A unique way to brighten you up till next Christmas

Christmas time is family time, a time to reunite with old friends, family and bury the hard feelings. While Santa time, Christmas trees, carols, sweets, cribs, stars and new year wishes may end with the onset of the year, there's no need for the happiness to end. 

From December 23rd 2013 to December 29th 2013, the Kindle version of my book State of the Heart (rated 4 star on Goodreads)  would be available through a countdown deal for price way below the actual price of $2.99 (INR 185/-). Through this deal you can get it from as low as $0.99 (INR 60/-) up to $1.99 (INR 120/-).

If you're wondering whether the money you spend would be worth it, then you have my word for it. The Kindle version has been made with utmost care to ensure that its perfectly formatted, gives the reader a seamless read and is filled with stories that keeps him/her hooked and leaves him/her with a smile without any glitches, errors or typos. 

The Kindle version can found HERE.You can read it on your smartphone, iPad, PC, Mac, Kindle, anywhere by just downloading the free app. Once purchased the book shall be available across all your devices within a minute. 

So don't you think this is a unique way of brightening up things till next Christmas?

Let's hope for a prosperous and cheerful 2014

Hope. It's the only thing that keeps the world moving.

We are all at the dawn of a new year. The one which we hope will fulfill all our dreams, desires and aspirations. The one, if not the best is atleast better than most other years of our lives. 2014 may be the year where some of us may get married and/or have a family, some would get that hard earned promotion, some would reunite with their loved ones while some would achieve their goals. But for all, it would be a year to look forward to and hope for the best. 

No one knows what the future holds for us. The anxiety is too much to bear. And for some who have not had a good time in the recent years its even tougher. Would 2014 be better than 2013 and all the past years or would it be the same or hopefully not, even worse? Even the pundit's cant answer this question. And neither can we do anything about it other than wait and watch. But what we can do is, Hope. 

It's said that when you have your near and dear ones around, no matter how tough the situation, it is conquerable.So let's hope for the presence of our loved ones at all times. Let's hope that we forge new relationships so we never feel alone. Let's hope for love to spread to all corners of this world so instead of terrorist attacks, military supremacy and the innocent losing lives, peace is all we hear of. Let's hope that right wins over wrong, justice triumphs over injustice and good prevails over evil. Let's hope for the freedom to love, care and prosper. Let's all...hope. 

Wish you all a prosperous and cheerful 2014. Keep the faith.

As a small gesture for all the love and good wishes I have received in 2013 I have made a 2014 calendar with relationships, love and life as the theme. I sincerely hope you have these three in abundance in 2014 and always. You can download the calendar at http://on.fb.me/1bmpGJg

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When a simple autograph can bring smiles

Jennifer Lopez (珍妮弗·洛佩兹) (Photo credit: pamhule)

Recently, I visited my old office mates who had purchased a copy of my book. On seeing me, all of them broke out into such big smiles that lit up even the darkest corners. Wasting no time, they formed a beeline with their copies for my autograph. And when they got one, their happiness knew no bounds.After signing all the copies, I thanked them and proceeded to the exit. I left the place but what didn't leave me was the thought that just a simple autograph from a debutant author could bring so much joy. I was both, honoured and humbled.

I know I'm not that great an author or a big public figure. But come to think of it, the simple things of life hold so much joy. Just like an ice gola on a hot summer afternoon or your pet licking your face. If a simple autograph which hardly takes a minute can bring some joy then why deprive someone of it? I know this is not going to boost sales or increase my social standings, but still, its better to have a choice than not. Hence, for those who would prefer an autographed copy I have opened the Nelton D'Souza brand store at www.neltondsouza.com where my books would be sold at the MRP of INR 199/- and with free shipping. All the books would be personally autographed by me. And yes, the proceeds would go to charity.

My book is on relationships, love and life but it doesn't talk of the immense joy it brings to people. I wish I could write a book on that, but wonder if it would ever have an end. 

Putting 2013 into perspective

2013 has been a year of all sorts. But all in all, it has been a year of beating the odds and achieving things which were unimaginable at the onset.

