Writer's Ezine - Volume VII October 2014 Issue

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

This e-magazine is a compilation of Poems, Short Stories, Short – Story Series, Non – Fiction, Photographs published on Writer‟s Ezine.

Cover Photo © Elango Rana Nadar Image source Google Images, unless mentioned otherwise.

The copyright of the work published in this magazine remains with the author of the individual work.

Please contact the authors and Writer‟s Ezine if you need to use the content.

You are free to share the content as long as you retain and respect the copyright.

Visit

for details | Find us on

Administrator, Editor, Promotions & Marketing Manager, Assistant Relationship Advisor : Namrata Administrator, Web-designer, Strategist & Relationship Advisor, Co-editor: Arti Honrao

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Editor‟s Note Photography Photography Poem Poem Short Story Series Book Review – I Author Interview – I Non – Fiction Fiction Fiction Poem Poem Poem Poem Book Review – II Author Interview – II Non – Fiction Fiction Poem Fiction Non – Fiction http://www.writersezine.com

Believe That You Can Moment in Time Hope The Words of the Lord The Radiant Love The Old Man and I Darkness and Beyond I Was There Saptadeep Basu & Mamta Sharma Experience of Witnessing a Music Festival 21 Grams She Was The One Hopper‟s Ladies Heart of Darkness She Said It Was There Kathmandu Mr. Thomas Bell Diversity Makes for a Rich Tapestry Opposites Attract?

Asylum Muse The „Single‟ Duo The Failed Quest to Escape God in the End of the Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Fiction Fiction Photography Whispered Words

Affair Venom and Elixir Love v/s Hate Stress – Buster Making a Decision

About Writer‟s Ezine

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Editor’s Note

In this world, most of the dreams died because of “What will people think” than anything else.

The moment I read these lines a sigh escaped my lips as I saw myself nodding in agreement to this. Since childhood I had lost the count how many times was I told the same thing as a justification for me not doing something! And I am sure each one of you would have had some similar incident to remember along with it.

We grow up believing that we cannot, we underestimate our capacity and limit ourselves to most of the things that are in a way tried and tested. The moment we are supposed to do something that is different, we find ourselves mouthing the same lines – What will people think. Not before long that idea is given up and we are back to our routine.

As a child I remember reading a story. Once upon a time there was a mahout who had an elephant. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

One day that elephant gave birth to a baby.

Unable to handle two elephants at the same time, the mahout tied the baby elephant with iron chains to a nearby tree and continued with his work along with the mother elephant. The baby elephant tried a few times to break free but was unsuccessful. Resigning to its fate, the baby elephant didnâ€&#x;t try that ever again. Soon as time passed the baby elephant grew up into a full grown up elephant yet every time the mahout put those chains on its feet it believed that they could not be broken.

That is what perception does to you. We begin to believe in what others tell to us, forgetting that nobody else can know our strengths better than us. The day we break free from those shackles of believes is when we are actually born – in the truest sense.

We are what we are, and will always be.

The most important thing to remember always in this case is that there is always a phase in life where feel all that we did has failed. It didn't lead to the desired results making us question our own abilities. At such times it is important to http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

remember that hard work never goes waste. It might not have got its due recognition now but someday that hard work surely pays off. Hard work is like a rose. However much hard you try to hide it, its fragrance still spreads around marking its inimitable presence which is difficult to miss. Never let such deterrents stop you from giving your best. At the right time, someday it will all fall into place. Till then, keep giving your BEST!

Remember, there will always be someone bigger better happier dashing luckier successful richer healthier wealthier famous smarter than you but there will never be another you.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Moment in Time Story Behind the Photograph: The moth was shot by Mr. Rana with a Canon 1100D at siliguri. shutter speed 1/1000 aperture f/5.6 iso 1600 focal length 300mm There actually is no story to the photo... he was just fiddling with the camera on a late sunday morning. This guy just sauntered along with the breeze and probably rested a while on the plant in the terrace. His abode is adjoining the Mahananda reserve and hence the tremendous opportunity for capturing nature.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

About N Elango Rana: Col N Elango Rana is an old man serving in the Indian Army. His hobbies are Photography, reading, and plain lazing around.

