Maha Shivratri

Maha Shivratri is one of the most important festivals for Indians.  It is believed to mark the day when Lord Shiva married Goddess Parvati and became a householder from a hermit, muniwar.  

It is also believed that on Maha Shivratri, Lord Shiva became Neelkantha or the blue-throated one by willfully swallowing the deadly poison that came up during the Sagar Manthan, the churning of Kshir Sagar or the milky ocean. The poison was so deadly that even if a drop reached His stomach, which represents the universe, it would have annihilated the entire world. Hence, He held it in His neck, which turned blue due to the effect of poison. Maha Shivratri is therefore also a day of thanksgiving to Lord Shiva for protecting mankind from annihilation.

One other story associated with Maha Shivratri is that once Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu had a bout as to who among the two was superior. As the fight aggravated, a burning pillar or lingam appeared between the two of them. A voice from the lingam resonated that the one who is able to find the end of the lingam would be judged as the superior of the two. So, Lord Brahma went towards the upper end of the lingam and Lord Vishnu towards the lower end. But neither of them was able to find the end of the burning pillar. After a while, Lord Vishnu realized that the lingam had no end and he stopped searching for it and admitted defeat. Lord Brahma, however, decided to lie that He had found the end of the lingam and He brought the Ketaki flower to testify His lie. At this, the all-knowing Lord Shiva became extremely outraged. He cursed Lord Brahma that He would never be worshipped on Earth. This legend explains that Lord Shiva is the superior of all the Gods and that He is the beginning Adi of everything and He has no end, He is Ananta. It is believed that it was the day of Shivratri when Lord Shiva manifested Himself first time in the form of a lingam.

Legends are many but the fervor is impeccable. An immensely special day. Har Har Mahadev.

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Everything good starts with caring

The following picture is a lovely post that captured the interest of many says "To make a difference in someone's life, you don't have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful or perfect. You just have to care."

The data showed as 1,032,404 people reached and 1,750plus people have liked the post within two months. I think it is amazing. Everything good starts with caring!!!

Henrietta Frye says "Just knowing someone cares means the world".

Barry Schoch says "Not just now and then but 24/7 365 days a year".

Denny Straub says "It's just that simple".

Bobby Oostveen Kyle says "This might be exactly what you're looking for".

Julia Hedrick says "Money can't buy love u got to have it in your heart".

Lee Swekla says "I'm sharing this because it reminds me of an early classmate Sammy Scola from St. Ann's school".

Wandalynn Pilgrim says "Those words are so true.  Show someone how much you care about them, today and everyday!!!"

Tom Walker says "Caring is the best place to start".

Let this inspire us, even if in some small, little way, to care more, bring in good things and make this world a better place to live in.  Let us try and leave a legacy of good and positive sentiments to the coming generations. When I read the newspaper every day, the standard thought that passes through my mind is that the world needs more love, patience and understanding. And surely, all that starts with caring.

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I received the following story on my Watsup this morning and found it to be one of the best I have come across in a while. The Salted Coffee He met her at a party. She was a gorgeous woman, so beautiful and intelligent with many men trying to woo her, and he was just an ordinary guy, nobody paid attention to him. At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him, she was surprised but being polite, she agreed. They sat in a coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything and she was uncomfortable, raring to leave. Suddenly he asked the waiter, “Would you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in my coffee.” Everybody stared at him, so strange! His face turned red but still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it. She curiously inquired about the salted coffee?” He replied, “When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea, I liked playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salted coffee. Now every time I have the salted coffee, I always think of my childhood, think of my hometown and my parents. She was deeply touched and she also spoke about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. It was a sweet conversation and also the beautiful beginning of their story. They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands; he had tolerance and was kind hearted. He was a good person and she had almost missed him! Thanks to his salted coffee! The story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married the prince, and they were living the happy life… And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that’s the way he liked it. After 40 years, he passed away, left her a note which said, “My dearest, please forgive me, forgive my whole life’s lie. This was the only lie I said to you—the salted coffee. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt. It was difficult for me to change so I just went ahead. I never thought that could be the beginning of our communication! I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do so, as I had promised not to lie to you for anything….... Now I’m dying, I am afraid of nothing so I have to tell you the truth, I never like the salted coffee, what a strange bad taste… But I have had salted coffee all my life! But since I knew you, I never felt sorry for it. Having you with me was my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for the second time, I would still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even if I have to drink the salted coffee again.” There were tears in her eyes. One day someone asked her, “What’s the taste of salted coffee?” She replied, “Sweet.” Actually...love is not to forget but to forgive, not to see but understand, not to hear but to listen, never let go of good friends and relationships even though sometimes we have to taste salted coffee.!

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Happiness

Happiness is more than an emotion. It is a state of mind. Happiness leads to contentment. "Sometimes happiness can come very  simply, purely, merely if one is ready to embrace it with open arms."

