English Language, Literature and Creative Writing Blog

                 Observing 28th May as Menstrual Hygiene Day surely helps break the silence and bring awareness to emphasize the need of maintaining cleanliness during menstruation. NO WOMAN SHOULD IGNORE MENSTRUAL HYGIENE at any cost. Menstruation is no more a taboo among the youth; it should not be so. Certain cultures bring in taboos and reservations to discuss some matters; menstrual cycle is one of them. The onset of puberty is a biological event but since long it has never been discussed openly. There was a time when menstruation was associated with witches, shame and taboo. It is shocking to see that even in 2018 some women consider it wrong to enter religious places, cook food or participate in socio-cultural activities during period. They learn this myth  that menstruation is impure and body is cursed during this time. How illogical and false!                         Before sanitary pads/tampons/menstrual cups were invented, women were known to use 'rags'. Even tod

Prahlada and Lord Vishnu's avatar Narasimha some rare species inhale the fragrance of mutual faith and perception and attain the metamorphosis with true veneration and devotion *** The god addresses the devotee:  Come and seek me  Shed your mask Without judging Without analysis Without reason Experience me within  Feel the wavelength  Feel the erasure of ego And selfishness-- Just you and me

A homophone is one of two or more words having the same pronunciation  but different  meaning/origin/spelling. For example:        to, too, two                              new, knew                              rose (flower),  rose(past tense of rise)                              heir (successor) , air Appraise                         to assess Apprise                            to inform someone assent                              agreement, approval ascent                              the action of rising or climbing up aural                                 relating to the ears or hearing oral                                  relating to the mouth; spoken balmy                              pleasant, warm barmy                             foolish, crazy bare                                 naked; to uncover bear                               to carry, to put up with bazaar                           market bizarre                             strange be

We know this well, "Excess of everything is bad." Human beings need to draw a line beyond the limits. But the first step is to have limits set in our lives. All of us differ at this point. The place where I limit myself, someone else begins thinking from there. It is all there in our mind. We create heaven and hell from these limitations of mind. These are no outer places/ spatial existences but our own states of mind. I am going to ponder oven 'Desires' today. Desires are an integral part of our existence. Our scriptures preach us not to have desires around. Is it really possible to live without desires? Killing one's desires is only good to the extent when these start disturbing the peace of mind. Desires are essential to keep us going ahead in life. But we can not carry only desires with us; these need to be accompanied with untiring efforts. Dreaming alone will make us lethargic. If I desire to be rich, I need to work really hard to make it reality. Money br

Let's look at some confusing words: Lay and Lie are present tense verbs 'To lay' means to put something or place something Present                                    lay(s) Past                                            laid   Past Participle                         laid    Present Participle                laying                                                                                 He lays the baby in the crib for a nap. Lay the bowls carefully on the table. Her father laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. The child moved closer to her father, laying her head on his chest. 'To lie' means   to rest or recline Present                             lie(s)   Past                                 lay    Past Participle              lain   present Participle       lying                                                                                         I lie on the cot. I am lying on the cot. I will lie on the cot tomorrow.

Lang Leav is a novelist and a poet from Thailand. She is an internationally renowned author and a social media sensation. The above passage speaks volumes about her perception and expression of love. She left nothing unsaid about this one dimension of love in a unique way as there is  no reference to remorse, no blame game and nothing to mourn over. This is indeed a form of true love where the lover or beloved seeks happiness and contentment whether they are together or separated.

Simple Sentences A Simple Sentence contains one piece of information. It makes sense on its own. It has a subject, a verb and an object. It is also referred to as an independent clause because it stands by itself as a complete sentence. For instance, The bus was late.  "the bus" =subject, "was"= verb                 Reetika changed  the venue of the meeting. Dhruv did not like eating junk food. Garima waited for the bus. I looked for Alam and Jigar at the railway station. Compound Elements in Simple sentences Subject                                                  Jatin  and  Meera  took the bus. Verb               The typist typed and designed the text. Direct Object       These students made some  models and a  small machine . He prepared  lunch  and  dinner . Predicate Adjective           She felt sad and disappointed . Object of the Preposition             They ate at Sagar Ratna and Chokhi Dhani. Compound Senten