Editor's Comment: A capture truly reminiscent of the mind blowing beauty of nature.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Hope Story Behind the Photograph: Madhusmita clicked this photograph recently on her trip to Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya.

"Mother Nature is a great teacher. As in the

picture, she has lessons for us that we too can http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

grow, thrive and bloom no matter how hard and difficult the situations are".

About Photographer: Madhusmita Phukon Editor's Comment: This picture defines HOPE against all odds. http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

The Words of the Lord

I came down just for you.

I‟m on your guard through & through.

You cry at the agony of being born.

Seeing your anguish my heart is torn.

I rush to you to caress you.

At once you smile, a smile so true each time your gaze falls on me you seem to be in blissful glee your first word uttered with love, „MOTHER!‟ Makes me feel you love me alone, none other…

But alas child! You seem to change, Your mind and your tastes become strange As you grow , the world is what you fancy http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

But what caused the world ? you blindly don‟t see.

As your father I come in disguise, But you find none other than yourself wise.

Your mind travels far and wide, And every time away from me you hide.

The hands in the clock keep turning The fire in you keeps burning You find happiness in hanging around with your age I immediately respond & come down to your stage „Dear Friend !‟ You call me & with me you stay the moment I show you the right path, you simply walk away.

As the tricky time flows by, Your mind seems to fly high.

The moment I know what u seek for I come to you at your door many a times I try approaching you Every time you‟re obsessed with something new.

Your calculations never seem to go wrong. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

You turn your head away from me all along.

The oil in the lamp within you, Begins to reduce through & through.

And that‟s when child you panic here You realize that you have reached nowhere You understand that you‟ve missed something along the track.

And that‟s when you take a look back.

You recall your very first days and see your mother‟s charming ways.

You find your father‟s protective hands And your friend‟s reassuring glance And then child you look at me My same glow in them you see Regretful tears fill your eyes My love is what you didn‟t realize My legs are numb… my hands ache…

My love keeps flowing & my heart breaks…

Waiting for you here I stand http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

unnoticed, for you to hold my outstretched hand.

Waiting for you to realize the ceaseless flow; Of boundless love that on you I bestow.

About Ranjini S: Ranjini .S. I hail from Cochin, Kerala. Being a Chartered Accountant Student, I shooed away all my blues by writing. Apart from chocolates, rain, long drive, music and books, writing too makes her feel alive. She dreams of breaking out of the cocoon of amateurism and fly as a professional in this field someday. ranjini.s22@gmail.com Editor's Comment: Beauty of life, very well articulated.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

The Radiant Love

When I first saw you my heart overflowed with joy, filling me with such pride never known before.

I was sure you were the most beautiful life I have ever seen, your tiny body wrapped in blanket held my heart.

The radiant joy spread by your birth, was lucid enough to wipe out all my tiredness.

When I held you I knew what tenderness meant, http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

for I feared the warmth of my heart could hurt you.

The mother in me was born along with you, so proud, erupting with love and gleaming with joy!

About Vinitha Dileep: An Electrical Engineer by qualification, Software Engineer by profession, dreamer by passion, Vinitha writes in her blogs Void Thoughts (www.thevoidthoughts.blogspot.com) and Reflections (vinithadileep.wordpress.com) when she is not mothering her four year old. viniviswan@gmail.com.

Editor's Comment: The joy of motherhood comes alive through this poem.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

The Old Man and I - Darkness and Beyond - Final Part Final Part Part One | Part Two It was nearly a month after I had last met the old man that I went to the park. He was not there. I did not give it much thought at that time, but when I did not find him there during my subsequent two visits to the park, I grew concerned. So I decided to drop in at his house on my way back home and enquire whether everything was alright with him. I was slightly concerned for after all he was eighty seven years old.

When I rang the doorbell, it was opened by a man possibly in his forties. He saw me and said “Please come in. I have been expecting you for sometime now”. He led me to a sofa and asked me to sit down and make myself comfortable. I was surprised for I had never seen him before, so I asked – http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

“How come you know me? We have never met before.”

