The Immortals of Meluha

That's the name of the book, the first in the Shiva Trilogy written by Amish Tripati, a finance professional, graduated from IIM Kolkatta!

With the current spree of IIM pass outs turning out to be book authors, I really wish I was in IIM! :P

Anyways... here's how I ended up in the world of Meluha!

So one fine day, on one of those occasional visits to the Landmark bookstore in Pune, I saw this particular book placed everywhere to grab the buyer's attention! I have ignored a lot of other books that used to belong there... But this one was different.

They say never judge a book by its cover... however this wasn't the case for me... The cover was what caught my attention!

Being a lover of mythology, I couldn't resist being drawn to this mighty and sensual depiction of Lord Shiva!

I ran to my husband who was busy finding some books in the Sci-Fi section and told him I've found something good! He smiled and said, "Just read a page and see if you like the way it is written, and then you will know for sure!"

Hell, why didn't I do that! So I opened the book and read the first page of the first chapter and by God I was in love with the book. I didn't wanna stop reading.

The language was simple and the flow was great! The content itself was bloody brilliant. Neatly broken into paragraphs, pleasing font and good page quality! I'm not going to delve into the plot outline or so as the author lets you read the first chapter here, and also because it has to be read the way he has written, else it will lose it's charm.

A nicely made trailer is also available here.

After Lord of the Rings trilogy, this is the only other book that I've read in just a span of few hours because I couldn't put it down till sleep took over me unknowingly and yet I was in Meluha. With Shiva, Sati and everyone else, I was there looking at my leader, my God, my Saviour!

I've always had a soft corner for mythology and fantasy alike and if one may see, deep down they are very similar... So I won't question the content and get into unnecessary arguments on whether it is right or wrong, because there will be no answers, just more arguments... If one can accept the existing mythology which revolves around magic and the supernatural and at times the unnatural, then accepting this theory seems to be more likely.

Amish has tried to bring forth a practical and more believable aspect of Lord Shiva into existence through his book. My imaginations ran wild as his writing helped me create my own land of Meluha, it's people, the Suryavanshis, the Chandravanshis, everyone existed in my world.

I always adore authors who can use simple language to convey the most magnificent things and he definitely is one of them! I highly recommend this book for believers and non-believers alike! You can know all about the book at http://www.shivatrilogy.com

It was because of this book that I've got back into my reading habits and my husband is pretty delighted about that :) He is currently reading the book. This book has inspired the reader and the writer inside me! I owe one to Amish.

When I finished reading the last line of this book, my heart ached, I knew I had to wait... wait for Amish to finish the second book... It was hard... I wanted to know... I was in the book, in Meluha... and I'm still there, waiting...

Keep up the good work, Amish! May (Lord) Shiva be by your side to help you complete the series with the same amount of brilliance or more as seen in this one...

Har Har Mahadev!!!

A page from a girl’s diary

It was just another morning. I woke up, washed my face and looked into the mirror, and I just stood there gazing at my reflection. Suddenly in a flash, all those memories came by. I wondered how things have changed…

The slightly distant past revisited me. I remembered how incapable I was to do anything. I always needed you! The mornings started with calling you, then until the evenings I was always with you and at nights, we were back to our phones. It was as if my world revolved around you. Then, one strange twist of fate has made everything different.

I was still wondering how I managed to move on, how I’m what I’m right now… and then it struck me… it was you! Yes, my dear, you moulded me into an independent, strong woman that I’m today!

You’re now in a distant corner of this earth and out of touch for reasons that are obvious and yet my heart longs for your company, for we weren’t just lovers. You were my bestfriend, my confidante and all that I had. And you shall remain my best friend for eternity; that is one thing even fate can’t take away from me.

Now I’m with another man I love, and I became worthy of him because of you. I now follow all the advices you gave which I never paid heed to when we were together… Young and adamant weren’t we! They say everything happens for a reason. I do not want to question it for it somehow consoles me and I want to believe it blindly.

I miss our friendship, I miss the bond we shared, I miss talking to you and asking your help… I miss you a lot, my friend!

