Transition of Thoughts

Weaving thoughts into words

Month: March 2012

Guest Post: Giving your blog a much needed makeover

Sometimes a blog just won’t work in the way that its creator originally envisioned it. And that’s ok; blogging is all about embracing change and implementing good ideas. Most bloggers try again when one idea doesn’t pan out. But when you’re assessing the success of your own blog, it can be hard to accept signs of failure. An unsuccessful blog isn’t something that just happens overnight; the causes and symptoms can be seen over its entire lifespan. These signs are universal for any failing blog, including (but not limited to) the following events:

1. Infrequent blog posts on topics not worth posting about in the first place (i.e. posts about being busy, posts that promise more posts in the future, and so on)
2. Few (or close to zero) comments on any of your posts
3. Little enthusiasm or drive on your part to contribute new material to the blog
4. The existence of numerous blogs that do what you try to do better, funnier, or faster

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Book Review – Miracle in the Andes

‘Miracle in the Andes – 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home’ is the story of adventure, courage, tragedy, horror, terror, love and much more of a group of individuals who survive for 72 days at more than 12000 feet in the Andes. Penned by Nando Parrado (one of the survivors) and Vince Rause, it is an autobiographical account of the days Nando and his comrades had to face high in the Andes.

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Guest Post: 4 Travel Apps Created With Millennials in Mind

One thing the millennial generation does more than any other generation before it is travel. Not only do the twenty-something’s of today have the world at their fingertips online, they have more of an opportunity than ever to actually see it. Young people don’t simply travel once in their lives as a post-graduation hoorah, as their parents may have. Rather, many millenials are savvy travelers who jet around for school, work and pleasure and want to stay connected as they go, while using the fastest and smartest ways to get around. These travel apps were created with exactly that sort of logic in mind. Many of them available for free on both Apple and Android, try downloading any of these handy travel apps the next time you decide to expand your personal horizons.

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Guest Post: Time to WAKE UP – The authorities!!


There have been instances where we hear an industrialist gifting an aircraft to his wife on her birthday, some others gifting themselves a yacht when they feel like. These luxuries which the so called creme-da-la-creme call “high society” trademarks or “high society necessities” are good to look at from a global point of view. This can foresee that India is now a developing country with people who can, in theory, reach for the highest star or the deepest ocean. But is that all what you need to call India a developing country?

Doesn’t development mean that the politicians also take into view the development of the massive “middle class” which forms almost 80% of the population? Every year a new budget comes up from the economists and the finance ministry. But who do you think is really affected by that? It is by far only the “middle class” as they are the ones who suffer the burn of the hour. With the amount of money earned becoming equal to the amount of money spent to earn a livelihood by the “middle class” ; I am not sure how the survival of the fittest would take place in here.

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Akhilesh Yadav – Is he the change UP was waiting for?

He is 38 years old. He has completed his B.Tech in Mysore and did his masters in Environmental Engineering in Sydney. Whether it’s an iPad or a laptop or even his Blackberry, he uses it to the hilt to keep himself up-to-date with all the happenings. Akhilesh Yadav, the youngest chief minister in the history of Uttar Pradesh seems like a whiff of fresh air among the highly corrupt and irresponsible politicians the state has seen till date.

Son of Samjawadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh has won the Lok Sabha polls for the Kannauj constituency in Uttar Pradesh three times (2000, 2004, 2009). He took over as the SP’s UP President in 2009. In the same year his wife – Dimple had contested and lost the seat in Ferozabad to Raj Babbar. This turned to be a battle of prestige for SP. And from thereon Akhilesh’s journey to the post of CM began.

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Rahul Dravid – The Wall of Cricket and much more!


Will you open the innings? Yes. Will you keep wickets in order to accommodate an extra batsman? Yes. Will you captain the team? Yes. This was Rahul Dravid for you. A selfless team man for whom the team’s goals and ambitions came way before his own.

