When Opinions Went On A Flip-Flop!

~~~

I've always been voluble about my opinions...

Not just on the blog, but in person, as well.

If it's an issue, I feel strongly about...

I have to voice my opinion.

~~~

I guess, it's not just me, but this tendency lies at the very heart of Human Psyche...

Of course, the difference lies in the expression.

And, that's where, the thin line between being an Extrovert and being an Introvert is drawn.

~~~

And, that's where, I take pride in being an Extrovert.

So, when, yet again, Project 365, prompted me to post my Opinion...

I was up for the Task! :)

~~~

It's the Most - Talked about issue in the Country...

Indians are fed up of it!

Yet, it refuses to leave our Homeland...

~~~

It Is...

The Ill Fated...

CORRUPTION!

~~~

I've been discussing Corruption, ever since the inception of my Blog...

Once, even as a part of P365...

Standing 'Against' It When I Wanted To Stand 'For' It!

But, this time it's different...

~~~

This Is...

When Opinions Went On A Flip-Flop!

~~~

FAR PAST

Corruption Clung On To India's Roots...

In Such A Brutal Manner That...

Corrupticide Was The Urgent Need Of The Day...

During The Infamous Tenure Of The UPA-Haar Vidyalaya.

~~~

When The Assembly Elections Neared...

The Scenario Changed For The Better...

Or, So, It Inadvertently Seemed...

That Was When, The Opinion Flipped...

For The Better, Seemingly!

~~~

NEAR PAST

With Seemingly Wrong Decisions In Tow...

When Kejriwal Resigned...

He Was Mocked And Reduced To...

A 48 Day Old CM!

~~~

Then Came The Lok-Sabha Elections...

And, The Focus Completely Shifted To BJP...

Mirroring A Historic Victory Similar To...

That Of Post - Emergency Elections...

Thus, The Scenario Changed To...

~~~

PRESENT

We've Come Across NaMo's India...

While 'MODI'fying the Country...

I Guess 'अबकी बार मोदी सरकार!'...

Went TOO Far!

~~~

Because, In My Opinion...

The Country-Folk Went Far Too Overboard...

With A Renewed Sense Of देशभक्ति...

And, A Need For Agents Of Reform For The Nation...

~~~

I Guess, Quick And Progressive Action...

Can Only Prevent This Opinion...

From Flopping...

~~~

My Sentiments At The Present Moment...

Are Perfectly Echoed...

By This...

As, I Did Genuinely, Go For NOTA...

In The Assembly As Well As Lok-Sabha Elections...

~~~

At This Very Point Of Time...

I Wish To Acquire An Insight...

Into Mr. Narendra Modi's Mind...

~~~

Into An...

Initiating A Sea Change - Is NaMo's India MODIfied?
Detailing The Strategy For Reform - On Modi's Mind?
Expecting Prompt Banishment, So Corruption Disappears!
Affecting Us, Was A Trance, Of Inhabiting The Dream!
Lo & Behold, We Were Set To Face An Adroit Scheme!
In An Instant, Gaining Insight, Into An Ingenious Mind...
Scrutinizing His Plans For The Betterment Of The Nation!
Tracing & Tracking A Mind Map - From Gujarat, For India

Modi's Sure Corrupticide - Is There Any, Into His Mind?
Identifying His Plan Of Action, Is What Is, On My Mind!
Notifying Him Of My Expectations, Noting His Expression.
Deducing Their Concerns, Pinpointing Those With Precision.

~~~

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

This post is also a part of the WordPress Daily Prompts : 365 Writing Prompts program where the aim is to post at least one post a day based on the day's prompt.

The Prompt for Yesterday was a 'Free Prompt' provided to all of us, Guest Authors.

The Prompt is, Flip-Flop - 'Think of a topic or issue about which you've switched your
opinion. Why the change?'

This is my Sixteenth Post as a guest author to Project 365 : We Post Daily!

