Storizen Magazine May 2022 | Kelly Moran

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MAY 2022

STORIZEN Celebrating 4 Years of Storizen!

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR KELLY MORAN & THE IMPORTANCE OF HAPPY-EVER-AFTERS Exclusive Digital Issue For more Columns and features, scan the QR code

Exclusive Feature on PAGE 8

Cover Story International Bestselling Author Kelly Moran & the Importance of Happy-EverAfters

Brand Partners Aleph Book Company Bloomsbury India Fingerprint Publishing Hachette India

Book Reviews Swapna Peri

Editors Pria Raiyani Saurabh Chawla

For Advertising, Contact us attalktous@storizen.com

HarperCollinsIndia Pan Macmillan India Penguin India Roli Books Rupa Publications Westland (An Amazon Company)

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CONT ENTS 07 08

The LOST DIARY of KASTUR, MY BA, by Tushar Gandhi - HarperCollins India

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EDITORS NOTE

COVER STORY

- Ankur R. Gupta

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- Neelakshi Banerjee

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Phantom Plague by Vidya Krishnan

HOT OFF THE PRESS Ghost Lover by Lisa Taddeo

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STORIZEN INTERVIEW Conversation with Anuraag Singh, Cybersecurity Wizard

- Penguin India

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STORIZEN FOOD Food: A Delectable Form of Expression

- Pria & Swapna Peri

HOT OFF THE PRESS

STORIZEN FOOD Discover the Spice Route of Relationship

International Bestselling Author Kelly Moran & the Importance of HappyEver-Afters

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HOT OFF THE PRESS

- Riya Gulati

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STORIZEN HEALTH

- Bloomsbury India

How to Balance your Hormones?

HOT OFF THE PRESS

- Sushma M Bhardwaj

The Candy House by Jennifer Egan - Hachette India

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STORIZEN INTERVIEW

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Conversation with The Ganga Saviors - Rajiv Ranjan Mishra & Puskal Upadhyay

STORIZEN REVIEWS Hindu Love Stories by Aditi Banerjee - Swapna Peri

- Megha Parmar

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STORIZEN FOOD

Mauri by Saiswaroopa Iyer - Swapna Peri

Understanding How We Are Witnessing A Massive Change In Diets - Dibyendu Bindal, Founder - MIGHTY FOODS

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- Swapna Peri

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- Swapna Peri

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STORIZEN REVIEWS Vote for Pant, But Don't

by Sorabh Pant

STORIZEN REVIEWS Rising: 30 Women Who Changed India by Kiran Manral

STORIZEN REVIEWS The Freelance Way by Robert Vlach

STORIZEN REVIEWS

STORIZEN POETRY Taste Buds Talk...

- Madhumathi H.

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- Swapna Peri

STORIZEN POETRY Haiku

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STORIZEN REVIEWS It's Time to Rhyme by Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan - Swapna Peri

- Sangita Kalarickal Krivosik

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STORIZEN POETRY Fish: I Love To Gorge In - Aparna Mukherjee

To read Storizen on the web, visit storizen.com. Follow Storizen on Instagram @storizenmag.

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Storizen Magazine April 2022

Books we are loving this month

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from the editor

calling all writers!

DO YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF STORIZEN FAMILY? You can also be a contributor. Mail us your entries at talktous@storizen.com. Your smart ideas and inputs help us create our informative issues.

"O ne cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well." Virginia Woolf said it right with this quote. I would like to add to it, that one who enjoys the food to the fullest can think well, love well & sleep well!

As we completed 4 years last month, we thank our readers, contributors, and subscribers for their constant support & love. With your immense love & blessings, we are super excited to release this 50th issue of Storizen Magazine featuring International Bestselling Author Kelly Moran & the Importance of Happy-Ever-Afters. Do check out the Exclusive Cover Story on Page 8!

We all love food and have some sumptuous temptations for some foods. For north Indians, it's Rajma Rice, for Italians, it's Pasta, and so on. We had dedicated the month of May to the love of food.

Book lovers, gift yourself a reading treat this May. Check out our suggestions for this month inside.

When it comes to health, hormone imbalances are creating headlines nowadays. Fret Not! We have some tips for you to balance your hormones naturally. Check out the article by Sushma M Bhardwaj on page 38.

Dive into the world of your favorite foods from across the globe and check the articles inside. We are sure that you will feel your taste buds wanting more.

We loved reading all the submissions, articles, and poems we received & are overwhelmed with such a wonderful response from our readers. Keep showering your love & blessings so we can share with you more impactful content every month.

We are sure that you are going to love this issue and keep coming back for reading it again. Do share with your friends and family members.

Happy Reading!

editor@storizen.com Saurabh Chawla, Editor in Chief

COVER STORY

Author Kelly Moran

COVER STORY

KELLY MORAN International Bestselling Author & the Importance of Happy-Ever-Afters WE GOT A CHANCE TO READ THE REDWOOD RIDGE SERIES AND ARE GLAD THAT WE GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE AUTHOR HERSELF. BELOW, YOU CAN READ THE EXCERPT FROM THE INTERVIEW.

by Pria and Swapna Peri

L

ife is short, so it is essential to live it fully and be the light in the dark.

These are a few words from our recent conversation with our author of the month, Kelly Moran.

A brief introduction before we dive into the details further: Kelly is an author who writes enchanting everafters. Here book Mistletoe Magic (Redwood Ridge 6) is a Finalist in the Book Excellence Awards. She lives in South Carolina, the USA with her significant other and is a mother of three sons.

While the regional Literature sustains in its form in many places, the socioeconomic conditions post the

Independence has also been given an ideal place. The invasions that happened have had a long-lasting influence on Indian Literature. This influence has spread over almost all LIFE: THEN AND NOW Before starting her career as a fulltime writer, Kelly was a medical assistant. As a writer, she loves her job and wouldn't ever stop. So what if you stop writing or wouldn't have been a writer? Kelly was smiling and replied with a charm, "Before writing full time, I was a medical assistant. Should I ever stop writing, I think I’d get into editing or marketing, but that’s

COVER STORY

unlikely. I enjoy my job too much and my characters would kill me."

Kelly loves her life and believes that one should approach people with compassion and empathy. No one knows what pain the other person is going through. Being a living person in this world, pain and suffering are our buddies and enemies. We asked her to throw some light on what life has been for her and we strongly agree with her thoughts, "We never know what someone is dealing with or what burdens they carry. Be kind. Be humble. Be a light in the dark. I’m an avid supporter of the underdog and try to pay it forward when I can. Cliché as it sounds, life is short and we only get one go-around, so I try to make mine count and leave an imprint in the lives I encounter."

KNOWING KELLY AS A WRITER Be it any industry, we all face some level of discrimination based on gender.

As female writers, discrimination came to our minds. We wanted to know if she ever faced discrimination ever, and her answer came as a surprise. " I have often felt more discriminated against because of my genre than my sex. Whenever possible, I try to educate if I can.

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There are many people out there who frown upon romance, often describing it as mommy porn, not actual literature, or a joke. Romance is the number one selling fiction genre and has been for more than thirty years.

We’ve come a long way between organizations, reviews, multicultural awareness, LGBTQ+ awareness, sheer numbers, and awards, but yet we’re still snubbed," we listened to her intently.

She continued, "Literary greats such as Shakespeare, Bronte, Hemingway, Poe, and Austen were all romancedriven writers. No book or genre or writer should ever be made to feel ashamed. Love is important. It brings hope, lights up the dark, and is the most basic of human needs. Without it, we’d have no existence or purpose.

I’m honored and proud to write happily-ever-afters."

I also usually have some soft music playing in the background as I do the reading, Swapna intervened, do you also listen to any music while writing?

We both looked at Kelly. "I don’t have one song in particular as a whole, but each book I write often has a theme song I play on repeat to keep me in the story that reminds me of the plot or characters," she replied.

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COVER STORY

There are many people out there who frown upon romance, often describing it as mommy porn, not actual literature, or a joke. Romance is the number one selling fiction genre and has been for more than thirty years.

Pic: Kelly's Home Office

Apart from the Romance genre, Kelly told us that she would also love to explore the horror genre. She says, "I might someday soon dabble in the horror genre. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long while. It would most likely be under a different pen name and solely focus on ghostly themes."

ON HER CHARACTERS Like parents love their children, every author loves their characters. They are born out of their imagination, making the author their parent. The process of building a character can be easy or MAY 2022

Pic: Kelly's Bookshelf

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COVER STORY

daunting depending on the plot and several other factors. Some level of research is indeed necessary while building the characters. For Kelly, she believes in doing research beforehand so that the characters are built impeccably.