Most call him ‘The Wall’. While some call him ‘Mr. Dependable’. But for me he was the one reason stroke makers like Sachin, Sehwag, Dada etc. could flourish. They could play freely knowing that at the other end, ‘The Wall’ was being constructed brick by brick to stay for as long as one could imagine. This was the wall who scored a 12 hour 270* at Rawalpindi. He was the reason we knew that despite the first wicket falling for a low score, we wouldn’t collapse. He was one of the reasons we had belief in saving and even winning overseas tests. He was one of the reasons we learnt to win overseas. Dravid has been part of 15 test wins abroad and in 11 of them he has been awarded the Man of the Match.

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Movie Review – London Paris New York

This looks to be a season for rom-coms. Directed by a first timer – Anu Menon and starring Ali Zafar and Aditi Rao Hydari in lead roles, London Paris New York (LPNY) didn’t really sound attractive on paper. But its fresh trailers and fresh pairing coupled with the romantic feel of the three cities managed to capture the attention of the public. Does it live up to the expectations?

LPNY is the story of Nikhil Chopra (Ali Zafar) and Lalitha Krishnan (Aditi Rao Hydari) and their journey across three of the most beautiful cities on the planet across a time span of more than 5 years. Both of them meet by chance at London Heathrow and as luck would have had it, they spend an entire day together. The day is enough to let a few sparks fly between them. But then its another 2 years before they meet again this time in Paris and there the real truth comes out on what exactly happened in the interim. The meeting lasts again just for a day! The finale is played out in New York.

The plot isn’t really anything to talk about. Love happening over a period of 3 days across continents, across years is a bit too much to take! But then what makes this movie work is the characters. It’s not Ali Zafar or Aditi Rao you are seeing on screen. It’s Nikhil Chopra and Lalitha Krishnan. They are like any couple going around. The instances when they fight, patch up, laugh, smile, cry; all seem straight out of real life. Any couple would associate themselves with the sequences.

The narrative is a bit slow. But the energy and vivaciousness of both the characters keeps the interest alive throughout. The London and New York sequences are the best while the Paris one is a bit out of place.

The songs which are such a key component of a rom-com are very much in sync with the flavour of the movie. Ali Zafar, the composer, lyricist and the singer for almost all of the songs has created a pretty well rounded musical score. “Vo Dekhnay Mein” and the title track stand out.

He can act. He can sing. He can write the lyrics. He can compose songs. He can dance. What can he not do? Ali Zafar delivers an amazing performance. He looks good and manages to break the audience into guffaws with his witty one – liners. His outburst during the climax is another proof of his acting prowess. Aditi looks beautiful particularly in the London and New York sequences. She aptly complements Ali in comic, romantic and even intense sequences.

Go for it with your loved one. You will come out with a smile :).

Rating – 3/5

Book Review – Messiah of the Scarlet Silence

“Messiah of the Scarlet Silence” is Arun Chaturvedi’s first writing attempt. Interestingly this book is available only in very select bookstores across the country. Maybe the author decided that he wanted to see the crowd reaction before printing more copies. Nonetheless, I bought it because crime thrillers are something which greatly interest me. Does it work?

The blurb goes like this –

There has always been a conflict between justice as a temporary phenomenon meted through a procedure, and the eternal conscience embedded deep within every subconscious state. Justice delayed, or even denied has had reverberating repercussions prompting individuals to mete out justice in a manner they deem as justified.

Molestation and rapes are rampant, and very few woman get their true justice. Many shy away from the courts fearing the stigma as well as the caustic remarks from the society. The trauma is intensified in court when the accused defense attorney attempt at character assassination to belittle the victim or make the incident look like a consensual act. The outdated legalities and the legal process itself are too slow, while the punitive punishments hardly serve as deterrents.

In this fictional incident based at Mumbai, a young girl is raped and murdered. And extraordinary situation demands a different remedial, and down the line, a bereaved sympathizer is created, who takes on the role as the messiah of the silent death, the scarlet silence.

While the story remains focused primarily on the police, the plot weaves into place the role of the judiciary, media, politician, underworld, and the public. It questions the role of these external elements that transform an honest person into a hardened killer. It raises hard questions on a crime that is rampant and continues unabated. It speaks of the core of the system that needs to be transformed. By including factual incidents, readers can co – relate those with this story that links the facts and fiction, to give it a realistic dimension.

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