Book Review:The Best Seller She Wrote by Ravi Subramanian

Ravi Subramanian
Westland
2015
295 INR
Review copy via blogadda

                    Ravi Subramanian is one of the few Indian authors whom I love reading. Almost all his published works till date have been fast paced banking thrillers. 'The Best Seller She Wrote' is his first attempt at romantic intrigue and after finishing this book in just one sitting,I can confidently say that his attempt change over diversion is only moderately successful.The book has it's moments for sure but it has it's own share of flaws as well.

                   Aditya Kapoor is the king of mass market paperbacks.His career as a banking professional is equally successful.His wife is the georgeous,superbly talented,IIM educated Maya who is into social work.Kapoor chances upon Shreya Kaushik during one of his usual interactive sessions with the college students and what starts off as a bitter relationship soon transforms into fanship and eventually(and quite expectedly) to love. 

                   Coming to the positives,the language used is quite simple and conversational.There are enough twists and turns happening at regular intervals making the readers hooked to the proceedings.Though at the heart of it, the book is nothing but a typical bollywoodish cliched triangular love tale, it's the setting and the intelligent execution by Ravi which makes this work an okay read. Ravi Subramanian has tried to touch upon (albeit topically) some of the unethical practices prevailing in the Indian publishing Industry. Aditya Kapoor's character(the IIM trained 'rockstar banker-turned-author', guess who!) is quite well written and the reader can feel the pain and tension which he was going through.There aren't too many unnecessary supporting characters(this book review is sounding more like a movie review,I know,but then,this novel is also more like the screenplay of a Bollywood blockbuster!) but the few which are there are pivotal in taking the story forward.The tale feels semi-autobiographical at times.There are references to real-life authors(Ashwin Sanghi,James patterson,Wendy Doniger and Ravi Subramanian himself) and personalities(Nita Ambani,Nirav Sanghavi of blogadda) incidents.

                  On the downside,the book suffers from pacing issues at times. At 390+ pages,'The best seller...' is quite lengthy and somewhere towards the middle,it drags a bit. Another issue which I have with this work is regarding the 'sex scenes'. The sex scenes are quite graphic and badly written.As one of the characters in this book herself says,Sex scenes if badly written are a big turn off.The book cover also is not that much appealing and only managed to give a mushy feel to it.The character of Shreya is a bit confusing.You never get to know whether she was actually in love with Aditya or was it only her ulterior motive which drove her into the tumultuous relationship with Kapoor.There aren't too many unnecessary supporting characters(this book review is sounding more like a movie review,I know,but then,this novel is also more like the screenplay of a Bollywood blockbuster!) but the few which are there are pivotal in taking the story forward.The romance(Aditya-Shreya) is half baked and apart from the poorly written sex scenes there is nothing much which depicts the intensity of Aditya's liking/love towards Shreya.    

                Even if you don't enjoy reading this book,you will have a good time trying to figure out the real-life inspiration behind many of the characters and incidents featured in this book(Ramesh Karia,Kiwi books).

Verdict-To sum it up,Ravi Subramanian has tried to do a Ravinder Singh(I'm not a big fan of Singh either) with 'The Best Seller...'.The book might end up in the best seller list,but for me it's just average stuff.I'm giving a 2.5 out of 5.

I am reviewing ‘The Bestseller She Wrote’ by Ravi Subramanian as a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

-nikhimenon

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Dabur's Baby Massage Oil

Image:Dabur

             Babies get attention from all over.Literally everyone likes cuddling the soft,silky baby skin.But quite often,we tend to forget that there are a lot of factors which can adversely affect it.Even the baby's skin need nourishment and protection and there is no better way to protect it than using the defensive shield of natural oil.The goodness in natural oil can do wonders to the baby's skin,muscle and bone development.However artificial colours,paraffin and paraben can be harmful to the child and special care must be taken that the 'natural oil' which we apply to the child's body is devoid of any of them.

               There are many 'natural oil' supplements which are available in the market currently.Of the lot,Dabur Baby Massage Oil which is rich in premium natural oils like Almond and Olive is undoubtedly the best one.The brand reputation of Dabur combined with the unique bland of natural ingredients make it far superior to any of the competing products which are also available in the market.It not only keeps the baby's skin away from artificial colours and chemicals but also enriches it by moisturizing and providing nourishment to it.

The many benefits of using Dabur Baby Massage oil are summarized below.

• Made up of natural ingredients-It's major ingredients are natural oils like Almond and Olive which is totally healthy.There are no artificial colours or moisturizers used in it's making.The product is free of artificial colurs and paraffin.
• It's dermatologically tested and even recommended by professionals
• It comes in an attractive and colourful product pack which helps in keeping the baby distracted and cheerful while the product is being applied on to his/her body.The protective packing also makes sure that the product is neither damaged nor denatured by the time it reaches it's customer.
• Regular massaging using the baby oil helps to strengthen the bones and the muscles of the baby
• It's cheap and easily available-The product is far less expensive when compared to similar products from competing brands.Moreover,Dabur is an Indian brand and is a veteran in the business of making baby oil.The wide and extensive distribution network of the company across the country makes sure that the product is easily available across the nation at a decent/nominal price.

