Showing posts with label #AtoZChallenge 2016. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #AtoZChallenge 2016. Show all posts

Sunday, 22 May 2016

Ebook Release : Dare to Defy the Destiny


Hola my Precious Friends, Blogger Buddies and my Esteemed Readers,

You know how enthralled I am today, to pour out my heart to you, uninhibited, all emotions just oozing out in their purest forms as my first book gets launched. You are my family to whom I connect Straight From the Heart, who have given an all new meaning to my existence and help me sail towards my dreams, without faltering once .Yes, I owe my heart to you and what does one do at such occasions, run back to his/her family.

Writing is like breathing for me and probably the only thing I knew best from my birth but it was you who introduced me to blogging, appreciated me and motivated me to carve out my own niche.

Last month was absolutely fulfilling for me where I chose to speak 26 true stories of Beautiful Individuals like you and me as a part of a global blogging challenge. My happiness knew no bounds when you embraced them with open arms and graced them with your most generous words of praise, only to help me get better day by day. Some of your personal experiences you wrote to me touched me further as I became all the more motivated to become the voice of your heart.

When the owner of a writer and publisher community approached me with an idea of publishing the heart-touching stories as an e-book, I took a while to embark on the new journey and I am glad I did. And that is when "Dare to Defy the Destiny" was born. With stories of strong moms, soft dads, of adorable daughters and husbands, of Women on top to women who have fallen, you will find Brutal, Real and  Honest. The Idea of bringing forth these poignant rumblings is to let them reach hearts, and let our conscience judge, what is right and wrong, as it's we who comprise the society.
Once we are convinced on it, nothing can stop us from being the "Face of Change". 

Here's a little tribute to all of you for all that you have done for me over the years. It gives me immense pleasure to present you a soft copy of my Ebook "Dare to Defy the Destiny". I trust you will confer this newborn of mine with the same warmth and love, spare some precious time to read the same and do write to me your most genuine feedback to aid me improve. As I always say, I am indebted to all of you for being my worthy companions in my writing journey and all the words of the universe put together would fail me to express my gratitude towards you. Click here to make a copy all yours.


                                                                              
                                                                       -Truly Yours Roma




Saturday, 7 May 2016

Reflections of AtoZChallenge 2016 : A month of Self-Awakening


Once upon a time, there lived a little girl in a small town with her grandparents, who found great solace in writing. Her writings were her best friends which never let her feel lonely. As she grew up into an Automobile Engineer, her passion to pen down her feelings took a backseat. But her passive heart always yearned for her diaries and eventually in the roller coaster of life, she lost everything but her pen.

To satiate her soul's call and give a profound voice to her heart, she started her blog which depicted true tales, musings and poetic compositions to touch and tinkle her readers' soul and stay in their hearts forever. That little girl was me, my dear friends, and I am talking about this very blog STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART which is truly a piece of my heart. Words really fail me to express what it means to me.It fulfills my wish of a lifetime to remain alive in my readers hearts even after my death. 

This was precisely my endeavor when I  gave birth to this blog, a little less than a couple of years ago and thanks to my generous readers,it got its due love.I won the Woman of the Year Award in 2015 for my Women Rights Oriented Writings, post which I got a lot of endorsements are lost my focus...But there was always a streak of hidden pain in my heart which said I am not doing full justice to the real purpose of my Blog as I often heard from women of different strata requesting me to speak up more against the menaces against woman in our society that has ruined their or a near and dear one's life.

I was holding their request for long within me as I wanted to give them a global platform and what could have been better than to narrate them in the coveted A to Z Challenge,thus,I thoughtfully chose my series as 26 TRUE TALES of Indian Women, their poignant rumblings evoking an ERA OF CHANGE.

If I reflect back today, once I embraced this challenge, it was like self awakening for me as my theme clearly mirrored my innate urge to do something for the betterment of the society, we live in. I am extremely grateful to each and every member of the esteemed A to Z Team for giving me such a grand international platform to be the Face of Change, though in my own small way.

It was a serious theme, very close to my heart too and the biggest challenge was to do justice to the 26 protagonists and to present their delicate sides with utmost sincerity. I also diligently made the true tales alternate between some heart-wrenching and some inspiring ones, to save my readers from monotony.And the response for these thought-provoking stories was humongous.

