Candlelight

Candlelight

Candlelight begins with a spark. It is the chemical ignition of energy produced by mixing fuel and oxygen resulting in heat and flame. This flame represents our source of creation and our inner light. Our soul. Candlelight is an important part of our rituals in all cultures and festivals around the world. Light is the symbol for Christmas, the light of life at Easter. The Festival of Lights in India kindles the light of wisdom in every heart. The Festival of Lights in Thailand, with floating candles on rivers, is thought to bring good luck and fulfilled wishes. In Japan, floating lights guide spirits back to their world. The Jewish Festival of Lights is represented by the Menorah. In every culture light triumphs over darkness, miracles, and hope. In every culture lighting candles is a time of healing, reflection, contemplation, and meditation. Candlelight graces our dinner tables and homes where our senses become enlivened by essential oils lit in jars. Candlelight is the spark, of a new idea, an old tradition, of love, the conception of new life. The spark of light is the beginning.

Candlelight requires energy to keep the fire burning. The constant use of oxygen and fuel to produce in this case, heat and light. As long as energy is available, the candle will burn. There must be an energy source accessible in order to produce energy. The balance of give and take. We consume energy every day, the energy produced by the sun, the food we eat and drink, the energy of our thoughts and thinking.  Our surroundings and the people within it. Meditation. We also give out energy. This is done through our actions, the words we speak, the work we do, our creative endeavors, walking, jogging, dancing, and skiing. Yoga. Laughing and crying, emotions. Breathing and breath. A burning candle represents our life and the living we do. Each one of us the light of life. The light that illumines not only us but, when combined with all others can produce the energy of the sun. Without the sun we would not exist. Without our own light, we too would cease to be.

Our spark was the beginning. It ignited and produced energy and light fueled by the energy of our Divine source. Throughout our lifetime we strive to keep our light burning bright. Sometimes people try to dim our light. Or they carry your candle illuminating their own lives. Or they rob you of energy and oxygen keeping your light dim afraid of your light, that it will outshine their own. Sometimes we deny our own energy keeping our light dim out of fear. And then there are those who run in the wind with their own candle not afraid it will be blown out. The have let go of fear and opinion and instead trust in their soul and their God, the inner knowing that only when their purpose has been fulfilled will their light cease to shine on this earth.

When your candle has burned down and your life energy wains, your light will not longer illumine this earth. Rather, it will rejoin the light of the Universe. As your candle dims and your body breath becomes shallow, oxygen scarce, know this. Contained within the smoke rising toward the heavens is the same spark that ignited your life. The chemistry changed from light to ashes but, the essence of the candle and its light is never lost. Who’s energy do you think is fueling the light of the stars, our Universe and the angels who whisper to you in the night. Life begins with a single spark. Illuminate the world with your beautiful light. Run in the wind.

~Christine Wasnie from The Singing Soul blog. If you enjoyed reading the above do check her blog for more such inspiring articles. 

Book Review- Destiny of Shattered Dreams by Nilesh Rathod

Book review -Nilesh Rathod

Your client must go to jail tonight, the judge said, as he picked up his pen to formalise the pronouncement cancelling Atul’s bail.

Atul’s heart skipped a beat, the blood rushing about in anguish as he sank down on his chair, discredited and shamed.

Atul hadn’t been as prepared for this; so when reality struck, it did so with a paralyzing force.

The above are opening lines of ‘Destiny of Shattered Dreams by Nilesh Rathod. These opening lines lure us into the novel as we want to know about Atul, the protagonist. As readers, we have the following questions in our minds: –

  • Who is Atul?
  • Why has he been convicted?
  • What crime has he been convicted of?
  • Why has the judge been so strict in not granting him bail?

The titleDestiny of Shattered Dreams is apt and justified as it is here that we see the dreams of a Man being shattered and know how does it feel. So, as we proceed to read the novel further, the questions are answered as well the mystery unfolds.