She elaborates her process further, "I research everything beforehand, and along the way if something comes up. From a character’s career to the way they behave on a psychiatric level, I research. How they were raised and their past plays a role in who they are today. I also research the setting on a deep level, from flora and fauna to dialect to climate. I write fiction, but it is important for me to be based in reality."

She loves all her characters. Some are easy to develop, and some are too much of a pain to write. "Each book and character holds a piece of me and was both a pleasure and

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pain to write. Many of my heroines are strong and feisty, and many of my heroes often struggle to live with a condition such as PTSD or anxiety, but that is not always the case or the situation is reversed.

There’s a greater challenge to those elements, especially if it’s a friends-to-lovers, yet worth it."

"Mm-Hmm, we sip on our coffee as we continue listening to her."

The Redwood Ridge series kind of took on a life of its own, winning awards, and has foreign translation in many countries (like my Cattanach Ranch series did).

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COVER STORY

HER TAKE ON READING Every reader may not be a writer, but every writer is a reader. We believe in this notion and asked Kelly about her reading preferences, favorite authors et al.

"I’m currently reading Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series again. Great books. I’d also recommend anything by AJ Nuest, Mackenzie Crowne, Dixie Brown, Alison Bliss, Angel Nicholas, Arial Burnz, or Sarah Grimm. It’s pretty rare that I don’t finish a book, so I can’t recall the last instance. Even if I don’t care for something, I’ll push through until the end."

There is always a book we love to read as a child that would scare us. For Kelly, it was Stephen King. She throws the light on it further, "I don’t know if it was the scariest or even if I was a child, but Stephen King’s book Misery stands out. I think because the main character was also an author, who ultimately got kidnapped and tortured, is why it was so bone-chilling for me. I could relate and it was realistic. To this day, if someone says, “I’m your number one fan,” I cringe.

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INSPIRATION BEHIND THE REDWOOD RIDGE SERIES The Redwood Ridge series was one of the finest books that we got a chance to read and as a romance genre lover, Puppy Love is a charming romance and a fascinating story. We asked Kelly to shed some light on The Redwood Ridge Series and her inspiration behind it.

"The Redwood Ridge series kind of took on a life of its own, winning awards, and has foreign translation in many countries (like my Cattanach Ranch series did). I love the small-town setting there in the Pacific Northwest, pocketed between the Klamath Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, and that 3 women play matchmaker."

Many novels have been written with small-town settings and books centered around veterinarians and public service members such as firefighters or police officers. "Jill Shalvis, Kimberly Kincaid, and Kristan Higgins have written books like those, which I devoured. They inspired me to combine both elements, with a Cupid twist."

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COVER STORY

WRAPPING IT UP Time was running by and we were ready to conclude the interview with Kelly.

Before saying Goodbye, she suggests that first-time readers of her books check her website and book trailers before deciding which book of hers to read.

"If you like romance, I have a little something for everyone. You’ll always get a happily-ever-after and real characters in my stories. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime on social media or through email. I always respond personally and love connecting with readers."

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COVER STORY

We thanked Kelly for her wonderful time and amazing conversation.

If you would like to read her books, you can explore her website: https://www.authorkellymoran.com/ Subscribe to Storizen to learn more about your favorite authors and to receive tips on writing and marketing your books combined in a single package – Storizen Magazine personally in your inbox!

Follow @storizenmag on Instagram Connect with us on facebook.com/Storizenmag Follow us on twitter.com/storizenmag Follow us on Issuu and never miss another issue from us

About Pria - Young mesmerizing freelance blogger, social enthusiast, an economics graduate from Jharkhand University with Master in Child Psychology. She is hardworking yet crazy, a passionate reader, an ardent music fanatic, an avid caffeine lover, and a maniacal animal lover too.

She has been a part of numerous anthologies, articles, and write-ups for newspapers and magazines which are multi-linguistic. She has also written screenplays for YouTube series.

Contact: pria@storizen.com

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HOTthe OFFpress In Phantom Plague, Vidya Krishnan, traces the history of tuberculosis from the slums of 19th-century New York to modern Mumbai.

Behind anonymous screens, an army of cool and beautiful girls manage the dating service Ghost Lover, a forwarding system for text messages that promises to spare you the anguish of trying to stay composed while communicating with your crush.

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MAY 2022

HOTthe OFFpress Intellectually dazzling and extraordinarily moving, The Candy House is a bold, brilliant imagining of a world that is moments away.

A century and half after her birth, this book finally presents Kasturba as her own person, a woman of substance. Includes rare photos of Kasturba and Mahatma Gandhi.

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Discover the Spice Route of Relationship

BY ANKUR R. GUPTA

T

he goodbye kisses before going to the office, talking to each other endlessly, going out for candlelight dinners, sharing the same bowl of popcorn while watching a movie at home, or simply holding each other hands silently…When was the last time we did that asked Nitiya looking at her husband? They have been married for more than seven years. Eh, what did you say? Ram looked up from his laptop towards his wife. The distorted look on Nitiya’s face made him realize that something was troubling her.

Now, what did I do to upset her, he muttered to himself. But he did not recall any. Forget it, said Nitiya, it’s no point talking to you. For you, it's your work, friends, and laptop that matter.

You have no time for me. No, that’s not true, replied Ram. In fact, it's you who is so busy with children and family, and the conversation turned again into a petty quarrel of blaming each other, leaving both of them discontented.

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Well, doesn’t this scenario have a familiar acquaintance to many couples like us? Where we as couples get so busy shouldering other priorities and responsibilities of life that ‘the mood’ for spending quality time with each other despite being in LOVE begins to downslide. We unwillingly start shying away from making any extra efforts to spend time with each other exclusively.

Any committed relationship or marriage starts taking a back seat when one moves out of the initial phase of infatuation and discovery. With time, our relationship, with our committed partner becomes static and cries for inventiveness. The time we spent on children, work, parents, and other duties leaves little time for each other.

But then it’s ‘normal’ isn’t that in the heap of responsibilities and other aspirations, our love life begins to fizzle over time. But just because it is ‘Normal’ doesn’t mean we need to accept this as a status quo. Instead, take advantage of this lull to bring the spark back to your relationship.

With passing time, you may have made yourself comfortable in the inertia of the love and understanding between you and your monogamous partner. But the question arises, is that enough? Or are you missing out on the crackling chemistry you both shared at the beginning of your relationship or marriage?

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“It’s easy to fall in love but keeping it sparkle burning requires continuous diligence from both the life partners.” says the relationship psychologists.

So, no matter how busy and stressed out you are in life, snatch away a few moments every day to be with just each other as love mates. Expressing your feelings through your eyes is not enough until it is accompanied by actions. So, rejuvenate your romance by trying new ways to enhance your compatibility with your life partner.

THREE WAYS TO SPICE UP YOUR RELATIONSHIP 1. Compatibility of Sex Since Adam and Eve, the universal language of expressing love by the couples has been through making love.

However, to add flavors here, both partners should learn to make some healthy compromises and take out time from their busy schedules to keep the sparkle of their companionship alive.

Indulge in frequent spontaneous sex which means don’t wait until you’re in the mood to make love. This is a misconception that one should get intimate when both the partners are “in the mood”. That is practically not possible. There will be times when you are "in the mood" but the other is not or vice versa. So, if you are going to wait for you and your partner to have matching sexual desires, then this will leave both of you frustrated and unhappy.

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One of you with fewer sexual urges may feel hassled with sex all the time, and the other is embarrassed for wanting more.

This leads to frustration and detachment which complicates the relationship and may add up to marital discord.

It is perfectly "OK" to put in some extra effort to have a steamy session with your partner even when you are not “in the mood." The result will be of no regret, says the Florida-based relationship psychologist, "It will satiate the sexual desires of one of the partners and the happy hormones (oxytocin) released in the process of lovemaking will euphorically uplift another person’s mood." So, it’s a win-win situation for both as long as both partners are willingly on board. It stimulates your marital felicity and compatibility.

It’s just all about setting yourself to "get started." The rest of what follows is two "happy souls."

“Sex is a Panacea of any healthy committed relationship”

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2. Set the Mood to talk more often A continuous healthy chain of communication between you and your partner, where you share and talk out explicitly with each other about your needs, wishes, expectations, and apprehensions will always keep a spark in your relationship brightly lit up.