April - September 2013:

On the professional front, in April, I took a step outside my department to one in which I had to face clients, attend team meetings and stick to the agile methodology of sprint based development day in and out. This not only forced me to be on my toes but also push my stamina to the hilt; after all working for a minimum of 12 hours daily with on demand requirements is not something I was used to. The experience made me believe that I had stamina far greater than what I thought and able to live up to the challenges of client side development.

May – June 2013:

In early April, my family was dealt with a severe blow of my father’s illness. In May, things got worse and complicated. Taking a recuse from work I flew home, the same with my sister from the states. Spending a month in hospital, battling emotions and managing people, dealing with medical terms I never heard of and arranging for funds to keep the treatment on, was something I had to learn in quick time. Thankfully all is well now and my father is in much better shape.

September 2013:

In spite of all that happened, I kept alive my dream of having my book 'State of the Heart' published. And all I can say is I’m happy achieving the one dream I had all my life. Though my dream was only limited to having a book published, it kind of took me a couple of steps forward. Through my book, I developed my first ever mobile app – State of the Heart app for Windows Phone 8, and have my own Nelton D’Souza brand store. I was covered in print and on air as well. The icing on the cake is that the book not only scores a 4.05 out of 5 on Goodreads (as on December 26, 2013) but will soon be out in its second edition after getting sold out thrice online. The Kindle edition is also growing in success overseas.

The eBook and the exclusive State of the Heart 2014 calendar is available for download on Facebook.

My Thank You Speech

Before starting I would kindly request you’ll to close your ears while I try to say this at the top of my voice – “Ram sir, we did it. Woo Hoo.”

I’ll need to pinch myself before starting. There have been times during the writing and publishing of this book when I thought this dream of mine would never get fulfilled. But beating all odds, including my father’s illness, long hours at office with no weekends and constant rewrites and postponement’s I’m finally here, happy and accomplished. 

First of all I would like to thank God for this day. If it weren’t for him, for the talents and blessings he bestowed on me there wouldn’t be this book, this day, me standing in front of you as Author Nelton D’Souza and giving this speech. Thank you God - my best friend. Only He knows what I’ve gone through. I hope this achievement makes Him proud.

My family is here today and it’s nice to see them travel all the way from Goa just to be with me. Though my mother doesn’t speak much I’m sure deep down within she is very happy. I remember the times when I and my mother used to go the market to purchase some groceries. I, more out of a habit used to put my arm around her shoulder. Looking at the stares she used to get from onlookers, my mother would often remark, “What people must be thinking, an old lady has caught such a young fellow.” To which I would reply, “So what Mama, if they’re getting jealous let them.” 

My sister has been my book reviewer, cover designer, pillar of strength and the one who constantly encouraged me to write this book. She has played a vital part in this book and continues till today. I can’t thank her enough. Unfortunately my father couldn’t be with us as he is still recuperating but I’m sure he is in our midst.

Ram sir, and what can I say about him. When I was very young, I used to pray to God. “God, can you come down in person and be my guide?” I feel that Ram sir is the answer to my prayer. And how perfect can be it that he has two gods in his name. I met Ram sir in April 2010, the day I joined Capgemini. As if it was destined, even though he was the Associate Director, he was my manager – the one I directly reported to – something that made everyone else envious of me. Through my close association with him that lasted for exactly 13 months, he not only inspired me to give my best but also got the best out of me. 

When Ram sir left Capgemini to head the Internal Systems at Syntel, a lot changed and we were fairly out of touch. But things got back on track when I shared my dream of writing a book with him. On a Friday evening we met at Café Coffee Day and boy, a lot did happen over coffee. We discussed the book, how to take it forward, and all other factors associated with it to make the book a success. That day, as I went back home I somehow felt confident. I knew I was no longer alone on this journey. Add to it, this book resurrected my chances of getting that one appreciation mail that eluded me, that appreciation mail, before which PMD ratings, appraisals and promotions, etc. all failed.  If that wasn’t all, whenever things got too tough to handle, Ram sir constantly reminded me of my motive behind writing this book – not for any commercial benefits but simply to have my name on a book, which in turn allayed all my fears.

He has been one of the first with whom I shared this dream, the first to know of my fears, the first to like my Facebook page, the first to purchase my book, the first to review it and the first to whom I sent the invite to this book launch. If it weren’t for him, this book may not have been possible. 