I do not know if my words will ever reach you, but this is what I’ve to say…

You were the one who taught me to be strong;

You were the one who righted my wrongs;

Yes, it was you all along!

The million smiles you brought to my face,

Even managed to squeeze one in my saddened gaze,

And ended my worries with a sweet embrace.

Now you’re gone to a distant land,

And to another man I love, I gave my hand,

As this is what the fate demands!

This day, I speak, would you hear?

With no guilt, worry or fear,

All I want to say, is I miss you my dear!

Poetry added in Poetic Myooz

Come, let's fall in love!

Love, oh boy; it is a beautiful feeling. A special bond, an unknown emotion, a pleasant change... When you fall in love, your life seems to turn around. Everything appears to fall into place. You seem to be happy all the time.

The slightest thought of him lights up your face. You blush and smile more often . You seem to be out of control...

His compliments mean more than anything in this world. When he appreciates something you've done, you feel a slight tingle and a sense of satisfaction... It's an undefined emotion but it leaves you so longing for more.

And you can easily figure out that the feelings are mutual. You can feel his eyes watching you wherever you go... When your eyes meet his, there is no saying how great it feels. It's like a silent song sung between two beautiful souls in love. You can feel it flowing inside you. You want it to last forever...

And soon enough the feelings are expressed and before you know it, you are lovers! Another beautiful journey begins...
While walking together, his hand brushes against yours and before long, you are holding hands with him and the walk now has a whole new meaning...

When he embraces you, you feel secured. He becomes your shoulder to cry on, someone who will wipe your tears and be by your side even if you were wrong... Someone who loves you without any limits. You are priceless to him and he would trade anything he has for having you in his life...

This bond grows and grows solving mysteries one by one, knowing each other better.
And as the years pass by, the small seed of love is now a full grown plant that has reached its full bloom...

It's not new any longer.. He knows you so well that there is no mystery left anymore... And soon enough the autumn begins for the tree of love...

You don't get that beautiful tingle anymore... Everything drifts into a wonderful memory... He no more expresses his love. He no more brings you sweet nothings. You know he loves you but yet you don't feel loved... He still cares but you don't feel pampered. What you do for him is now a routine... What he gets for you is a responsibility...

You love being with him. He loves being with you and yet life is not the same it used to me. Priorities take over and you put on a pretense. But deep inside you long for that sweet love... You want to fall in love again, for it's amazing how love loses itself when it hits its peak. You wait for him to fall in love with you again. You wait for his eyes to follow you once again. You wait for his eyes to meet yours and sing the silent song again... You wait till he is ready...

"Come, sweetheart, let's fall in love one more time!"

Love is a sweet poison... 

If you have never fallen in love, then go; fall in love!

This is one poison worth taking...

The breakups, the faded memories or the lost love, 

as painful as it maybe...

it is so beautiful and you just can't stop

falling in love again and again...

ZXSpectrum!

So, are you one of those zx spectrum crazy people?

Yes? So is my husband - arjun!
So well, ofcourse you must be on World of Spectrum already.

Well, my husband also has been blogging about spectrum and stuff...

You can check it out here: http://chuntey.wordpress.com/
For the non spectrum species, its chuntey and not chutney (a spicy condiment ) :P

I wannabe a bear in my next life!

So, women out there. Do you agree with me?

Creativity in Silence

It was a regular day at work. I managed to drop in a little early than usual. While sipping my blackcurrant smoothie, I looked around. I saw a lot of empty chairs. There was some sorta silence, an emptiness in the air. I felt fresh and at my creative peak! And then I realized how important the silence was for the creative minds.

My peak lasted for about half an hour for by then more and more people poured in; it was work-time after all. My artist friend, Kailash walked in and I immediately asked him about how he felt about silence as an inspiration for creativity. He completely agreed with me! And I'm sure that a lot others would agree as well...

It's not that its impossible to be creative otherwise; after all, most of us have been working in the silence forbidden environment for a long time and we've done good. But never something that has left us completely satisfied...