Cloudy Charisma Ahead, As I Sky Watch, Mumbai!

~~~

It has been a good three weeks since my return from Mumbai.

But, it doesn't feel like it.

~~~

More So, Because The Memories Still Linger...

The Relaxed Self Enjoys...

The Limitlessness Of The Arabian Sea...

And, The Sky Abound...

~~~

The Fact That Vacation's Over...

Does Not Sink In! :D

~~~

So, Much So...

That I've Decided To Recall Some Of It...

Through My Lens...

~~~

For Today...

I've Decided To Share...

The Clouds Over Mumbai...

Just Like I Did For Andaman Islands...

As A Part Of...

Sky Watch Friday!

~~~

For, When We Arrived...

Mumbai Welcomed Us...

With These...

~~~

Can You Spot Streaks Of Grey In The Background?
Well, That's Why Mumbai Is Drenched Now! ;)

That Makes My Point Clearer...
And, The Sky, Even Darker! :D

~~~

An Aerial View Of 'Dominoes' Of Mumbai...

And, The Arterial Roads, Too...

The Creek Paves Its Way, From Midst The Landmass!

The Highs And The Lows Of Infra! :D

The Home Of The Slum Dog Millionaire! 

~~~

And, When We Departed...

Mumbai Bade Us A Bon Voyage...

With These...

~~~

All In One...
Summed Up Exquisitely...
The Sky, The Sea, The Sand,  The Land...
And, The Aircraft... :D

~~~

The Chunk Of Landmass Housing Colaba & Girgaon...
As Captured From The Clouds! :)

Is That Salt Land?
Or Are They Clouds?

The Ruler Of Animals...
Patrolling The Skies...
Does That Look Like A Lion To You, Too?

The Tip Of The Iceberg, Is It...
No, It's An Entire Cloudy Iceberg!
And, A Heart Towards The Right Too...

Have You Ever Seen, An Active Volcano?
Made Of Gold?
That Too, In The Sky?

Ladies & Gentlemen...
There's Mickey To Your Left!
And, Brutus To Your Right!
Enjoying A Ride...
On Cloud Nine!

~~~

One Last Capture...

That Made It...

The Pot Of Gold...

At The End Of The Rainbow...

Do You See The Glimpse...
Of A Mini-Rainbow...
Inside The Heart?

~~~

Not Astrology, It's Gastronomy!

MY First Ever WINNER POST at IndiBlogger!!! :D

All others in the past were Runners - Up.

This is for Round 1 for my Beautiful Food!

I'm over the Moon and Back! :)

~~~

It Was One Of Those Days...

Of Congratulations And Celebrations...

~~~

When The Entire Family Had Gathered...

For A Dinner Hosted By Hubby & Me...

On The Occasion Of Our 20th Anniversary...

~~~

And, Planning Such Dinners Is Always So Much Fun...

Especially When You Have Family Members Belonging To Each Of The Sun-Signs Of The Zodiac, To Keep You On The Run!

Those Dishes On A Platter...

With An Aesthetic Companion, As Borosil, To Flatter!

~~~

Yes, You Heard It Right!

11 Family Members Belonging To The 12 Signs Of The Zodiac?

Yes, You Heard It Right... :D

One Of Them, Ought To Be A Cusp, You Know... ;)

~~~

And, That Day, Indian And Italian Food Ruled The Hearts...

Or The Stomachs, Maybe? ;)

A True Amalgamation Of Two Diverse Cuisines...

~~~

So, Here We Begin...

With Our Astrologically Gastronomic Delights!

