SHORT STORY: BEWARE OF TOO MANY CHOICES

March 23, 2019book corner, book launch, book launch aadab lucknow, book review, Book review and excerpts, book review, book synopsis, book stall, book synopsis, book talk, book talk,, casual causerie, causerie, column, fable, fiction, literary corner, moral lesson, novel, parable, short story, snippet, story, storytelling, Uncategorizedcat, choices, conflict, forest, happy, jackal, kamlesh tripathi, moral, parable, problems, shravancharitymission, solution, tiger, tree, unhappyshravancharitymission

Once a jackal and a cat met in the middle of a forest. The jackal asked the cat how he would get away from a tiger. The cat said: ‘I know only one way and that is to climb the tree as fast as possible.’ Then the cat asked the jackal what would you do in case you come across a tiger? The jackal replied: ‘Brother, I know 101 ways of getting away. For example, I can go into the bush. I can climb up the rocks and can even hide behind the tree, or can even go into a hole.’

Just then all of a sudden a tiger appeared. The cat immediately climbed the tree while the jackal pondered—which solution should he adopt? In the meanwhile the tiger pounced on the jackal and killed it.

Moral of the story: Too many choices at times create conflicts and problems, and leads to unhappiness. In fact too many choices can paralyse anyone.

By Kamlesh Tripathi

https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life threatening diseases especially cancer. Our posts are meant for our readers that includes both children and adults and it has a huge variety in terms of content. We also accept donations for our mission. Should you wish to donate for the cause. The bank details are given below:

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GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

(The book is about a young cancer patient. Now archived in 7 prestigious libraries of the US, including, Harvard University and Library of Congress. It can also be accessed in MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in Libraries and archives of Canada and Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai)

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

(Is a fiction written around the great city of Nawabs—Lucknow. It describes Lucknow in great detail and also talks about its Hindu-Muslim amity. That happens to be its undying characteristic. The book was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival of 2014)

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for Child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. It was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival 2016)

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

(Is a story of an Indian salesman who is, humbly qualified. Yet he fights his ways through unceasing uncertainties to reach the top. A good read not only for salesmen. The book was launched on 10^th February, 2018 in Gorakhpur Lit-Fest. Now available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

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BOOK STALL: TO BUILD A FIRE by Jack London

March 22, 2019book corner, book launch, book review, Book review and excerpts, book review, book synopsis, book stall, book synopsis, book talk, book talk,, fiction, literary corner, novel, parable, short story, story, storytelling, Uncategorized1902, 1908, american author, arctic zone, boreal forest, death, dog, fire, frozen, hypothermia, jack London, kamlesh tripathi, knife, shravancharitymission, snow, storyline, territory, to build a fire, tom vincent, vibrations, yukonshravancharitymission

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–Read India Initiative—

This is only an attempt to create interest in reading. We may not get the time to read all the books in our lifetime. But such reviews, talk and synopsis will at least convey what the book is all about.

“To Build a Fire” is a short story by American author Jack London. There are two versions of this story. One published in 1902 and the other in 1908. The story that was written in 1908 has become an anthologized classic, while the 1902 story is lesser known. The 1908 version is about an unnamed protagonist who ventures out in the sub-zero boreal forest (located in the Arctic zone) of the Yukon Territory, along with his dog, to visit some of his friends. While doing so he ignores the warnings from an older man about the dangers of hiking alone. The protagonist underestimates the harsh conditions and slowly begins to freeze to death. After trying and then failing to build a fire, he slips into unconsciousness and dies of hypothermia—low body temperature.

The 1902 version describes a similar situation, but with a different plot. Though the structure and storyline are similar in both. In 1902 the weather is not as cold and horrendous, and no dog follows the protagonist, the fire is not doused, and the man (named Tom Vincent) suffers only from permanent frostbite. And he survives to become a melancholic but wiser person.

Whereas, the 1908 version of the story is an example of the naturalist movement that portrays the conflict of man versus nature. It also reflects what Jack London perhaps learned in the Yukon Territory. And it details as follows:

An unnamed man sets out to hike through the forests bordering the Yukon River on a winter day when the temperature has reached -75°F (-59°C). Having ignored the advice of an old prospector against traveling alone in such weather, he is accompanied only by his large husky dog. The animal’s instincts warn about the dangers of the extreme cold weather. Yet, it follows the man unwillingly. And as they follow the course of a frozen creek, the man is careful to avoid patches of thin ice, hidden in the snow, that cover pockets of unfrozen water. His goal is to reach a group of prospectors (“the boys”) at their camp by 6:00 that evening.