People expect more creativity yet they are not ready to provide a secluded environment. Everyone needs it, but it's hard to provide. People work better during early mornings or late nights. It's the silence, the emptiness, it puts your mind at peace. You can think clearer.

The afternoons do not compare to that of the mornings and nights, but still with a good amount of open space for oneself, it works! And by that I do not mean a large room. It just means a small secluded space.

Even now, while writing this, I can hear a lot of voices behind me. I'm unable to track what I wrote; the brilliant sentences and words coming to my mind are lost before they reach my fingers to type.

We need the creative space for being creative. We do not want it to die. We do not want to fall into the routine creativity. Creativity is the opposite of routine!

We possess talents that are not explored. Please do not forget that.
The emptiness speaks to us, they guide us, they unite us with our subconscious to work wonders!

We need the emptiness... the void is what fills us!

(Image taken from: http://th00.deviantart.net/fs31/300W/i/2008/235/6/6/Creativity_by_CrisVector.jpg)

Passport Form submissions made easy? Ya right!

Ok, so my husband had gone to apply his passport... We tried the online registration first, since it apparently gives an appointment (Date and time). We tried for Jan and unfortunately the the earliest date we could get was 3rd Feb. So then we thought we will go by the usual long process... The forms were available on the website and we downloaded it. Filled it properly and my hubby went to submit it...

Tada.... it is THEN revealed that ONLY online registered applicants can submit. So, after the unsuccessful attempt we came back and yesterday managed to submit the application after a lil problem.

Since they have stopped allowing people other than the one submitting their forms, I stood outside while my husband went inside the office.

While outside, I saw a lot of ppl in trouble as they had no clue where to go for what and I was giving them guidance better than the guard standing there. So I thought maybe I will list down some points here.

1. You have to do ONLINE REGISTRATION - here. Now unfortunately, only after filling up all the details will you know the earliest date of appointment. But let that not disappoint you. Apparently IT DOESN'T MATTER!!! So, confirm the appointment and take a printout of the form.

2. The printed form will have your name and surname all under the 'surname' field... No, it doesn't matter now as it is happening from 'their' side. So chill!

3. Also, there still will be a lot of fields that will be blank. No their system is not smart enough to print a NA where NOT APPLICABLE. Comeon, its Indian govt we are talking about... Can they ever make things simpler for the general public? NO!!

4. And there will be some more fields which you will have to fill out manually anyways...

5. They don't give a damn about the date. The main thing is the serial that gets printed with the online form. The date is like a dummy.

6. And the time... EVERYONE GETS 10 AM! 10 am to 12.30 pm is the time they entertain people there. And u thought u had a 10 am appointment?? Haha... When my hubby and me got there at 9.15, there were already a 100 people ahead! Think about the guys who turned there at 10! :P

7. If you don't know how to fill the online registration form, then they do it for you at the passport office for Rs.35/-. The counter's name will be ONLINE REGISTRATION. This confused so many people coz they thought that this was the line to submit forms of those who did an online registration... Seriously? Re-read last line of Point 3!

8. YOU'VE TO CROSS SIGN ON UR PHOTO IN THE PP FORM. I'm mentioning this in caps coz a poor lad was asked to go back because of that... I mean how long does a sign take?? Sheesh!

9. Proof of Residence is always a pain... When they say electricity/phone/water bill and bank statement and all, what they actually mean is.... for the period of one year... Get one of say Feb 2009 and one of Feb 2010.....its to make sure u stayed there for an year! They want 2!!

My hubby had just one bill of last November... But somehow the lady accepted it after a warning that if asst.passport officer doesn't think its enough, you will have to come again and submit a 2008's copy... I can't guarantee abt ur form anymore than that... Wow!

10. And where do you go to submit it? speed post center is easy right?
HA HA FOOLED YA!GO to the passport office if you don't wanna waste your time! When my hubby headed to the Speed post centre, they said they don't take it there anymore as they've no idea what happens to the forms they send to the passport office... *gulp*.

The first response however was, "passport forms? here? where did you get that idea from?" And my hubby showed them a board just across the wall which stated "Passport form accepted here!"
Brilliant ain't it??