This intense medium to display emotions and feelings put you in “compatible mode and at ease” with your monogamous partner. This intense medium to display emotions and feelings put you in “compatible mode and at ease” with your monogamous partner.

However, both committed people need to acknowledge and respect each other feelings and come to a mutual understanding to enjoy different phases of their relationship together.

The tides of time bring forth many changes in you and your partner both mentally and physically. Similarly, the priorities in your life also keep switching.

To adjust to these changes, you shall agree that open communication with each other is a MUST. Couples who indulge in regular talking, sharing, and frequent display of emotive feelings enjoy a boisterous companionship, as it keeps on strengthening the emotional stability between the two life partners.

Finding a best friend in your partner is like a ‘jewel in a crown’ in a flourishing relationship.

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The feeling of trust and empathy between the couples is the basic manifesto of a thriving relationship.

Talking and often exhibiting your thoughts and emotions towards your partner helps in maintaining these two manifestos.

In nutshell, the tracks of meaningful, honest regular dialogues between the couples improve the quality of their relationship as it put you ‘at ease’ with your life partner to have heartfelt discussions. This leaves a sizzling impact on your bonding.

“Sing or Nag, always give wings to the right words to express” 3. The ME Time for each other When was the last time you went on a date with your partner or planned a surprise dinner for them? Or sat to spend some precious time together with a discussion centric only to you both?

Not very often isn’t, because you’re too tied up playing being parents, peers, and otherworldly roles. The feeling of spending some time exclusively dedicated to each other takes a backseat.

If you’re missing out on the quality ME time with each other then it’s time to reinvigorate your relationship. Just a little effort from both the life partners is enough to spice up the relationship.

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Begin by taking out time for each other for some spontaneous actions to rekindle your romance- by indulging in flirtatious gestures, and expressive love like kissing, hugging, fondling, and holding hands. Revive your memorable moments by zipping off to cozy- dates, fun -frolic shopping, surprise giftsflowers, late-night movies, long drives, unplanned holidays, and rediscovering each other. Even a time spent at home cozily with a cup of coffee or glass of wine together at night can be a refresher. If you’re unable to go out create a romantic date at home with some favorite takeaways, music, dance or simply holding hands and watching a nice movie or just talking.Saying often 3 magical words “I Love You” or texting love messages to your partner does wonder.

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Try to invent your ways to charge up each other’s passionate moods and you’ll realize that there is so much more to discover together to have an amazingly merrier life ahead. Quality ME time for each other is an efficacious way to make your partner feel wanted and desired by you.

“There is no way to invest in a relationship without investing your time.

To sum up, a regular display of emotions between the partners creates a stratum of positivity in a couple’s well-being by minimizing to great extent stress, anxiety, misunderstanding, and keeping at bay marital discord and above all infidelity.

Nitya and Ram will be better placed if they introduce random spontaneity in their routines. The spontaneity of indulging in regular lovemaking, open communication, and spending quality ME time with each other. Relation blossoms on the bed of love withfrequent surprises in form of uncertainty and spontaneity tokeep partners in the hunt for wild guesses and it gives youanescasticadrenaline rush that you miss in routine.

Ankur R Gupta - I'm a blogger, an author, and a certified content creator.

My writings revolve around the simple motto “Write to bring Smile”. I believe in understanding behavioral aspects of human life linked with their different phases and then ink my words about them in a simplified way to spin out positivity and purpose associated with them.

A hardcore history enthusiast and traveler. I love to read & explore our ancient cultures and civilizations.

My reading page is inkmyword -the reader community.

@writingstomakeyousmile

So, keep falling in love again and again by rediscovering each other.

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Food: A Delectable Form of Expression

by Neelakshi Banerjee

F

ood is an expression, a strong adhesive for binding families, a great excuse for forging bonds, and a symbolic identity of a culture. Food holds an auspicious position in our lives and through the passage of time, its importance has not dwindled if not accentuated.

Many innovative ideas were conceived over casual lunch meetings, many relationships blossomed over a casual cup of coffee and food is a great vehicle for ingratiating oneself with others.

Though I myself am not an outright foodie, at times I do enjoy a copious amount of junk food. During Durga Puja, eating golgappa popularly called fuchka with the tamarind water smearing our lips and trickling down our chin as we indulge in a rigorous competition of outsmarting the others in munching the most, has become an untold ritual.

On the other hand, sipping a cup of hot coffee on a misty winter morning while leafing through a storybook or listening to some good music while wrapped up in a cozy comforter drinking hot chocolate to spend dreary wintry nights,

or going to CCD alone to write something has become my peaceful getaways, a transitory respite in the otherwise bristling life. for everyday staple diet, potato remains my favorite.

Nothing could surpass my cravings for this delicious vegetable which can eerily adjust with all other vegetables and can remain a constant item in my daily meal without making it remotely monotonous. Be it potato fries or potato rice or curry or potato quesadilla, I love to munch them and thank the Portuguese prodigally for introducing this delectable food in India.

Even watching The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society ignites a special yearning to gorge on sauteed potatoes almost every time. Though am not a fervent fan of lavish dishes and lucrative names, with no particular inclination for pizza or ravioli, learning

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fledgling hunger but rather of the quality time I used to spend with my family, listening to all the wonderful tales and sharing laughs. Even now more than the food, the occasion attached with it bears more significance to me, be it some family time or some friendly chat or even spending some lonely time reflecting.

I am not an adept cook and there had been instances when people got subjected to my unpalatable dishes but mutedly nodded their apparent appreciation just not to demoralize me.

about different cuisines endemic to different cultures piques my interest.

From the Tibetan Dimsums to South Indian dosas, from Italian pasta to North Indian millet parathas, food is a distinct determinant of a region’s culture with a tangible climatic imprint on it. In fact, the enhanced life expectancy of people of the Blue Zone intrigued me, and in my search to know about their lifestyle, I got acquainted with their food habits, which mainly comprised fruits and pulses.

Food habits have a tangible impact on our health and also influence our thinking trajectory to some extent. Being a vegetarian, I feel a sattvic diet comprising fruits, milk, and vegetables is most essential for fortification of health.

Food connects people in different ways.

Since my childhood, I used to avidly wait for dinner time, not just to satiate my 30

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A particular memory flashes whenever the topic of cake springs up. On Christmas Eve one time, my mother was baking a chocolate cake, and in my overzealous mood, I was jumping up and down in the room till my chip bumped into the footboard top rail of the bed and blood gushed out from my tongue.

Even after incessantly dabbing my tongue with sugar and turmeric, the crimson trickled down the white washstand like a meandering stream and though my family was paranoid that a stitch was certain, it healed with only a copious dose of ointment, thereby keeping our Christmas spirit unblemished.

At times watching people eat voraciously in movies also ignites my latent appetite.

For example, one day watching Eat Pray Love on TV I got a sudden desire to have an exact replica of the dishes shown in the movie to satiate my fledgling hunger.

In hotels, I invariably have a quandary as MAY 2022

to what sequence to follow when breakfast comprises both juice and tea, but pineapple cheese cherry accompanied by a creamy coffee is in itself a lucrative breakfast.

Among the variety of food I have tasted, whether in a whimsical experimental mode in restaurants, or while on vacation in some new places, or in my bold endeavor to flaunt my newly acquired culinary skills by mixing vegetables with dals, or mixing herbs and kidney beans to make some special soup, my favorite remains the yellow lentils with potato fries and rice.

Another mouthwatering delicacy, a mainstay in Bengali breakfast, is luchi spruced up by brinjal fry or begun bhaja as locally called. Though at first it was a humongous task for me to make round disks of the flour but it is a joy to watch them puff up into rounded balls. Its flaky interior with the crispy exterior is what makes the traditional luchi such an enticing dish, or more aptly an elite breakfast choice.

My name is Neelakshi Banerjee.

Recently I have developed a budding interest to delve through the subtle beauty of art and articulate my imaginations with the help of words.

Music holds a pivotal place in my life.

Though am an engineer by profession I believe both science and arts are equally imperative to make this world a more beautiful place.

@justice11254

Food is an intrinsic part of our lives.

Apart from providing us the requisite nourishment, it is also a symbol of celebration, a binding factor of family or friends. And known traditional food like rice and potato for me makes up the perfect dish.

Why go for experimentation when we have such delicacies at our convenience.

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Photo: Anuraag Singh, Founder: Systools

Anuraag Singh is not just a revolutionary in the cyber security domain but a lauded personality who has gone beyond his profession to touch the lives of zillion people. He holds more than 21 years of dedicated experience in digital technology with core proficiency in cyber investigations and digital forensics. Back in 2007, he founded a digital technology company, SysTools which provided a platform to solve innumerable problems of the global users in matters pertaining to data recovery, cloud backup, migration, and digital forensics.

