title of my book. Often people would ask: “What's the name of your next?” And I had to safeguard it especially because it’s difficult for your kids to not blurt out everything to everyone. That is why the book is dedicated to their efforts.

7.      How do you make sure your dreams come true? Is there any short cut?

Nah. Never. There is no short cut to anything. Me and my brother grew up hearing from Dad that there is no substitute for Hard work. I take pride in working hard and then achieving success rather than riding on someone’s back or looking for easier ways to reach there. Dreams that come true on your own merit are savored best.

8.      Do you think a race can ideally be won by patience or by hurrying?

Race can be won only by determination. If you are determined and passionate about winning, you will win it by patience or hurrying- whatever path you choose. Your heart has to be in the right place, which is all.

9.      How was it working with Half Baked Beans, when you are associated with Grapevine India?

Good you asked. So I came on board as an Author at Half Baked Beans much before I joined Grapevine. I am a strict professional and I have never let the two overlap or suffer any conflict of interest because of my associations. I am a creative person and I give my hundred percent in both my roles. I am also fortunate that I found the right people at both these places. They are both encouraging and trust I will perform with honesty in both capacities. Being the movie buff, I can relate this to how Tigmanshu Dhulia directs his own films while he also acts under Anurag Kashyap.

10.  Do you think author’s conversations and events are important for a book’s promotion?

Yes and No. You cannot totally give up on promoting it by saying, “My work will do the talking”. At the same time you cannot oversell it by forcing people with conversations and appearances that become irritating for them. In the age where social media is consumed more than water, one has to be careful in the approach they take. If something is relevant and important for the world to know, make it known. But if something is important to you do not assume you can talk about it for 48 hours in a day and nobody will mind. If your product is good, nothing can stop it from being noticed.

11.  What is your least favorite part of the writing process?

The days when you just do not feel like writing. I hate those days. They are really useless days.

12.  Describe your writing style in ten words or less.

I write for those who think- Reading books isn’t easy.

13.  What are some things you like to do when you’re not writing?

Anything around Food, Movies or Travel. These are the three things I truly invest my time and energy in. Having two sons at the age they are in, the rest of the time is for them.

14.  Do you think that writing about dreams and strugglers can actually be of some help to the readers?

Yes. Aren’t we all looking for references around us all the time? I believe when people will read that dreams aren’t achieved by simply sitting on them but actually getting up and going about grabbing them, it will help at least one person out there.

15.  How do you feel when someone disagrees with something you say or have written?

I take it very seriously. I may not agree with the person but ill never disregard their opinion.

16.  Tell us something about your future projects.

The next book is ready. Announcements - at the right time. All I can say is that it is absolutely different from what I have ever written. It is a very ambitious project and I can't wait for the world to know about it.

17.  Was this path difficult to tread on or a smooth ride?

Smooth because I have a very strong support group around me when it comes to my family and friends. I am a royally pampered person and I am protected by their love and confidence every second of my life. Difficult, because it is not easy to be creative. You have mood swings, you have to be in a certain zone at times, you have to invest a lot of time. But it is all worth it.

18.  Lastly, is there a message you would like to convey your readers?

Hurry Om Hari is a product of my belief that no Dream is big or small. I have translated my unending love for Reality shows (I am a huge Big Boss fan) by building a story around it and letting everyone know that this love of mine is not stupid. I have greatest respect for sports-persons. I dream of making my sons good sports-persons and thus I made Hockey a central character in the book so people know that it is no easy business to be an achiever in this field. I just hope you see the honesty of this belief in my words.

Description

"Hurry up or be left out!"

Haven't we all heard this at least thousand times in our lives? (Okay you must have heard more.) The point is we are all in a hurry to make something. Be it careers, relationships, excuses, success, cover ups, babies, lives.

Om and Hari.

Their dreams may be at the far ends of a rope, their journeys may be markedly different from each other's but their desire is common - to make it on their own!

What makes this even more tedious is their race against time in doing so. They are the dreamers, the strugglers, the under dogs, the go getters, the nerve wreckers, the charmers and....... they are You!

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The Girl who hasn't lost 'hope' :)

From a window, I could only see sunlight entering in my dull room and suddenly brightening everything around. And then, at night the tube-light takes care of illuminating the surroundings or sometimes, I switch it off to sit in the aura of the calm moonlight. I have got some random books here that I re-read a lot many times only to discover new things in them. I had read a poem called "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" just a few years ago in school but I can't clearly see any stars from my small window. My food is served right in my room and I am hardly allowed to interact with anyone. No points for guessing that I have no friends.

My mother comes in my room often and look at me, sympathetically. After some seconds or probably minutes, she leaves too. It has exactly been 5 months and 4 days since I have not stepped out. My father hardly looks at me, he only loves my twin brother who enjoys this attention. He gets all the good gifts and I am not so lucky in that matter. But I don't want gifts. I just want some love and I am hopeful of getting that someday soon. Compassion is a feeling that every individual should possess irrespective of the gender with which they are dealing. However, my mother and father still value old thoughts and thus, they believe I don't need to be educated beyond a certain age. I loved school and always excelled in my academics. But my brother is an average child and my father could not see me outstanding him so he decided that I've studied enough.