I must admit this series of 26 real life stories was by far one of my most successful ones.I began to enjoy all the love and adulation by the end of first week. My readership soared, and the number of shares, comments and personal messages were too motivating and pushed me to the edge to keep up my esteemed readers' expectations. This series gave me some lovely friends even outside the blogger fraternity whom I was introduced to when they responded in my inbox about how they related to my posts and they feel they know all of them. With some I am sure the acquaintance has culminated into long lasting friendship already. To put in numbers 11 out of the 26 poignant rumblings that I have published are true tales of my readers they have emailed or inboxed me

Having said this , it would not have been possible to pull through the challenge, had it not been the Blogchatter community(lead by a visionary lady Richa) on Twitter which has formed a lovely group for the A To Z Challengers. They truly deserve a huge round of applause to bring together so many diverse bloggers under one umbrella who became each other's motivation and never let the spirit of the challenge go down.In this group I found a lot of buddies and though I can't fit in all their names here,I request them to please accept this as a personal word of gratitude to each one of you for being there always. 

IN this reflection post, I would also like to admit that, although I was always on time for publishing my each post and didn't miss even one, what could have definitely been better were my reading skills. Though I read many national and international blogs every day, commented and shared generously , I could not discipline my approach to revisit the same blog everyday and build on a list of my favorites. Thus sometimes I visited them and vice versa. Well, I promise to fix a solution for this before I take on this challenge next year.  Some blogger buddies I loved to read were Kala, Vishal, Archana, Roshan, Stephen, Chandni, Shalini, Geetika, the two Ramyas, Stephen, Era, Dixita, Mithila,Lata, Karan, Simar,Reema, Richa Jindal and the list is endless and I owe a lot to each one of them for enriching me with their wisdom.

All in all, my first experience of taking A To Z Challenge was extremely gratifying and I feel so overwhelmed to have completed my series of‪ #‎26TrueTales‬ of Indian Women through it.  It has also aided me envision my future endeavors and head firmly to where my heart lies.Bidding you Adieu with the promise to leave no stone unturned to always bring to you candid tales that remain in your heart like a song.




Here are the links to the 26 real stories on Indian Women:




Saturday, 30 April 2016

"Z"eal to turn the tide of time: Nothing could Stop Her😊



When I keep reiterating the fact that Women are epitomes of great inner strength and will power, I really mean it and today I take extreme pride in sharing with you the storyof one such adorable damsel and I bet you'll be awestruck to hear about how she never called it quits despite life's circumstances hitting her really hard...

Kashish was a happy go lucky girl with a ravishing smile which always lit her face... She was an architect by profession and her work gave her immense satisfaction...Back from work , she was always all ears to her big extended family and loved to socialise ...weekends were movie time and shopping with friends which made the young princess extremely happy...She was also a trained Bharatnatyam dancer and dancing was her passion....

She was doing extremely well on the professional front as well and felt that God has been really kind for rewarding her handsomely for all her hard work... That's exactly when Almighty decided to test her and her world shattered overnight...

As a reaction to a medicine that she had consumed, her world became silent forever...the very thought that she has lost her ability to hear perplexed her and she refused to believe it for days and as the feeling sank in, she felt all the more depressed with every passing day...She could neither hear, nor work , nor dance and felt so alone in a room full of family and friends!

She felt so lifeless but in her heart she never gave up...She felt that the outer silence cannot make her desires, her ambition, her zeal to live and to excel slient... Once she made up her mind, nothing could stop her πŸ˜Š

She consulted the best doctors and expressed to them how she wished to listen again and that she could do anything to get back her hearing ability, that's when she came to know about the Cochlear™ Implant which could fulfill her dream to hear again....

Cochlear™ Implant is a small device that is placed on the skull, and that coupled with an external device aids you to hear ... This surgery is normally done under general anesthesia but on account of the fact that general anesthesia didn't suit her for medical reasons, she got it done under local anesthesia and that too with the implant being placed surgically simultaneously behind both her ears... This unwavering brave girl could actually see everything that was going on....with her mind wandering across all possibilities of if and how she could hear ever again in future...But what she did was she held on the ropes of hopes firmly and her positive attitude assisted by the latest Technology from Cochlear™ made her win the battle and come back to life once again!


Kashish today is back to her work and her happy times with her family and friends...Her zeal to hear and bounce back in life made her turn the tide of time and I am so glad that nothing can stop her today πŸ˜Š!!