The maven has always been keen to serve the nation in the best possible way.

Can you please provide us with an overview of your professional journey? Why did you choose cyber security as your career line?

Professional Journey: Currently, I am the Founder and Director of SysTools Software, a digital technology company.

I've spent years dedicating my service to my country by employing my expertise in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics. As a software developer, I have created over 350 software programs under the SysTools brand to date. Analyzing various types of data is one of my favorite things to do. I spend the majority of my efforts in simplifying technology. Now, my major area of focus is Data Forensics, Cloud Forensics, Message Forensics, and Email Forensics techniques.

MailXaminer, a world-class email forensics software from SysTools, is one of the breakthrough developments we achieved in the Digital Forensics class. This software is the first one to satisfy the criteria to be termed as a complete Make in India Software application in Digital Forensics Domain.

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Cyber Security as a Career: Technology, particularly the dark side of technology, has always piqued my curiosity. Cyber Security & Digital Forensics has always been fascinating prospect and compelling incentive to pursue a career in this field. As a long-time IT geek, I recognized that anything that employs ones and zeros has a cyber-security component to explore. I love challenges, and in Cyber Security, there's always a new puzzle that needs to be solved.

Every individual should be concerned about cyber security. It has real-world implications that extend beyond the digital sphere. Along with picking it as my career path, I helped hundreds of IT professionals to pursue careers in the Cyber Forensics field, which I consider to be one of my proudest achievements.

What’s the best thing you like about your profession?

I believe in making an impact, and what is more exciting than having a positive impact on the lives of millions of computer users through data security and data management solutions. In my profession, one will be constantly acquiring new abilities and attempting to

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grasp new technologies. Learning new things, and bringing up new solutions make me alive and active. The best thing about my profession is, that every day is a new challenge, & it opens doors for new learning & development.

Would you like to throw light on the strategies you used to overcome the impediments in your profession if any?

Cyber Security as a serious career is not everyone’s cup of tea. The title of a Cyber Expert is not something that every technical graduate can achieve.

To call yourself an expert, you need to dedicate a lot of passion and a lot of time to indulge in IT. When I began my career as a Cyber Professional, one of my priorities was to learn the anatomy of data. That decision aided me in learning more about DATA, and I am now capable of dealing with any type of data in any format. Everything in IT is linked to Data, either directly or indirectly. So, if you comprehend the Data, you've already solved half of the problem.

What are the skill sets required to ace the IT profession?

Data Analysis & Critical Thinking – These two are the first quality IT skill sets that you should procure to be a Cyber Expert. Coding, hardware deployment, and knowledge of computer infra, etc. will be definitely helping you to stay updated. But, if your 34

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data analysis skill is sharp enough, then it will be easy for you to acquire new heights in your IT profession.

Can you please provide a general track to tackle cyber-crimes?

When In Doubt, Do Not Click! Cyberattacks happen only if YOU allow them to enter your machine or network. With a few simple steps of keeping a close watch on what you allow on your system, you can avoid many cybercrimes from happening. Keeping your computer/software updated, securing your personal assets such as email, financial channels, and social media accounts, with strong passwords, keeping a close watch on data points where there are chances of data sharing, etc. can help you tackle cybercrimes to a great extent.

Educating yourself about the current security breaches that happened to others can be the best way to keep yourself secure in Cyberworld.

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How should the victims address the setbacks posed by the cyber attackers?

If the attack is at an organizational level, then the IT managers should perform the mentioned steps ASAP. Limit the Damage: By isolating the compromised network or machine the impact of damage can be limited. To avoid the attack from spreading, the first step is isolation. Perform this step as fast as possible.

Survey the Incident: They need to perform an internal investigation to determine the impact on critical business functions. This procedure will help to identify the unknown security vulnerabilities & will help to draw the future improvement measures as well.

Maintain Proper Log: A detailed report of the affected system, compromised accounts, data, and network damage, etc. should be collected and maintained.

Notify the Attack: The attack should be declared and informed to all those who are working under the same network.

Inform Cyber Cell: Reporting a cyberattack is very important. It helps to keep a hope that the attackers can be arrested and also the police can avoid such incidents from happening again.

Learn from the Attack: Once a data breach or cyber-attack happens, the affected organization or person should learn from the experience and make MAY 2022

sure, this would not happen again.

If the attack is on an individual, then also, similar steps should be performed.

If financial fraud is the mode of attack, then informing the financial institution is one first step to perform. If the social media account is attacked, then informing all the contacts connected to that account is also important. Different attacks shall be addressed with different methodology. So, understanding the mode of attack is primary, and taking further steps with the help of experts can be helpful to tackle a cyber-attack effectively.

Any cyber safety tip(s) would you like to impart to social media users?

Always make sure to adjust the privacy settings & make sure whom you are connecting with. Be suspicious about anything and everything that is offered to you via social media. Let it be a link with exciting or threatening news, or a new friend request – always be suspicious before accepting or clicking.

How do you rate today’s technologies as compared to antiquated technologies- Is it a boon or bane in terms of their utility, easiness, safety, over-reliance, and source of distraction?

In my point of view, I agree with the fact that “Technology is neither good nor harmful; it is neither neutral nor indifferent.” It can be both revolutionary STORIZEN MAGAZINE

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& destructive at the same time. I would like to rate technology based on how we use it. Internet relies deeply on a community of trust. If they are able to incorporate human rights protection into the advancement of today’s technology, it’s a 10 on 10. If they fail to maintain faith in humanity, then rating a disaster is actually a futile activity.

Books for Cybersecurity Enthusiasts

What’s the balanced approach that can be undertaken to ensure that we use technology and not the technology using us?

As the quote says, “We become what we behold. We shape our tools, and then our tools shape us”. Technology has altered everything we consume, including shopping, reading, music, television, news, and data. We are now addicted to using everything in a format that we can easily consume; we want to alter and adjust it to our needs. This behavior of allowing alteration to match our convenience creates larger chances of technology using us, rather than we use technology. No doubt, technology is enabling everyone to act more smartly, but in the race to grab this extraordinary opportunity, make sure to be conscious of the consequences also. If we are aware of the threats of unemployment to financial fraud that technology can bring in, we may be able to balance the concept of being used by technology and making use of technology.

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Cybersecurity for Dummies by Joseph Steinberg

Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know

by Allan Friedman & P.W. Singer

The Cybersecurity Playbook

by Allison Cerra

MAY 2022

What are your views on incorporating changes to the current legal system in the context of cyber-crimes?

In 2008, the Information Technology Act of 2000 was updated. Since there are new and undiscovered cyber-offenses for which the law needs to stretch its arms and tighten its grip, there are still significant loopholes in the IT Act of 2008.

Cybercrime can originate anywhere on the globe and go across national borders via the internet, complicating both the technological and legal aspects of detecting and prosecuting these crimes. To combat cybercrime, collaborative efforts, coordination, and cooperation should be taken globally. According to the advancement in hacking and data breach practices formulated by Cybercriminals, timely updates in the legal systems also should be made. Criminals will never stop if they are not punished for their actions. So, we should update our systems as well as legal framework inorder to compact cyber- attacks.

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Riya Gulati is a Paralegal at Law Offices of Caro Kinsella, Ireland. She is LL.M (Intellectual Property & Information Technology) from University College Dublin & BA.LLB from Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University.

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Balancing Your Hormones

by Sushma M. Bhardwaj

STORIZEN HEALTH

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only. It does not intend to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases. Get the help of a certified medical professional or a certified dietician before making any changes to your diet or exercise regimen.

H

There are various symptoms that exhibit hormonal imbalance like: 1) Sleep wake cycle 2) Mood swings and irritability

ormones are the chemicals produced by endocrine glands in our body and they coordinate different functions in our body by carrying messages through our blood to our organs skin muscles and tissues.

3) Irregular menstrual cycle

Hormones control many different body processes like metabolism, growth development, sexual function, and reproduction.

6) Acne

4) Infertility 5) Numbness in limbs

7) Diabetes thyroid and the city Fatigue and depression

Hormonal imbalance is too much or too little production of a certain hormone, and this can cause serious effects throughout our whole body.

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STORIZEN HEALTH

Some hormonal imbalances can be temporary and some are chronic.

The main cause of the imbalances is stress, eating disorders, birth control pills, an Imbalanced lifestyle, and excessive use of gadgets and preservatives in food.