Story– Atul Malhotra, 35 years, Chairman of the board and founder CEO of Transmech Telecom Limited (TTL). He was in judicial custody on charges of corrupting government officers, violating the Foreign Exchange Management Act [FEMA] and other economic offenses.

Atul Malhotra’s ambition, passion, and raw courage help him realize his dreams. He is a quick learner and adapts to any new situation. Power, aspirations, betrayal and drama is what all the story is about. It gives out messages of righteousness while entertaining you.

Atul found his solace in Qazi Sahib’s couplets while in jail. Qazi Saheb or Akram Qazi was the legal brain behind the business. He often came up with such beautiful lines or couplets. He was a poet, musician, and romanticist, a multi-faceted personality. The following quote is appropriate to the situation and worth mentioning:

Time is a messiah, every sorrow it shall contain,

But time it is and time it shall take,

But who will heal my wounds till then?

Just so will continue sorrow’s shackle all life,

Sometimes the pain it shall bluster,

At other times, pain it shall heal.

For how long will the distraught cloud contain itself?

Bellowing, bellowing, it shall set the firmament on fire,

Afore bursting it too will set fire to the same desire.

What do you call destiny, this I do not know?

Transforming, altering forms it too shall my extant relish.

Something like the spark did leap, I thought that now at least it will absorb me,

Fire, fire all the way but how shall it give cinders

before destiny’s decree.

The above lines are very apt and beautifully expressed. The author, Nilesh Rathod who is debutant novelist is praiseworthy.

Genre– The genre of the book is Contemporary Fiction and covers many sides of life. It is about the rise and fall of Atul Malhotra in business. Contemporary fiction is usually focussed on giving people a glimpse into some part of daily experience showing them what it would be like to walk in someone else’s shoes. In contemporary fiction, the writer focuses on making everything as realistic as possible. The author hopes that the experience of reading a story will give the reader a better understanding of these issues than he would otherwise obtain from non-fiction account which deals with the same kind of subject matter that would potentially help the person develop more sympathy or better understanding.

Style– The pace of the novel is fast and tells a tale of this brilliant young man’s meteoric rise at business. The author has used simple, clear and lucid language. The fast pace of the novel keeps you engaged till the last page. It is nothing short of being a Bollywood movie. It is well-written with poise and with conscious efforts.

Book cover of Destiny of shattered dreams
Image courtesy – Goodreads

The book cover is very apt and suits the title ‘Destiny of Shattered Dreams’.  It has been designed by Mugdha Sadhwani. It grabs the reader’s attention with a broken line running right through the centre of the cover page. It is a brilliant red and blue cover.

Author Nilesh Rathod
Image courtesy- The Hindu

About the authorNilesh Rathod is a business person, writer, and poet. Co-founder of Ensemble Infrastructure India Limited, Nilesh’s current company employs over 2000 people. Destiny of Shattered Dreams is his debutant novel. He is currently working on his second novel. He lives in Mumbai with his wife Preeti and sons Shloak and Parv.

Book trailer– This book has a book trailer which has been directed by Jay Bhansali, Music Composer: Amaal Mallik and Script & Voiceover: Nilesh Rathod. It is an amazing concept, narration, and music.

So, all I can say grab your copy today.  🙂

5 Apps That Will Make You Productive

Isn’t living in the age of apps the best? These days, you can forget about doing the actual work and let various apps on your multitude of internet-connected devices do it for you. Your fridge can make a grocery list for you, your washing machine can tell the difference between the kinds of cotton and the linens, and the apps you use for writing can help you transform the world with an idea.

Let’s talk about apps that can help you be a better writer.

XMind

writer apps
Screen shot of xmind

Every writer brainstorms. All of them! And once you start brainstorming with a proper tool like XMind, the old pen and notebook simply lose their allure.

Broadly speaking, it’s a mind-mapping tool — kind of like that thing you saw in that one Sherlock episode. It’s made to optimize for the quantity of brainstormed units of thought and allows you to jot down and log ideas about as quickly as you can type them. The app then lets you organize the ideas into a proper structure, and export the resulting mind map in a variety of formats.

