Category Archives: Just about it

Some thing on mind

Silent Valley – the reservoir of everything pristine…

Just about it, Motivation, Mythology, Travel, , , ,

This has been on the list and not that am a heavy traveller but I take the road leading to Silent valley whenever I am driving through the Palakkad Mannarghat Road. That has made me look through where I want to go.

This coupled with tales from friends have always had me in charm especially the way, the place is still intact or so they claim and I just want to witness the serenity and the overflowing green wetness they describe in just walking through the forest or getting your toes wet with small rivers across the valley.

Imagine this picture and I am sure you can imagine what I was trying to convey..

FOREST_BY_NIHAL_JABIN

Pic Courtesy By NIHAL JABIN – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31595034

This is a no-mans’ land literally making it one of the most green spaces in the country with little to zero human imprint. The flora and fauna of the place are rich and some of them are in the list of endangered species.

It is one of the best case studies of human intervention and human might to conserve the forest and will remain so for times to come.

I would like to trek those accessible areas and places where we can just be the self. I am sure this place has the affinity to make you change the perception of life. Being in the midst of nature in a way that you cannot imagine.

It would be a great trip in the lap of nature and immerse yourself with the surroundings. I think this would be the real nirvana for a traveller who can see himself in the nature around him.

Imagining, I can actually feel the warmth flowing out of the wetness of the water and the music flowing through the rustle of the wind and brushing of the clothing against those green shrubs and twining climbers on the trees.

So its like I should get on this before I make the next trip on the Palakkad road which will not just be seeing the Silent Valley on the direction board but all the way ending up there in the lap of mother nature.

Ofcourse you need to check when you could visit and the ecosystem there is fragile as a glass you hold on a tight rope walk. But kudos to the project and people behind making this a one of a kind.

As a mythology fan this place has a Mahabharatha connect too. Well its the place where Panchali or Draupadi as we know her was in exile in the last year of their exile.

I am hoping to see the Macaque an endangered species, some antelope / deers and more of fauna and flora only at the Silent valley.

Pic Courtesy: http://www.nikhilchandra.in

I am sure this will happen sometime soon.

“I am blogging about my dreams and passions for the Club Mahindra#DreamTrails activity at BlogAdda. You can get a Club Mahindra Membership to own your holidays!”

Senthilkumar

Can there be India’s most loved CEO ????

Entrepreneurship, Just about it, Management, Motivation, Motorsports, Personal, Training, ,

indiasmostlovedceoThe word CEO evokes a myriad of emotions for me, and there is pretty good reasons for the same. And when there’s a contest for IndiasmostlovedCEO, it makes for some real action both online and offline, to get the drift continue reading.

CEO make or break things for an organisation, he is more than a leader, manager and sometimes a friend rolled into one. I know you must have felt that right. And personally there are many people who have had a role in making me understand who is a CEO and what is he made of? There were some who taught me, some who directed me and some compassionate ones, you get a mix of all. There are impacts and there are just small overtures in dealing with people.

But then we need to ask can we ever have a contest, and if there is one how do we decide who’s the most loved one at that!

Who could be the most loved CEO ever? Everyone has different answers and can those thoughts meet and could we have someone rock the place as the #IndiasMostLovedCEO. This brings to mind lot of names, suggestion in particular like that of NR Narayanamurthy or APJ Abdul Kalam.

I have had a CEO who blazed a racing track, no guesses though. There are times when you can talk to him and get an answer for some question you thought don’t have answers! It’s like he has answers for everything!

So would your CEO qualify for the best or the most loved one? Would you be nominating the person who made a difference in your life and how exactly are they going to be ranked or chosen. This is for real and I just can’t wait to see that unravel as we go in the days to come…

Sometime I do feel if there could be most loved CEO. That’s an irony if he is able to keep folks happy and the board members happy, but could that be possible, may be yes or no.

As we debate this, lets check this out and see for yourself how CEOs have shaped careers, personal lives and destiny of a lot of people. Go straight here http://www.indiasmostlovedceo.com/ Check out and join in the race, nominate your CEO, and chances are you will be walking away with goodies and more importantly you would be noticed by your most loved CEO.