It is downright frightening, to be putting something into your body that your body does not even recognize like carcinogens, pesticides, and other unwanted chemicals and additives.

A balanced life should consist of approximately 62% of activity and 38% rest. if you want to heal quickly you must give your body as much rest as possible.If you put in more good energy in your body, the better your body’s bank account is going to look at the end of the day.

Spiritually looking at the better side of life. Engaging in meditation and yoga, to relax the mind and control the anxiety level of the entire body.

Balancing hormones is a complicated process and takes time. We must make changes in lifestyle and dietary plans like:

3) Magnesium is one of the most essential minerals to help balance hormones. eating dark green leafy vegetable legumes and black beans.

4) B vitamins- A B-complex supplement is also a good idea to fight imbalance. green leafy vegetables and eggs are the best sources.

5) Probiotic- high quality probiotic is also good for your body 6) Omega 3 fatty acids 7) Vitamin D - vitamin D is actually a hormone that communicates with other hormones. people over the globe are mostly deficient in vitamin D so take supplements to overcome the deficiency.

In order to balance the hormones, you need to take charge of your lifestyle, and eating habits and look at the better side of life.

Exercise regularly to keep yourself out of the vortex of hormonal imbalance.

1) Taking essential micronutrients and macronutrients 2) Supplements are also a great help 40

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MAY 2022

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In Conversation: Puskal Upadhyay and Rajiv Ranjan Mishra

Puskal Upadhyay

Rajiv Ranjan Mishra

Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, an Indian Administrative Officer of the 1987 batch, virtually changed the discourse on Ganga rejuvenation and its long-term sustenance during his two separate stints at the National Mission for Clean Ganga, first as a Mission Director and then as the Director-General.

Puskal Upadhyay is one of the pioneers of the government’s clean-Ganga initiative. A civil engineer-turned-civil servant, he’s also a finance professional.

He had been associated with the clean-Ganga initiative even before Namami Gange was launched and has played a critical role in developing the building blocks of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) during its formative years as Director (Finance). He is currently the Financial Advisor in New Delhi Municipal Council.

In 2014, when Prime Minister promised to clean the mighty Ganga river. This was not the first attempt, but unfortunately, those attempts failed somehow. What was that one innovative measure the present Government has taken?

Namami Gange programme launched by the government is definitely not the first attempt to clean Ganga but the thinking and approach have been new.

Unlike all its predecessors this has been able to achieve significantly by completely remapping the scope, allocating the required resources, and changing the working modalities. One significant innovative measure of the programme is the Hybrid Annuity Model-based STPs which ensure timely creation of capacity and uninterrupted operations while bringing in muchneeded accountability.

How has your journey been with the Clean Ganga project? Can you share it in detail with our readers?

Our journey with the Clean Ganga project, i.e. Namami Gange has been not only an interesting and happening one but also of an enlightening nature through which we have almost

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rediscovered ourselves and are still evolving with this book.

Our association with the programme was not by design from our side, more by coincidence but somehow the indications, the connections had already been there in our past experiences. In the book, you will find occasions where this gets mentioned. But once into it, we were first engulfed by its enormity and then engrossed by the charisma of the river we almost compulsively kept following in spite of challenges and frustrations. Something kept us in. One may call it the charm and blessings of Ganga.

The experience has been a unique one, with the programme and its tool, the NMCG both continuously evolving to meet the objective of Clean Ganga. We have termed it a “wicked problem” due to its evolving, multi-sectoral, multi-agency, and complex nature and it makes an interesting read to know about the enormity of the challenge as well as the strategic approach. In the process, we also got touched and felt very different, almost renewed.

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From the initiation of this drive and creating a separate ministry, what were the challenges you faced?

The challenges had been phenomenal, the expectations of the government and public were heightened, and everyone wanted quick results almost like a miracle which was for sure not possible.

The institution was absolutely illequipped to meet the same with only a few on its rolls but to top it all the business model needed a complete revamp if we wanted to avoid the same fate as its predecessor programs. We have shared this experience in the chapter describing the ebb and flow of the startup journey while moving from vision to mission. We also found that this crisis and the startup challenges brought the best out of the team and we tried to continue and promote the startup culture even when Organisation grew. This was very helpful in achieving several milestones.

In a general sense, there will be a lot of criticism and backlash for some government initiatives. This mission has also been criticized and under the radar about the progress. What do you have to say about this?

Government initiatives do receive mixed responses and some doubts have been raised about this attempt as well, especially during the initial years as not much was visible than on the

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ground. Through this book, we have presented a comprehensive understanding for the reader purely relying on facts that speak for themselves. The book has a detailed graphical representation of the treatment gap existing and that created which will assure the reader about the progress. It will give a clear idea as to how the interventions have been scaled up multifold and the project gained momentum.

This book happens to be one of the most honest in writing with all the facts and figures. What is the genesis of this book?

Both during and after our initial tenures with the Clean Ganga Programme, it was very normal for us to receive queries from those we met, about anything happening in the programme.

Initially, it was about anything happening at all, commonly asked as “kuchh ho raha hai?” and later as “kuchh hua?lekin kab tak aur kuchh ho jayega?”. We understood the anxiety.

People and leaders were concerned alike. In our zeal to address this issue, we came up with the idea of this book.

What we also noticed that the concept of “clean Ganga” is not a wellunderstood one. People had different connotations starting from a simple

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clean appearance to a drinking worthy state which is absolutely different objectives. Some basic understanding of the concepts would help the readers better appreciate the achievements. It is important to understand the nature and scope of the problem and its continuous nature. We need to acknowledge that “Bahut kuchh ho gaya lekin bahut kuchh aur bhi karna hai”. We need not only clean but keep it clean. We also need to go beyond cleaning and improve ecology and flow.

Apart from the NMCG mission, your other initiative to rejuvenate the small rivers and water bodies is one of the most inspiring ones. How did this idea germinate?

This idea emerged from the elaborate process we adopted for redefining the problem and taking it up in its entirety.

The riverine ecosystem is an intricate one and much beyond its main physical body. Major Tributaries, Small Rivers, large wetlands, water bodies, and springs are parts of the same ecosystem and feed the river at different times and stages. This even included the floodplains to be conserved for better recharge of aquifers. One option is to just look at the main river and treat the wastewater approaching it which is definitely not an intelligent one since it first allows a problem to become bigger so that its handling becomes costly and time MAY 2022

taking. Instead taking up the case of tributaries and water bodies will not only address the problem at the roots but will also help increase the availability of water in the main river body. Sure this is a smart approach. We dedicated a chapter in the book on “Rejuvenating Tributaries: Healing Ganga’s intricate water web”.

While working on cleaning the Ganga, how difficult was it to maintain harmony with the crowd and let them follow the traditions and rituals that happen at the river?

Working with people and crowds was unexpected, and a very inspiring experience. Somehow we always hold people in a less than encouraging way and expect problems from them. You should see the massive response of people to our people connect programs.

Local people, especially youth have taken it with utmost sincerity and on their own also launched initiatives of river cleaning. If you trust people and approach them with open hands they will never let you down. In fact, in the initial moments of the mission, Ganga Manthan- a stakeholder’s consultation was organized which also saw the participation of spiritual leaders. The increasing trend of Ganga aartis at different places is also helping this connect and to keep banks clean. Our book touches upon the issue of Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj in a big way. The largest congregation of people to follow STORIZEN MAGAZINE

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ancient traditions and rituals and still, it happens so smoothly. Now the world also accepts it as a near-impossible feat made real by us, Indians.

Can you, in brief, tell our readers about you, probably apart from your professional life?

Our association with the programme has been more than professional and involved shades of personal experiences and belief systems which the readers would notice more in the first two chapters and also at times in other places. Coincidentally both of us have been engineering graduates and belong to places on the banks of Ganga. This helped us approach the subject from a personal perspective.

Can you share one best/happy incident and difficult situation you faced during these years in the mission?

In our long association with the mission, we had several moments of small and big victories as well as moments of frustration and serious problems. To recollect one or two incidents, Kanpur comes to mind.It had become a symbol of pollution of Ma Ganga and there is not one challenge, which you did not have in Kanpur. But this was also a place we had great moments of success and satisfaction. In the chapter “Rebuilding Kanpur for Ma Ganga”, we describe it in detail with a special

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Shri G. Asok Kumar, DG-NMCG and Shri Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, Director IIT Roorkee inaugurated the Namami Gange Exhibition during Roorkee Water Conclave 2022.

