The day i defeated my nemesis and rose above my fear

I was 10 years old when I was first introduced to my nemesis. My dad had claimed victory over him a long time ago and he wanted me to do the same. When I first met him, I felt cold. There were several thoughts clouding my mind, but one stood prominent. I won’t be able to defeat him. That one thought paralyzed me; made me shake to the bone, rendering me motionless. Every time I thought I would defeat him, I would learn a new way to lose. My dad who always hoped for victory would then come to my help and rescue me like a knight in shining armor. I hated my nemesis. I hated how he made me feel. I hated how he had this power over me that would make me go numb. I hated the fear he created in my heart. My nemesis was water and I was scared every time I stepped into it as I thought it would swallow me whole and never let me go.  

It was a different story altogether with my sister. She was a champion swimmer just like my dad. Every time dad took us to the swimming pool in our apartment complex, she swam like she belonged there; like it was her home. She would tease me whenever I sat near the water not wanting to get inside. The fear kept on growing everyday and I never quite learned how to master it.

That all changed on April 16^th.

It was my birthday and I was alone at the swimming pool playing with my nemesis. The water seemed like an eager dog licking my feet, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. But I knew his intenstions. I knew his plan. He just wanted me lose focus for a second and then he would claim me as his own and show the viciousness for which I feared him.

I was still playing with him when I felt a hard push and then all of a sudden I was inside him. I panicked. I drank him in and that only made him stronger. No matter how much I hit him with my small little hands, it didn’t stop him. I was in his clutches now. He held me tight and pulled me down deeper and deeper. I felt all of my strength draining out of my eyes and the water eagerly lapped it up like a bee drinking nectar from the morning flower.

I was slipping out of consciousness with the poison of fear growing strong in my heart. And then I don’t know where it came from, but it did. Maybe it was the feeling that I had accepted defeat. Maybe I knew I had nothing to lose now. I raised my hand and then I did it again with another. I then started kicking my feet, one after another. I had a vision of my dad urging me to push hard, kick faster and as I did what he told, I swam up. My nemesis was in shambles as he lost his hold over me. 

He finally gave up after a long struggle and I exploded out of the water, screaming high and loud. My dad who was sleeping in his lounge chair woke up to the sound of my cries. Without stopping to think, he ran up to me and jumped inside the swimming pool. He swam towards me and said ‘I’ve got you.’

I tapped him on the shoulder and said ‘No dad. I've got this.’ He looked at me in surprise and then let me go. I swam across the swimming pool and then around my dad and then got out of the water.

My dad stood beside me with a big smile on his face and hugged me. I turned my face to see my nemesis in chaos, bobbing wildly like he was furious, angry and frustrated with himself. I looked at him and said ‘I defeated you. You don't have any power over me. You never will.’ And I felt the fear seep out of my heart forever, finally marking my win over my nemesis.

This post has been written for the ‘Rise above Fear’ campaign from Mountain Dew hosted at Indiblogger.in

Click on the video for some motivation on how you can rise above fear.

To find more ways about how you can rise above fear visit: www.facebook.com/mountaindewindia.

Photo Credit: www.flickr.com/photos/uaeincredible/217849066/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/34547181@N00/14232266164/

What goes around comes around... to kill you - Private India Review

James Patterson is an International phenomenon when it comes to writing entertaining novels. There are no 2 ways about that fact. And Ashwin Sanghi, the bestselling author of the Chanakya's Chant, The Rosabel Line and The Krishna Key, knows his way around words. So when these 2 decided to join hands and give life to Patterson’s latest novel, Private India, everyone expected fireworks, shock and surprise that suspense novels generally promise. Sadly, the Private India doesn’t live up to those promises and underwhelms at a lot of places. It is a good story, but it lacks punch that can make it a knockout. The story though is very well researched and has a decently good structure, but it just doesn’t have the hooks to that can sink into you to make you go back to it again or rather sit down and finish it in one setting.

Let’s start at the beginning. Private India is the 8^th novel in the Private India series. Co-written by James Patterson and Ashwin Sanghi, the novel starts with a series of unconnected murders taking place all over the Mumbai and Santosh Wagh and his teammates that form to be Private India – one of the world’s best detective agency - have to try and catch the killer before chaos ensues.

Santosh as the protagonist of the story has a nicely developed background. As you read, you’ll see how Wagh deals with the loss of the wife and son; by drinking his sorrows away. But that doesn’t slow him down. He is fully functional alcoholic – functional being the key word - and committed to his job, earning the trust and respect of Nisha Gandhe - the super attractive assistant to Wagh. Together with the help of Mubeen - the medical examiner and Hari - the tech guru, they try to nail down the killer who is killing woman in a seemingly unrelated pattern.