At half past noon, the man stops and builds a fire so that he can warm up and also eat his lunch. He shortly resumes his hike, when he breaks through the ice and drenches his feet and lower legs, forcing him to stop and build another fire. This one under a tree, in order to dry himself. But as he pulls the twigs, from the brush pile around the tree to feed the flames. The vibrations cause the snow to tumble down from the branches overhead and extinguish the fire. This creates a crisis. The man quickly begins to lose sensation in the extremities and hurries to light another fire. He now begins to premonition the life-threatening danger posed by the cold. He tries to light the fire by igniting all his matches and in the process he exhausts, all of it. Now with no more matches in hand, the man tries to kill the dog for warmth. But his hands are so stiff that he can neither strangle it nor draw his knife. Finally, he tries to restore his circulation by running towards the camp, but stumbles and falls in the snow. The man dies of hypothermia, imagining himself standing with “the boys” as they find his body. The dog leaves the body after dark to find food and shelter at the camp.

The man and the dog’s relationship is followed throughout the story. The man is in absolute control of the dog, as explicitly mentioned by London. The dog is almost like a slave to him and is shown cowering before the man and following orders. However, there is no physical intimacy between the two. The man doesn’t pet the dog or treat him fondly. In fact, the man forces the dog to go ahead of him when he suspects the ice will break. This helps to build the idea that the man believes nature is intended to serve him. The man’s interactions, in this relationship, is how the reader discovers the man’s personality and character to be. By including the dog in the story, the author makes the man less likable. London even describes the dog as his “toil-slave”.

“Man vs Nature” is one of the themes presented in this short story. The protagonist decides to face the brutal cold temperatures of the Yukon Territory, despite being warned by an older man. The short story depicts the protagonist’s battle of life and death while highlighting the importance of the fire.

Another theme illustrated in the story is the man’s human sense of judgment contrasted with the dog’s animal instincts. Throughout the story, London hints that the dog has more knowledge of survival than the man. The judgment versus instinct theme is evident when the man builds the first fire. While the dog wants to stay by the fire to keep warm, the man is determined to keep moving. And as the dog reluctantly follows the man across a frozen river, the dog is more cautious than the man.

The protagonist’s desperation is evident throughout the story. It is noticeable soon after the man falls into a frozen river. In order to save himself, he scrambles to build a fire but is too busy worrying about his health to notice the mistake of building a fire underneath a tree that has collected an enormous amount of snow. After the first fire is put out, his desperation becomes even more defined as he seemingly will do anything to survive. Including attempting to kill his dog for warmth and using all his matches at once in a final attempt to light his last fire. His desperation for survival and his fear of death causes his demise as he freezes to death at the end of the story.

Another evident theme in the story is perseverance. Although the man makes several mistakes and is getting frostbite in his fingers and toes, he continues to fight for survival.

Stupidity and arrogance are personified in the story’s protagonist. For example, he goes through the extremely cold territory alone, despite going for the first time. He laughs off the crucial advice of traveling with an acquaintance because he thinks he knows what he’s doing. This arrogance results in the protagonist putting himself in a dangerous situation that was preventable. At first, he thinks it’s nothing and that everything will be fine. By the end of the story, he dies as a result of his arrogance. Another example of arrogance occurs when the protagonist disregards the possibility that there may be situations he cannot overcome. The old man warns the protagonist of this and also seems to have a better understanding of the natural world, respecting the fact that there are some situations the man will be unable to control. Not only does the old man see the protagonist’s stupidity, but the dog notices the man’s lack of knowledge about the terrain and its obstacles after he fails to keep a fire going.

Succumbing to death is another theme in the story: more specifically the peace that may be found in death. London foreshadows the death of the man early in the story, so it is not a surprise that the man dies. London depicts the death quite differently than many other authors do. The man drifts off into a calm and peaceful slumber devoid of suffering and pain. London’s use of relaxing words dissuades the reader from feeling a great deal of sympathy for the man, as the death is merciful and graciously anticipated, rather than sad. In contrast to more dramatic depictions of death, London’s depiction reveals death as a peaceful escape from tumult and pain.

Individualism is another common theme London portrays in the story. The man only relies on himself to get him through the Yukon; he doesn’t believe that he needs any help. This theme can also be connected to the theme mentioned above of the man’s judgement, and the man’s arrogance.

Synopsis by Kamlesh Tripathi

https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

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SHORT STORY: HOW SUZUKI FOUND HIROO ONODA IN THE JUNGLES OF LUBANG (PHILIPPINES)

March 16, 2019autobiography, book review, book synopsis, moral lesson, novel, parable, parables, short story, snippet, story, Uncategorized1944, 1945, asia, hippie, hiroo onoda, hiroshima, japan, kamlesh tripathi, kozuka, lubang, nagasakhi, norio, pacific, philippines, second lietenant, shravancharitymission, suzuki, usa, world war-IIshravancharitymission

It was in the closing months of 1944 and almost after a decade when the tide was turning against Japan. Their economy was staggering, their military was exhausted across, half of Asia. The territories that they had won all along the Pacific were now toppling like dominoes against the forces of U.S. Defeat now, seemed inevitable.