Ganga Mashaal

The 6th India Water Impact Summit 2021 was inaugurated by Honorable Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, MoS Shri Prahalad Singh Patel, along with DG- NMCG Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra and founding head of cGanga, Prof. Vinod Tare.

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connection with the place with one of the authors being an alumnus of IIT, Kanpur.

Getting rid of the huge sewage flow from more than 100 years old massive 140MLD strong sewage flow from Sisamau Nala was a great matter of satisfaction and confidence among people that if this can happen, so can the other smaller ones be tackled. The place has changed and Hon’ble PM visited this place after conducting the meeting of the National Ganga Council. We could also see a modern CETP coming up to check the age-old tannery pollution problem.

Other moments are the completion of all projects in Uttarakhand and the grand success of Kumbha at Prayagraj.

In terms of a difficult situation, one of the first projects under the innovative HAM model for the 50 MLD STP project at Ramana in Varanasicomes to mind for which the foundation stone was laid by Hon’ble PM. A reference to this is our book as a case determined to prove Murphy’s Law. The concessionaire ran into serious company-level financial problems. Somehow, we still continued the project with several innovative steps.

But now it was the turn of their financier Yes Bank to get in trouble. With great resolve and several box decisions, finally, the project got completed.

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Understanding How We Are Witnessing A Massive Change In Diets

by Dibyendu Bindal, Founder MIGHTY FOODS

‘I’

m on a ketogenic diet’. ‘I eat non-veg but not red meat’. ‘I am vegetarian but I eat eggs’. We all may have heard these sentences at some point in our lives over meals. To me, the way people around us converse about food reveals a lot about consumer diets in general.

According to me, the way we eat and what we eat is noticeably changing and it only goes to show that it’s because our diets are evolving.

Ketogenic, paleo, flexitarian… these and more are the labels given to some of the diets we’re catching sight of in the food space, and there are certainly several more to come. Only time will tell, but it sure seems like we’ll all be witnessing many more changes in our diets in the coming years.

Diets Are Constantly Transitioning It should come as no surprise when I mention that today’s consumers are looking for foods that offer dietary solutions now more than ever. This is because people are monitoring and paying close attention to what they eat.

Superfoods, high-protein products, and functional foods are all becoming extremely attractive to consumers. The idea of consuming organic food and drink is another change that many consumers have begun to embrace.

I foresee that consumers are going to continue questioning what to

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incorporate into their diets. With new diet labels cropping up, it’s becoming more and more evident that consumers are trying to eat healthier. And MIGHTY FOODS also wants in on the bandwagon to make consumers eat better and tastier, and live healthier.

I believe there are several factors driving us to all eat healthily. The most apparent factor is the global pandemic.

Many consumers are also beginning to worry about their gut health. ITC’s survey reveals that nearly 56% of Indian families deal with digestive health issues. Nowadays, many consumers also consciously maintain healthy heart diets which is a style of eating to prevent heart disease. Mindful eating is another approach to eating that I’ve seen many in the industry become familiar with. In its essence, it

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rightly so. Consumers are on the lookout for foods that are high in fiber and protein.

Besides fiber and protein, vitamin D, calcium, antioxidants, omega-3s, and probiotics are other nutrients being sought by consumers on a journey to eating healthy. Individuals on paths to eating healthy also shift to olive, canola, coconut, or flaxseed oils instead of oils high in trans fat.

is about being aware of what we consume and how it can affect our moods, emotions, and overall well-being.

There’s also the notion of ‘abs are made in the kitchen, an approach that denotes that you can’t build abs just by lifting weights but also by making dietary changes in the kitchen. All these concepts, whether new or old, getting repackaged under new labels show that consumer plans to eat healthily are truly at an all-time high! With MIGHTY FOODS, our brand is very much in sync with providing all kinds of diet health, happiness, and strength in a tasty way.

Fiber And Protein: Most In-Demand Nutrients In Diets Among many sources of nutrients, fiber and protein are the two placed on the pedestal by many consumers, and 52

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I’m super glad to know that more and more of us are becoming aware of the importance of protein in our daily diets. I am also of the same belief that protein fuels us and keeps our bodies running like a well-oiled machine. Because it truly can do that! This is also why protein is the hero ingredient in every flavor-packed item on the MIGHTY FOODS menu as well.

Rise In Including Produce In Diets

Locally-Sourced

Many consumers are also looking to incorporate fresh, locally grown foods with no artificial ingredients and preservatives into their food. It is true that a vast majority actively look at labels and commit to buying non-GMO and antibiotic-free foods. This is probably why we’re all seeing many brands cropping up in your superstore that offer farm-fresh, organic milk, fruits, and vegetables.

Without a doubt, ‘farm fresh’ and ‘seasonal local produce’ definitely sell!

This is also partly because consumers want to buy environmentally sustainable MAY 2022

and ethically sourced foods, now more than ever. In my opinion, a food brand's ability to address a consumer’s sustainability issues is essential in today’s time.

The Mediterranean, Paleo, GlutenFree Diet When we speak of diets, the Mediterranean, paleo, and gluten-free are most spoken of. Each of these diets is different from the other in some ways but also shares quite a few similarities.

There are regimens to be followed for each. For instance, in a Mediterranean diet, you consume fewer meats and dairy, and your meals should be rich in vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and fish.

through the hunting and gathering methods eons ago. Legumes and grains form a huge part of such diets. In a gluten-free diet, you avoid foods containing rye, wheat, and barley. Food intolerances and allergies are also pretty common now with gluten being among the top allergy-causing foods influencing gluten-free diets.

Overall in my eyes, these diets reveal a growing interest in the uniqueness of healthy foods and ingredients. Another reason could be that consumers are opting to maintain such diets to also gain energy that ultimately helps them live a more active lifestyle. These diets could very well pave the way for a surge in more superfoods that improve nutrient intake and offer a boost in mental energy.

When it comes to a paleo diet, you stick to consuming foods that were obtained MAY 2022

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Final Thoughts We are witnessing dozens of massive changes in the way we eat today and it sure seems like consumers are opting to buy foods and beverages that have healthy ingredients. This is a cue for restaurant operators, food brands, and everyone tied to the food industry to bring healthy menus to the forefront.

While doing so, don’t forget to also nail the taste factor because taste and the flavor chemistry will always be the criteria for consumers to feel they’ve eaten well. With my venture MIGHTY FOODS, we’ve put immense effort into infusing flavor and taste in every recipe so you’re eating healthy, guilt-free!

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With a repertoire of over a decade of experience, Dibyendu Bindal has had the distinct privilege of facilitating and assisting in the launch of several food ventures, and famous restaurants across India and the world.

His latest food venture is MIGHTY FOODS, a new-age packaged food business that caters to the young but engrossed individuals to help them meet their daily protein requirements.

Even though he comes from a family of hard-core vegetarians, he chose to be non-vegetarian to understand and analyze the meat culture and cuisines.

He enjoyed navigating through trends and choices in plant-based meat products while conceptualizing MIGHTY FOODS. He was able to work towards addressing the gap in the fast plant protein sector and bring about notable changes in the field of diet.

MAY 2022

Gift Yourself A Book!

TWO EXES. ONE BIG SECRET. LET THE GAMES BEGIN...

WINNER OF THE 2022 CRAWFORD AWARD FROM THE IAFA (International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts)

Pru is on her own. But then, so are plenty of other people.

TWO CULTURES. TWO FAMILIES. TWO PEOPLE.

A Must- Read Book For Freelancers Reviewed by Swapna Peri

STORIZEN REVIEW

According to the Merriam Webster website, the word freelance is a verb that refers to pursuing a career without making a long-term commitment to one employer.

Usually, people who freelance are self-employed; they decide who they'll work for and for how long.

You could call them corporate mercenaries, working for the highest bidder—and if you did so, you wouldn't be too far from the word's original meaning.

A gig economy is a free market system in which temporary positions are common and organizations hire independent workers for short-term

employees in the workforce could include freelancers, independent contractors, projectbased workers, and temporary or parttime hires.

commitments. The term "gig" is a slang word for a job that lasts a specified time; it is typically used by musicians. Examples of gig

The gig workers include temporary workers, independent contractors, online platform workers, contract firm workers, and on-call workers.

Robert Vlach is a senior business consultant specializing in supporting independent professionals and business owners. In 2005, he founded one of the largest national freelance communities in Europe, which is currently being expanded into Freelancing.eu.

Pic: Robert Vlach MAY 2022

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About the Book The Freelance Way is THE business book for independent professionals.