“No sir, but mama had told me about you and that you will drop in to see him one of these days. He described you as the bald and bearded friend who he had come to know over the last few months. He really seemed to like you. You see he had very few friends.”

“But where is” I started to ask when I noticed on the wall directly in front of me two photographs – my old friend and the other of a lady with a graceful look and kind eyes. I understood that my friend was no more. It was for a full five minutes that I just sat there in silence. I drank the glass of water which the man had brought and then asked him – “When did it happen?”

“Two weeks after he last met you at the park. It was peaceful. He went to sleep that night and did not wake up. I went to his room at six in the morning as usual to wake him up when I found http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

that he had passed away. Very sad sir, I have never known a more humane person than he.

You know a number of people misunderstood him and thought him rude. But that was all because he was frank and forthright. Mami was a very gentle lady and full of affection. Mama was never the same after she passed away last year.

He spent a lot of time by himself. It was rarely that he found someone with whom he could share his thoughts. You were one of them sir.

The last three to four days before he died, he spent most of his time inside his room busy arranging all his papers. He had even gone to the bank to take care of some work he said. Looking back now I feel that he had a premonition that he will die soon. One of the last things that he did was giving me a cover to hand it over to you when you c ome. He did not say anything else.”

While I sat wondering why he would want a cover to be handed over to me, the man came back with a cup of coffee and handed me the cover. Though I was eager to know what was inside I placed it in my pocket and asked him –

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

“What happens to you now? He told me he did not have any children and had only a brother who stays somewhere here.”

“Sir, I have been in this house with Mama and Mami for the last thirty years. I came as a fifteen year old boy. It was on one of those trips to his village that he saw me and brought me back with him to work in this house as a servant. You see I was an orphan and was staying with my uncle whom Mama knew. I have never been treated as a servant. In course of time I was accepted as a member of the family. I will now be going back to my village for mama has made enough provisions for me to start a business on my own. He has been very gracious. But before that I will be continuing in this house for some more time to take care of certain responsibilities that he has entrusted me with.”

I could see the tears in his eyes as he spoke. I saw the old man through the eyes of his servant and I understood what it was that made me want to meet him and talk to him.

I asked “Was he religious?” when I saw the small pooja room. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

“Oh yes, he was religious. He did believe in God but not the rituals. Mami was very devout and would do pooja daily.”

I saw the bookcase filled with books mostly on music and literature and of course a few religious books which included The Bhagavad Gita. Soon after, I left and gave him my address and asked him to stay in touch and inform me before he went.

As soon as I reached home I took out the cover from my pocket and found the words „To My Friend‟ on it. I took out the letter and started to read – “Dear friend, You must be surprised at this letter addressed to you. I know that I have only a few more days before I finally bid good bye. You remember that the last time I met you I said that the night is creeping in. I know that it will soon envelop me and take me to the ultimate darkness. I do not know what lies beyond, but since light fades into http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

darkness and the darkness melts away with the dawn of a new morning, I believe that there does exist something beyond this darkness and that is the hope I carry with me. As I am not really sure what lies beyond I believe that I will carry with me the things that have really mattered during my life and may be that is the beyond that I will be remembered by. If you ask me if I believe in Karma I will say yes, but at the same time I have not acted in a manner with the expectation of better things to happen as a result of my good actions for that would have been selfish. I have acted as per the callings of my heart and not by the machinations of t he mind.

I do not want to be judged by what I have done. I would rather be accepted for what I was. Though I have known you for a short time only, I felt that I should address this letter to you. So here I am writing all this. Wish you the best and good bye.�

I sat for a long time with the letter in my hand and then went to the bookcase and placed it in The Bhagavad Gita. I knew that is where it belonged and that is where it will be safe. http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Yes like there is light at the end of every tunnel, there is a „Beyond‟ at the end of this „Darkness‟.