On December 26, 1944, Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda of the Japanese Imperial Army was deployed at the small island of Lubang in the Philippines. His orders were, to slow the progress of United States as much as possible. To stand and fight at all costs, and to never surrender. Both he and his commander knew it was essentially a suicide mission.

In February 1945, the Americans finally arrived at Lubang and took the island by storm. Within days, most of the Japanese soldiers had either surrendered or were killed. But Onoda and three of his men managed to hide in the jungle. From there, they began a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the U.S. forces and the local population. They attacked supply lines, shot stray soldiers, and interfered with the American forces in every possible manner that they could.

After about six months on August 6 and 9, 1945, United States, dropped the atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively. Japan surrendered, and the deadliest war in human history came to its dramatic end.

However, thousands of Japanese soldiers were still scattered among the Pacific isle, and most, like Onoda, were hiding in the jungle, unaware that the war was over. These holdouts continued to fight and pillage as they had done before. This became a real problem for rebuilding eastern Asia after the war. Where, the governments did agree that something needs to be done.

The U.S. military, in agreement with the Japanese government, dropped thousands of leaflets throughout the Pacific region. Announcing that the war was over and it was time for everyone to go home. Onoda and his men, like many others soldiers, found and read these leaflets. But unlike most of them, Onoda decided that they were fake. A trap set by the American forces to get the guerrilla fighters to show themselves. Onoda burned the leaflets. He and his men stayed hidden and continued to fight.

Five years had gone by. The leaflets had stopped, and most of the American forces had long since gone home. The local population of Lubang attempted to return to their normal lives of farming and fishing. Yet, there were, Hiroo Onoda and his merry men, still shooting farmers, burning their crops, stealing their livestock, and murdering locals who wandered too far into the jungle. The Philippine government then took to drawing up new flyers and spreading them out across the jungle. Come out, they said. The war is over. You lost. But these too, were also ignored by Onoda.

In 1952, the Japanese government made one final effort to pull out the last remaining soldiers out of the hiding all throughout the Pacific. This time, letters and pictures, from the missing soldiers’ families were air-dropped, along with a personal note from the emperor himself. Once again, Onoda refused to believe that the information was real. Once again, he believed the airdrop, to be a trick of the Americans. So, once again, he and his men stood their ground and continued with their fight.

By now another few years had gone by. The Philippine locals, sick of being terrorized, finally armed themselves, and began firing back. By 1959, one of Onoda’s companions had surrendered, and another was killed. A decade later. Onoda’s last companion. A man called Kozuka, was killed in a shootout with the local police, while he was burning rice fields—still waging war against the local population, a full quarter-century after the end of World War II.

Onoda, now having spent more than half of his life in the jungles of Lubang, was all alone.

In 1972, the news of Kozuka’s death reached Japan and caused a stir. The Japanese people had thought. The last of the soldiers from the war had come home years earlier. The Japanese media began to speculate. If Kozuka was still in Lubang until 1972. Then perhaps, Onoda himself, the last known Japanese holdout, from World War II, might still be alive as well. That year, both Japanese and Philippine governments, jointly sent search parties, to look for the enigmatic second lieutenant Onoda. Who, by now had become a part of a myth, a hero, or even a ghost, for no one knew the reality. Finally, the search parties found nothing.

As months progressed. The story of Lieutenant Onoda morphed into, something like an urban legend in Japan—the war hero sounded too insane to actually exist. Many romanticized him. Others criticized him. Others thought he was a stuff out of a fairy tale.

It was around this time that a young man by the name of Norio Suzuki first heard of second lieutenant Onoda. Suzuki was an adventurer, an explorer, and a bit of a hippie. Born after the end of the war. He had dropped out of school and had spent four years hitchhiking his way across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Sleeping on park benches, in stranger’s cars, in jail cells, and under the stars. He volunteered on farms for food, and donated blood to pay for places to stay. He was a free spirit, and perhaps a little bit nuts.

In 1972, Suzuki needed another adventure. He had returned to Japan after his travels and found the strict cultural norms and social hierarchy to be too stifling. He hated school. He couldn’t hold on to a job. He wanted to be back on the road, back on his own again.

For Suzuki, the legend of Hiroo Onoda came as the answer to his problems. It was a new and worthy adventure for him to pursue. Suzuki believed that he would be the one who would find Onoda. Extensive search parties conducted by the Japanese, Philippine and American governments had not been able to find Onoda. Local police forces had been scavenging the jungles for almost thirty years now with no luck. Thousands of leaflets had met with no response. So, was it this deadbeat, a college dropout, a hippie, be the one, to find him?

Unarmed and untrained for any sort of reconnaissance or tactical warfare, Suzuki travelled to Lubang and began wandering around the jungle all by himself. His strategy was simple. Scream Onoda’s name really loud and tell him that the emperor was worried about him.