In short,Dabur Baby Massage Oil is a decent substitute for that fancy,expensive oil which you are using for your beloved right now.It not only takes care of your little one's soft,tender skin,but also makes sure that it is far away from artificial oils and spurious substances.So,what are you waiting for?Buy one for your child at the earliest!

I am participating in the #FirstLove activity at BlogAdda in association with Dabur

-nikhimenon

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#BanBodyOdour: SniffSniff and Me!

            Blogadda is definitely one of the best things to have happened to the desi blogosphere.My association with them is almost three years old now! I still remember how elated I were when I received the first book to review from them (The Devotion of Suspect X),way back in 2012! Blogadda and RT have come a long way since then.This post is going to be on the latest activity hosted by those wonderful people at blogadda-the #sniffsniff activity.
           First things first,#sniffsniff is undoubtedly one of the most innovative campaigns that blogadda has organized till date.The concept behind this one itself is quite interesting.

          It was one lazy Sunday afternoon and I was dozing all the way to glory when I received this call from blogadda-
          "Hello,is this Dr nikhimenon?"
           "Speaking"
           "Hi,this is ***** from blogadda,I'm waiting outside ***** with the courier from blogadda.Can you please come here and collect it at the earliest?"
Satish was waiting there in front of the hospital with my 'courier' from blogadda.He greeted me with a pleasant smile and reminded  just before he kickstarted his two wheeler- "I will be back with the second 'courier' day after tomorrow".In my eagerness to open the 'clue' which I was handed over with,I forgot to even thank Satish for the prompt delivery of the product.Anyways,I made a mental note not to repeat the same mistake,the next time! At this point,all my thoughts were about the packet which I had just received from Satish.

            The blue rectangular packet was slowly,but surely getting on to my nerves! What would be inside the box? Will it be a CD? A book? A Soap (considering the curious name that the activity has got).I was getting impatient and almost tore open the beautiful cover to see a picture card(with a Man's face) and a cloth clip strategically placed on it! Though,my initial reaction on seeing the 'clue' was anything but pleasant,a glance through the text written inside the card made my grey cells work-

                          'body odour woes'!Okay,a soap/deodrant/perfume?

The second 'clue' came a couple of days later.By this point,things were getting clearer.I was almost certain that the final product would be something which could potentially eliminate bad body odour and it could be a soap,talcum powder,a perfume/deodrant.Anyways,I received the second 'clue' also with the same degree of enthusiasm.This time too,it was a blue coloured box and it looked something like this-

After opening the box,I was pleasantly surprised,not because the 'clue' called for a drastic deviation from my line of thought or anything,but frankly speaking,the 'clue' itself (a Coffee Bean Bag)was something,which I was least expecting!

The third clue arrived a couple of days later and by this time,things were becoming much more clearer.The 'clue'(a mask) was also a pretty straight forward one-

True,indeed!

    I received the 'final product' yesterday and I was more than happy to realize that my guess had almost turned out to be right.Well,I was expecting a deodrant,but the final product turned out to be a deodorizer!Anyways,pretty close.Isn't it?

         Finally,coming to the product, Nivea Men Body Deodorizer is tauted as India's first Body Deodorizer which has a revolutionary,yet skin friendly deodorizing formula that prevents the formation of odour at it's source.There are two variants which are available in the market-Ice Cool (the one I received) and Energy!(I just started using the deodorizer and I must say that I'm quite happy with it!)Thank you Nivea for this wonderful product and love you blogadda for selecting me for this wonderful activity!

“I'm using my investigative skills to uncover the mystery of #SniffSniff at BlogAdda.

-nikhimenon

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Nose Knows: How I lost my School Crush!

                    Body odour is something which everyone hates,but all of us have had 'odour' issues at some point or the other.Well,this post is going to be about one such incident which happened in my life,almost a decade ago.
                   The year was 2001 and I was a class IX student then.Like most of the boys of that age,I too was going through a 'school crush-turned-puppy love' phase.The girl was Aparna,our 'batch beauty'.We had just started going out together and obviously were the new 'romeo-juliet' of the class!Those were the days when there was no Cafe Coffee Day or Baristas and Achayan's Coffee shop(which was pretty close to our School) was our weekend hangout place!Every Friday,come what may,we made it a point that we were at Achayan's! Needless to say,I used to look forward to our 'weekend dates' and Achayan too seemed to be happy as he had got two regular customers for every other weekend.The School Youth festival week was fast approaching and being the Captain of the 'Red' House, it was my responsibility to co-ordinate as many students as possible for the cultural programmes.Our 'Red House' had become the customary 'losers' in the 'school youth festival' for quite sometime and we were hoping for a turn around this time atleast.So,the 'pressure' of making our 'house' victorious was naturally mounting on me.Though winning the trophy had almost become a 'prestige issue' for my leadership skills,I was not ready to compromise my weekend rendezvous with Aparna at any cost! As soon as I finished the rehearsals,I used to rush to the coffee shop,where she will be waiting for me to turn up.In my eagerness to meet my 'lady love',what I conveniently used to neglect was my physical appearance! After a full day of dancing and rehearsing braving the scorching mid summer heat,by the time I was with her,I would be puffing and panting and sweating like hell!
                      Blame it on the testosterone driven teenage/'merciful anosmia',I never recognized how smelly I were until I reached Achayan's that friday.It was the last week of the youth festival and our 'Red House' was slowly but surely turning out to be the favourites for winning that year's 'Youth Festival Golden Trophy'.I was obviously quite elated and had almost started crowning myself as the 'messiah' of the ill-fated 'Red House'.I was expecting Aparna to be waiting for me at Achayan's with the customary 'congratulatory kiss'!But,what greeted me instead was an empty chair with a small box and a note pinned to it(believe me,I still have it with me!),it read-