~~~

Remember To Go Along In A Refreshing Rhyming Tone...

~~~

Starting With The Emperor, The Leader Of The Sign - An Arian...

Fiery, Vibrant, Energetic And As Enthusiastic As My Niece...

To Bring Up As A Starter, I Have - Achari Bhakarwadi...

As Tangy And Zesty, As Could Possibly Be!

Served In Borosil's Square Dishes, By Me!

Advancing Along, With An Affectionate, Determined Taurean...

Earthy, Practical, Stable, Patient, As Strong, As My Sister...

To Go Along As Mocktail, I Have Margarita Tamarind...

Coupled With Cool Refreshing Basil And Lime...

Given In Pristine, Clear Vision Glasses, By Me...

 We Come To The Cusp Sign - A Geminian And Cancerian In One...

Air When Coupled With Water Goes Interesting, You See...

And So, For My Curious And Imaginative Daughter...

I Bring Vol-Au-Vents With Corn 'n' Cheese!

Puffy Pastry - Little Salt 'n' Tinge Of Sweet...

Small Packets Of Delectable Delights, In My Mini Plate Set, If You Please!

~~~

So, We're Done With The First Fabulous Four Of The Zodiac...

And, With The Drinks And Starters Too...

So, Did My Gastronomy Coupled With Borosil's Presentable Glassware...

Inspire Your Taste Buds?

Let's Carry On With The Foodie Trail, Then...

~~~

Moving On, Along With The Zodiac-Chakra...

Fire Again Takes Charge, With A Royal Leo-ness Manifestation...
Ambition, Pride, And Individuality Personify My B-I-L...
Commanding An Array Of Main Course Dishes, Mushroomy Lasagne...
Oozing With Enticing Aromas, Melt-In-Mouth Parmesan Cheese...
Presented To You, In Enticing, Exquisite Oval Dishes!

An Earthy Virgo Male, Who Now Takes Lead, Is My Father...
The One Who Has An Analytic Approach And A Critical Eye...
To Him, I Proudly Stage, Corn & Asparagus Salad, Healthy...
With His Knack For Detail, I Couldn't Overlook Nutrition...
To Floor Everyone With My Designer Bowls, I'm On A Mission!

 She Has An Air Of Perfection Around - Taking Center Stage...
That's How My Family Describes Me, A Narcissist, Not Me!
With My Attempts To Harmonize And Balance, Work & Home...
A Ravioli With Spinach Filling, Hale 'n' Hearty Suits Perfectly...
And That's How I Like To Cook It - In My Dish - Rectangular-ly...

The One To Take The Limelight Next - Is A Scorpion Mystery...
That's How They Like To Maintain A Secretive Personality!
To Keep It Up, With My Nephew's Tenacity...
I Spice It Up With Cannelloni In Cheese...
The Ingredients I Keep An Illusion, For Him, In My Mixing Dish!

~~~

With That I Wrap Up My Main Course...

I Hope You're Keeping Up With The Irresistibly Instigating Food...

Because There's The Final Family Members To Meet...

And, The Deserts Too Await...

Come On, Follow Us...

Into The Final Leg Of The Taste - Buds' Trail!

~~~

A Restless, Independent, Charming, Honest One - Is Aunt, 'Sagi'...
I Begin The Round Of Desserts, With 'Gajar Ka Halwa' - Hot & Sweet...
Simmered In 'Desi Ghee', Topped With Cashews And Raisins Nutty...
With The Impressive Scent Of Cardamom To Instill...
Served In My Borosil Mini - Plate Set Of Three!

A Success - Oriented Personality, With A Knack For Appreciation...
A 'Capri' Individual With A Sense Of Humor, My S-I-L!
For Her, I Bring Up, Strawberry Crumble, In My Fluted Dish!
A Combo That's Sure To Strike The Senses...
With Cinnamon, Almonds, And Crushed Strawberry!

Uniqueness In Their Art, Perseverance In Their Work...
A Dish, Dedicated To My Mother, Aquarian Innovation...
Mastering The Skill Of Creativity, Humanitarian At Heart...
I Attempt Her Soft Besan Laddo, Sprinkled With Elaichi...
Served In My Oval And Square Dish Set...
This One's Set To Steal!

The Cherry On The Cake - Are My Piscean Bro & Hubby...
Keeping In Mind, Their Large Sweet Teeth, I Plan Accordingly...
Intuitiveness Made Them Know - Chocolaty Walnut Was For Them...
Sweet, Yet In Control, Is My Dessert Of The Day...
Served Atop My Celebration Platter, It Stole Their Hearts Away!