He found second lieutenant Hiroo Onoda in just four days.

Moral of the story: One, use the right means and methods to communicate. See how Suzuki found Onoda in just four days. Two, learn to trust people, which Onoda didn’t, and as a result of which, he spent, more than half of his life, in the jungles of Lubang.

Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda died later in Japan at the age of ninety one.

By Kamlesh Tripathi

https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

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Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

(ALL THE ABOVE TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

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BOOK CORNER: I AM ALWAYS HERE WITH YOU by Himanshu Rai

March 15, 2019book corner, book launch, book review, Book review and excerpts, book review, book synopsis, book synopsis, book talk, book talk,, causerie, column, fiction, interview and book launch, literary corner, novel, story, Uncategorizedaccident, arts, ashima, dehradun, engineer, flashback, Himanshu Rai, i am always here with you, kamlesh tripathi, kartik, love, noida, rashmee, shravancharitymission, telecomshravancharitymission

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–Read India Initiative—

I AM ALWAYS HERE WITH YOU

By Himanshu Rai

Publisher: Srishti Publishers

Price Rs 195

They say love acknowledges no boundaries. I agree to that. But then love is also a state of mind that often stands on the crutches of tragedies. In this flurry of viewpoints let me add one more—‘Love knows no time, or distance, and it certainly knows no reason- says lady author Genevieve Dewey, and then again there is that famous Hindi song ‘janam-janam ka sath hai nibha ne ko. Sao sao bar mene janam liye, a Mohd Rafi song enacted on the screen by Babita and Shammi Kapur in film, ‘Tum se accha kaun hai’ released in the year 1966. So in sum, love is ever-green and the oldest plaything that mankind pulled out from the treasures of mother earth.

I have just finished reading this title, ‘I am Always Here With You’ written by young author Himanshu Rai who happens to be a telecom professional and also a fraternity friend of mine. It so happened by the stroke of luck I had read one of his earlier titles, this being his second one. India being a young nation, is deep in love, and therefore a number of love stories are flowering all over the place. There was once the deluge of Mills & Boon that took the ‘rustic India’ by storm. And now we have the unlimited, ‘Indian love stories’ that is taking the ‘unrealised India’ by storm.

Since the book was published only recently I’ll refrain myself from being a spoiler. But yes of course there is Kartik and Ashima entangled in deep puppy love. Both are good students studying in Dehradun. Kartik’s father wants him to be an engineer. But his love takes him somewhere else both academically and emotionally. This only creates a deep rift between the father and the son after Kartik’s marriage with Ashima. As the story unfolds, after seven years of courtship, and two years of marriage they are now about to graduate into the next hierarchy of life. And all along Kartik attempts to mend his relationship with his father where he even seeks the support of his wife Ashima.

All is moving well until here. But then life is, so very, unpredictable as they say. And you’ll have to read the book to find out why Ashima is now marrying someone else? And why is Kartik accepting that helplessly?

I would desist from going any further on the storyline. But yes, the book definitely appears to be written, keeping in mind the young readers. It goes on to pass the im-memorial message, that love is crazy.

It’s an offbeat story. Where, the author has tried to bring in, some innovative ideas that are somewhat unconventional, but not filled with cheer. The book paces well but within the same context so it gets over-descriptive at spaces where it can be avoided. There are enchanting pages about school and college romance that will mostly delight the young age group. The author has used the methodology of quote-unquote where he could have used simple narration to make the story move faster. For in the first forty pages I found the book to be slow and it picks up a little after seventy pages. But then it slows down again before the end and that is because of some meticulous descriptions that the author takes us through. The book has titillating love scenes but they do not culminate at any point. It has well captured emotions. But the author could have done well with lesser of detailing and more of events in the story. Or he could have ended the book at around, a hundred and fifty pages. To me it was like a fairy tale. High on emotions that made my own love story look pale. Once again the book is descriptive where a plethora of emotions inter-twine within the ambit of high emotions with less of engaging events or episodes.

Some books impact you for their meaty storyline, some for the wisdom, that they provide you, some for the narration and language, and some for all of these. So, the readers need to find it out for themselves by reading the book which way the book has impacted them.

The book is around two hundred pages written in lucid language easy to understand.

Overall, it’s a good read, for the college crowd and even other grown up youngsters where slow moving stories with high pitch emotions can be a selling point.

A line that I liked out of the book was, ‘friendship is the start, but togetherness is the end.’

I wish Himanshu Rai the very best in is his future titles.