"Dear Nikhilesh,I do loved you and have tried to put up with it for long just coz of my affection towards you.I don't think I have it in me anymore to withstand this naattam(stench).I'm sorry to say this,You do smell bad nikhi..I have a small gift for you in this box and hope you will find it useful!"

The Orange coloured Cutticura Talcum Powder tin smiled at me as though it was enjoying my misery.I never talked with Aparna neither did she come anywhere close to me after that incident.As they say,nose knows!

I am sharing my odour story for the ‘My Nose Knows’ contest as a part of the #SniffSniff activity at BlogAdda

-nikhimenon

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Celebrate Life at Ivy!

Source-http://koltepatil.com/wagholi-pune-properties/ivy-estate

                  It's difficult to define happiness, for it means different things to different people.For some,it's all about making shit loads of money and thereafter pondering on the many ways of spending it,whereas for someothers ,leading a peaceful and contended life is all that matters!So,to which of the above mentioned categories do I belong?Well,if you ask me,I will confidently exclude myself from the first one!For me,happiness cannot be equated to money alone.(Of course,all of us need money for survival and an empty pocket is definitely a man's greatest misery,but that doesn't mean money can buy anything and everything under the Sun!)There are things that make big occassions unnecessary,those little joys of life which make us enjoy the moment which we are in!This post is all about those cute little pleasures of life.If you ask me to list out the top five things that should be there to make me feel happy,I will happily pen down the following ones!

1.Spending quality time with the family-Even if nothing else is there,I will be quite happy if I can be with my family! Believe me,your family is one of the most valuable assets in your life!

2.A truck load of books!-This is something which I would die for.Even if you lock me up in a room full of books for a decade,I will be having no compaints! Books are my lifeline and I can't even think of a day in my life in which I haven't even read a page!Now don't get me wrong,I'm not that 'type' who will read only heavy duty,philosophical works.I'm a die hard fan of books!Right from a James Hadley Chase to a Salman Rushdie,you give me any book,I will relish it with the same vigour!

3.Blogging/Writing-Writing is an integral part of my life.I love doing it.It was my love for writing which gave birth to this blog.Initially,I was the only one who was reading these posts,but now,I 'm happy that it's readership has picked up.I would also like to use this occasion to thank all the regular readers of this blog for your love and support.

4.Penning Stories-I love making stories!The wackier it is,the happier,I am!

5.Watching Good Movies-All of us love watching movies!Well,I'm no different.I can even spend weeks doing nothing else,but watching good movies!Actually,my love for movies has helped me discover many under-rated gems from the pits of youtube!So,what are you waiting for?Pen down your own list and let the world discover the secret password to your happy world!

#CelebrateLifeAtIvy by owning a dream home at Ivy estate, an 85 acre estate with 34 acres of greenery and open spaces. Join the 1600 happy families already living here. Check out this walkthrough video and decide for yourself.

-nikhimenon

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Product Review: Exide Money Book

             To be very frank,when I first received this product(Exide Money Book) for review from blogadda,I had absolutely no idea about it’s utility.

             

            So, what is this cute red book all about?Is it a corporate thriller of some sort or is it something like a propaganda material for exide?Well,let’s figure it out here.

           First things first.’Money Book’ is neither a novel nor a propaganda material, but as it’s name suggests,it has got something to do with ‘money’. Actually ,it’s more or less like a ‘diary’ or a ‘ record book’ which is specially designed to maintain a consolidated,comprehensive record of all your financial engagements.The book has slots for entering the particulars of all the major financial documents like insurance policies(life/motor/property),bank details(account/locker details),info pertaining to the credit card and also that related to loans/liabilities. Before going further into it,let’s have a look at the design and lay out of this cute little book.

       This is how this book looks like.The cover design is not only bright and pleasing to our eyes but also gives a general idea of it’s ‘contents’ and also reminds the user on the importance of ‘keeping the record safely’.It comes with a hardcover which ensures the durability and long shelf life of the book.

      On the whole,I feel that this book is a highly useful one.Well,if you ask me to pin point the five uses of it, I’ll point out the following-

1.Simple and easy to use- The book helps you to maintain a log of all your ‘assets’ and ‘liabilities’.You can not only get an idea of all your major investments but also an overview of the money which you owe others!(read ‘loans’)

2.Serves as a reference document-The book can be easily accessed by any of your kin and without going through hundreds of documents,they too can get an idea of the ‘savings’ and ‘investments’ which you have done on their behalf.

