Transition of Thoughts

Weaving thoughts into words

Month: March 2017

Microblog Mondays: Xenophobia

Microblog Mondays: Xenophobia

As the years pass by, it seems as though we are becoming more and more intolerant of each other. Discrimination based on caste, creed, sex, religion and more is the order of the day in many societies across the planet. If we know that the individual is from a particular place and is of a particular caste or religion, more often than not we tend to form a negative bias in our minds even before talking to that individual.

Even though we are moving forwards in leaps and bounds in terms of technological developments, we are surely moving backwards when it comes to people to people contact. Xenophobia masquerading as nationalism is translating into verbal violence on social media and physical violence on the streets.

It’s just saddening that in this garb of nationalism, even after thousands of years of human evolution, we are still at war amongst each other.

Linking to Microblog Mondays 

Cee’s Which Way Challenge – Wordless Wednesday: Runways

Emirates A380 in all it's glory

Emirates A380 in all it’s glory

“Some of us have great runways already built for us. If you have one, take off. But if you don’t have one, realize it is your responsibility to grab a shovel and build one for yourself and for those who will follow after you.”

– Amelia Earhart

Linking to Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge

100 word fiction: The abandoned building..

100 word fiction: The abandoned building

PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll

“Don’t go roaming near those gates.” Mrs Smith always asked her kids to stay away from the compound gates beyond which lay the abandoned building. It would have been an architectural masterpiece when it was constructed.

But today, it looked dilapidated from years of neglect. Legend has it that any family which came to stay left in the first week itself apparently due to the strange experiences each of them had.

Though no one had stayed there for years, the lights were always switched on at night and the garden was regularly manicured despite the absence of any visible staff.

Written for the photo prompt and you can read the other entries here.

Blogger interview series – Parul Thakur

Blogger interview series - Parul Thakur

I have always believed that humanizing individuals is a great way to understand what they think and what makes them click. In keeping with this philosophy, I have regularly interviewed authors  from different walks of life over the last few years.

And now continuing this theme, I begin a blogger interview series. My first guest is a full-time HR professional during the day and blogger after calls in the night. A working homemaker who hates cleaning and can hardly cook, she is also a family photographer and life lover. She spreads happiness all around through her lovely posts with an aptly named blog – Happiness & Food.

Ladies & Gentleman, welcome Parul Thakur.

Aseem: What inspired you to begin blogging?
Parul: It was the start of 2013 and New Year hadn’t brought anything great. At least, on the face of it. I was on bed rest and unable to walk or stand. Negligence had led to an extremely weak back and I was on the verge of a spine surgery. That was when I realized I need happiness to pull me up from my condition.

I needed to be positive and I had a picture of me cycling. I logged onto WordPress, created a blog and posted the picture. That was the start of happiness and food. Food because that too meant happiness. I had always wanted to pen down my writings at one place and with only a half-hearted attempt way back, this was the one I need to put my soul into.

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Guest Post: 5 Interesting Things To Do In Delhi

Know the time when you are so overwhelmed with your work, that you slip up on keeping tabs on the holiday calendar? Well, I recently had a first-hand experience of the same when I realised that work was almost finished, and I had a long unplanned weekend ahead. Now, inspired by the uber-digital generation of the 21st century, I googled around for happening places which my pocket could accommodate. And, guess what, Delhi trumped the deck!

So, that’s how I got to visit the capital, and learned a few of its secrets. The city is not merely confined to the grand monuments which grace its soils, but offers a number of different and interesting activities for the inquisitive traveller to explore. Here I mention a few of these, which left me with lifelong experiences to share.

1. Art Though ART?

Interesting things to do in Delhi: Delhi Art Gallery

Photo by Nomu420, CC BY-SA 3.0

The city of New Delhi has been patron to a host of virtuoso artists over the course of its richly-flavoured history. Unsurprisingly, the capital city finds itself front-row seats to a cultural renaissance of sorts in the 21st century as well – if the boom in art galleries serves as any indication.

My first expedition was at the Delhi Art Gallery, located in the village town of Hauz Khas, which is perhaps a staple joint of – well, everyone. This 24-year old space is renowned to have one of the most exhaustive collections of Modern Indian art, and I found myself surrounded by over 35,000 unique marvels of ingenuity from Modernists to early British spectrums, along with leading painters of date.

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Skywatch Friday – Poseidon Temple, Athens

Poseidon Temple - Cape Sounion, Athens

A calm blue sky at Cape Sounion overlooking the Aegean Sea

“We all live under the same sky, but we don’t all have the same horizon”

– Konrad Adenauer

Linking to Skywatch Friday 

Thursday Tree Love: Barren trees in Gorky Park

Thursday Tree Love: Barren trees in Gorky Park

“Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit.”

– Kahlil Gibran

Linking to Thursday Tree love, a photo feature on Parul’s blog. 

Lights, Camera, Action! #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal

I had taken part in the #AtoZChallenge for the first time last year and I must say that it was a really wonderful experience. While I did try my best to blog as well as read on a consistent basis, it wasn’t half as good as the blogging stalwarts out there. But it was surely a fantastic learning experience and a great way to get more eyeballs and meet many more bloggers ‘virtually’.

While my last year’s theme was “Micro-fiction“, this time I am going with something even closer to my heart.

I am a travel freak with a practical goal to visit at least 1/3rd of the world’s countries before I die. Currently that goal is about 33% complete. While I do write travel posts on and off, my next month will exclusively be devoted to “Travelogues“. These could range from posts full of photographs to those having detailed step-by-step itineraries.

So stay tuned for more this #AtoZChallenge.

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