E-book of my Debut Novel

I am glad to inform that my debut novel “45 Days in a Cancer Hospital” is now available as an e-book.  

Here is the link for the e-book: Dailyhunt.in/Ebooks

For those who are new to my site, I am mentioning some details of the book.

The book is a fiction novel about terminal cancer patients who are being murdered under the masquerade of natural death. Why would anyone kill poor cancer patients who are anyhow going to breathe their last in some time? These are the questions Ashritha, a novel writer who is staying in the hospital to write her book on cancer patients, is struggling to unravel, risking her own life. Initially, she shrugs off her suspicion as she finds it illogical, but later the odd incidents going on in the hospital force her to take her suspicion seriously. Challenging all the dangers head on, she digs for the truth and unearths secrets deeply woven within the hospital, with the help of his college friend and CBI officer Animesh. What comes out as a wretched act initially turns out to be a deeply woven plan and a heinous conspiracy. 45 Days in a Cancer Hospital is a suspense thriller with a strong female protagonist and a series of shocking events that culminate in a shocker. The story also touches on the life of doctors and cancer patients and is woven around aspiration, love, hatred, betrayal, greed and suspense within the walls of the hospital that takes place during the 45 days of Ashritha's stay.

The novel for longlisted for Crossword Books Award 2013.

Here are links to some of the many reviews I received:

Goosemummynest.blogspot.in

Mamamiareviews.wordpress.com            

Jukeboxaloud.blogspot.in

The paperback version of the book is also available on major online bookstores.

I hope you will enjoy reading this novel.

Happy Birthday - My Blog

Happy Birthday dear blog. Wow, my blog is one-year-old today. 

It feels like yesterday when I posted my first blog "In Search of Love"

The journey from my first blog to the one I posted a few day ago "यादों का बस्ता बहुत भारी हो गया" was wonderful.

There were times I could decorate my thoughts with beautiful words and there were times I just posted them raw, without any flavours.

There were times I posted like this

And there were times I had the leisure of undisturbed writing; at 2 in the night. 

Looking back, I remember how apprehensive I was about starting a blog. It was way outside my comfort zone. But, sometimes our happiness lies beyond our comfort zone. And believe me, crossing the boundary is the toughest thing, the journey ahead is fun.

What better time to thank you all for making this journey easier for me, for the views, likes, comments and messages you sent my way. They fuelled my confidence and passion for writing. And I hope we will travel this journey together for years to come.

It’s our journey so don't forget to share your thoughts on my thoughts :)

See you soon with a new post. In the meantime, take time to discover the new world outside your comfort zone.

यादों का बस्ता बहुत भारी हो गया

कुछ पल मैं लौटा दूँ वक़्त को

की यादों का बस्ता बहुत भारी हो गया.

धीरे धीरे ना जाने कब

मेरे आज पर हावी हो गया.

ज़िन्दगी की दौड़ से थक कर

कुछ पल चुराए थे छुप कर.

कुछ सुकूं सा मिला था दिल को

यादों की छाँव में रूककर.

लेकिन धीरे धीरे ये पल ना जाने कब

गुज़रे कल के हवाले हो गया.

कुछ पल मैं लौटा दूँ वक़्त को

की यादों का बस्ता बहुत भारी हो गया.

एक कदम आगे, दो पीछे चलते रहे

नए पन्नो पर पुरानी कहानी लिखते रहे.

एक नयी सुबह की चाह में

बड़ी देर तक वो पन्ने मुझसे लड़ते रहे.

शब्दों से भरा वो पन्ना

उम्मीदों से खाली हो गया.

कुछ पल मैं लौटा दूँ वक़्त को

की यादों का बस्ता बहुत भारी हो गया.

Isn't Life All About Choices

Isn't life all about choices.

Choice between passion and career

                              Duties and responsibilities
                              Emotions and realism
                              Heart and brain

Sadly, the list is endless.

And as we select one of the two, do we really leave the other? Or we leave a part of us with the one we abandon or rather pretend to abandon.

Lost in these thoughts, I saw my 5-year-old submerging a painting in water. Hesitantly, slowly, the colors dissolved in water, leaving its soul - the painting.

And I wondered aren’t we all like that faded painting, losing our colors bit by bit, every time we leave the water – oh, I mean one precious thing for other in life.

ज़िन्दगी

Photo Credit - Asha Dimri

एक एक पल से बुनी ये ज़िन्दगी

कुछ पलों में है हँसी तो कुछ में छुपी है ख़ामोशी

ये ज़िन्दगी तो हँसती रोती यादों का आशियाना है

रूठे पलों को जादू से कोई हमें मनाना है

यादों को चाहे साथी बना लो, बनाना ना हमसफ़र

यादों में रहती है उदासी, उदास न करना जीवन की डगर

यादों में खो जाती है कहीं पहचान आज की

कुछ पलों में है हँसी तो कुछ में छुपी है ख़ामोशी

हमने ज़िन्दगी से आने वाले कल का पता पूछा

तो वो हंसके हमें बोली इस आज को करो नहीं यु रुस्वा

बुरा नहीं जो इन आखों ने कल के सपने सजाये

पर उसके पीछे यूँ न भागो की ये आज कहीं खो जाये

बीते हुए ये पल फिर लौटाएगी नहीं ज़िन्दगी

कुछ पलों में है हँसी तो कुछ में छुपी है ख़ामोशी

हर पल नया कुछ रंग नए लाता है

हर गुज़रता लम्हा ये एहसास दिलाता है

एक पल की कीमत को हमने जाना है

किसी लम्हे को अब कहीं गंवाना नहीं

हर पल में न जाने कितनी सौगातें बसी

कुछ पलों में है हँसी तो कुछ में छुपी है ख़ामोशी

Salute

The soul of the fallen soldier cried when he saw the enemies within the border were doing more harm than those outside.

Freedom

Photo Credit - Animesh Nautiyal

Freedom - such a wonderful word but sometimes it seems out of reach and I don't even need to search outside for the power controlling me. It's within, restraining me from living the life I desire.

Sometimes when it rains I want to dance in rain
  but... a hesitation...oh what will people say...I am not a kid

Sometimes I just want to sing aloud....
  but...a complex... my voice is not so perfect

Sometimes I wish to write boldly
  but...my comfort zone pulls me back

Sometimes I wish to call an old friend I haven't talked in ages
    but a thousand thoughts clutter my mind, like,  she may wonder why after so long...

Thousands of wishes are, alas, crushed under thousands of such unreasonable reasons.

And sometimes we think someone is controlling us, but again we are wrong. It is not the other person who controls us, it is our desire to make them happy, our fear of losing them, our fear of conflict, that actually controls us.

The chains restraining me are inside me and freedom is just a few steps away, but only if I dare to take the first step.

Did you ever dare to take that first step?