As the story moves forward you get to see how the police seek Private India’s help in trying to understand the motive behind the murders. The book deals with a lot of subjects like religion, child abuse, prostitution, corruption and many others that will make you think deeply about the sorry state of affairs currently happening in what is called the business capital of India – Mumbai.

The novel moves in a steady rhythm as we are introduced to one of the core characters of the series - Jack Morgan – the founder of Private detective agency all over the world. We read about his connection with one of the victims and how he is looked upon as a suspect. The later part of the story sees Santosh and Jack make intelligent assumptions about the killer’s motives and then track the killer down to learn what made him do it.

The climax is good as it may mildly surprise you, but the novel lacks lots of things. Language, for example, is very simple and easily understandable, but it feels more like someone explaining a science experiment, and not in a very exciting way. The parts that I really did not like was the assistant commissioner of police asking some really silly questions that made me question ‘How did this guy become the commissioner in the first place?’. The action sequences in the novel are top notch and some back stories of secondary characters are nicely developed.

I give it 2.5 stars. If you are up for a long train journey then pick this book up and you will be surprised to read the climax, but the language can be a bit of a downer as it feels too simple. Give it a go, but don’t expect it to blow your mind. 

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

Game of Blogs: Chapter 3 - The Meeting

Team Name: The Maverick X 

Read Chapter 1 Here
Read Chapter 2 Here

Cyrus just looked at Anne and wondered how this stunning beauty had come into his life. Anne was staring out into the sea. The wind caressing her cheeks, making her hair sing a song of their own. It was like the wind itself was mesmerized around her and wanted to hold her, comfort her and say that I’m here for you.

It was a total coincidence how they had met. When Anne crashed into him after clicking the photo for the sweet couple at the beach, his first words to her were “Please don’t sue me!” She was so angry that her brand new skirt was ruined that she yelled “Sue you?! I am going to MURDER YOU!” as she tried to wipe away the spilled drink that was quickly sinking into her skirt.

“Well I would advise you against that, because then you wouldn't have the best lawyer in town gallantly fighting for your honor” replied Cyrus, slightly surprised at his own reply. Maybe the mojitos were good!

“YOU are a lawyer?!” asked Anne looking up from her skirt.

“Kind of… I am better aircraft designer”

“Wow” said a surprised Anne, her big blue eyes growing wide. “Those are 2 completely different professions.”

“That's what happens when you have Indian parents!” said Cyrus “Scratch that. Indian Parent - The patriarchal head of the family.” And stood tall, posing as a tribal leader commanding his imaginary troops to follow his bidding.

Anne smiled and said “Tell me about it. My parents also don’t agree with a lot of things that I do.”

“I know exactly how that feels like” he said and both of them grew silent for a second as they stared at each other.

They both belonged to completely different worlds. She was dressed like she had just stepped out of a Vogue magazine photo shoot. A rainbow of colors on her wrists; brown single feather earrings; an untucked white shirt and him with Sponge Bob flip-flops on his feet; green army shorts and a polo t-shirt which desperately wanted to prove ‘This guy is the reason parties ROCK’. It did not help that the claim was also flanked by 2 giant metal horn hand signs.

Anne tried to stifle a laugh looking at his attire.

“It’s the T-shirt right? I am going to kill Ajay. He gives me a gag gift like we’re 15 or something. What’s worse is that it’s my birthday and I look like this!”

“Oh!” said Anne feeling bad for a second “I didn’t know that happy birthday”

“I’ll only accept the wishes if you agree to get a new skirt that I will buy for ruining your old one.”

“Oh no, no no! I can’t do that” said Anne.

“I insist” said Cyrus “You don’t wanna make the birthday boy more sad right?” he said pointing at the t-shirt.

She smiled and Cyrus felt as thought he might melt away. Her smile was brighter than any sunrise he had seen; more vibrant than the most colorful flowers he had seen in any garden.

“Are you staring at me?” asked a puzzled Anne.

“No I blank out sometimes” he said 

Anne smiled again and said “Maybe we can get you a new shirt too” she said  

Cyrus smiled and said “I think we definitely should” as they both walked towards the cluster of stalls set up on the side of the beach.

Read Chapter 4 Here

“Me and my team are participating in ‘Game Of Blogs’ at BlogAdda.com. #CelebrateBlogging with us.”