Senthilkumar

Really makes sense #LaundryGoesOddEven

Just about it, Personal, Product Review, , ,

At home you would be surprised to know Dad is in-charge of the washing machine.

Mom had developed a bit of arthritis and that meant less water work to be on the safer side and that made Dad step in. And the BPL semi automatic washing machine was the place. The drier had stopped working but it meant little for the kind of clothes that we had. Essentially it was the washing that was important and the Ariels of the world had made way into our life. That green coloured package yes if you can imagine.

Some three years earlier, we added a new washing machine  from Samsung stable and it was fully automatic and fuzzy control the tech term came with it.

So the work would be to put this on, and then the whole process is completed and just need to put them on the clothesline. Ideally Dad’s work remained the same.

The BPL still is a horse that keeps going, used for normal clothes and beds and blankets etal, the second washing is done on hand and this is once in a while when Dad takes over here again.

My tryst with washing started when I started staying alone in Delhi in 2010 and it continued when back home, Mom and Dad went to see our sister at US. Its continuing odd and even if i can say that and take care that do it once a week and help out with the clothes.

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I would even suggest that it need not be #LaundryGoesOddEven it could be that we could take over the whole thing. I can tell you from my experience that its a kind of nirvana to finish the whole chore and satisfying because you have done your work in a way. If it means that it can help your other half it is definitely a big plus.

So it can be odd even division of work but whenever possible even it out for your better half!

So when I watched this ad, I think the times are changing with more nucleus family in the cities this is the way to go and the kids will learnt that it takes two to tango well even to do laundry!

And when I got a chance to do this  #LaundryGoesOddEven challenge it was absolutely happy moment to share and gave my mom her full deserved rest.

I am taking part in the #LaundryGoesOddEven Challenge by Ariel India at BlogAdda and thanks P&G for the pack of Ariel Matic!

Senthilkumar

On Wordsworth’s ‘To The Cuckoo’

Just about it, Poetry, Spirituality, Stories/storification, ,

Dideric-Cuckoo-0010

That’s his name Wordsworth;
Each line of his – gold in worth.
Every reader will rejoice,
At this simple natural choice!

It is his greatness of course;
To make a poetic source,
Of a cuckoo – a common bird,
In its sublimes I have ever heard.

His profound love for nature;
The poetic definition of its stature,
All mixed perfectly in a blend,
To celebrate it would never end.

To me it opened the door,
To a new world a floor,
That a cuckoo – the spring singer,
Can be a subject to linger.

For me seeing the nature so keen,
To laud the creator to be seen,
Those lines of his proved that
A poem can be written on a black cat.

Yet to see, what other cant;
And  try if you want.
That’s the secret of the great poet
William Wordsworth!

Senthilkumar

(Circa – 1995 post reading the poem To the Cuckoo )

River of Flesh and other stories – Book Review

Book Reviews, Books Reading / Read, Just about it, Stories/storification, Translation, , , , ,

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Publisher Speaking Tiger
ISBN-10 9385755587
Edition 1
Number of Pages 272 Pages
Publication Year 2016
Language English
ISBN-13 9789385755583
Binding Paperback

When I got a mail from Vivek Flipkart on two different books for review, it appealed to me in a way that this has got to be different probably, changing the way I would start looking at society.

I replied stating this must be a different perspective given the topic and how they have been seen in the way the society draws a line. So when the Sunny Leone interview happened the same time, it showed how deep those lines run in our mind rather than on the roads where these unprivileged women make the ends meet.

And to put together some of the most acclaimed writers in a collection must have been a task and getting to the topic on hand must have been a great decision by itself. I see this as a big and bold step simply because that was what ultimately got me to read this book. And the editor Ruchira Gupta has done a fabulous job on this front.

And when you read those stories you get to read those innocence writ on their lives and how those innocence has been tarnished and trampled to a state of prostitution.

It took sometime to realise the gravity of the context in each of these stories which come to life with words from some of the classic writers as Kamla Das, Indira Goswami to Mushi Premchand.

Poignant sometimes, rebellious sometimes,  meek and mild and varied the expressions are myriad in more ways than one.