Synopsis by Kamlesh Tripathi

https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

Share it if you like it

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

(ALL THE ABOVE TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

*****

INTERESTING FACTS & QUOTES-12

March 14, 2019article, beautiful lines, column, facts, general knowledge, gk, interesting facts, quote, quotes and lines, snippet, Uncategorizedabhinandan varthaman, acid rock, annual status of education report, article 35a, black money, blue rock, census, china, economy, election, f-16, gas connections, heavy metal band, hindus in minority, J&K, jallianwala bagh, kamlesh tripathi, kumbh, land records, london, mig-21 bison, msp, narendra modi, national war memorial, netherlands, paddy, psychedelic rock, queen elizabeth, R&D, rock music, shravancharitymission, United Kingdom, voter, war, wheatshravancharitymission

Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom with roots in blue rock, psychedelic rock, and acid rock. The bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. The genre’s lyrics and performance styles are sometimes associated with aggression and machismo.

Around 16 crore pilgrims are estimated to have taken a dip in Kumbh—a good four crore over state government’s estimate.

Article 35A prevents outsiders from acquiring any immovable property in J&K and also denies property rights to women married to people from outside the state of J&K.

In India buying rural land is one of the major ways to invest black money.

An ageing Mig-21 Bison taking on an F-16 fighter jet is like a Maruti 800 taking on a BMW. Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman shot an F-16 with his Mig-21—a feat likely to go down in the history books.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the National War Memorial paying homage to nearly 26,000 military personnel who have laid down their lives for the country since independence.

Agriculture: Shanta Kumar committee report says, minimum support price (MSP) benefits only 6% of the farmers and that too just in wheat and paddy.

Netherlands is the world’s second-largest food exporter. It has many farming centers of excellence focused on exports. They use glasshouses, produce pesticides free fruit & vegetables. Use 90% less water and drones to track growth of crop.

Last week over one crore small farmers were pleasantly surprised to receive Rs 2000 in their bank accounts. This was the first of the three instalments under the Pradhan Mantri Kissan Samman Nidhi Scheme.

It is a pity that even after 70 years of independence we don’t have accurate land records. Without which, direct benefit transfer to farmers account gets complicated. Most states do not have a central database of land records.

We all talk of war without realising that in the last 70 years or so, US lost 36,000 soldiers in the Korean War, 58,000 in Vietnam on just a population base of 175 million. Iranians lost anywhere up to 1,50,000 in their war with Iraq in the 1980s. China, lost 1,14,000 in the Korean war, and lost another estimated 26,000 in its brief punitive expedition to Vietnam. So think deeply before advocating for war.

In 2019 India observes the 100^th year of Jallianwala-Bagh massacre that happened in 1919 during the British Raj.

According to 2011 Census Hindus are a minority in eight states Lakshdweep (2.5%), Mizoram (2.75%), Nagaland (8.85%), (Meghalaya (11.53%), J&K (28.44%), Arunachal Pradesh (29%), Manipur (31.39%) and Punjab (38.40%). But the thing to be noticed is, it is only in J&K where Hindus have been persecuted the most under a Muslim dominated majority.

The latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) reveals that barely 50% of children in class 5 and 73% in Class 8 can read a Class 2 text. Only 44% of class 8 children can do simple division.

China is the world’s largest producer of solar cells, aluminium and steel. On the other hand India has not produced a single global champion or become a global power in a single new field in the last decade.

China’s R&D spending is 2.1% of its GDP, less than the US, but higher than Europe’s average. Meanwhile India’s R&D spending has stagnated at around 0.65% of its GDP for the last two decades. It lacks not just money but even quality scientists for research.

LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II has given her royal approval to a law that will make it illegal in England and Wales to take ‘upskirting’ photos. The law will make it a criminal offense to take pictures under a person’s clothes without permission.

Voter’s don’t respond to economic statistics, they respond to their lived reality and that of people they know—whether they have jobs and their aspirations are being met (or otherwise).

This year … India’s 70^th, in its existence as a republic, is also, the year, its economy is billed to overtake that of Britain in size and become the world’s 5^th largest economy.

Narendra Modi has ensured that more than 3 crore women get gas connections. And more than 6 crore toilets were constructed in India during his tenure.

By Kamlesh Tripathi

https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

Share it if you like it

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

(ALL THE ABOVE TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

*****

BOOK CORNER: THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK by Mark Manson

March 11, 2019book corner, book launch, book review, Book review and excerpts, book review, book synopsis, book synopsis, book talk, causerie, column, fiction, literary corner, moral lesson, novel, parable, parables, story, storytelling, Uncategorized, VDO, videoa counterintuitive approach to living a good life, happiness, kamlesh tripathi, life, los angeles, mark manson, new york, sadness, shravancharitymission, the subtle art of not giving a f*ck, usashravancharitymission

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

Share it if you like it

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

(ALL THE ABOVE TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

*****

SHORT STORY: ASPIRATIONS OF A ROCKSTAR

March 10, 2019autobiography, casual causerie, causerie, column, real life story article, short story, snippet, story, tributes, Uncategorized, vignette180 million, 25 million, albums, band, dave, golden disc, guitarist, kamlesh tripathi, los angeles, megadeth, metal band, metallica, mustaine, new york, rock music, rockstar, shravancharitymission, stadium, tv, usashravancharitymission

This story is from the US. In the year 1983 a talented young guitarist was kicked out of his band in the most unceremonious manner. The band had just been signed up for a remarkable deal. They were about to record their first album. But only a couple of days before the recording. The band showed the guitarist the door. In other words he was asked to leave. There was no warning, no discussion, and no melodrama. They literally woke him up one day, and handed him, a bus ticket home.