He is one person, I not only look up to but also wish to emulate in every single way; be it the way he walks, talks, smiles or dresses up. He is someone who is not only genuinely interested in the well-being of others but one who has the innate ability to stay as calm as a cucumber in high pressure situations. And also, the one who after 16 years of married life still calls his wife the love of his life. In fact, I often say this. I would have a problem in being a second Chetan Bhagat but I would go to any extent possible in being a second Ram sir. I hope and pray our relationship never ends.

   

Riaz, thanks for gracing this occasion. I did read Justice and I must say, that was one of the best pieces of short story I have come across; very heartfelt, touching and wonderfully written. I hope to write that well someday.

Being part of the same organization I came to know of Anish when he wrote his book Benaami. Our interaction grew over constant exchange of emails and it was very nice of him to personally invite me to his book launch at Crossword. I’m sorry to be mentioning about Crossword in Bookzone :). That day, I left early from office and travelled to Lower Parel from Airoli and on reaching there took one of the vacant seats in the last row. I still remember the scene on the dais, Anish and the chief guests stood as they unveiled the book. On seeing that I said to myself, one day I shall be there doing the same. It’s such a privilege to have Anish, the one who showed me it was possible to write a book while you have a full day job, to be here gracing this occasion.   

There's this group of people whom I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart – my group of friends, the same people whom you could see running around this place making sure everything is perfect. I can’t thank my group, The Lunch Box as we’re called, and we had that name long before the movie with the same name released, enough for the sleepless nights, ideas, suggestions, photography, anchoring and the field work done.  Shreevidya, Mugdha, Imran, Aditya, thanks a lot.

I also would like to thank Bookzone, if it weren’t for them we wouldn’t be having this event here. Jimmy and his staff have been supportive and helpful and that’s all a newbie author could ask for. 

And finally, thanks to everyone present here. Thanks for taking out some time, travelling all the way to one end of our city just to make this event even more special for me. I have no words to thank you. This book State of the Heart is just the first on this journey of Author Nelton D’Souza. Until next time, happy reading.

Nelton D'Souza is the author of State of the Heart - a collection of short stories on relationships, love and life and can be reached on Facebook and Twitter. His book enjoys a 4 star rating on Goodreads and has sold out multiple times. It shall soon be out in its second edition. To purchase/know more, visit www.neltondsouza.com. Personally autographed copies can be procured at no extra charge by dropping an email to writeto@neltondsouza.com. Part of the proceeds of every book would go to charity.

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Memorable Quotes from the 'State of the Heart'

I wanted my first book to be a beautiful and lifelong memory. This is a collection of the memorable quotes from the State Of The Heart. I aim to make this post a constantly growing one, adding a quote as I come across them. You can add your favourite one's in the comments.

For a complete list of stores to purchase the book visit www.neltondsouza.com

"One went to two, two became four and the series continued. The more I tried to pull out the more I got pulled in. Constant fighting at home and bad academic grades made my new found world even more attractive. There there were no compulsions, no obligations; where you were the super-hero slaying beasts, demons and villains alike; where everything was perfect and reality was left far behind."

Page 13, Addiction.

“You say faster dispensation of justice; can you guarantee the safety of a lone woman on the streets? Can you reach for the police at once and be sure of their arrival in a jiffy? In fact if you can reach the control room while there’s still a chance for survival it would be a miracle.”

Page 73, The Chief Minister's Independence Day Speech.

“It’s not easy Nikhil. It’s very easy to say part ways. But doing it is very tough. I have loved this guy for the last six years; all this while I’ve had dreams of settling down with him and having kids. He has been my first and only love."

Page 105, It's Not Easy.

“I thought where there is love there is no place for hate.” “And where there's love there's complete trust as well.”
Page 114, The Greatest Of Them All.

"Life is indeed wonderful with your loved ones around but it can also be so cruel when we all least expect it."
Page 146, A Rainy Day.

Old Age – Second Childhood

The following is an excerpt of the article I wrote on Parentous.com - the fastest growing parenting community, on my father's illness and that trying period. More importantly it deals with how parents forget the same lessons they once taught their children. You may read the complete article at http://bit.ly/17v6Q44.

Please leave your footprints by commenting.

I was on my way home from a hard and tiring day at office. The new regiment and the workload was killing me. Moreover, the constant worry regarding the deteriorating health of my father was weighing me down. Utterly exhausted to the extent, where I was unable to move a finger, I took a seat in the local train.