Ramayana: The Game of Life - Rise of the Sun Prince – A Book Review

There is something about mythology that piques everyone’s interest every time one hears about it. The heroic tales of warriors; the internal politics played by the leaders; the lives that should not be lost but do. And listening to these tales we draw inspiration, strengthen our faith, and aspire for something far greater than we could ever want for ourselves.

Ramayana: The Game of Life: The Rise of the Sun Prince by Shubha Vilas is one such book. A book filled with surprises from start till the end.

Even though it ultimately tells the tale of Ramayana, the story in the novel is inspired from 2 different versions i.e. Valmiki Ramayan and Kamba Ramyan. The story starts with a very interesting question about ‘Is there a person in this world who is full of good virtues and is at the same time powerful, grateful, truthful, determined and also compassionate’? It seems impossible but Narada muni begins thinking about it and that sets him of on a journey of finding a man with such qualities. Especially a hero who can not only commit to his duties but also be a good man in every decision he makes. 

The book 1 in the 6-part series begins with telling the tale of Rama. It starts long before his birth and winds down just when he meets Sita. The characters in the story are amazing. You would think Rama would be the highlight as he is the hero but the other protagonists contribute a lot more to the story too. Like King Dasharatha and his wives trying to find an heir, there are various viewpoints as you try to find the lineage of the grand dynasty.

As you keep reading, you learn about how Vishwamitra takes Rama and Lakshmana under his guidance and trains them to face the evils of the world. Vishwamitra is one of the most interesting characters in the book. You see him taking the role of a teacher, a guide who directs Ram and Laskhmana on the path of life by teaching them of the positive and negatives of war and life. 

One the aspect which I really liked about the book is the detailed explanations in every page. It’s a novel, but it’s also like a self-help book which you can read to know how the ancient teachings can be applied towards today’s situations and problems. As a reader, I was fascinated to read these notes that explain in-detail about virtues like anger, generosity, hate and many others. I had many favorite lines, one that included ‘A student learns by listening to a good teacher and observing a great one.’ 

As an author, Shubha Vilas, has caught the attention of the reader by matching ancient teachings to modern lifestyle of people. The book is not just about the king Vishwamitra going on to become a sage, it’s about transformation and the changes that tend to relay on the life of hundreds of others.

Not only is The Rise of the Sun Prince an inspiring book, but a very thought-provoking one. You will learn many new things and will question some long-held beliefs that are dear to you and that’s a good thing because knowledge always leads to the path of enlightenment.

I rate this book 3.5 stars out of 5. Pick it up today, you will not be disappointed.

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

My love of Black

It’s always there present. From the eternity of space to the place behind your eyes. At night, it takes you on a land of dreams. With your close ones, it’s the last thing you see before you get the gift you always wanted. Black is attractive. It is beautiful because it doesn’t discriminate. I’ve always been spellbound with the beauty of black and I have 5 such things which I love -  The Black Wishlist -  Things which I always wanted just because they are in my favorite color - black.

Ray Ban Wayfarers

There’s something about staring into the eyes of the sun and realizing the enormity, the vastness of life. I’ve always wanted Ray Bans because they are naturally stylish and have been the institution of quality. When you have a Ray Ban on your eyes, you know that you’re person who embraces life and wants more from it. And I love the black ones, because they’re classic and you can never go wrong with classic.

Supra Sneakers

I love sneakers. They are so hip and I’ve always been comfortable wearing them. Be it a party or a get-together, when you are in sneakers they just make the entire place electric, make you a little more playful. And with Surpas on your feet, you know that you are there to rock it out; all day, every day.

The Little Black Dress

No I’m not a cross dresser. Don’t worry. I just want this to gift it to my girlfriend. Seeing her in it, sashaying across the room and running  into my arms as we go on a romantic date together would melt my heart. I’m a sort of person who sometimes wants things just so that I can give it to someone else as it would make that someone so much happier. I want this little black dress for my girlfriend for her birthday.

Kindle -  Black

I’m more than a book worm. While brushing my teeth, eating lunch or even while at work, I sneak a book or two and constantly keep reading them. With a Kindle, I can carry more than 2000 books. #Bookgasm right there. And the black color just suits with my personality and overall looks.

2014 Harley Davidson Forty Eight - Denim Black

Look at that beauty. Everyone would go weak in their knees when they hear the roar of this amazing beast. I imagine myself wearing my black ray bans, with the amazing supras on my feet, along with my gf sitting behind me wearing that little black dress and I want nothing more. With a Harley between my hands, I can feel the wind, the freedom of life on my cheeks and enjoy the look of awe on everyone’s faces. Love, that’s what a Harley is; love.

This post is a part of #WhatTheBlack activity at BlogAdda.com