While on the bus, back to Los Angeles from New York, the guitarist kept asking himself. What was his fault? How did all of this happen? What was his mistake? Did he rub someone the wrong way? Such stupendous contracts, didn’t just, fall out of the sky, especially for the raucous, upstart metal bands. And had he missed his chance of a lifetime?

But by the time the bus rolled into Los Angeles, the guitarist had got over his self-pity. He vowed to start a new band. He decided that his new band would be so very successful, that his old band would forever regret their decision of firing him. He would become so very famous that they would be subjected to years of seeing his face on TV, hearing him on the radio, and seeing his posters on the streets, and his pictures in magazines. While they’d be flipping burgers in some dingy eatery, loading vans, from their shitty club gigs, obese and drunk with their ugly wives, while he’d be rocking out in front of the stadium crowds, live on television. And as a sadist he would bathe in the tears of his betrayers, and each tear would be wiped dry by a crisp clean hundred dollar bill.

Thereon, the guitarist worked as if possessed by some musical demon. He spent months recruiting the best musicians he could find—far better than his previous band mates. He wrote dozens of songs and practiced meticulously. His seething anger fuelled his ambition. Revenge became his muse. Within a couple of years his new band had signed a record deal of their own, and a year later their first album was going gold. In other words it had achieved a sales level meriting a gold disc.

The guitarist’s name was Dave Mustaine and the band he formed was the legendary heavy-metal band Megadeth. Megadeth went on to sell over 25 million albums and went around the world many times. Today, Mustaine is considered one of the most brilliant and influential musicians, in the history of heavy-metal music.

But unfortunately. The band that he was kicked out of, was Metallica, which has sold over 180 million albums worldwide. Metallica is considered by many to be one of the greatest rock bands of all times.

And because of this, in an exclusive and intimate interview in 2003, a tearful Mustaine admitted, that he couldn’t help but still consider himself, a failure despite all that he had accomplished in his mind. For he would always be the guy who got kicked out of Metallica.

Dave Mustaine knowingly or unknowingly chose to measure himself by the inconsequential fact whether he was more successful and popular than Metallica. The experience of getting thrown out of his former band Metallica, was so painful for him. That he considered his success relative to Metallica and as the metric by which to measure himself and his music career.

Despite churning that horrible event of his life into something positive, when Mustaine created Megadeth, his choice to hold on to Metallica’s success, as his life-defining metric continued to hurt him even decades later. Despite all the money, and the fans and the accolades, he still considered himself a failure.

Now you and I may wonder at Dave Mustaine’s situation. This is because you and I have different values than Mustaine has. Because we measure ourselves with a different metrics. Whereas, Mustaine’s yardstick of being better than Metallica helped him launch an incredibly successful music career. But the same yardstick later on tortured him, in spite of his success.

Moral of the story: Be content with what you have in life, and stop comparing yourself with others, especially, your peers.

Synopsis by Kamlesh Tripathi

https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

Share it if you like it

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

(ALL THE ABOVE TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

*****

BOOK CORNER: THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK–a counterintuitive approach to living a good life by Mark Manson

March 9, 2019book corner, book launch, book review, Book review and excerpts, book review, book synopsis, book synopsis, book talk, book talk,, casual causerie, causerie, column, fable, facts, fiction, literary corner, novel, parable, parables, short story, snippet, Uncategorizeda counterintuitive approach to living a good life, adversity, delusion, fuck, groundbreaking, happier, happiness, harperone, kamlesh tripathi, loser, mark manson, new york, shravancharitymission, society, stronger, success, suck, the subtle art of not giving a fuck, tragedy, usa, winnershravancharitymission

Khidki (Window)

–Read India Initiative—

‘Fuck’ is a scandalous and a vulgar cuss word not meant for the civilized society. But then it has a lot to do with the making and breaking of life. Before, I move ahead let me refresh you with the meaning of this word. One of course is the usual one—to have a sexual intercourse. And running alongside that, it is also used, while expressing, extreme anger, or to add force, to what is being said. Some words get ostracised because of its dirty meaning. According to Oxford dictionary, fuck also means ‘your ruins.’ Let me now construct, two sentences for you, using the four letter word. One is.

I don’t give a fuck—which means I don’t care.
I give a fuck—which means I care.