~~~

And, Yet, Before I Wrap Up My Rhyme...

I Must Let You Know...

Borosil Worked Wonders For The Ambiance Too...

My Guests Were Completely Floored...

~~~

Had It Not Been For The Sparkle Tea Lights Set...

And The Golden Lotus Lights...

My Preparation Would've Lacked...

That Perfect Midas Touch!

~~~

Oh! Now, My Rhyme Is Quite Long, You See...

Longer Is The List Of Compliments, I Take Pride In, That's Me...

That's All I Would Like To Top It Up With...

Borosil Made My Day!

~~~

This post has been written as a part of 'My Beautiful Food' Contest by Borosil in association with IndiBlogger.
You can vote for it here.

At The Helm Of Nature...

~~~

I'm Very Much A Nature's Person...

You Could Very Much Say, I'm Nature's Comrade...

In My Own Small Ways. :)

~~~

I've Always Believed...

We Are All Manifestations Of Nature...

And, Of Course, We Are, In Our Own Unique Ways!

~~~

And, If We Look At It, From A Different Perspective, Altogether...

I Believe, Each One Of Us, Has A Unique Nature Too, Isn't It? :)

~~~

I also believe I feel so strongly about Nature because Botany & Zoology were my first love in School and College, maybe? ;)

And, maybe because, in the back of my mind, I experience an adrenaline rush when I get to explore any new plant or animal species when I'm on my travelling spree, or even otherwise?

And, would you believe that half of the Photos in any of my Travel Albums for the Year is devoted to capturing Nature and its pictures! :D

Picture This...

My #JodeyDilonKo Experience has all my Nature-sque Pics taken at the Andaman Islands, 2012.

Now, I haven't yet disclosed, why I'm going all gung-ho about Nature, have I?

It's for Project 365, yet again!!! :D

~~~

And, when they asked me, about my first tryst with Nature...

I was purported back in time - picturing myself playing with a Ladybug, or a Snail, or a Butterfly!

Like every other kid, I learned to appreciate the Power, Impact and Beauty of Nature at a very early age.

And, since then, every interaction of mine has been memorable.

~~~

The same Garden I grew up, playing in! :)

That reminds me of a Picture Trail, I have, to show to you...

Sunrises & Sunsets Are Always A Delight To Capture!
Enroute Agra.

Yet Another Mustard Field, I Spotted, Enroute Chandigarh!

Rains Are Always A Delight To Watch!

Remember This Fallen Birdie, In My Courtyard, 28 July 2013?
Brought It Back To Life, And Made It Fly Again! ^_^

This Swan Ring, Is Naturally, Made Of A Shell.
Collected In The Sands Of Havelock. :)

Even This Mother's Day Doodle Was Inspired By Nature.

~~~

After All, It Is...

Nature, The Bearer And Support Of All Beings, Living, All Alive...

Accommodating Within Its Manifold Existence, Glorious Life-Forms!

Teaching Us The Importance Of Sustenance, To Continually Thrive...

Urges Us, Care For It, As Much As It Does For Us, It Transforms!

Reassuring Us Of Its Infinite, Exquisite Variation, Amazing Bounty...

Enriching Our Tryst With Life - Ours And That - Ones Around Us!

And, as for the choice between The Forest Or The City, I guess I would go with the Beauty Of Forests, Of Nature, Coupled With The Lifestyle Of The City.

Because, Choosing only the Forest Life or only the City Life would be a 'not-so-wise' decision.