Suddenly, my phone rang and as if I had dug into an unknown reserve of energy, I answered the call in a jiffy with only the worst going through my mind. “Nelton, Dada’s serious. They’re shifting him to the hospital again.” My fears had come true, when I received the news from my sister who was seven seas away. I asked her to stay calm and called up home.

Telling another to keep calm is easy, compared to telling yourself

As the number of rings increased, my anxiety and desperation increased. Telling another to keep calm is easy, compared to telling yourself. Since, no one answered my call, I sent a text message and waited patiently thinking about my father and how bad the last month had been.

My thoughts were broken with desperate hues and cries by a lady who saw her elderly father slip, while entering the train at a station. Continue reading.

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The State Of The Heart of the Press is very good indeed

Nowadays, its becoming a common trend for a spare time blogger to take his or her writing skills seriously and produce a book under his flagship in no time. But State of the Heart by Nelton D'Souza is something that goes beyond the conventional. Mixing fact with just the perfect dose of fiction he spins stories around the subtle nuances of life bordering the delicate elements like relationships and love making sure that daily occurrences get a place to talk about and simple acts of gratitude get addressed. Continuously taking the reader through a roller-coaster of emotions while never letting lose his grip, he leaves them with a lesson they never learnt and a perspective they never saw and wanting for more.

To write a story one needs to read a lot. But to actually pen down stories on common people, one requires a keen observation while being oblivious to the world; after all its only then when people are themselves. From Addiction – the dark desire to My Encounter with the Berlyn Wall – where your best friend becomes your worst fear to The Love Letter – which reminds us of love and its various dimensions and forms to The Chief Ministers Independence Day Speech – where we realize how we and the CM see the state of affairs in our state to The Greatest of the All – where love, boldness and intelligence get personified to Its not Easy – which speaks of bondage and the inability to break free from a bad relationship, every story strikes a chord and delivers a punch.

In times where our morality hits a new low every day, Nelton provides a perfect friend at the need of the hour – the Almighty Himself. From lamenting over the death of a beggar to mentioning the plight of a young couple shifting to a haunted house - the author briskly narrates the events just like a bystander while making every character relatable to the reader.

By profession Nelton DSouza is a Consultant at Capgemini. His forte can be well defined as a coder by profession and a free flowing story teller during his leisure time. His writing pad is none other than his blog Just A Minute. It was his long cherished desire to become as author. With State of Heart this dream will fitfully get realized.

For a complete list of stores to purchase the book from visit http://bit.ly/SOTHStore

Book : State of the Heart

Author : Nelton D'Souza

ISBN : 978-93-83271-32-0

Price : Rs.199.00

Publishing Date: August 2013

Publisher: Power Publishers

Language: English

Presenting my first book - State of the Heart

Ramakrishnan Subramaniam, Head, Internal Systems, Syntel Inc calls it a wonderful collection of short stories covering so many beautiful facets of human relationships.

Anish Sarkar, Author, Benaami, says its a collection of heartwarming stories which makes you believe in the beauty of life. 

Need we say more?

Presenting the 'State of the Heart' - short stories on relationships, love and life. 
My book has been nothing short of a dream come true that has survived the test of time. After a year of writing the stories the following 6 months only saw constant rejections from publishers and delays – change of project, extended hours at office with no weekends and my father’s sudden illness. 


An outcome of my observation of the people around me, be it in the bus to work or on the street, my book has stories about real people -  the ones you didn't think were so interesting. In short, it could be a story about you or someone like you. My book may not be a great piece of literature but yes, behind every single word you shall find immense passion. 

It shall be available for purchase online (autographed and at a discount) from 31st August. In addition, a part of the proceeds of every book will go towards charity. 
Links and details to be shared soon on www.neltondsouza.com

You can also win 3 personally signed copies of my book. For details visit http://www.facebook.com/AuthorNeltonDSouza/posts/317077528437485

My name is Nelton, Nelton Ultramintz D'Souza

When I was a kid, the one advertisement on TV that got me all excited was Cadbury Gems where a 2D animated James Bond in his typical grey suit would say, “My name is Bond” and pop a few multi-coloured Gems in his mouth and continue “James Bond”. Totally spellbound I would emulate him and pop anything edible in his trademark style. Those were the good old days where everything was all so perfect and the possession of a mere Rs.10/- meant you were a rich man. But as they say the good times do come to an end and so did the wonderful days of childhood.