This book also opens up to the regional intricacies and the thoughts that pervade through the countryside. Some the endings are sure to give you goose pumps and some make you sit up and almost have a stuck throat. Quite often the end is a dark twist of fate if you may call that. How would you rationalise the woman going to bed with another man in the darkness to feed a hungry, ailing husband a mouth full of gruel.

The characters will live with you for sometime and sometimes you will feel the bitterness of the words. I am amazed by the fact that some of the works are recreated in the sense translated and I could sense the emotion when I could connect with the original language and the author. (eg. Ponnagaram)

It’s not just the woman’s plight that is portrayed here but the whole of the society which gets the whiplashes from the authors through the characters.

Pick this book and you will be led to a neighborhood you didn’t want to walk through. Gripping stories narrated so intensely and with appeal that makes you think.

Check out and buy the book here

Senthilkumar

#SoftestForBabySkin Six ways to a soft baby skin

Just about it, Personal, , , ,

Now is the time when we are expecting not one addition to the family but two. Spaced apart within one month I am going to be an Uncle to two kids. One for the younger sister and another for my brother also younger who will welcome the new kid into the family.

And I went writing this in a space of a week in between one angel has already arrived on this earth and is now the cynosure of all eyes. Now waiting for the other to give a tough challenge to this angel, though they shall be miles apart in distance the charm will be felt everywhere.

Looks like I was trained to do the bit of baby sitting, when I attended the Pampers event during the WIN 15 at JW Sahar hosted by Blogadda. That was a great show a very nice event which set the tempo by none other that the favorite Mandira Bedi on stage and the experts sharing their expertise and a blogger added to the list.

We had a live test, blind test to check which is the softest and viola over 90 % of the people got it right and the unveiling was the first time in India Pampers Premium care pants.

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Ok as I was pondering over all these, we had prepared a lot for the kids homecoming. So let me go one by one for the soft skin that we want for our children.

coconut-oil-skin

Coconut oil: Do a bit of research around you and find if you can get hand on pure coconut oil from the mill. Coconut oil is one of the best softeners and moisturizers in its pristine form. So I was lucky to have my friend who keeps loading me with 4 litres every year from his farm which is only used for hair care. Now we are getting that for the baby care. The best will be virgin coconut oil, clear and pure as it can get. You can oil the baby once in two days, the new skin of the baby needs enough moisture and has to be perfect dry a balance that a coconut oil can deliver. It helps from preventing rashes and keep the skin smooth.

You could also try Lakshadi Coconut Oil which is made for kids.

Fenugreek-and-Green-Gram

Green Gram Powder: (Payaru Podi) So this is one more home made and traditional stuff that was done at home. All you need is plain green gram. You can also add the following few tulsi leaves, a bit of turmeric (kasturi manjal) – very small piece when you grind them. Ofcourse wash them clean and dry them in the sun for a day or so. Don’t peel off the green gram, when you have dried it enough, then grind them to a fine flour. Once done store it in a dry clean air tight container.

Mix it with plain lukewarm water, add rose water for better effect during baths. We can start using them from 15 days after birth.

Summer-Woven-Dress-Kids-Clothes-100-Cotton

Cotton clothing: Use soft cotton clothing loose fitments and preferably with knots and no hooks and buttons or zippers. They will be less friction on the baby skin. Use new clothing after a good wash. You could use your bathing soap to wash to make the cotton clothing more softer when you wash the kids clothes. Always use cotton clothing that will make the skin breathe very easily. We have now a dozen set of cotton wear for the kids!

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Sun care: Sun care is an important part of keeping the skin healthy for babies. If you intend to get the baby used to sunlight do so in the early mornings when the sun rays are not straight and when they are soft and just the light without the heat attached to the sun. Please avoid going out after 10 and till say 4 pm and stay indoors and have an amply lit and ventilated room for the baby. This will ensure better skin care both smooth and fair. You could use sunscreen that are meant for baby skin and test for any allergy before using them.