It presents the best available and fully up-todate freelance know-how, compiled from hundreds of quality sources, including surveys, the latest market data, advice from worldclass experts, as well as reallife experiences and stories.

Book Review

STORIZEN REVIEW

With easy and accessible language, real-time examples, facts, charts and figures, author Robert Vlach's book The Freelance Way is an amazing book with a detailed view of Freelancing and situations that freelancers are faced with.

Visit storizen.com for full review

A passionate book reviewer, writer, narrator, translator, and copy editor, Swapna has a B. Tech in Computer Science and is a former SAP Technical Consultant. She is the writer, narrator, editor, and translator for three books published with Literoma Publishing, Kolkata. She created and manages the “Book Reviews Café” official blog and Facebook page that contains all the book reviews.

Swapna is also a content writer and reviewer with Storizen Magazine, CriticSpace Journals website, The Literature Times website, The Asian Review website, and the Literature Today website. She is a columnist with one of the leading women's websites in Telugu named 'Vihanga'. @swapna.peri @sappy_dreamz_unlimited @swapna508

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STORIZEN REVIEW

India is a country with various cultures, languages, characters, and expressions.

The fundamental rights of India are often misinterpreted and misused.

But, all said, criticizing is also a form of expression.

Legal actions are taken against the artists when people misinterpret their wit and funny comments about leaders and governance. The same thing happened after India saw a change in the central government, and the BJP party won with exhilarating success. Prime Minister Narendra Modi became very close to the citizens and the public.

He came along with the common people and young Indians. There was a new wave of sighs and relief among the people of India.

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Sorabh Pant, the author of the book, is one of the finest stand-up comedians the country has produced. Like everyone, he was vocal and honest in his expression, and then he landed up into problems. This book is his way of venting and explaining how freedom of expression is controlled by people who want to gain politically. The book also talks about various issues that curbed the expected development and prosperity the citizens were promised. Overall, the book accounts for many voices that want to question the government but fail to for many reasons, one being life-threatening and two being named anti-national or antiHindu.

MAY 2022

Sorabh Pant

About the book In this book of toned-down thoughts and toothless opinions, he attempts to answer the important questions: Can motivational speakers solve unemployment? Is politics mainly about not paying tax? Should India give a haircut to Mallya?

A Must Read The book is intended for those readers who have a wide mindset and just taste the plight of a common man performing an antique called stand-up comedy! The book is written in easy language, and it is a one-time read!

Book Review

STORIZEN REVIEW

This book is for those who wish to understand how expressing has become a threatening situation because of some weird people who pose as followers and end up physical abuse.

Visit storizen.com for full review

A passionate book reviewer, writer, narrator, translator, and copy editor, Swapna has a B. Tech in Computer Science and is a former SAP Technical Consultant. She is the writer, narrator, editor, and translator for three books published with Literoma Publishing, Kolkata. She created and manages the “Book Reviews Café” official blog and Facebook page that contains all the book reviews.

Swapna is also a content writer and reviewer with Storizen Magazine, CriticSpace Journals website, The Literature Times website, The Asian Review website, and the Literature Today website. She is a columnist with one of the leading women's websites in Telugu named 'Vihanga'.

@swapna.peri @sappy_dreamz_unlimited @swapna508

MAY 2022

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A Charm for Poetry Lovers Reviewed by Swapna Peri

STORIZEN REVIEW

To be very honest, I am not a huge fan of poetry.

But, the year 2020 made the impossible possible. I started reading Indian poetry, preferably modern poetry. This book came as a surprise to me. This week. I.e. May 2nd to May 8th is World Children’s Book Week. And reading this book intended for children to inculcate poetry in the kids is a remarkable coincidence.

As the title suggests, the book is In this book, what I love the most is the free flow of intended for kids. But, for readers who want to start understanding the words. I would recommend this book to and reading poetry from the every parent and poetry basics, this book will be a great heads-up. admirer.

With offerings from sonnets in iambic pentameter, to limericks, acrostics, and villanelles, It’s Time to Rhyme is the perfect introduction to the joys of poetry for readers of all ages.

The beauty of author Shobha’s words in the poems is as sweet as ice cream. The easy and cool writing with thoughtful lines is a treat to read.

The colourful illustrations make the book reader desirable. A recommended book for young readers.

Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan is a children’s author, poet, editor, and voice-over talent. She is also a former non-profit development professional who spent two decades as an advocate and fundraiser for persons with disabilities.

Pic: Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan MAY 2022

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About the Book With offerings from sonnets in iambic pentameter, to limericks, acrostics, and villanelles, It’s Time to Rhyme is the perfect introduction to the joys of poetry for readers of all ages. Using ingenious examples, Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan explains the fun world of verse while inviting children to use their creativity and write their own poems.

Book Review

STORIZEN REVIEW

The book will appeal to those people who like simple, sweet and comforting words. It is a sure entertainer.

Visit storizen.com for full review A passionate book reviewer, writer, narrator, translator, and copy editor, Swapna has a B. Tech in Computer Science and is a former SAP Technical Consultant. She is the writer, narrator, editor, and translator for three books published with Literoma Publishing, Kolkata. She created and manages the “Book Reviews Café” official blog and Facebook page that contains all the book reviews.

Swapna is also a content writer and reviewer with Storizen Magazine, CriticSpace Journals website, The Literature Times website, The Asian Review website, and the Literature Today website. She is a columnist with one of the leading women's websites in Telugu named 'Vihanga'. @swapna.peri @sappy_dreamz_unlimited @swapna508

MAY 2022

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The Pink Side of Hindu Mythology Reviewed by Swapna Peri

STORIZEN REVIEW

This is my second book by author Aditi Banerjee. Looking at her interest in Hindu mythology and the deep research she does in bringing out unknown stories, her books are for sure good ones to read. In the book The curse of Gandhari, the conversation(s) between Krishna and Gandhari after the Kurukshetra war is very interesting.

I initially hesitated to read the book, thinking that they were love stories and what would be new, thinking I knew all the famous love stories in Hindu mythology. But few stories that seemed new are pretty fascinating.

To be precise, picking up stories from mighty scriptures like Vedas and Puranas that are considered sacred and penning stories out of them is not easy.

A reader will immerse himself into the story.

Even though everything is based on the central theme, love, all the stories will entertain.

Overall, it was a nice read! I recommend this book. It will appeal to all the readers.

Aditi Banerjee's first novel, The Curse of Gandhari, a successful bestseller, was published by Bloomsbury India in September 2019. Her second novel on Shiva and Sati has been slated for publication in 2022.

Pic: Aditi Banerjee MAY 2022

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About the Book This book takes more than 25 stories from the Itithaasa and Puranas, the epic literature of ancient India, and stories from history that exemplify the many different aspects and dimensions of love. These stories were transmitted over thousands of years until they became part of the memory of a people.

Book Review

STORIZEN REVIEW

The book is meant for all those readers who like Mythological stories with good entertainment and realistic treatment.

Visit storizen.com for full review

A passionate book reviewer, writer, narrator, translator, and copy editor, Swapna has a B. Tech in Computer Science and is a former SAP Technical Consultant. She is the writer, narrator, editor, and translator for three books published with Literoma Publishing, Kolkata. She created and manages the “Book Reviews Café” official blog and Facebook page that contains all the book reviews.

Swapna is also a content writer and reviewer with Storizen Magazine, CriticSpace Journals website, The Literature Times website, The Asian Review website, and the Literature Today website. She is a columnist with one of the leading women's websites in Telugu named 'Vihanga'. @swapna.peri @sappy_dreamz_unlimited @swapna508

MAY 2022

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The Unknown Story!

Reviewed by Swapna Peri

STORIZEN REVIEW

As said, Indian mythology is an ocean.

Many stories are hidden in it. Especially when it comes to epics like Mahabharatha, only a few characters and backstories are known.

Also, no stories about the people involved in the Kurukshetra war other than the kings and important characters are known! Author Saiswaroopa has taken a stand on the people lesser-known but was instrumental.

When a mythological story is added with realistic characters, the story becomes a treat for a reader. This book from author Saiswaroopa Iyer focuses on Mauri, daughter of Mura. As always, Sai Swaroop has done a great job!

Picking up a character from an epic and presenting it with layers of emotion and struggle to this generation of readers convincingly is a great task.

From her first book, author Sai Swaroop Iyer has been close to her readers with her exciting narrations and impressive story-telling techniques. This book is a good read with fluent, crisp, and engaging narration!

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and an investment professional turned writer, Saiswaroopa Iyer is the bestselling author of four novels, all based on legendary female protagonists from ancient Hindu literature.

