#245 4th Bloganniverssary

4^th Bloganniversary

30^th Mar, 2017; the day when the blog completes its 4th year and enters into its 5^th year of  existence. I should not forget to thank my co-writer and twin sis, Sweta for being a constant support of mine throughout this journey of blogging. Yes, I draw a lot of inspiration from the positive outlook of Sweta which has helped me in pouring the positivity out in my writing. The blog is like a lil baby to us which has got nurtured by the collective efforts of us from time to time through myriad experiences of life. Creative constellation is not only a platform to publish own works but also a loyal friend lending ears to our experiences of life. It’s like a companion of eternity.

Celebrating this day with a promise not to stop writing....

Dedicating a poem on this special day to our dearest companion;

To the dearest blog,

Whom we nurtured with care and love

As we pour our hearts out

Digitally over you

When the surrounding noise

Becomes very loud

Thanks for being our companion

Like a prized possession

 Reflecting our internal feelings

Bringing a sense of relief

Threesome we enjoy gleefully

In the world of word’s eternity

A promise to make

Not to depart in any case.

Thanks to all readers because of whom we’ve got all encouragement to write and that’s the reason why we continue to write and will do so in near future.

Swati Sarangi

23.03.2017 

#244 The world of words

The world of words

The world of words

Form the world of a poet

Lending an utopian world

To a world of reality

It is the world

Where I live and sing

From morning till evening

Binding melody with rhythm

This divine world of mine

Inspiring me all the time

Creating all images of hope

When the phase seems so low.

The word’s world

Is where I find my solace

A frequently visit place

For me to rejoice.

 © Swati Sarangi

21.03.2017

P.S: I wish everyone a Happy Poetry Day. Sorry for posting this poem quite late. 

#243 From Readers of Shades of life-2

Here are some of the reviews from the readers for shades of life-2. It really feels great to have come across their view points for your works.
Review of Amazon customers

From Dhivya Balaji

Dhivya Balaji

#242 An expedition to world of words

An expedition to world of words

I am overwhelmed to share with all the readers of this blog that, our blog has crossed 50000 views. For me, it’s a joyous unforgettable moment. It’s a great transition in terms of writing from view 1 to view 50000 for me. When I was new to this blogging world, I had no idea about what to write and how to write. I was like a premature baby who landed to the world all of  a sudden. I was completely ignorant of the power of blogging. At that time, it was only a way to fill the gaps between study hours. That can be none other than switching to one of my pastime –writing. This blog was initially created by my sister who later invited me to contribute to this blog. By this way, I entered into this world of words.

In my primary phase of life, my father used to compose poems for both of us to recite in competitions being organized in school. I was always surprised by the way he used to compose poems within limited time frame. Once I asked my father, “Papa, how do you compose such lovely poems? Will I be able to compose any poems in future?’’ To these questions, he replied calmly, “We can do anything if we have an interest in it, let alone poetry.” At that that time, I could not figure out the meaning hidden in these words but accepted it in my mind with a smile on my face. I was unaware of the intensity of words that he used in his answer.  At that time I had never developed an interest to compose poems. More ever I was inclined towards learning music. And yes, I am equally passionate about music now also.

I could remember the day I put my hands to writing poetry.  I was in sixth standard then, when started to observe my sister writing down something in her diary. Initially I did not bother her much but later I found that she was composing some poems and noting those in her diary. I read one of her poems; the words that she used in her poem blew away my mind. It was just wonderful. I was inspired by her work and decided to put my hands on writing poetry. I also maintained one diary solely for writing whatever came to my mind. It was a start and a small step taken by me.Both of us used to share our works with each other and this boosted up the spirit to write more and more.

Blogging was like an evolution for me in the field of writing. I realised its worth in my life when I started writing down my emotions in form of stories. I am more often a story teller than a poet. I was an amateur who was in search of a better story line or characters to fit the context. Here, I am about to share how has blogging changed my life.

1)    Blogging provides me a platform to share my words with the world, read others work and get inspired.

2)    Blogging heals my mind. It is just the best way to write down my feelings in forms of poetry, fiction or articles whenever I feel low. It acts like a friend in disguise.

3)    Blogging helps me to enhance my writing skill. The more I write, the more I become clear about my thought.

4)    Blogging makes me feel contented as I am able to express myself in a way which I want to be.

5)    Blogging accelerates my control over the words.

6)    Blogging provides me a way to observe all things around minutely. By observing the elements of nature, I prepare myself to write something on it.

7)    Blogging entertains me and makes me feel fresh to start my leftover work.  

I and my sister have been into this world of blogging for more than four years now. The valuable comments that I receive from my readers are priceless possession which not only brings a smile on my face but also transform my bad day into a good one. Blogging has more power than I had ever imagined. It just made me believe that I can also write my feelings in a better way which I initially thought to be an impossible task. It has provided me a virtual field over which I can cultivate my own thoughts.

So, if you have not started anything like this, don’t worry. Time has arrived for you to hear your own voice. Write down over those white arena and experience the change...

Sweta Sarangi

12-3-2017

#241 Book Review

Who moved my cheese?

Author: Dr. Spencer Johnson

Genre: Self help

Publication: Vermilion

Pages: 96 (Paperback)

Rating: 4.8/5

Review: The story opens up with a reunion of former schoolmates at Chicago. Everyone seems to be quite interested in knowing about the happenings of each other’s lives. One among them starts narrating the cheese story.

The cheese story consists of 4 characters- mices; sniff and scurry and little people; Hem and Haw who set out on a mission to find cheese in a maze. All of the have different character traits. Sniff and scurry are very enthusiastic creatures who are always willing to make changes to reach for the cheese. Sniff is the one willing to make changes but not very prompt in taking the action whereas scurry is very open minded about accepting the required changes to bring out the necessary action. Haw is the one who is reluctant to make any change where as Hem adapts to changes with the demand of the situation by visualising the positive outcome of reaching the new cheese station.