This is a quote from Soulmates Never Part. It comes in the form of a sudden realization to Sheila when she is least expecting it and she is almost caught off guard.

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A Prologue

A Prologue is usually added by an author if it is absolutely necessary to enhance the plot, bearing in mind that it has to have a point to make, and make it well. Not all books, stories or plots need this little assistance or to make this kind of an introduction. I have met people who have confessed to me that they never bother to read the prologue!

Well, I decided that Soulmates Never Part definitely needed a prologue and I penned it, crisp and brief, of just two and a half pages, when I was half way through my writing of the story.

Following is a glimpse of the content of the first page of the Prologue:

"Abel Freeman could see it, imagine it, and visualize it every time he wanted to. He could conjure up the incident in his mind at his whim and fancy, and that too, in enormous detail. However, there were also times when the scene inconveniently emerged on its own. It was during those times that he felt awkward, disturbed even, as he had no control over it when it annoyingly cropped up in his mind while he did not want it to. It made no difference whether his eyes were open or closed as the illusion was right there, ever ready for him to spot in his mind’s eye. The occurrence, with its constant, repetitive appearances, was etched in his psyche too deeply to be erased, and he often wondered whether he would ever be able to put it behind him. Importantly, it had been a freak little gamble and he had come out as an undisputed, lone, inscrutable winner. What had initially been an uncomplicated, moderately welcome release for him was slowly becoming an obsession. Abel was aware that it was, bit by bit, driving him crazy and the weirdest thing about it was that he wasn’t even present when the incident had actually happened. He was not complaining though. Freedom had come easy to him."

What happens is when you start reading the book and find that the protagonist is someone else, you know at the back of your mind that something else has previously happened to someone somewhere that also has an interesting connection to the story. A background of sorts, and yet, you don't really see it until springs up out of the blue!

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A Dragon in Love

I am sharing one of my poems today that I had penned about three years ago. It is one of my favorites as it is a poem with a tale to tell. At the same time, it speaks of a timeless kind of love that is pure but unachievable, and yet patiently, devotedly waited for, forever. This poem captures the essence of wanting to feel loved. It flows on a brook of enchantment on its journey to the ocean of beauty, where it shows its aesthetical waves and syllabical foam. Love and fantasy all the way...

A Dragon in Love

Centuries have gone waving by

And I have roamed all over from sky to sky

Looking for my 'lavender love' for years and years

Facing the attacks of a million of spears

Fireing my way through the woods

Terrorising beasts in warying moods.

It all began when I spotted a colony of humans

Some were lovely and some were demons

I spied upon a gorgeous and beautiful woman

And stole her away with no intension of a ransom

I flew off with her to my cloudy abode

I was sure she would be enchanted by the mode.

But she never did smile at me

So dipped in sheer unhappiness was she

I fell in love with her with passion and glee

The way I was, she never really saw me

To make her happy I did my utmost best

I worked to give her treasures, crest after crest.

Then I realized that it was but a futile exercise

Some things just dont work like clockwork mice

After deliberations and thoughts on a new moon phase

I sadly picked her up and through the sky did race

Carefully, I placed her back on her golden bed

Gave her one last glance, and from there I forever fled.

Still, through the centuries I wait and wait

Hoping she will change her mind and be my mate

I cling on to the memory of her in her lavender gown

Dying myself in that hue even though I was silvery brown

Maybe I will see her some day before very long

If not, let me fade away like some sad old song.

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Is love desperate or does desperation bring love?

http://www.slideshare.net/ShampaSharma1/can-one-find-ones-soulmate

Love is perhaps the most sort-after emotion in this world. It is God's best gift to mankind and every person is actually born with it in his heart. It is only later on that as one grows up circumstances shape him and he learns to imbibe numerous other emotions. And yet the need and want for love is always there. 

The question is is love desperate or does desperation bring love?

Is love desperate? Some would say that if a love is desperate, then it is not actually a proper, secure kind of love. But yes, in fact, love is at times desperate and needs that security of a complete return emotion to flourish smoothly. 

Let's say you love someone and you are not sure whether he loves you back with the same gusto. Wouldn't your love then be desperate until you have achieved the satisfaction of knowing that you are loved back the way you want? But would that make you love any less? This desperation could be positive and make you work on your relationship better. On the other hand, it could make you negative and give up, or work up with a little unfairly to achieve your goal. All is fair in love and war, it is said. Love is great and it if and when it hurts, it hurts great. Hence the desperation.

Does desperation bring love? Yes, sometimes it does when you are on the verge of giving up, it blooms out of the blue and you begin to take and interest which clicks like never before. 

In my book, Soulmates Never Part, it works both ways. Life is like that, isn't it? Sometimes there are no clear answers and yet the paths have to be taken.

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