I am telling you all of this, to make you understand the book even better. The book has a long title supported by an even longer sub-title that goes as, “THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK—a counter-intuitive approach to living a good life.” by Mark Manson. Counterintuitive means, contrary to intuition, or a kind of common-sense expectation. I would call this book a wonder book, because the author converts the four letter word ‘fuck’ into a handy an appropriate life lesson for readers. New York Times and Globe and mail a Canadian chronicle have declared it, as a bestseller. The other word extensively used in this book is sucks which is an expression of disappointment. The book is priced at $17.99, published in 2016 by Harperone. The book lives up to its title in all boisterousness. Mark Manson is a star blogger, with more than two million readers. He lives in New York City. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, is his, first book.

For this day and age the book is a self-help guide, written by a super-star blogger. It charts the course for us, to make us happier and stronger. The real panacea of which is how to handle adversity better, and stop trying to be positive all the time. Of course the gap between the two is quite wide.

For the past few years, Mark Manson through his ecstatically popular blog, has been working on correcting, our delusional expectations, for ourselves and for the world. He now brings his hard fought wisdom to this ground breaking book. Manson makes the argument that human beings by nature are imperfects and even limited. As he writes, ‘not everybody can be extraordinary—there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault.” Manson advises us to get to know your limitations and accept them as they are. This he says, is the real source of empowerment. Once we embrace our fears, faults and uncertainties. Once we stop running from and avoiding, and start confronting, painful truths—we will begin to find the courage and confidence we desperately need.

In life, we all have a limited amount of fucks to give. So, you must choose your fucks wisely. Manson brings a much needed, grab-you-by-the-shoulders-an-look-you-in-the-eyes moment, of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories, and profane, ruthless humor. This narration is a refreshing pat on the face of all, so that we can start living a more contented and grounded life.

The book is a little over two hundred pages and if one goes at an uninterrupted pace, one could finish it within two days. It is in many ways a page turner written in lucid English quite easy to comprehend. It has long gripping sentences with appropriate pauses in terms of sentence breaks and well suited prepositions. The author has curtailed unnecessary flab in his narration. Within a para, the breaks are few and that gives a good flow of thoughts so very necessary for such life-lesson emitting books. Many sentences are somewhat unconventional, and more than that the thoughts are quite out-of-the-box. It is divided into nine chapters with sub-chapters. The book hinges on two prime words—‘fuck’ and ‘sucks.’

Everyone believes. The key to a good life is a nice job, a sexy limousine, or a pretty girlfriend. The world keeps telling you over-and-over again, that the matrix for a successful life is to have more … more … and … more. Buy more, own more. You are constantly bombarded with messages to give a fuck about everything, and at all times. But the key to a good life is not giving a fuck about more; but giving a fuck about less, or giving a fuck about only what is true and immediate and important. I’m sorry for having used the four letter word so very often in this narration. But without which you wouldn’t have got the real feel of the book.

The book has many interesting stories and anecdotes that I would not like to disclose in great detail. But yes of course. I liked the one about the Japanese second lieutenant and the Rock Star band. The book teaches that life is essentially an endless series of problems. Problems never stop they only get exchanged or upgraded. Happiness is a constant work-in-progress. It teaches you the value of suffering. Human beings often dedicate a large part of their lives to seemingly useless and destructive causes.

It says happiness is a problem yet happiness comes by solving problems. And mind you, you are not special. The book defines certain values as shitty and even obsolete. It says a lot of time in our life is wasted in choosing. And of course failure is the way forward. It talks about action, inspiration and even motivation. Most of us commit to action only if we feel a certain level of motivation. And we feel motivated only when we find enough emotional inspiration.

The book inspires you to believe that you’re wrong about everything. The author cites examples in terms of cartographers who some five hundred years ago believed that California was an island. Doctors believed that by slicing a person’s arm open (or by causing bleeding anywhere) one could cure a disease. Scientists believed that fire was made out of something called phlogiston (a combustible substance). Women believed that rubbing dog urine on their face had anti-aging benefits. Astronomers believed that the sun revolved around the earth. But then were they right?

I would recommend this book. If not for anything else, at least it will advise you how to be comfortable in negative situations. While reading this book I was even reminded of my own poem that I wrote sometime back. The title of which is … ‘Bad times is a friend of all times’ published in a book titled, ‘Rhythm … in poems.’ I would give this debut book of Mark Manson eight out of ten.