Pic: Saiswaroopa Iyer MAY 2022

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About the Book She wants to kill the man whom others call God. However, love unwittingly becomes an obstacle in her sworn path.

Mauri has been torn away from everything she had once loved, with her father's death shattering her world. Anger has replaced every emotion within her, and she seeks only one thing-to kill her father's killer.

Book Review

STORIZEN REVIEW

This book is a captivating and interesting story of Mauri, the daughter of Mura. With a nice and exciting plot, it is a definite entertainer.

Visit storizen.com for full review

A passionate book reviewer, writer, narrator, translator, and copy editor, Swapna has a B. Tech in Computer Science and is a former SAP Technical Consultant. She is the writer, narrator, editor, and translator for three books published with Literoma Publishing, Kolkata. She created and manages the “Book Reviews Café” official blog and Facebook page that contains all the book reviews.

Swapna is also a content writer and reviewer with Storizen Magazine, CriticSpace Journals website, The Literature Times website, The Asian Review website, and the Literature Today website. She is a columnist with one of the leading women's websites in Telugu named 'Vihanga'. @swapna.peri @sappy_dreamz_unlimited @swapna508

MAY 2022

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STORIZEN REVIEW

Though we live in a world where people like Elon Musk want to set up cities on the Planet Mars, on the Planet Earth and in the world we live in, women are still looked down!

They are discriminated against everywhere, right from our homes to workplaces. When women make it sports, politics, and business, the maledominated mindset of the society we live in always caters to question a woman’s ability.

In this book, author Kiran Manral has shared stories of 30 women from different fields like politics, sports, arts, entertainment, social work, banking, and literature. The author talks about their journeys, success stories, and the hard work they carried out. It is a one-time read but definitely a good read.

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Kiran Manral is a writer, author and novelist based in Mumbai.

Her fiction titles include The Reluctant Detective, Once Upon a Crush, All Aboard!, Saving Maya, Missing: Presumed Dead, The Face at the Window, The Kitty Party Murder and More Things in Heaven and Earth. In the non-fiction category, her works include Karmic Kids, True Love Stories, A Boy’s Guide to Growing Up, 13 Steps to Bloody Good Parenting, Raising Kids with Hope and Wonder in Times of a Pandemic and Climate Change. In previous avatars, she has been a journalist, researcher, festival curator and entrepreneur.

MAY 2022

Pic Source: Twitter

Kiran Manral at WHSmith Store at T3 Departures, Delhi Airport

Book Review

STORIZEN REVIEW

We have no time to read and know about some personalities who made it big in their lives.

Books like these give a chance to hover on many inspiring stories in a go. Thus, it’s a nice book to know about some famous women!

Visit storizen.com for full review

A passionate book reviewer, writer, narrator, translator, and copy editor, Swapna has a B. Tech in Computer Science and is a former SAP Technical Consultant. She is the writer, narrator, editor, and translator for three books published with Literoma Publishing, Kolkata. She created and manages the “Book Reviews Café” official blog and Facebook page that contains all the book reviews.

Swapna is also a content writer and reviewer with Storizen Magazine, CriticSpace Journals website, The Literature Times website, The Asian Review website, and the Literature Today website. She is a columnist with one of the leading women's websites in Telugu named 'Vihanga'.

@swapna.peri @sappy_dreamz_unlimited @swapna508

MAY 2022

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Taste buds talk...

by Madhumathi H. Blushing milk, my massive crush Sweet scent of roses, a dreamy color Chilled, served in glasses Condensation, looks like "Congratulations!" from every droplet Yes! Holding a glass of Rose Milk, is an accomplishment For, if am HAPPY in moments It's indeed an accomplishment!

From that first sip, you experience To the last drip, licking the glass Is ecstasy!

If only landing in love, is as simple and sweet As relishing rose milk...

Oh darling Paneer!

How we met, is a beautiful story...

Attended a wedding at the land of Tagore There I met you, serendipitous...

Love at first bite, but with an anonymous...

How tender, soft, in texture Magical in taste...

In a tiny Maroon-golden menu card I found your name, guided by the host...

From Koltata, to Chennai I carried Paneer in my heart Only to celebrate your presence in my kitchen often Whichever avatar you take...

Similar love for Cheese, that melts my heart Dosa! The crispiest, tastiest snack in the world Straight from the tawa Made by Mom, Dad Aroma of ghee, or gingelly fills our home...

In all the delicious sweets, snacks, Papads, Pickles parceled

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One ingredient that never has an expiry date: Mom's Love Likewise, a soul sister as Annapoorani She is, Mythili Fried rice, vada, Kesari, Gravies And a lot more deliciousness from her kitchen Reach me piping hot out of the blue.Gift joy And, on days when am too tired even to feel tired, gift hope Food tastes great, when you bite into the flavours of compassion Malpua! Heaven in every bite...

Part of a recent feast, that looked like a palette on leaf, hosted by a beautiful soul...

If joy has a texture, feel it in Gulab Jamun!

If romance is a dessert Carrot Halwa, Kulfi, Basundi, Rasmalai All have my votes...

I smile ear to ear at every bite As if they are stolen kisses from a beloved Well...

Another elixir...

In dark brown An aroma, brewed at sunrise The beans, a boon Blessing our mornings Dripping from the filter The liquid joy, merges with The ocean of milk Churning energy Frothing Gold, caramel potion...

While sipping Life blossoms in a new shade And, all I wanted to say Is, I love coffee Cardamom tea And finally, "Love at first bite", can happen with poems too As the soul tastes jaggery in words...

MAY 2022

A bilingual poet-writer(Tamil, English), Madhumathi is an ardent lover of Nature, Poetry, Photography, and Music. Her poems are published in Anthologies of The Poetry Society(India), AIFEST 2020 Poetry contest Anthology, CPC- Chennai Poetry Circle, IPC – India Poetry Circle, Amaravati Poetic Prism, and in e-zines UGC approved Muse India, Storizen, OPA – Our Poetry Archives, IWJ International Writers Journal, Positive Vibes, and Science Shore. ‘’Ignite Poetry'’, “Arising from the dust”, “Painting Dreams", and “Shards of the unsung Poesies" are some of the recent Anthologies her poems, and write-ups are part of.

Besides Poetry, Madhumathi writes on Mental health, to create awareness and break the stigma, strongly believing in the therapeutic and transformational power of words.

Contact: madhumathi.poetry@gmail.com

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STORIZEN POETRY

baguette and brie your promised walk down La Seine

peanut sauce heat stays on ... karekare fingers

wisps of hot pot breath in winter air sichuan peppercorns

chole flavored air mughal ghosts linger on

Sangita Kalarickal has been wordsmithing and honing her craft in the forms of poetry and fiction for some time now. Her fiction and poems have been published in several e-magazines and anthologies. Currently, Sangita spends much of her free time sharpening her skills in her latest obsession, haiku. Ever since she embarked on her journey as a hajin, in mid-2021, her haiku have been published in several haiku journals. She utilizes her left brain at her day job in technology. Dr. Kalarickal lives in Minnesota, the USA with her husband, kid, and her garden which she shares with wildlife, sometimes happily.

mustard dripping off the juicy hot dog Times Square extravaganza

Notes: The above five haiku were written on different cities and the flavors they invoked in me. Some are my memories and some are dreams of traveling one day. The cities, (hopefully you can recognize) are Paris, Manila, Beijing, New Delhi and New York.

MAY 2022

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Fish: I Love To Gorge In

by Aparna Mukherjee

As I get the smell of A delicious dish I run to the kitchen To get indulged in the aroma Of the lip-smacking food of fish.

The smell of fried or grilled fish Makes me crazy The thick curry of fish Which has some extra cheese.

Makes me drool over For the juicy fish I crave for.

No other dishes Can make me please The variety of delicacies of fish Can only make me appease.

In a few words, Aparna defines a woman who beholds high aspirations and firmly believes in expanding her horizon. She holds a Master's degree in English from Mumbai University. By profession, she is an online Senior Content Writer and Blogger who writes informative articles for various Indian, UK, and US blogs and websites.

When the fish gets dipped In the bowl of curry The mouth-watering spice-filled fish Makes me merry.

The spicy fish delicacies I love to binge on The sight of various fish dishes Give me pleasure to my eyes Soothes my senses When I get the aroma of The aromatic spices.

My love for fish Will never fade away Am a huge fan of Various shapes and sizes of fish The tastes of fish Will linger in my taste buds Which Will forever stay.

MAY 2022

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