Author's Note: This Post is a part of #AtoZChallenge 2016 under my theme #FaceofChange


You may also like to read the earlier True Tales of Indian Women in this series, some heart wrenching while some truly inspirational but each giving a genuine lesson...

"A"trocities in The Disguise of Tradition : The Shut Doors


Thursday, 28 April 2016

"Y"outh Power: The only way to mitigate Gender Disparity and related Crimes



This is my penultimate post buddies of this enriching journey of 26 True Tales of Indian Women from all across India...and after hours and days of assimilation what I gather is if there is something that can uplift the plight of the Indian Women in our stagnating patriarchal society, it is the power of the Youth!!!

It's only we each one of us can bring about the difference, a difference in our thought process and actions which reflect equality and mutual respect...n lead by example can we spread the wave and nurture a healthier society in our children...😊

Alpana and Akshat, both were blessed with the gifts of jab and were quite famous writers/bloggers in the writing community, when they tripped over each other's writings and they found it quite similar ... The fact that they thought alike and loved to pen their thoughts in the similar fashion brought them close and their friendship soon culminated into love...When the parents met to take the wedding decision ahead and discuss other related matters.. Akshat refused politely but firmly, to accept a single gift in cash or kind...When Alpana's parents insisted that she was their only daughter and that they have amassed loads for her, Akshat said that they may give the same if they thought their daughter is inferior to him and needed to be sent to him with money and gifts...and thus he and his parents accepted the love of his life in a dress she was clad in....Akshat also silenced his parents that they may take gifts if they had no faith in his abilities and really wanted to hurt him!He has dared to be the face of change and the world was sure to follow as his goodness truly was contagiousπŸ‘Œ

Alpana's heart swell with pride for her  decision of having chosen the right man, for whom she and he are equal human beingsπŸ’•...She felt so blessed every moment of life and basked in respect and confidence on her loveπŸ’

Akshat was truly not only a man of great words but also great deeds...When Alpana was requested bed rest for 9 months due to a complicated pregnancy, he kept her in arms...Right from managing the household cores and instructing the cook , to giving a pep talk to her love before leaving to work , he managed it all and that too without a frownπŸ˜‡
They were soon blessed with a little Prince Charming who made their world all the more beautiful❤️ and all thanks to Akshat's care and warmth both mom and baby were absolutely healthy....Alpana could thus resume her career nicely after the maternity break and always made it a point she was complementing Akshat's love and vision and is with him in all his dreams and endeavours πŸ˜Š

Their son is nine now and has grown up to be an absolute gem...He assists mom and dad in everything and understands nothing what is called Gender Inequality for he has never seen anything of that sort in his house for so so many years!

I am sure tomorrow he sure will become as great a husband and dad as his father because his dad had yearned hard to lay the foundation right!!He will not be the one who indulge in the crimes against women , rather would be the one who'll stand for her rights nad equality!! More Power to such Young Man as Akshat who are determined to correct the patriarchal course of our society and make it a beautiful and worthy place to live in πŸ™


Author's Note: This Post is a part of #AtoZChallenge 2016 under my theme #FaceofChange


You may also like to read the earlier True Tales of Indian Women in this series, some heart wrenching while some truly inspirational but each giving a genuine lesson...

"A"trocities in The Disguise of Tradition : The Shut Doors

Wednesday, 27 April 2016

X-ray Print of the desires of an Indian Woman: She deserves them❤

Image Courtesy
Think for a moment what a girl or a woman desires...Does she desire to simply grow up, marry and have children .. No she desires this because knowingly or unknowingly this is what is force fed in her brains since she is tiny ....she is often told directly or through stories that her Prince Charming will come on a horse and take her along..amidst all this she forgets her freedom to desire....But this is not always the case! There are mothers in our society who contrary to the generic attitude above and thought to do vice versa and be the face of change no matter how hard a fight they have to put up.This is a heartwarming tale of one such mother....

Sunita didi who was my mom's domestic help, had stood firm on the repeated argumentatively strong testimonies of time...She lost her dad to fire at home and her mom had sustained 75% burns when the burden of the household which had 3 other children younger to her, fall on her..All of 11, that was the day she started working...She did every kind of job and was a quick learner... With every passing year her income increased, their life stabilized.