Cheese is a metaphor for the desires or expectations in life such as job, relationship, a fulfilling life, health, wealth etc and maze symbolises the location or path through which you are going to get the cheese.

The description of efforts of various characters of the story in reaching the cheese brings out following points to learn,

·     Change happens; they keep moving the cheese

·     Anticipate the change; get ready for the cheese to move

·     Monitor the change; smell the cheese often so you know when it is getting old

·      Adapt to change quickly; the quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you can enjoy new cheese

·      Change ; move with the cheese

·      Enjoy the change; savour the adventure and enjoy the taste of new cheese

·     Be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again and again; they keep moving the cheese.

My experience: I liked the simplicity of the language. It was so interesting that I finished reading it in one go. The way the entire plot has been made is very very unusual and interesting. It is quite enlightening to come across some fundamentals of life. I’m happy that I’ve been able to complete reading a best seller that has always been a part of my book list. It’s a must read for those who are willing to make changes in their lives but somehow are not able to initiate it.

In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in the world”.

P.S:May this holi bring out the best hues of your lives! Happy Holi to all of you!

Swati Sarangi

12.03.2017

#240 A seminar on Intuition, Intelligence and Innovation

A seminar on Intuition, Intelligence and Innovation

I was privileged to attend a seminar delivered by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in IIT(ISM) Dhanbad today. I have heard about this organisation before but never got an opportunity to attend a seminar addressed by Guruji. This seminar was one of a kind. Who does not know Shri Ravi Shankar?He is a founder of Art of Living organization which aims to build a violence free and stress-free society. This organisation is one of the largest organizations in India influencing a lot of lives. This has crossed around 150 countries and six continents leaving an impact over 370 millions people.

I would like to throw light on the life of Sri Ravi Shankar. He was born on May 13, 1956, in Tamil Nadu who later turned out to be a renowned spiritual leader. He founded a non-profit organization named ‘’Art of living’’ in 1981 and a Geneva-based charity, an international Association for human values in the year 1997. For his great service, he has received many awards.  He is a recipient of Padma Vibhushan which is the second highest civilian award by Indian government.

The topic of the seminar was too interesting, as he had to address a lot of audiences especially the students of IIT ,so it had to be something catchy. The topic was Intuition, Intelligence, and Innovation. The three terms mentioned here are independent of each other. In today’s world, we are under pressure to perform well in our respective professions. How does pressure influence our lives?? It has both positive and negative impacts. Let’s try to analyze. During our exam time, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to finish our courses. It enhances our productivity. We have only one notion in our mind at that time- to perform well. This is the positive aspect of the exam but we cannot ignore the fact that innovation does not come under pressure. Innovation is something that gets developed when we are in a relaxed state. Sometimes, exams create a lot of pressure which blocks mind to think something out of a box and innovation is a  way of thinking out of a box, by not limiting our mind to a particular area. Innovation is to use your presence of mind.

Life is very challenging and it always oscillates between the states of relaxation and responsibility. So, it is necessary to keep a balance between these two things. Your mind should be in your control so that you are aware of what is happening inside it. This is an essence of being intellectual. Have you ever figured out why you doze off easily in listening to long lectures?? That is because we don’t connect ourselves to what is being delivered in lecture. So we feel less interested. Waking up early in morning refreshes our minds to a great extent.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also said that our lives should be full of fun. It should not be less than any adventure. In Hindu mythology also, Gods have been portrayed as mischievous.

The secret of being successful is to have a broad vision. It may seem impossible at present circumstance but to make it happen you have to take ample of challenges and go through a lot of trials. Ravi Shankar had a vision of organizing a seminar in a stadium in Berlin. He chose this venue because it was the place where world war commenced and through his seminar, he wanted to spread peace throughout the globe. Initially, there were a lot of challenges but it became a huge success at the end.

We have a lot of potential and enormous ideas stored within our minds. We should have faith in that. We don’t project ourselves the way we are, that’s why we don’t reach our destination.  The outcome of our action is not important but our attitude matters a lot. We always go after quantity but quality is what makes anything supreme. Spending quality time with your family or friends matters much. Do you know that a baby smiles 400 times a day whereas a youth smiles approximately 7 times? and this count further decreases when age increases.

Meditation is an act of being aware of yourself. In other words, meditation is practiced to cease the unwanted thoughts. By regular practice of meditation, one can experience tranquility.  It has got numerous advantages. Meditation keeps one healthy both physically and mentally. It clears out mind and makes mind free from any confusion which is required for taking any decision. Hence it improves decision taking the ability of a person.

How to develop an intuitive mind??

Intuition is the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need of conscious reasoning. One can have intuitive mind through meditation. An intuitive mind is always aware of what is happening in surroundings. So mediation helps in changing the structure of the brain and sharpens memory which are some of the prerequisites of an intuitive mind.

Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. So, it of utmost importance to gather knowledge from various sources, then only it can be applied to a particular situation efficiently. In order to experience intelligence, you have to think all the time that you have inherited it. By this way, you can develop confidence. Once confidence is developed, it pushes all the barrier of ignorance and makes you walk on a path of success. So, you need to identify your strength in order to develop intelligence.

In a nutshell, it can be said that pressure is one of the elements which plays a significant role in bringing success if one knows how to handle it in a proper manner. Working under pressure curbs thinking ability, as a result, it decreases the innovative power of the mind. Practically when pressure is low, intuition gets developed automatically. So, every youth has different abilities and all you need is to respect yourself and keep listening to your inner voice ...

Sweta Sarangi

3-3-2016

#239 The Season Featuring our poems

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