3.As a log of all the payments made-Very often,we forget the ‘dates’ (for  renewal of the policies) and even the ‘premium’ amounts.With the Exide Money book,all those are never forgotten!  

4.Saves Time-As I had mentioned earlier,’My Money Book’ is the one-stop shop for all the valuable financial information.It being a comprehensive,up-to-date and complete summary of all the financial information,you really don’t have to waste your time searching for the original documents, every time you want to make a really important financial decision in life!

5.No worry of ‘Viruses’ and ‘PC crashes’-Now,this is one of the greatest advantages of this book.The against the average ‘excel sheet’ or the ‘word document’ which you make in your computer is always at the mercy of the Anti-Virus/Anti-phishing software installed in your Computer.If you have an up-to-date ‘Money Book’ with you,you actually don’t have to worry about data loss due to a Virus attack!C’mmon,that too is an added advantage,right?

     Okay,having mentioned all the awesome things about this book,I’ll end this post by writing my wish list for the future editions of the book.

1.It will be nice if there is an e-edition/app of the same so that the user can make use of the book even if he is travelling/not in a position to carry the book with him.

2.Inclusion of a few more pages(blank) in the book for writing additional information(if any) pertaining to the financial engagements is wished.

  This review is a part of the biggest Sponsored Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free Products!

-nikhimenon

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Book Review:Ramayana-The Game of Life,'Shattered Dreams' by Shubha Vilas

Title:Ramayana:The Game of Life,Shattered Dreams
Author:Shubha Vilas
Publisher:Jaico
Price:350/-
Source:blogadda book review program

             'Shattered Dreams' is the second book in the spiritual and motivational series by Shubha Vilas.Blogadda has sent me so many good books in the last couple of years.But most of them were either novels or short stories.I applied for this review as it was the first time(atleast for me)that a motivational-spiritual book was listed in blogadda's book review program.I found the idea of reading a self-help version of the epic some what interesting!
              All of us have read Ramayana.Many versions of the epic have come out in the last few decades.Most of them have been succesful.So, what's so special about this latest work by Shubha? Does it tell anything new or does it re-tell the same things in a different way?Well,if you ask me,I'll admit that both the above statements are true to some extend.The book does throw light into some less highlighted stories in Ramayana and it also interprets certain mythological facts in a different way.For instance did you know why exactly was the period of exile for Rama was 14 years?The book has got a number of back stories and through them,Shubha explains the different facets of human life.
              I think this is one book which is suitable for all ages.It's just that the take away from this brilliant book will be different depending upon the age group(maturity level) to which the reader belongs.Well,that just shows how complex this work is! This is one book which is relished better by reading it multiple times.It's not only a simplified re-telling of Ramayana,but also a neatly executed, mythology inspired self-help book.
              Through the story of Rama,(though this book is more about Bharata and Kausaleya)the author has tried to throw light into some of the basic rules of life,that too in simple,basic English.Kudos to the author for making the proceedings very simple and easy to grasp even for the little child who is reading this work.Jaico has done a good job in designing and marketing(the online sale of this book is yet to kick start,I believe) this book well.The book jacket is also quite decently done and undoubtedly suits the mood and tone of the book.
              Now don't be mistaken! This work is not entirely devoid of flaws either.There are a couple of things which I feel could have been better done.For instance,the unnecessary detailing some what hampered the flow of the narrative at places.Similarly,the author's confusion regarding the tone/genre of the book was also glaring at times.Quite often,the book also turns too preachy!A little bit of editing towards the middle portions of the book might have worked in it's favour.However these can be easily overlooked,considering the merit the book has got.
             On the whole,Shubha Vilas' has done justice to the epic.'The Game of Life:Shattered Dreams' is a good read.Part inspirational and part spiritual,this is one book which deserves to be read.I'm giving this work a good 3 out of 5.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

-nikhimenon

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Book Review:The Amazing Racist by Chhimmi Tenduf La

Title:The Amazing Racist
Publisher:Hachette India
Author:Chhimmi Tenduf-La
Genre:Romance,Humour
Pages:232+
Price:399/-
Source:blogadda book review program

Plot-Well,the plot is quite wafer thin.Eddie Trusted has got appointed as a teacher in an International School in Srilanka.He falls in love with Menaka Rupasinghe,a Srilankan native and the daughter of Thilak Rupasinghe,the great litigation lawyer and former President’s Counsel.He is infact a terror and obviously,a difficult man to please.Amazing Racist,a 'Meet the Parents/Bewakoofiyan' meets 'Something Something Unakkum Enakkum' kind of story, is all about Eddie's struggles to win over his lady love's no-nonsense dad,Thilak, the 'amazing racist'.