Write!

Write! is an amazing distraction-free text editor. It looks beautiful and works well to accomplish its stated goal: to make writers more productive. When used in full-screen, every interface element is hidden, and you’re left face to face with your writing. The app also features the aptly named focus mode, which dims all paragraphs other than the one the cursor is currently on, giving you the most distraction-free workspace you’re likely to experience.

Among other notable functions, document publishing stands out. Write! gives you the ability to put the writing you’re working on online! It’s better than just emailing a file to someone since you can add and remove things from the document even after you’ve shared them, and the changes will be reflected in the online version immediately.

TomatoTimer

writer apps
screen shot of tomato-timer

This nifty little timer is how writers can stay on track with their work. No one likes a late submission, so start pomodoroing to make your work more productive! How do you pomodoro? Simple! Set a timer for 25 minutes (this is known as a pomodoro), and work through that 25 minutes without paying your attention to anything else. When the timer is up, it makes a sound so you know work time is done, and you can rest. Five minutes for short breaks, and longer breaks of ten minutes after doing a series of pomodoros.

TomatoTimer is a great way of tricking yourself into being productive. And it’s better than other similar timers because of the shortcuts! It’s also got desktop alerts, so you’ll get a notification together with the sound to let you know that the timer is up and that it’s time to take a break.

Cold Turkey

Writer apps
Screenshot of cold turkey

Cold Turkey is another great way of remaining distraction-free and staying on the productivity track! With it, you can block any number of websites or applications that impede on your ability to work productively until a certain time. The best part of all: there’s no way to unblock the sites without the timer running out, so the only thing you’re left to do is write.

With the pro version, you can do even more! You can schedule a group of sites to be blocked at any time, and unblocked for when you have a break planned. Perfect combination with the pomodoro technique!

Canva

Make brainstorming and planning sessions more productive with an outstanding bubble map from Canva.

A bubble map is a great visual tool for learning as well as for brainstorming and working through complex problems. It works by illustrating a main concept or idea in a central bubble then using lines to connect to more bubbles with related concepts so you can map out the relationships, associations, and parallels between ideas. It’s especially helpful in planning out reports, essays, and even stories.

With these five tools by your side, there’s nothing that can stop you on the road to being the most productive writer ever. Now I guess you’re out of excuses. Go write your masterpiece!


Ernest is a writer and blogger trying to find a balance between productiveness and bingeing Netflix at 3 a.m. He writes about innovations in tech and social media. His best friend is his dog, Milo.

A review of Nature’s Gift to Humanity

Mary Rensberry

Nature’s Gift to Humanity: Fowl Art II is a collection of prose by Mary Rensberry. She truly feels that in seeking the truth we define ourselves. And in finding the truth we discover ourselves. The following are some lovely quotes from her book

In seeking the truth, we define ourselves.

In finding the truth we discover ourselves.

 

Observe reactions and behaviours

Living in nature with full conscience

Is living with and in God.

 

Sometimes making that last leap of faith brings home the prize.

Leap!

 

Sitting amongst nature is the best remedy of most ills.

 

In sea of confusion, find something positive in which to focus on. Pretty soon, that confusion will subside.

 

Life starts with a thought, an impulse.

There are images of fowl art with each quote in this book. She has photographed 100’s of pigeon poop pictures and has quite a collection. In 2010, her first book was published entitled, Fowl Art, and was followed by another one like it in 2015, called Nature’s Gift to Humanity, a collection of prose. She has made a mark on the world just as her bird friends have for centuries upon centuries. She is a ‘Pooptologist‘.

 There many more interesting and inspiring quotes in this book.

Mary Rensberry
Mary Rensberry

About the author– Mary Rensberry has also penned 3 books including Fowl Art, Listen, and Wake

e has been a co-author of several children’s books: It’s Black and White (Quick Turtles Rule), The Quick Turtles Go to School, Wake’s Day, and Wake Helps. Enjoy her books and you’ll learn something along the way like she did.

You could also follow her on maryrensberry.wordpress.com