Sunshine Award - Surprised and Happy!

I have been nominated by someone I am learning to know - Purba Chakraborty - a blogger, a poet, a novelist, and above all, a heart-warming person with a beautiful voice. It is a coincidence that I had recently finished reading her book The Hidden Letters. If you have not read the book, please do that. It will keep you hooked till the end. It raised some questions in my mind- questions about love and guilt, about pain and compassion. I have a feeling that if given to a good director, it might make a good movie too!

Thanks Purba, for the nomination. Here are my answers to you followed by my nominations:

1. When did you join the blogging world? Did any incident/person inspire you to do so?

Last year in October. It was a time I was sinking low. My brother's death had left me shattered. Add to it the fact that I could not even meet him. I remember the last conversation we had, when he said 'I will send mom to you.' I was expecting my second child at that time. Papa and Bhai (my bro) are no more. Being far away in US, I used to feel so guilty having left my mom who misses me every moment. My best friend re-located to a different state. Things could not have been lonelier. Writing helped me ease out. It was a catharsis, an escape, a new window that opened for me. Life is extremely tough, I learnt. But if we need to keep afloat, we need to build a boat for ourselves and row it too. 

Since then, mom has been my guiding light. She doesn't read all that I write but she always encourages me. 

2. What is the best lesson that Life has taught you, till now?

Don't wait for the future. Live in today. There is nothing certain in life. It is good to make plans but don't just stick to them because you planned it that way. Be flexible and learn to go with the flow. Try to spread smiles. 

Don't leave things on destiny or God. Take steps.

Love with a true heart and learn to forget and forgive. Life is too short. Don't resent. 

Have a receptive heart.

3. What is the role that blogging plays in your life?

It is my heartbeat, my lifeline. As I mentioned earlier, it has helped me find succor. It has given me peace. I blog every week and going forward, I intend to engage in it more. I have found like-minded friends too - something I yearned for in the past. The writer in me is pining to write down a memoir on my mom. 

4. If you had a time machine, would you prefer revisiting your past or visiting your future? Why?

Yes. Go back to the time when my dad was falling prey to cancer cells. Wish I could stop that. If he was there with us today, my brother would be too. Wish I could change that.

5. Which is your all time favorite book that you can never get tired of reading?

There is not one but many:

Markus Zizack The Book Thief

Charles Dickens Dombey and Son

Samuel Beckett Waiting for Godot

Herman Melville Moby Dick

Nathaniel Hawthorne The Scarlet Letter

John Fowles The French Lieutenant's Woman

V S Naipaul A House for Mr. Biswas

Harivansh Rai Bachchan's poems

Short Stories by Tolstoy

Dario Fo's Plays

There is more in the list......!

6. Do you believe in letting go or holding on?

Hold on to love and let go of grudges. My husband says छोटी छोटी बातों का  समाधान दिल बड़ा करने से होता है  (Translation - The solution to small small things in life lies is having a big heart.) I love it when he says that and I try to follow it everyday.

7. Share a hilarious incident of your life.

I will share two incidents here.

I live in a world of my own, lost in thoughts. My brother would often laugh about it and make fun of me. Once, he came to pick me up from school. He honked. I looked in the direction. But I didn't see him. He honked again. I looked again but didn't see him. He honked one more time and I gave the same response. He had to finally come out and yell my name. And we laughed our way back home.

My husband went to the library with me six year old to get some children's books. He goes inside and asks my son where the books are. My son goes blank. They both have visited the library an umpteen number of times with me! The library is closing in ten minutes. My hurried husband picks up the books - Young adult Spooky stories for Halloween, Rhymes in Chinese, Radioactivity and Marie Curie, Steve Jobs, Learn Hebrew. He calls me and says he has picked up some books but didn't see the titles. But he is so sure they are good. When the twosome reach home and have a look, I just burst out laughing. Steve Jobs is a good choice, he smiles and says!

8. What are your thoughts about my blog?

Purba, you are a wonderful, passionate writer whose poems are heart-warming. I am sharing some personal favorites for my readers. Do spare sometime to read them. 

http://reverieofpurba.blogspot.in/2015/05/my-affair-with-music-sometimes-attached.html

http://reverieofpurba.blogspot.in/2015/06/daddys-little-girl.html

http://reverieofpurba.blogspot.in/2015/05/a-true-mate-in-sea.html

http://reverieofpurba.blogspot.in/2015/04/books-my-most-persistant-companions.htmland 

Thanks to all my friends who have been a strong support in my life.

Rules

• Thank the person who nominated you.
• Answer the questions from the person who has nominated you.
• Nominate some other bloggers for this award.
• Write the same amount of questions for the bloggers you have nominated.
• Notify the bloggers you have nominated

As per rule, I would like to nominate a few bloggers for the Sunshine Blogging Award. 

Nihar Pradhan

Archana Kapoor Chaurasia

Shanx

Vyomi Malik

My questions are

1) What if your life's mantra?

2) What makes you laugh?

3) What was the best piece of advise you got? Who was it from?

4) Half of the world voted for blue as their favorite color in a recent survey. Do you  groove for blue too? 

5) Do you read newspapers? Why or why not?

6) Teacher - memories that the word evokes.....

7) Is blogger the new story writer-journalist-poet?

8) If you were to share one of your favorite blog posts, which would it be? What made you write it?