Growing up into a regular office-goer who concentrates more on his work than his protruding belly, I forgot about James Bond, his style and my antics in his name until the day I received the pack of Ultramintz, courtesy of BlogAdda. As I opened the pack which seemed to be more of a gift of pearls than a product I popped a couple of mints in my mouth and that is when James Bond and all those sweet memories of childhood came back – so very similar to the product I was consuming – sweet but without the harmful sugar. The mints were so soothing it brought relief to my tonsil stricken throat and soothed my cough. I would have downed the whole pack if I hadn’t had dinner waiting.

A few things I like about Ultramintz is the usage of mint. Mint being a very good mouth freshener keeps you active and going strong even after a heavy meal filled with spices and onion. Mint also helps in the overall well-being of your mouth. Secondly the packaging and branding is of top class. After Wrigley’s I haven’t come across any mouth freshener that stands out from the crowd. With 60 extra strong pellets coming packed in a stylish black tin case with captivating graphics that can turn heads it does feel like a status symbol. Each pellet is made from peppermint oils from France, finest quality menthol and is powered by speciality cooling compounds. Need I say anything? Taste wise the mints are strong but not very sweet. Being a good coolant they provide respite on a hot day and relief on throat worn-out day. If you beg for more then pop 2 pellets at a time, heavenly bliss is what you shall feel.

I recommend this product for those who do and do not chew on mint. It sugar-free (which makes it healthy), strong and comes in a great package that is both trendy and comfortable to carry around. After all I'm Nelton, (popping 2 pellets of Ultramintz), Nelton D'Souza.

I am reviewing mint-o Ultramintz as a part of the Product Reviews Program at BlogAdda.

Reliance Digital - Ushering in a new era of Digital Shopping.

The good and smart people at Reliance come up with something or the other to improve the lives of millions of commoners. After Reliance Wellness, Reliance Fresh, Reliance TimeOut, Reliance iStore and some of the brands that I'm forgetting Reliance Digital is their new venture. With the aim of providing end to end electronic solutions to the consumers this store (the one at Infinity Mall, Malad West, Bombay) is a one of a kind. 

Like any top class international store the entire store was divided into sections like IT, accessories, entertainment, mobiles, etc. It seemed like be in in the case of laptops or even camera's all sections of society were thought of. From entry level to mid-range to high end products all were there to purchase or just hold and experience. As an attention to detail, all products on display were labelled well and gave all the necessary information. 

The star attraction at the store was the Samsung gesture controlled TV. If it weren't for the price I would have picked it up. Unfortunately in an age when salary comes in like a snail and goes out like a rabbit you are left with no choice but to let things be. But the experience at the store did give me a feeling of ownership even though for a few minutes. On a lighter vein, married men will be happy that atleast the TV dances on their fingers :)

An interesting concept by the ever smart Reliance people is the Power Eye section which has the latest offers  and fast moving goods on display. This section is right at the entrance and is the first thing you'll notice as you walk in the store. 

If you ask me what different you will find at a Reliance Digital Store as compared to any other store. Then here it is.

1. Things are a bit cheaper. eg. The Lumia 920 costs Rs. 31,999 at Reliance Digital while at Croma which is just 200 meters away its Rs. 32,500. I compared the microwaves too and it was cheaper than what I saw elsewhere. Nice offers on the iPhone too.

2. Relaince Digital has its own brand called 'Reconnect' that comprises of a host of electronic equipment that we use in our daily lives, from home entertainment products such as televisions, multimedia speaker, DVD players to home appliances such as juicers, coffee makers, etc. They have partnered with the best in the industry to develop great products at affordable prices. 

3. Reliance Digital also has an in-house Reliance TimeOut corner where you can get your hands on music, stationery, accessories, etc. The Books section is one thing that caught my attention. Probably because I too am authoring a book which is due for publishing and should be out in a month's time. For more details on that visit www.neltondsouza.com. 

All in all, the Reliance Digital experience was a good one and promises to bring in a new era of digital shopping.

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One love !