Soothing vibes communicate Some harbingers of happiness satiate all the cravings of heart with serenity that does impart patience and art                                                                        to remove the clutter of grudges from within                                                                      to save from the drowning clamour of sobs                                                             certainty of conviction emerges with clarity                                                                       only when the mind is engrossed in inner dialogue                                                                       When words fail, silences convey                                                                                    And the bond triumphs                                                                                   with the pure and placid                                                                  

How complex the world is where our memories reside!! Good memories are like cool breezes that soothe our mind. A wise person is the one who knows how to tackle the emotional effects of bad memories. We tell ourselves many times it is better to forget bad memories. Is it so easy to forget them? Do we really forget? Never! They are assimilated as layers on the surface of our sub-consciousness. What does all this matter then? Forgetting is impossible but  to keep moving ahead in life, we need to be occupied and involved in productive exercises, family gatherings, friends' support and meditation.  The problem that we ignore is the immense harm that bad memories do to our psyche. The more we are buried in our bad memories, the more damage is done to our living. Some people, events, incidents, moments and places are ingrained on our minds like permanent marks. We find different outlets. The most harmful one is when we start blaming the other side and always find ourselves right a

Breathless, eager and anxious, Avyam could not take his eyes away from the laptop screen now. He also couldn’t help gazing at the wall clock along with the impatient click on the mobile. He never knew it that sitting on his couch could make him feel like running a marathon of emotions, of cravings that he thought he would hide. Today, he was about to see Mira online and he started writing a mail to her because Mira liked to read his long mails. Dating someone at the age of twenty was not unusual but despite of loving someone so passionately; living with a dual personality was strange. Avyam spent so many days and nights with Mira. He was still not interested to name their relation as that of lovers. Physical union was never realized as a means to something- marriage was not at all in his mind. He loved Mira in his own way. Today, Mira was out of town for her cousin’s marriage. Mira had her own lifestyle with no inhibitions, no hiding, no duality and no loud claims. She smo

The trance of attachment the reverie of unsaid emotions the flights of fantasy all ensue in the inner landscapes with the detachment of the exterior on a mind trip of the interior ruminating about all the fragrant joys of presence The exchange of silence is more soothing than the cool breeze outside The reception of understanding is more heavenly than the divine threads tied The ballad of jubilant hearts touches the note of contentment and serenity making their love a true illustration of amenity The amenities of smoothness, pleasantness and convenience lead the journey of lovers to the destination of ultimate relationship guiding and complementing each other

Everything that happens affects our psyche. We cannot be stoics that we undergo joys and sorrows with an objective approach. When we are so involved in our relationships, we tend to make our inner self more vulnerable.  The problem that a sensitive person faces is that he/she can not remain aloof from the surroundings- personal or public. The notion of separation is very complex. It may involve people, things, ideas or feelings; the agony and torment of separation kills the inner spirit of a person. Succumbing to grief results in distress where nothing seems to come as a relief. We have to remember that the anguish has to be overcome with a strong mind and a firm belief in fortitude. It is our mind that is the abode of positive and negative vibes. If we are attached so much to a person, it shows that either we see our own reflection in him/her or we have imposed our imagination of representing so much goodness in him/her. Both ways, we are ruining our peace. We are becoming possess

With so many rapid advancements, twenty first century is also clutched with the shackles of depression, insecurity and loneliness. There is no single formula available to emancipate ourselves from these self-made restraints. I am not an expert psychologist but I am a keen observer of people, their attitudes and reactions to the various situations. "Happiness resides within." We have been hearing it for so long. Only a few of us know how to remain happy with our own self. Talking to a family member/friend/close relative/ during the moments of displeasure and depression is one of the best ways to liberate our conscience from unwanted thoughts. Whenever we are engulfed with negative thoughts and people, the first monster that we encounter is Depression. We need to release from the bondage. How?  If it is so easy to do, we won't be searching answers outside and within our minds. With so much material power, pelf and resources, we have not been able to find peace around.