Synopsis by Kamlesh Tripathi

https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

Share it if you like it

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

(ALL THE ABOVE TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

*****

INTERESTING FACTS & QUOTES 11

March 5, 2019beautiful lines, column, facts, General awareness & Knowledge, general knowledge, gk, parable, parables, quote, quotes and lines, snippet, Uncategorizedalbert einstein, gloom behind the smile, hellen keller, jonnathan swift, kamlesh tripathi, mary crowley, shravancharitymission, solomon, sword, william james, williamshakespeare, wordsshravancharitymission

TEN INTERESTING QUOTES

It is strange that sword and words have the same letters. Even more strange is that they have the same effect if not handled properly. This beautiful quote is by Anonymous
No matter how bad things are a few things will always go right and no matter how good things are a few things will always go wrong. This alone balances life—this quote is from a book ‘Gloom behind the smile’
Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful—that’s what matters to me—Steve Jobs
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word, stirs up anger—by Solomon, also called Jedidiah, who, according to the Hebrew Bible, Old Testament, Quran, and Hadiths, was a fabulously wealthy, and the wise king of Israel who succeeded his father, King David..
‘I do not want the peace, that pass-eth understanding. I want the understanding which bringeth peace.’—Hellen Keller, American author, political activist and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person, to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Arts.
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so—William Shakespeare.
Imagination is more important than knowledge—Albert Einstein
Vision is the art of seeing things invisible to others—Jonnathan Swift, Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, and political pamphleteer.
One person with a commitment is worth more than hundred people who only have interest—Mary Crowley, an American citizen and a cancer patient, who served the citizenry and started Mary Crowley, Cancer Research Center in the US.
The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind—William James, American philosopher and psychologist.

By Kamlesh Tripathi

https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

Share it if you like it

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

(ALL THE ABOVE TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

*****

THREE CORPORATE LESSONS

March 5, 2019ARTICLE SPIRITUAL, casual causerie, causerie, column, fable, facts, moral lesson, short story, snippet, spiritual, spiritual article, story, Uncategorizedbird, bull, cat, corporate, crow, fable, farmer, kamlesh tripathi, lesson, moral, parable, rabbit, shravancharitymission, snow, sparrow, story, turkeyshravancharitymission

Lesson no 1

A crow was sitting on a tree doing nothing all day. A small rabbit who was passing by asked the crow, ‘can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?

The crow answered: ‘Sure why not, come along. So the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow and rested all day. But in the evening all of a sudden a fox appeared from nowhere and pounced on the cat and ate him up.

MORAL OF THE STORY: to be sitting and doing nothing like a crow you must be sitting, very high up, on the ladder or position.

Lesson no 2

A turkey was chatting with a bull. ‘I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree,’ sighed the turkey, ‘but I haven’t got the energy to do so.’ ‘Well then, why don’t you nibble some of my droppings? Replied the bull. And added ‘They are packed with nutrients.’ The idea appealed to the turkey. He pecked at the lump of dung and discovered. That the bull was in fact right, as it actually gave him enough strength to reach the first branch of the tree. The next day after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally, after a fortnight, there he was, proudly perched at the top of the tree. But soon he was spotted by a farmer who promptly shot the turkey and had a feast.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Bullshit might get you to the top. But it won’t keep you there.

Lesson no 3

A little bird was flying south to escape the winter. It was so very cold that the bird froze and fell on the ground in a large field. And while it was lying on the ground there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on it. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realise how warm it was. The dung was actually thawing him out. He lay there all warm and soon began to sing out of joy. Just then a passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate, following the sound. The cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung and promptly dug him out and ate him up.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Not everyone who drops shit on you is your enemy. Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend. And when you are in deep shit keep your mouth shut.

Posted by Kamlesh Tripathi

https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

Share it if you like it

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Is a book on ‘singlehood’ about a Delhi girl now archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture, Delhi)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

TYPICAL TALE OF AN INDIAN SALESMAN

RHYTHM … in poems

(Published in January 2019. The book contains 50 poems. The poems describe our day to day life. The book is available in Amazon, Flipkart and Onlinegatha)

(ALL THE ABOVE TITLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE IN AMAZON, FLIPKART AND OTHER ONLINE STORES OR YOU COULD EVEN WRITE TO US FOR A COPY)

*****

Shravan charity mission

Our NGO works for poor children suffering from life threatening diseases especially cancer: We cover our blog with short stories, children's stories, articles, book reviews, vignettes, spiritual, episodes, poetry, analysis, news report, general knowledge, quotes for the benefit of our readers.

SHORT STORY: BEWARE OF TOO MANY CHOICES

BOOK STALL: TO BUILD A FIRE by Jack London

SHORT STORY: HOW SUZUKI FOUND HIROO ONODA IN THE JUNGLES OF LUBANG (PHILIPPINES)

BOOK CORNER: I AM ALWAYS HERE WITH YOU by Himanshu Rai

INTERESTING FACTS & QUOTES-12

BOOK CORNER: THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK by Mark Manson

SHORT STORY: ASPIRATIONS OF A ROCKSTAR

BOOK CORNER: THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK–a counterintuitive approach to living a good life by Mark Manson

INTERESTING FACTS & QUOTES 11

THREE CORPORATE LESSONS