Characters-As mentioned earlier,Eddie is the hero and Menaka is the heroine.But the book is actually about Thilak(the villain of this romantic tale)and his idiosyncracies.Now,don't get me wrong!They are not the only characters in this novel.Chhimmi Tenduf La has made sure that there are a host of quirky and unique peripheral characters in his debut work as an author.For instance,we have Gayan,(Menaka's second cousin and best friend) who doesn't mind asking our hero whether he has a p****s or not,right during their 'first meeting'!Them here are many funny and interesting characters in the narrative,with almost all of them well etched out.

Language and Writing-The language is simple,yet effective! However,'simple' doesn't imply that Chimmi's writing is as bland/mediocre as that of the average 'National Best-Selling desi romance writers'.'The Amazing Racist' is definitely not one among those assembly line romance-dramas which hits the Indian book stores every other week.This one definitely qualifies as an enjoyable light read peppered with sarcasm and satire(the observation about SriLankan roads and pedestrians).I think,we Indians will easily relate to the author's observations as things are pretty much the same,here too!

Book Design,Overall Layout and Print quality-The book scores high in all these departments.The Cover design is also quite good.Obviously,when it's priced at 399 INR/- and brought out by a renowned publishing house like Hachette,what else do you expect?

Remarks-Hilarious and thought provoking,Chhimmi Tenduf-La’s debut novel,’The Amazing Racist’ is an absolute page turner.Though the story line of this book may not be exactly innovative or path-breaking,the debutant writer has more than made good for it with his execution.The book is witty and manages to entertain the reader with it's satirical take on the Srilankan society.

On the downside,the plot is quite generic.Desperate boy-friend trying to woo his potential father-in-law is something which has been tried since ages!Some of the jokes actually fall flat.A little bit of editing in the second part of the book was also needed,I feel. What say,you?

What I liked the most about this book-
1.The overall tone of the book.
2.The author's unpretentious writing style.
3.The genuine LOL moments in the narrative.
4.The well etched out characters and their natural transformation.

What I didn't like-
1.The plot was too simple and pretty familiar.
2.The climax-it could have been better!

Verdict-On the whole,'The Amazing Racist' is a highly entertaining work.This book is much better than the 'Half-Girl Friends' and the 'One Night@Call Centres'!Give it a try,you won't regret it! I'm giving it a good 3.5 out of 5.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

-nikhimenon

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#UseYourAnd: The Doctor with a 'Heart'!

              "Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra Devata, yatraitaastu na pujyante sarvaastatrafalaah kriyaah" - Manu smrti
                   (Women are honored where, divinity blossoms there, and where women are dishonored,all action no matter how noble remain unfruitful)

           We may be living in the 21 st Century,still,our attitude towards women remain largely medieval.Crimes against women are definitely on the rise and not surprisingly,the data released by National Crime Records Bureau shows that a 'new' rape case is reported every twenty two minutes in our Country.Moreover,we have politicians coming up with their own bizarre,derisive comments that demean the dignity of women,every now and then.Though women constitute more than half of the population of our country,it's sad that even now,majority of them are grinding under the socio-cultural-religious structures.Now don't get me wrong,this post is not going to be a sermon on the pits of moral turpitude our society has fallen into.Neither it is going to be a full-fledged 'male bashing' exercise.I honestly believe that it's high time that we changed our attitude towards women and stopped seeing them as mere 'objects'.C'mmon,there is more to them than a c***** and a pair of t***.
             Every woman has some things that she is passionate about,which defines her,which makes her what she is.This post is going to be about one awesomely awesome friend of mine and my take on why she can't be limited to one label.
              Her name is Roshni.We have been friends for almost a couple of years now(nikhimenon's millions of female fans don't have to worry,she is not his girl friend! So,you girls can fearlessly continue sending him your love letters,hate-mails,kisses and hugs).Actually,she joined as my junior for M.D. in the Medical College and it didn't take much time for me to realise that she was pretty much my type and we had so many things in common(well,all those things,I'll reserve for some other post and for the time being,we will move on).
            There are atleast a dozen things about which she is passionate about.First and foremost,she is a die-hard Rajini fan.Actually,you can even gauge her mood-swings by measuring the number of times she mentions 'thalaivar' in any conversation(as in,if she is in a really good mood,the frequency can even go up to more than a dozen times)You start discussing any random stuff with her,it will invariably end up as a critical analysis of some 'thalaivar' movie.I still remember,how she managed to take all of us(we are a group of 7 p.g s in the department)to watch Superstar's latest flick,'Lingaa',the first day first show(not after shelling out a whopping 350 rupees per ticket),just about a month back.You give her an empty carton with Rajini's picture on it,she'll buy that also from you,no matter whatever price you quote for it!
            Man,she just loves books.I really don't know how she manages to read these many number of books inspite of her busy schedule.She is not only passionate about reading but also meticulously maintains a 'log' of whatever she is reading/has finished with.Infact,she has got a really good taste for books and equally enjoys reading an Archer and a Rushdie.The amazing talent that she is,I'm pretty confident that we all will be fortunate enough to read and review the books written by her,in the near future!
            Roshni is also a big fan of heavy metal and of the Mozart of Madras,A.R.Rahman.I believe,Rahman's 'Kaathal Rojave' is her favourite song,till date.Whatever said and done,what makes Roshni really different from the rest are two of her other qualities.The first one being the utmost dedication she has to her profession and the second one her selflessness and willingness to help others in hour of need.For her, patient care matters more than anything else in this world.She is always ready to sacrifice her food,sleep,rest,anything for the well-being of her patients.