When her brothers started earning she got married and was soon blessed with a son and a daughter...But destiny decided to test her further on..when her daughter was 10 months old, she lost her husband! But no circumstances could break her, giving away her sorrows she once  again became the primary bread earner of her family....and was employed with a security agency..In her free time, she worked in our house and took a few stitching assignment too..

She toiled 22 hours a day but gave best and similar education to her son and daughter...When her friends from the slums, married off their daughters, she empowered her with the power of education and gave her the freedom to follow her dreams and desires of life....Never once she forced her to give up studies or start working to make them financially little better of...Infact, she could clearly see and feel in her heart, the X-Ray print of her extremely brilliant and hardworking daughter's dreams of making big in life, as a tribute to her mom!

Today our heart is filled with immense pride to see Sunita didi 's kids doing so well in life... while her son Prateek has joined Army 6 years back,  you won't believe her daughter Kajal is an IPS officer today! Her hard work,unbiased love for her children, optimism and a clear vision to let her children , especially her daughter, follow their hearts' desires has made her a proud and content mom today...❤

With my mom resting in the heavenly abode, Sunita Didi still comes to meet me sometimes as she has been instrumental in rearing me up with my mom and loves me immensely ... Never once she forgets to bring for me the Moong Dal Halwa, made by her Hands, that I love ❤️...The more I look at her, more my head bows in reverence to her humility and determination πŸ˜Š Our nation undoubtedly needs more moms like her!
Author's Note: This Post is a part of #AtoZChallenge 2016 under my theme #FaceofChange


You may also like to read the earlier True Tales of Indian Women in this series, some heart wrenching while some truly inspirational but each giving a genuine lesson...

"A"trocities in The Disguise of Tradition : The Shut Doors

Tuesday, 26 April 2016

"W"ither away in Despair or Weave a Worthy Life, What's your Choice??



Year on year you withered my soul...
Only to make me hone the diamond inside me, you called the coal!

I firmly believe that no matter how hard the circumstances hit us or how indifferent  the society chooses to be, we are the master of our own fate... All we need is the will power of bearing the agonizing testimonies of time  

Radhika was born and brought up in a small town in Bihar and as was customary she was married at sixteen...in her baggage that she carried to her husband's home, she could not afford to leave back her desire to study further and fulfill her dreams, so she carried them too...After-all, dreams and desires don't limit themselves to the place you reside in...

Fortunately her husband had no objection to her higher studies and so didn't have to actually bury her dreams...in a big joint family of 14 members, she finished all cores before leaving for college and completed the rest when back..The idea wasn't welcome to some in the household and when she conceived, in the name of taking care of the life inside her, they stopped her studies...she delivered her first child at the age of eighteen... Though the world didn't welcome her princess really well as she was a girl child, her joy knew no bounds!

The fact that she had a daughter firmed her self determination and multiplied her will power further to fulfill her dreams and give her daughter a better world to grow up and live in! She resumed her education and completed her graduation despite of everyone hurling remarks on her... These remarks turned abusive when her second born too was a girl...as she has repeatedly failed to give the family their heir...She bore it all and wanted to rise in the power of education...Her strength lied in her two princesses and her always silent husband whom she trusted was always with him...

There was lot of antagonism against her from the society for reasons umpteen...the society which has not known to educate girls so much or rand to jobs and where delivering a daughter was nothing short of a sin...But nothing dampened Radhika's spirits..She knew if today she gave up, tomorrow her daughters may have to bear the same fate which was not acceptable to her under any conditions...

In due course of time she completed law and rose to great heights in her profession in subsequent years...She gave her daughters the wings of best education to fly freely in the kingdom of their dreams....Her refusal to wither under despair no matter how hard time and circumstances hit her, made her weave a worthy life not only for herself but for her daughters too πŸ˜Š...

Today at 40, she is a high court judge     and one of the most considerate Women Rights Activists! 

I wish many more Radhikas take up this difficult course of life to make their lives worthwhile and be the Face of Change to the million others whose eyes possess the twinkle of dreams ❤😊


Author's Note: This Post is a part of #AtoZChallenge 2016 under my theme #FaceofChange


You may also like to read the earlier True Tales of Indian Women in this series, some heart wrenching while some truly inspirational but each giving a genuine lesson...

"A"trocities in The Disguise of Tradition : The Shut Doors