The-importance-of-skincare

Pampers:  While I have been dallying with traditional methods and this time I am gonna set the best solution especially this is very sensitive part of a baby, the nappy area .  With new diapers from Pampers who know kids than anyone else, you could be rest assured on this front. They have only getting better by the day so much so we have an indicator for us to remind that the diapers are due for change in a day. Now you know how easy it is to care for your kids and let the skin be dry and clean. Am adding a couple of do’s for you to get the best for your baby.

As a general rule of thumb, you could change your baby’s nappy either just before or right after each feed, after every bowel movement, before bed and when they wake up after a long sleep. It may also be worth putting a fresh nappy on them just before setting off for an outing.

Pampers brings you the softest ever Pampers Premium Care Pants. Its cotton-like softness is #SoftestForBabySkin and allows it to breathe, thus keeping baby’s skin soft and healthy, and your baby happy.

Senthilkumar

If you are wondering what is the sixth idea, that’s again Pampers! Repeat that without fail.

What India reads! A page on Flipkart app

Advertising, Book Reviews, Books Reading / Read, digital, Internet, Just about it, New launches, Personal, Product Review, social media, Stories/storification, ,

The book lovers have a new tool, well a page on their book section on their favorite shopping app  from folks at Flipkart. The book was the first love of flipkart, well things have changed but then they have tried to please you the book reader with this page!

“What India Reads” is all about what you read or would like to read. The app is designed basis genres for now and will soon feature what celebrities and authors read as well.

The idea of the app is to make readers aware of what books are right at the top and also to help them discover books they might have not known of earlier. There are sections to it, the genres and you could check out the books on the shelf, read about it and well get to buy them ofcourse.

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The chances are you can check out the best of the titles and the promising ones, as you see the title rise to prominence in a day or so post launch.

There is an all book offers that will let you know what are the offers that you have at the present moment.

I was wondering on a title Aarushi under Autobiographies, may be it was a a mistake so i clicked on it to find the Autobiography titles there. Not Aarushi.

The pages instead of going to normal pages at Flipkart could be better be designed to the flow of the app interface for the What India reads page and continue with the shopping experience. I am thinking native probably because of my work and professional background.

Another aspect could have been that they have a notification for you to check the What India reads page updation of new titles so that I get to go there quite often.

A nice attempt from Flipkart, hope it helps the readers in you and me and as a start it definitely looks nice to have it.

Senthil

 

 

Big Magic – Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert #bookreview

Book Reviews, Books Reading / Read, Just about it, Management, Motivation, Personal, Spirituality, Training, , ,

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Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing (IN)
ISBN-10 9384898996
Imprint Bloomsbury India
Language English
ISBN-13 9789384898991
Binding Hardcover

This is a beautiful book which makes you relevant for what you are. Quite a engrossing read, and contrary to make you feel flamboyant, it makes you confident about who you are and how you can be yourself create a magic in your life and then spread it out.

This book is classical read, making you better at what you are good at. Though the book has been divided into parts, its an easy read from any page and you will have a match of frequency if may call that when you read. You will feel the words for what they are especially because they are true and infact workable things unlike being sold off as aspirational in a way.

The books is divided into parts – Courage, Enchantment, Permission, Persistence, Trust, Divinity. In each of these parts, the author takes us through personal experiences and stories of the well known and some of those who didn’t want to be well known and gives us a picture of what lie in us, its not that fame or coveted status that the inner urge is looking for. It could be the overcoming of the fear and persist with courage on doing what you want to do without any fear and enjoy doing that.

A very engaging read and you can take time to enjoy the stories and go back to the book at your pace. I think that is an essential trait for a self development or a motivational book. If they can achieve that sense in you that you want to re-read and grasp it for the better the book has achieved its objective. And who doesnt love stories, and for those from the land of story telling, its just a bonus.

Filled with inspirational anecdotes and slice of life incidents it makes you sit up and think afterall it could be possible, well that would be the first step to shedding the fears what ever that could be.

I am sure you will enjoy the read and I must mention that this is the first time I am reading Elizabeth Gilbert and I can see how the other titles must have impacted a lot of people.