No wonder people these days wanna get the passports done through agents!!

BioShock 3D Mobile Released!

This long awaited game is now available for the Verizon mobile devices.
Release Date: 9th Feb 2010

Click here to see it in the Verizon store.


BioShock 2D Mobile also released for the Verizon mobile devices.
Release Date: 5th Jan 2010

Click here to see it in the Verizon store.
Also, click here for the 2D mobile game review. It got a 7/10.

The 3D review is yet to come as it just got released.

I've been the lead designer for both the 2D and 3D mobile versions, however have been very closely associated with the 3D one as I belong to the 3D studio.

The 3D game has closely followed its console version and tried to do justice to it.

BioShock 3D ran into its alpha stages during recession time and I ended up losing my team members... This meant that the whole design was now on my heads... I literally had to read thru my team's work and redo the designs...

I also saw that a lot of similarities, pop ups, help messages, simple things as such was not implemented. I decided that we should do it. Although I was overloaded with the whole design (plus time was running short), I managed to squeeze these little things inside to get the whole feel!

The redesigning of levels took a toll on me, but I did take 3 ppl's job and still delivered it on time...
This game has given the whole team a lot of learning experience and it has been one of the most tiring yet pleasurable project!

I hope people like the game. We all did and we are honest! :)

Reblogged in The Indian Game Designer

Here comes the Indian Game Designer

Hi All!

I've started another blog. No, this is still going to continue!!

The new blog can be found here.
The new blog is solely for game related stuff, which has now started with my journey...

This one ofc will continue to be my rantings! :)

Lost in Hope

There he was in another’s arms. She watched silently from afar. She felt a strange heaviness in her heart. It was as if something was filling up in her heart against her will.

She forced a smile for him. The more she tried, the more it hurt. He smiled at her from the distance. He seemed happy but she wanted to cry. She watched them; there were many things she wanted to tell him; but she couldn't. 

Was this really happening? Was he really going away? Has she lost him forever?

Sometimes it’s too late. Too late to make amends. Too late to say anything. Too late to go back and live some more. Too late to cherish what was there. Too late for that hug; too late for a kiss; too late to say “I love you”…

It hurt like hell. She didn't know why. She knew why... She ran from there. She broke down into tears. She couldn't bear the pain. She wanted to turn back time. She wanted to run to him, be in his arms. She wanted to kiss him and tell him she will never leave him. She wanted him to know she belonged to him.  He was the one. He always was.

But there she was; a lost soul, in tears, with nowhere to go. She was shattered. She wanted to end her life. It seemed a better option than the pain she felt.

Will he ever know how she feels? Will she ever tell him? Will she ever be able to see him again and not confess?  Will he feel the same? The time has ticked away. What could she do anymore?

Every time she had felt love for him, she ran into another’s arms. She was afraid to lose him. He was the one even when she was with another. It was him all along. Why didn't she realize it before? Was it hard for him to see that? She was herself with him. She enjoyed every minute she spent with him. He was everything to her. She never said.

Did he not see? Why didn't he ask? Why didn't he insist? Why he was equally lost? She had never found any girl worthy of him. Didn't she realize it then? Didn't he?

Why didn't he grab her and say the words while looking into her eyes? Didn't he see the love she tried to hide? Didn't he see the glow on her face and the glitter in her eyes every time she saw him? Didn't he feel the way she felt on every touch? Why did he always say he wanted someone like her and not her? If only he had... Maybe he didn't feel the same way. Maybe he did. But it didn't matter anymore.

A few moments… now if only she could have that with him and tell him how she really feels and live the moments with him, where she could be his and he could be hers and forget the world.

She walked with emotions flowing as fast as her tears and kept walking. She couldn't turn back. She wouldn't be able to stop herself if she did. She was broken. She was lost. He was gone; to another he belonged. She fell, she wept, she screamed, trying to stand back on her feet.  

She wanted God to take her heart away, to take the pain away… but she couldn't part with it. He lived in her heart. She prayed to grant her one moment with him and take anything from her in return.

She lay there weeping, waiting, lost in hope…