In my opinion, it would be Wiser, to opt for The Best Of Both Worlds! ^_^

~~~

This post is a part of the WordPress Daily Prompts : 365 Writing Prompts program where the aim is to post at least one post a day based on the day's prompt.

The Prompt for June 30 was a 'Free Prompt' provided to all of us, Guest Authors.

The Prompt is, The Natural World - 'Describe your first memorable experience, exploring and spending time in Nature. Were you in awe? Or were you not impressed? Would you rather spend time in the forest or the city?'

This is my Fifteenth Post as a guest author to Project 365 : We Post Daily!

Revisiting The 'Mardaani' In MY Family Tree...

~~~

The Two Ladies I'm Going To Introduce To You Today...

Have Made An Appearance On The Blog, In The Past Too...

Just That, Whenever I Sit To Reflect...

On The Wonders Girl Power Can Do...

I'm Reminded To Glance At My Roots...

Look Up To My Family Tree...

Because I'm A Proud 'Bua'...

To Not One...

But Two Such Epitomes Of Strength, Courage And Success...

Who Are A True 'Mardaani' In Every Sense Of The Word!

~~~

My association with them began through my Mother - Ms. Rajjeet Malhotra - who took up the name of Mrs. Shanta Mehta after marriage.

As, it was through her, that I formed my relationship with my maternal uncle - Mr. Balbir Malhotra.

 Mr. Ashok Kumar Mahotra, was her nephew, my first cousin, and father to these two ladies - the true 'Mardaani'.

Though he was my 'Veer Ji' as I fondly called him, not only because he was elder to me, but also because he was younger to my Mother by 11 years.

~~~

And, Mr. Ashok Kumar Malhotra - My 'Veer Ji' was the Founder Chairman of the iconic 'Malhotra Book Depot', which has its roots in Punjab since 1956, and has had the capacity to spread its reach all over India, and Worldwide, as well.

Mr. Ashok Kumar Malhotra.

~~~

And so, my entrepreneur nieces, Ms. Monica Malhotra Kandhari and Ms. Sonica Malhotra Kandhari or 'Mona' and 'Sona' as I fondly address them, did the family proud - in every walk of life they pursued, in every initiative they took up, in every which way possible...

That Is The Cute & Charismatic Mona...

Seen Here As The Budding Artiste!

Being born into such a prestigious blood line, boasting of the Chronicles of Leadership, coming from their father, both the girls exhibited qualities of Dedication, Hard Work, Efficiency and Perfectionism, in every task they took up, in their respective lives.

The fact that they were 'Heiresses' and not 'Heirs' to such a Titan Empire, as should have been back in those times, in an orthodox society, did not deter them from advancing towards their Aims in life.

Rather, their Will-Power and Determination always found a new soil, a new ground and a new pillar to support and strengthen their objectives.

Both my nieces were able to carve their independent and flawless niches and never had to rely on their surname - the tag of being a Malhotra - in those times of extreme patriarchal dominance.

I still remember how they used to accompany 'Veer Ji' to their Head Office at Gulab Bhavan, and how they used to boss around in their own innocent, yet mature ways! :D

While Monica, armed with a Commerce background, advanced ahead to acquire her graduation degree in B.Com (H) from Jesus and Mary College, along with a post graduate diploma in Kathak from Kathak Kendra, New Delhi, Sonica accompanied her elder sister with an MBA in Finance from The Harvard Business School .

Both, very courageously, followed in their Father's footsteps, in order to expand the Business, and take the Empire forward, scaling new heights.

~~~

All went Hunky - Dory...

Until 2009.

Unfortunately, 2009 was an ominous year for all of us.

We all were taken aback with the untimely demise of my Mother on September 30 and my 'Veer Ji' on December 30 - all at a gap of 3 months, attributed to different reasons, altogether.

They say, God has his own ways...

Everyone in the family opined that it would be difficult for both Monica & Sonica to handle all their businesses single handed.

But, The Ladies Beat Us!

And How!

Their 'Never Say Die' spirit, the courage to put up a brave face against all odds, against the loss of two very dear relationships, against the emotional, psychological and even physical stresses they were facing as a consequence of such nerve-wrecking tragedies, against their Empire which stood against a Dead End at that moment, with their Guiding Light having merged into the Divine Light and against our opinions, even, made them emerge as True Winners, against the Road-blocks, life had presented them with.