This post is my tribute to the awesomely awesome friend,guide,philosopher Roshni Jose.RKJ,no one can limit you by one label!

I nominate Satya of Locomente blog to write a post for #UseYourAnd  activity

This post is a part of #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus

-nikhimenon

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Anjali Menon

             One of the many good things of being a struggling/aspiring screen writer is that you get to interact with a lot of people on a daily basis(read producers and industry technicians).I have been fortunate to meet a couple of producers and have had the opportunity to narrate my 'stories' to them.While most of them have been very much supportive,for some reason or the other,none of the projects have taken off,yet.One of the common comments which I get from them,soon after I finish narrating my story goes like this-

"Well,nikhilesh,your story has got content in it.It's 'different'(that word is slowly but surely becoming my most hated word in the dictionary!) too,but the thing is,I feel it's a bit dark and it will be better if you can tone down a bit,make it more 'feel-good'.Why can't you write something like an 'Ustad Hotel' or a 'Bangalore Days'?I think,you can do it.People prefer feel-good entertainers to suspense thrillers!". 

Those of you,who are not into watching South Indian Movies in general (and malayalam movies in particular) might not have heard about the two afore mentioned films.Don't worry,let me enlighten you.Both the movies are (obviously) in Malayalam (an Indian regional language/Kerala),the former got released a couple of years back,while the latter came out last year.Both were big critical and commercial successes (Ustad Hotel also managed to win the National Award for the Best Popular Film,that year) and the most interesting thing is that they were written by the same person,who was more or less a newbie in the Malayalam film industry when 'Ustad Hotel' got released in 2012.I'm sure atleast some of you will definitely be surprised if I add on that the person in question is not an XY,but an XX by name Anjali Menon,(now don't be eager to label me as one sexist jerk,for I was only stating the obvious!)who didn't have any big Godfathers in the industry and rose to fame by sole virtue of talent.In a male dominated and highly competitive industry like Cinema,where even getting a decent 'entry/launch' itself is quite difficult,Anjali with her creativity and sheer talent has not only managed to get two Blockbuster scripts to her credit,but also carved a niche for herself in the Malayalam filmdom within a short span of time. 

It's the inherent honesty in her stories and the presence of genuine,believable characters in it that make her scripts quite different from the routine,mundane stuff which hits the screens every other friday.Be it the naive,yet funny Krishnan P.P (played by the charming Nivin Pauly) in Bangalore Days or the rustic but confused Faisy (an effective Dulquer Salman)in Usthad Hotel, her characters have always been tangible and believable.Infact even her short(Happy Journey) in Ranjith's anthology,Kerala Cafe had a very cunning and powerful character portrayed very efficiently by Nithya Menon.

Okay,writing can be dismissed as a somewhat solitary pursuit,but directing movies(which calls for controlling dozens of men in the unit)is definitely not one.It indeed calls for a great degree of inter-personal and managerial skills and loads of patience.Anjali's recent hit(as a writer-director),'Bangalore Days' was one of the biggest Malayalam movies in recent times,in terms of it's budget as well as it's star cast.A noted production executive who works in the Malayalam film industry told me recently that how Anjali managed to co-ordinate and execute such a 'big' project meticulously and flawlessly is still a mystery for him.He was definitely not being 'sexist' or anything when he said that,but was simply reminding me about the difficulties of making costly movies in a small film industry like Malayalam where there is every chance of the project getting stalled/shelved mid-way because of financial constrains.Infact,making 'big' budget movies is something which even  the veteran film directors here dread for the obvious (financial)risk and the logistical issues associated with them.The fact that Anjali succeeded in pursuing and fulfilling her dreams without compromising on her family and duties towards them is undoubtedly an inspiring thing for many of the talented females out there,who had to 'sacrifice' their ambitions,dreams and passion for societal and familial pressures.Had she not followed her instincts and not joined the London Film School and worked towards her ambition,Malayalam Cinema wouldn't have got a powerful,highly successful writer-director.

Image Courtesy-anjalimenon.wordpress.com

This post is my tribute to this genuine story teller,caring mother and dutiful wife  who has successfully embarked on her journey from 'Or' to 'And'.I firmly believe Mrs.Menon's best work is yet to release!

This post is a part of #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus

I am nominating 'Red Handed' of 'The Red Handed Blog' to write a post on the same topic.

-nikhimenon

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To be,or not to be.....

Luck or Confidence? Will you leave your fate in the hands of destiny or will you step up and say yes to a well- groomed face to be at your best everyday?