“Vodka or Tequilla, what would you like to have ma’am?” came a voice from behind. She turned around to see the extra smart chap who had offered her a drink. A young man with a good physique,  wearing branded accessories and a costly perfume, was standing behind Nishtha.

With raised eyebrows, she looked into his eyes not knowing what to say. She was lost in her thoughts until her friend Yati shook her shoulders trying to bring her back to present. “Oh yeah, sorry…..well….I would just have a light beer” she stammered. She was a bit surprised, well pleasantly surprised, that the guy she was keeping an eye at from over an hour, himself walked up to her and initiated a conversation. As she didn’t have enough courage to take the first step, she was impressed with the guy and realized that she had a crush on him.

Nishtha was a simple girl who was new to the city of dreams-Mumbai. She had come  to the city to explore herself. She stepped out that night just to roam around and experience the night-life of the city. Not knowing that it will turn out to be the most memorable night of her life.

“Hi , I am Suraj” he introduced himself. They soon got engaged into a conversation when suddenly Yati interrupted them “Hey Nishu, we are running out of time darling. We should get back home now” she said glancing at her watch. But Nishtha was in no mood to go home.

 “Why don’t you get going while I’ll come a bit later?” said Nishtha making pleasing expressions.  Yati gave her an angry look as she was concerned about her but she understood that her friend wanted some personal time. So Yati soon started heading back home leaving her friend at the disc.

Soon after having a nice talk these two free birds started to explore the sky, feeling the freeness of their souls. Late at midnight they were roaming in the streets of Mumbai, enjoying the sea view, feeling the cool breeze. Each moment spent, made them closer, emotionally as well as physically.

“Hey would you mind joining me for a cup of coffee? At my place, what say?” asked Nishtha. Which guy would let such an opportunity go. But well, Suraj wasn’t one of them. He insisted on roaming around. But soon, he realized that he could not resist such a pretty girl and so they drove the empty silent roads and reached her place.

In no time, his hands exploring her body and her arms were on his waist. Soon they were in each-others’ arms and hugging. The atmosphere was getting sensuous and their bodies were reacting to the passion inside them. The distance between them became lesser and they grew closer with each passing moment. The passionate  exploration of each others’ bodies reached a level higher than the ride to Heaven!

He landed kisses on her shoulders, waist, belly, and all over her body to completely enjoy the sweet and spicy flavour of hers. Biting, smothering, touching, cuddling, the passion just spread like a forest fire. And as it was reaching to its final destination, suddenly there was a clinch felt by Suraj. She was trying to push him away. Suraj was bit surprised by her reaction. “What happened? “ She was lost in her thoughts for two minutes and then said “I’m sorry but I can’t go any further. We should just stop it here only.”

“Arre dear, but what happened? You care to share? Is there some problem?” he was getting curious to know what was bothering. Nishtha , sitting on the couch with her legs folded, was lost in her own world. There was a long silence and both of them just sat beside each other and they seemed very far away . “Why did it have to be me? What was my mistake? Am I myself responsible for whatever happened that day?” Suraj was puzzled. He had so many questions in his mind. But keeping all those questions aside, he first calmed her n hold her hands. “Relax baby, relax….will u tell me what has happened?”

“Well, I want to share something with you.”

“Yeah Nishtha, go on. I’m all ears. But first relax”

“No I am fine. Don’t worry”

“Ohh no, I know what does a girl’s ‘fine’ mean. So common, go ahead. Am waiting to listen to you”

“It was a normal day at my college, going well as any usual day. We had our college fest coming soon. So we had list of tasks to be completed. My friends left one by one while I was busy with my part of task. It was late afternoon, around 4.30pm. I soon realised it was just me and one more guy left in the college premises. I, in a hurry, was busy completing my work as soon as possible, and was about to wind up when” She paused for a second. “when I heard a sound of the doors closing. Alarmed, I looked above to see the guy who was  the only person left, coming towards me. He held my hands tightly, stretched my arms, made me lay forcefully and……! He behaved like a wild animal. The moment was such a horror and a nightmare for me! “ and then she burst into tears.