Like A True Mardaani, They Made A Difference...

To Their Dear Ones...

To The Family...

To Their Social Circle...

When It Was...

Needed The Most...

~~~

They did not shy away from the harsh realities of life.
Nor, did they lose hope.

They were quick to adapt to such tremendous changes, as the Year 2009 had brought.
They were quick to make life - changing decisions - in the blink of an eye.

They endeavored in the search of a New, Bright Tomorrow.

And So...
Their agility and sensibility bore fruit...

They were the ones to bravely break away the Stereotypes, to stand up and speak for the Change in the mindset of an orthodox society, and to bring about, a freshness, in their way of handling the Businesses, very efficiently.

Monica took over as the Senior Executive Director & Sonica as the Executive Director of MBD Group in January 2010, with their Mother, Mrs. Satish Malhotra presiding over as an able Chairman.

My Lovely Nieces.
Under the blessings of my Veer Ji... 

Four Years Hence, There's Been No Looking Back.

Under the vision as encompassed by 'Veer Ji' - "For every literate person, there would be an MBD product.", the Group that started off as a small Publication House - expanded itself into the Largest Publishing House in India - while spreading far and wide, foraying into the Hospitality Sector by partnering with The Radisson - as MBD Radisson Blu, Noida, now headed by Sona.



While Mona took charge of diversifying into Paper Manufacturing & E-Learning by introducing MBD Alchemie, Sona now heads the Retail and Real Estate Sectors with MBD Neopolis at Jalandhar & Ludhiana and MBD Zephyr at Bangalore.

MBD | Neopolis Mall

At The Helm Of Luxurious Living, MBD | Zephyr!

I also take pride in stating that they are walking on the progressive path to success by expanding all their businesses with great elan – With their Publishing Department - managing more than 10,000 employees, with more than 36 branch offices, 1,000 distributors and 10,000 booksellers across the country.

The Paper Manufacturing & Publication Unit has also expanded to manufacturing recycled eco - friendly notebooks under the brand name of MBD WriteWell - We Preserve Nature.

 Holy Faith International, Oxbridge & Modern Publishers (a sister imprint of HFI).

Holy Faith International - MBD Publishers...

Small Footprints Can Make A Big Difference - The WriteWell Series...

With both Mona & Sona having brought prestige to the Group, to the Empire and to the Family, having bagged Awards of the likes of  'IMM Top Women Entrepreneur Awards' by the Institute of Marketing Management and the 'Young Achiever Award 2006', 'Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award 2007', 'Naari Shakti Sammaan 2011' by The Adhaar Foundation, and even The Women Entrepreneur of the Year, shared by both the sisters in 2011...

Monica, receiving yet another Accolade.

Sonica, Jubilant as ever, on another achievement.

As 'Actions speak louder than Words'...

So do 'Achievements speak louder than Ideas'...

Their Effort Stands Testimony To Their Efficiency...

To The Flawless Expansion Of The Malhotra Empire.

~~~

They have been the epitome of inspiration for all the Women of our Family...

They have shown their mettle and aptly proved that women can successfully, not only sustain, but also carry forward their father’s legacy.

Because, for us...

They both have been...

A True...

Malhotra Sisters, As They Are Addressed, Socially...
Acquiring That Baton Of Responsibilities, Quite Early...
Reaffirming Their Strength In The Face Of Tragedies...
Destroying Those Stereotypes In All Their Capacities...
Administering The Final Rites Of The Loved Patriarch...
Anchoring Sails Of An Empire Under Their Matriarch...
Negotiating With That Much Needed Tide Of Change...
Illustrating A Wonder Of 'Girl Power', It Isn't Strange!

~~~

~~~

This post is written as a part of I Am Mardaani Activity exclusively at BlogAdda.com for Indian Bloggers.