                Well,the line you read just now was one of the themes for Blogadda’s  ‘#Will You Shave?’activity. I was thinking about the afore mentioned line for the last thirty minutes or so.What would I do?The first option?,or the second one? Frankly speaking,I’m yet to figure out a convincing answer for it.Obviously,the most logical thing to do will be the second one. Afterall,no-one likes to see a brooding,shabby face,early in the morning.Besides the untidiness of it,an unshaven face is also a big turn off for many due to a number of reasons.Though some have the misconception that a stubbled face epitomises intelligence and ‘maturity’,I firmly believe that a sensible person can easily identify your level of intelligence/ intellectual skills (if at all,there is/are any!),even if you are clean shaven or well groomed.

             But is it always feasible/possible to follow the second option?If you ask me,my reply will be a big,emphatic,No! See,there are certain situations which are absolutely not in our hands.Though before indulging in pre-planned activities like a job interview or an official meeting,a well-groomed,clean face is a must,there are times when you will be forced to leave your fate in the hands of destiny and go with the wind.For instance,you have been called in for an emergency meeting/professional discussion with some really important people whom cannot be kept waiting for long, and you have got very little time with you to turn up for it,I don’t think it will be feasible for you to take your own time for making yourself look the ‘best’.In those scenarios,you will be forced to leave your fate in the hands of destiny and hope for the best.Be honest and sincere always,success will be yours.

Wishing all of you a bright and prosperous year ahead,                                        -nikhimenon

   This post is a part of #WillYouShave activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette'

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The Interview

                Well, I’ll start off by making a small confession to the loyal readers of random thoughts(if at all,there are any!)-The following post has been 'inspired' by some thought provoking,eye-opening(incase,you missed the first adjective!) real-life incidents, which may or may not mean that they actually happened in the awesomely awesome life of the infamously insane person behind this perfectly sane blog,i.e nikhimenon. Now that, I have taken the necessary anticipatory bail for the mediocricity and blandness in the upcoming lines,I think I can courageously embark on the journey of my experiments with (half) truths.

Image:bigstock.com

             This happened long ago(not as ‘long’ as you think,for nikhimenon hasn’t become a fat 90 year young man with greasy tooth and sagging ball..oops.!ball and socket joints, yet!);okay,let me be honest,this took place sometime in 2010(which also means that the world had just got an infamously handsome,brutally intelligent,painfully ignorant and compulsively sober fresh medical graduate by the name, nikhimenon).As I mentioned earlier,I had just finished my internship and was looking for a job opening in a nearby diabetic clinic so that I could earn a little bit of pocket money to take care of the petty expenses which I might encounter during the pre-pg coaching days of my life.

The ‘window period’(i.e.the time period between the receipt of my internship completion certificate and the commencement of classes at the MD/MS entrance exam coaching centre) was pretty short and like a Sunny Leone frantically trying to make as much money as possible before she turns forty,I badly wanted to join some job.Getting one at the nearby Soman’s Diabetic Clinic & Research Centre (as a duty doctor with a somewhat attractive pay)was my top priority at that point of time. Soman’s clinic was only half a kilometre away from my house(well, that was the the ‘official explanation’ I gave my mother for the ‘bias’,but actually the driving force behind my affinity towards SOMADIC-RECET was Mandakini,Dr Soman’s beautiful daughter and SOMADIC’s dutiful Public Relations Officer).

             It didn’t take me long to make a neatly typed resume(which incidentally had my ‘caste name’ and ‘unmarried’ marital status also in bold,just in case Dr Soman felt like promoting me as his son-in-law)and send it to Mandakini(she handled the ‘placement cell’ of the clinic as well).Within two days,I got an e-mail from Mandakini requesting me to attend an interview for the job.

             Like you might have guessed by now,I reached there on time(well,I was actually a couple of minutes late,fifty five minutes and thirty seconds,to be exact.Anyways, for the sake of this post,we will overlook those unnecessary details!) and was called in for interview after fifty eight minutes of wait in the lobby(the bench put near the reception counter).The delay( I couldn’t see any patients or fellow job aspirants in the nearby vicinity)was attributed to Dr Soman’s power yoga session,I was told later.

            After reminding myself not to confuse Diabetes Mellitus with Diabetes Inspidus while answering the questions of the Interview Board(frankly,I was one hundred and one percent sure that there would only be Dr Soman and no blackboard inside the dingy Cabin),I went inside his room.

“Your Name?”-Dr Soman with his typical ferocious look

“Dr Nikhimenon,Sir”

“Why did you choose SOMADIC-RECET?”

“Sir,I have come for the interview for the post of the Junior Doc,Sir.”

“Oops!Okay,Tell me something about SOMADIC-RECET”

“…….”

I started off blabbering something.The whole session felt more like a made-for-T.V social awareness docu-drama than a real life job interview with Dr Soman giving me gyaan on medical ethics,transference,doctor-patient relations and the importance of a doctor being well groomed and well mannered.I was more or less getting intoxicated and slowly but surely going to the ‘sleep’ mode with the heavy dose of life lessons,when Dr Soman suddenly threw this question at me.

“Dr Nikhimenon,How often do you shave?”

“What,sir?”

“I’m impressed with the answers which you gave me and I’m willing to appoint you here.But Will you please Shave before you come here for duty everyday?The patients don’t trust a doctor who looks shabby,unshaven and rowdy-like!”