“Relax relax……” Suraj just hugged her tightly and tried to calm her. “Don’t worry and relax dear,  I am here with you now. It wasn’t your fault. Some people are inhuman and behave like animals.Try to forget the dark days of your life and bury those memories in the past. I know it may take a lot of time but just try to do so. And I would never do anything against your will or something that may hurt you. So please don’t worry and relax for now.

They hugged and cuddled into each others’ arms and lay down beside for the rest of the night.

That was just the start of a real long relationship. Their love just grew more and more with every passing month and so did the trust. They knew from the very first moment that this was the right partner for them. Their inner voice made the right choice for them. They ended up being together for a life-time…..or maybe for their life-times !

PS: As its said, love stories are made in heaven! Well, why not…..after all this beautiful earth only turns into heaven for them. But along with it, there is also a dark side to this world, which we should not forget while we are busy enjoying the lovely part of it. In today’s world, it is very difficult to trust someone. But I would say even though one has seen the darker side of it, never forget to trust the ones which are worth it. And don’t worry, like Suraj and Nishtha, you too will realize whom to believe in and whom to not. Learn to appreciate the good times. 

Facebook will now pay you. Earn money for recommending products.

Image via CrunchBase

If rumours are to be believed the biggest and most popular social networking platform out there may just start paying you. Yes, we will get paid. After @mentions and #hashtags Facebook has gone one up and trying to emulate a model where users can recommend certain products in their status messages. This would use the ever bankable model of advertising - word of mouth and also open up greater markets and personal recommendations made for your friends by your friends. So imagine, if you're friend is contemplating to buy a Samsung Galaxy S4, Facebook may use you to recommend him a Nokia Lumia 920 instead. Well, isn't this what we do for free. Given the big way advertisers run after people to sell their stuff this could enable them to get up, close and personal to people who actually want an upmarket smartphone rather than just shooting bullets in thin air. 

Exactly how Facebook would drive this and consequently pay people is not ripe but only time will tell. In either case its the user that's going to benefit. After all he/she will get paid for doing the same thing what he/she was doing all this while. The big question is privacy. With many applications like "Who visited your profile" on the rise who quietly capture your personal details this could be one more way of putting too much online. 

But as we said, theres no confirmed news. It's just a rumour we have heard. So let's wait and watch and hope to become rich. 

Getting Even With Dad

As a child I’ve had terrible issues dealing with my father. My father, an electrical officer in merchant navy was someone who only made his appearance somewhere in the middle of the year (read when my school results were declared). On seeing my results he would have only one comment, “You were bad last time, this year you have become worse”.

It was his way or no way.

I somehow could never get my father. What he wanted and how he wanted it. Things had to be done his way for it to succeed. Even if you didn’t and still succeeded, there was still something to hear. The rule was simple, in order to not hear those words you had to do things his way. It was his way or no way.

Where academic performances didn’t take centre stage, my upbringing always got on his nerves. No fixed time to wake up, to sleep, for meals...you may read the entire article on Parentous.com

Book Review: Business Sutra - Devdutt Pattanaik

I long to be an entrepreneur and hence when BlogAdda presented with this opportunity I took it with both hands. After constant rescheduling the delivery I finally got my hands on it. I must say, its least than what I expected. 

In the world of Kamasutra and Aam Sutra, Business Sutra leaves no stone unturned in simply following suit. A voluminous 460 odd pages filled with illustrations on every second page you have to be ready to take on this one. But if you're there for the taking then this book won't disappoint. If you're bored there are illustrations, if you're into business and ideologies theres lots of it and if you're hard for time there are little grey boxes which cut the details and give you the gist. 

The book is divided into 3 sections - Introduction, which is more kind of a launchpad to understanding the book and the author's life and the need for something like this. 'Goal To Gaze', where Western, Chinese and Indian beliefs are mixed and matched and tried to make sense of and lastly Business Sutra, the mantra for success where the author challenges the reader to achieve the impossible.

The downside of this book is that it kind of gets too much to take in atleast in the initial two sections. Also, me having very less idea about Indian mythology (I'm not into that too) it becomes difficult for me to relate to the traits, strengths and weaknesses of Vishnu, Shiva, Krishna, Brahma, Indra, Ganesha and other gods in the Indian pantheon. The last section is the only place where I felt "Ok, here we go."