I will be failing in my duty if  I dont thank Flipkart for the book and in case you want to check out on a copy for yourself please click here: Big Magic

Senthilkumar

Mistress of Honour by Bhavnaa Arora #bookreview

Book Reviews, Books Reading / Read, Just about it, , ,

MISTRESS-OF-HONOUR-1050x770

BOOK DETAILS
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN-10 0143425285
Imprint penguin
Number of Pages 224 Pages
Publication Year 2015 June
Language English
ISBN-13 9780143425281
Binding Paperback

A setting in the armed forces is always an interesting phenomenon, simply because I have been close yet so far. I have seen some of them close and yes it rings a bell.

This story Mistress of Honour by Bhaavna Arora has the right mix of those attitude which are pretty reflective of the armed forces. The Story revolves around the life and times of the characters and has a reflective poise to it with the background in Operation Bluestar as a intrinsic part of the story.

Thats when the hero and the lady protagonist meet each other. The story is well paced and the situations around the characters makes for an interesting read.

The characterization of the Potnis and Pansy in their different worlds and the passion towards career and the how they try to bridge their world makes it an page turning affair.

The story goes on a nice trail even when the past is narrated and holds the reader and makes you walk the scene beside the characters. The author has taken due efforts in understanding the background and it shows in the book and the way the story unfolds.

The story goes on with the kids too, a similar plot of the love and courtship. its got all speed and passion and narratives all blended in a style.

All in all a neat fast paced read, and the characters have a depth of their own and the story moves on as you keep turning pages. The author has very minimal characters and makes it a success in a way that the story is told.

My rating 3.5 Stars out of 5

Senthilkumar

Resilience / Resiliency? anyone…

Just about it, Management, Motivation, Personal, Stories/storification, Training, Uncategorized, ,

Resilience Define Resilience at Dictionary.com

I have been down and out and how?

One of the worst times was when I lost someone very close and dear to me. Add to that being held liable for the same event, and there was no time to mourn. Legalities continued and took almost 5 years to get off.

Every day there was no sun shine if at all there was it was a bit of hope. Godsend my job was intact by the mercies of some one who I will adore for the rest of my life for being solidly behind me. So those were times when it said you still have HOPE. Yes in capital letters HOPE.

I had to change when the trial was getting on and was jobless in a way after that.

Though these were days of nightmares here’s how I made use of them.

Some of those things I did in no particular order:

1. Took to blogging, even some articles on mouthshut.com. I wrote on everything I could relate to especially R K Narayan or things I felt about.

2. Took to official blogging in a sense, I was blogging at O3- now defunct its a part of indiatimes.com (infact we are trying to get a plugin built so we can download all our works but no one responds from Indiatimes)

The blog was my biggest refuge – at last count I had over 150 written on F1 seasons and also had a prediction league at that. Top it all with a second prize for sports category in O3 Awards.

I made some great friends who are in touch even today.

3. Turned to spirituality, it wasnt new for me, except I would not think about the rituals as a big benefit, but this time I did take to rituals every two weeks fasting and very regularly being at the temple for the special arathi that would be held. I was regular in every sense of the word.

4. Started Reading: Though reading was in my habit this expanded to more of book on motivation, some of the Robin Sharma titles and other came my way. More understanding and getting on.

5. Legal training: I was getting trained to think legally in every aspect of life. What if. I was getting to read and sort articles and help my lawyer friend and keep track of the latest judgement on the certain topic that I was involved with.

6. Very close knit friendship: It was close and very small in number though I had enough of contact and acquaintances as a part of my professional network.

I think I should have taken to physical fitness  or a physical regimen and that would have amplified in a healthy life style not that it was showing anything bad  still looking back it would have made a lot of difference.

So why am I writing this now.? well in case you think you have had your worst moment think about it, almost everyone has had one and its actually the way you bounce back that marks the person you are.

Senthilkumar

PS: I had wanted to write on this ever since I read a blog from Shailaja mam!

But the immediate reaction was an invitation from our JCI Coimbatore Cosmo chapter for its ID program. The best part was the sharing of the presentation with all members and found it useful to go through that since I was not able to make it.

 

So I thought I shall pen down some of my own experience during the last 10 years or so.