I did protest during the initial days. I acted my age and cried, hoping to grab their attention. Children are adamant after all, and sometimes parents have to give in to their demands. I thought that to be true so I did all I could to ensure that they let me go to school, make new friends, learn new things, and look up at the sky and see the stars shining above me. From this window, I merely see the light, and hear happy sounds of children playing outside. At times, a bird stops by and chirps at me. It must be laughing at me or might be trying to say an encouraging word. I envy its freedom. But then, I read in a book that these birds are often caged too and yet they live in a hope of reaching the sky someday. And that has kept me inspired for all these months. When I look at a bird now, I only tell her - 'Wait for me, I'll be there soon!'

- The Girl who hasn't lost 'hope'

#CrumpledVoices2

And that made all the difference...

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Changes, small or big, are part and parcel of our lives. Even as I am vigorously typing in this blog post, something around me is changing, evolving. May be it’s me, who is recollecting a life changing experience that I went through and in that process realizing how necessary that first step was! Every second, time changes, so does the situation, our emotions and many more things. From childhood to adulthood, our body grows and our mind accompanies it. We dream and our dreams as Sigmund Freud has said have different interpretations.

Not everyone is bold enough to face the challenges that these dreams pose on us and thus, many of us often quit the path midway. However, I was not born to give up on my ambitions, without fighting. So when everyone turned deaf to my needs, I decided to make my own way! I was always fascinating by words, the power to express through writings always mesmerized me. May be that’s the reason why I took to my laptop at the first place. My parents never liked my prolong laptop uses, but I was adamant to prove that it’s not going to be a futile task in the long run.

I keyed in day and night, and soon with all my efforts I managed to complete my first book in just two months. After that, I gained ample confidence and never ceased to give words to my imagination. I wrote a couple of short stories over the next few months. I read voraciously and acquired the knowledge. Every book seemed to cast a varied spell on me and I was enamored by a couple of authors.

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I decided to work as a freelancer and in no time, as I marketed my skills through social media, offers started pouring in. I got few editing projects and I passionately completely each one of them. These projects got me enough income, sitting at the comfort of my home and finally I made my parents realize that I can be good at something too, that all my efforts were not going vain, that if I decide to put my mind to something I can definitely be successful. I can’t take the sole credit for this though, a lot many friends guided me through this path and helped me reach my dream.

Now, I am not saying that you should not listen to your parents but you should show them that the changes you are bringing in your life are shaping your future in a positive way. One has to understand that there are few involuntary changes around us too (situational changes, any unfortunate events, unexpected failures, etc.) but if you keep hoping to reach the destination, you will. Breath, be optimistic, enjoy, dance when you can, and be willing to accept the changes around you. Be open to new ideas, you never know what might act as a game changer for you!

Start A New Life, for the change starts here!

From dark to light! #together

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It was a gloomy winter day of 2009 when I decided to stay put at my home, not wanting to face the world that stood at large, waiting to make me feel small, questioning my strengths, and demeaning me in that process.

Yes, I could have chosen to be a little optimistic and walk like nothing happened but then I was taken aback by the events that unfolded before me. I was shattered to see my dreams going down the drain! All I wanted was that one chance that could perhaps change my world for better but suddenly I felt defeated, all alone against the cruel world. Now, all this may sound a bit melodramatic but then I could not deny the reality. So, I closed myself in the comfort of my home, my peaceful haven; not sure of what the future had in store for me!

Amidst all the turmoil that I was going through that day, my best friend who was my sole confidant intervened my space, not seeing any other way to help me hold myself together. She came into my dead world to lighten up everything once again and fill it with cheers. She insisted me on speaking my heart out, she encouraged me with her kind words over the cup of coffee (just the way I like) to ponder upon my feelings. After all, it was just a change of plans, not a big deal... She motivated me to face the situation rather than shutting myself to all the happiness. She showed me the way, a path that could brighten up the things again. I had failed once, but I can't fail twice, not if I remain optimistic and be ready to put in some productive efforts.

Her words, her company, and the way she smiled at me without judging me - all of that lifted up my mood and I was re-born with a new found hope. I chalked out a plan to traverse on the crossroad ahead of me and remain positive about it.

Deep down, I know I could never have taken that first step without her by my side. Her company and the power that she brushed upon me that day, the inspiration that she left me with were very essential to me. That gloomy winter day made me realize how beautiful the bond of friendship is that we continue to share till date and how my dear friend is my ray of hope among all darkness that sometimes tries to engulf me but has to go back, feeling defeated.

That sweet little nudge from her was all that I needed back then to believe that optimism is the greatest strength, it can help face any adversity. It brought me out of my sadness and motivated me to hug my life again, and this time with more zeal. Yes, the optimism that she gave me that day helped me revitalize my whole future. I will forever cherish the #memories and the #togetherness of that day because it helped me to be what I am today!

Let's all take out time to be #together with our family, friends, and loved ones. Let's start this journey here, Together - Meet the New Housing. :)

~ One day, everything will make sense. Until then, dance on! ~

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