Well,that was my enlightenment moment.With one stroke,Dr Soman not only managed to make me feel so small in front of him but also made me realise the reason behind the sudden ‘constipated and disgusted’ look on Mandakini’s face,which appeared the moment I had entered SOMADIC-RET.It was nothing other than the the untidy stubble on my face which was the cause for Mandakini’s instant dislike towards me!

I got the job in Dr Soman’s clinic and worked there for a couple of months before quitting it for my pre-pg coaching classes.Mandakini got impressed by some random person(a missed chance/opportunity for me!) from U.S and gave birth to his children(obviously!),soon after.

Whatever said and done,after the ‘SOMADIC-RET’ experience,I never forget to ask myself a simple question before I go to any job interview,

i.e- “Will You Please Shave, Dr nikhimenon?”

This post is a part of #WillYouShave activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette'.

-nikhimenon

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Missed Chances

               

                 

                 Writing about missed chances is actually not a very great idea.The reasons are quite obvious.First of all,it brings back a whole lot of unwanted memories which you badly want to permanently delete from your cerebrum’s recycle bin.Secondly (and most importantly),it is actually a pointless affair.You aren’t gaining anything by cutting through your old wounds. Infact one cannot actually do anything about his(her) missed chance unless he has his own time machine at his disposal. I don’t have a time machine or anything to correct myself  but still, I’m here writing about the one big missed chance in my life as I couldn’t overlook this awesomely awesome activity organised by blogadda.Some might find it pretty interesting but I’m sure that the majority will dismiss it as plain silly. 

               I still don’t know what prompted my parents  think that I had become old and mature enough to get married.Was it my fast receding hairline or the fear of the big ‘3’ (morethan anyone else, they should be well aware that their beloved son will be turning 'thirty' in a couple of years).Whatever it may be, I was sitting in a Coffee shop,laughing all the way to glory (at Arun’s yet another X-rated joke) and bitching about my colleagues (not in any particular order though)when I suddenly got a call from my dad

“Hi,nikhi”

“Hi dad,what happened?

“Hmm…I wanted to ask you whether you can come home this weekend?”

“What?I mean….Why?”

“You come home anyways”

“No,unless you tell me what it is,I’m not coming..”

“Okay,you have to see a girl”

“Whaatttt???? I hate Kids,I don’t wish to have a baby now!!!!”

“See,don’t make a fuzz .This proposal is very good and moreover you are getting old.You have to come and say yes to this.Check your mail”

I must admit that it did the trick.The image of a bald me suddenly started projecting in my mind as if in a loop.What will I do,if no girl is willing to marry me after a couple of years? Anyways, a good 14 hours later, I was in this ‘girl’s house’, trying to figure out which looked more pale-the ‘ladoo’ which was there on the dining table or the girl’s ‘face’ which was right in front of me.

“Okay,now if the girl and boy have something to talk for themselves,they can do it now”- the old gentleman (who apparently was the girl’s maternal uncle) said in a semi-orgasmic tone with a cheesy smile on his face.Dude,we are not going to discuss about family planning straight away!-I wanted to enlighten him,but resisted from doing so thinking about the negative impact it can have on my ‘well-mannered boy from aristrocratic family’ image.

So the stage was set and I was accompanied to the balcony of the house by the girl for a one-on-one ‘private’conversation with her.

The Girl:“Hi,so You are nikhimenon?”

Me:(Obviously,what did you think Girl?)”Yup”

G:“I am told that you read a lot”

Me:” Yeah,I love reading.Infact,I wish to become a writer in life”

G: ” Even me too love reading.When I was a child,I loved reading Tinkle.These days.I don’t get much time to read.Still,I find myself time to read Femina”

Me: (trying my best,not to sound sarcastic) “Wow…..That’s great!!!”

G: “Are you adamant and short tempered?”

Me: “What?”

G: “No,I wanted to know whether you are a self-centred person”

Me: “I hope,I am not”

G: “You don’t shave regularly?”

Me: “Oops…!Yes……No…….N…I mean No” ((I must say that it was more like a googly.I still cannot fathom why she asked that question all of a sudden.In my hurry to get the train and come back to Kerala to see the girl,I hadn’t bothered to shave and make myself more presentable and neat)

G: “Oh…” (I could see contrasting emotions on her face at this point.Was it plain disdain that I could read?)

Thankfully,the ‘conversation’ ended abruptly for the ‘maternal Uncle’s’ timely intervention.He came to the balcony with his cheesy smile intact and mouthing a cliched’ dialogue- “ hmm…you can talk more after marriage…ha ha ha!!!”

Anyways,we left the girl’s house pretty soon.The girl’s dad called my dad after a couple of days and apparently told him that they were not that keen on this alliance.

My dad still asks me what went wrong and why the girl didn’t like me.I feigned ignorance.But I’m pretty sure now that it was the stubble which came in the way of my chance to make a good impression.

Afterall,You cannot do anything about a missed chance,Can you?

I'm nominating Sundari of pink and pink blog for #WillYouShave activity

This post is a part of #WillYouShave activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette'.

-nikhimenon

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