What I liked about the language was that it was simple and crisp. Also the understanding by the writer that we Indians are a specie apart. We love our chaos and do not believe there exists only one way to success. Also we are more comfortable when business and wealth generation can be carried out in a family relationship manner with everyone involved becoming elder brothers and sister-in-laws rather than in a very professional dealing.

For the Indian mythology fanatics and those into management or soon to be this book is THE book for you. You will definitely learn a thing or two.

About The Author:
Devdutt Pattanaik has written over twenty-five books and 400 articles on Indian mythology for everyone from adults to children. Since 2007, he has been explaining the relationship between mythology and management through his column in the Economic Times; the talk he gave at the TED India conference in 2009; and the show Business Sutra which ran successfully on CNBC-TV18 in 2010, besides numerous other lectures at Indian universities and management institutes.

Trained to be a doctor, he spent fifteen years in the healthcare (Apollo Health Street) and pharmaceutical (Sanofi Aventis) industries and worked briefly with Ernst & Young as a business adviser before he turned his passion into a vocation and joined the think tank of the Future Group as its Chief Belief Officer.


Publisher : Aleph Book Company
Genre : Non-Fiction
ISBN : 987-81-923280-7-2

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

Using Office 365 Intelligence to get Intelligent

Imagine you are a small business owner primarily dealing in construction hardware products like cement, sand, gravel, iron rods, etc. Customers come to your shop and purchase goods. Some pay you then and there while some take on credit. Day in and day out you purchase products to fill your stocks and sell them off to customers to bring in the moolah. In addition to selling directly to customers you also distribute goods to other shops around you directly from your warehouse. Records are maintained in long ledger books and constantly referred to make sure pending dues are settled and to check existing stocks, often resulting in spending a lot of time to reconcile books. In spite of this all seems perfectly fine as long as it’s sunshine. But the construction business does have its break period. During the rains there's no construction activity. Even worse, storing cement during the monsoons is not a good idea as it toughens it. Also a lot of sand gets washed away with the rain. Iron rods get rusted too. This results in tremendous loss.

In such a situation what is one to do? What can be done to minimize losses and help increase profits? I am a Business Intelligence guy and for me data is sacred. Data, no matter the size holds the key to the future.  Converting this data into knowledge is my job.

Very few small and medium size companies in today’s times know about data analytics or take it seriously. For them it’s just a useless investment.  But given a chance, it can prove vital to a company’s growth and in taking it to the next level. Tracking sales, having customized reports developed showing profit and loss, measurement against Key Performance Indicator’s (KPI’s) and year on year trends are just some of the awesome features available to a company’s fingertips. Using predictive analysis it helps companies foresee the future and take corrective actions or kick in some special offers to boost sales.

My business idea is to take this data analytics to small and medium size companies. Office 365 with its pick and choose features enables this by letting companies only choose what they want and by spending a meagre amount for them.

Using Access, I would create a database to store the daily sales and purchases keeping data in an organized way. Excel would allow me to enter data and apply any calculations using complex formulas on the fly.     

Lync would allow me to keep the men at the warehouse and at the head office in sync to ensure that goods are delivered on time and to the correct quantity.

As an add-on Publisher would allow me to improve my billing formats and be more creative while being professional.     

I would do all this just by spending around 12.50 (around Rs.700/-) per user per month which is very less for an enterprise and also too less for the value they bring. In addition, there's Outlook for modern day emailing, Word for high end text formatting and One Note for team meetings.  

By using SharePoint Online at $3.00 (Rs.162.57/-) per user per month I could create dashboards showing sales, purchases and pending dues. going in depth I would see which products fetch me my highest margins and how much procurement is good enough for a time period. Also using the variety of charts available I would show trends using charts. Also by defining KPI’s I would keep track of my performance. By observing the data I would understand that sales go to a low during the monsoons. Hence I would cut down on external construction material and stock up on internal construction material like tiles and plumbing material, resulting in greater profits and lesser losses. In short enable better decision making.

This is just in case of a hardware store. These analytics can be applied to other companies too. All this would help a company grow by making use of the intelligence provided by me and the Office 365 tools. With the huge untapped market of small and medium sized industries this business has huge potential and can reach a billion in returns in a few years. That too with the customer spending merely Rs. 900/- per month. The small amount makes the offer even lucrative and I think this is the best investment that can be made with every chance of a return in terms of 100 times.

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