About G. S. Subramanian: G.S.Subramanian or gssubbu chose to continue his passion for writing, painting and music after his retirement in May 2010 Though a Banker, he is by qualification an electrical engineer having graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in the year 1972.. He now lives in Chennai. gssubbu is a regular blogger and writes on his blog „Sublimation‟ at subbusg.blogspot.com. His writings reflect a search for a meaning in life and how little things which appear inconsequential contribute to a greater understanding and help us discover the joy of living.

Editor's Comment: A perfect ending to a perfect story!

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Book Review – I

Writer‟s Ezine would like to thank the authors Mr. Saptadeep Basu and Ms. Mamta Sharma for sending in such a wonderful book to be reviewed by our Editorial Team and also agree for an interview with us. :Intro: Maansi, a simple village girl, trapped within the boundaries of family and honour, is in search for the answers to the queries that haunt her life.

Reyaz, a medical intern, living under the burden http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

of a complex relation, tries to understand a world that has failed to understand him. Their paths cross, but so do their stars and death seems the only escape. But what if death isnâ€&#x;t the end, but just the beginning of a journey that changes everything you know about yourself.

Unfold the pages to embark on a soul-stirring journey of love, magic, hatred and spiritualism that winds its way through the dusty lanes of Haryana, leaving behind answers that humanity have always sought for. :Book Review: 1. Cover: The cover page does no justice to the strong theme of the book. With the silhouette of a girl walking in a desert towards what seems like horizon the cover could have been made more stronger and catchy.

2. Presentation: The presentation of the book is very smooth and gripping.

3. Narration: The narration is very lucid with a first personâ€&#x;s tone where Maansi narrates the whole story to us. http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

4. Characters: Apart from Maansi the characters Reyaz and Bhanu have a strong role to play in the book. The characterisation has been very nicely done , in a strong tone making them very relatable.

5. Plot: The plot is flawless. It deals with the issues of honour killing, female foeticide and other such social stigmas which are so rampant in some parts of our country. The authors have done complete justice to the whole plot with their near perfect narration.

6. Storyline: The storyline is something that we all read in newspapers daily, shake our heads in dismay and then forget about it conveniently. It is something that is a reality for many and the only definition of life perhaps they will ever see.

It is a very strong track as a story which is narrated with equal ĂŠlan, making the readers experience a gamut of emotions undergone by the lead character.

7. Story flow: Perfect.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

8. Language: Easy going.

9. Pros: Pros: The topic chosen by the authors is a very commendable one for a debut novel and they do complete justice to it. The ending is something that will be like a jolt to reality from the world of imagery created successfully by the authors. Mixing spirituality with fiction and liberal doses of self help the authors have tried to create a multi-genre book which is actually spell bounding. You want to keep turning the pages as the story is enthralling.

10. Cons: The book could have done with a very strong editing. Not in the terms spelling mistakes or grammar but also in the layout. There are no paragraphs making it strenuous to read at length with the font size that small. Also there are some pages where there have been over lapping in printing making them barely readable. This book with a story like this, strong and unique surely deserves a better treatment in terms of the cover and other such aspects which seem to have been overlooked.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

:Overview: The overall rating for the book would be 3 out of 5 purely to the storyline and the authorsâ€&#x; narrative.

WE team would like to thank the authors for sending across this book for review and would also like to wish them all the best for all their future endeavours.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Author Interview – I

Today we have Mr. Saptadeep Basu and Ms. Mamta Sharma with us at Writer‟s Ezine.

Authors of I Was There.

The blurb of their book reads: Maansi, a simple village girl, trapped within the boundaries of family and honour, is in search for the answers to the queries that haunt her life.

Reyaz, a medical intern, living under the burden of a complex relation, tries to understand a world that has failed to understand him. Their http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

paths cross, but so do their stars and death seems the only escape. But what if death isnâ€&#x;t the end, but just the beginning of a journey that changes everything you know about yourself.

Unfold the pages to embark on a soul-stirring journey of love, magic, hatred and spiritualism that winds its way through the dusty lanes of Haryana, leaving behind answers that humanity have always sought for.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

In conversation with them: 1. A warm welcome to you at Writer‟s Ezine, talking about your novel I was there– how did this whole idea get conceptualized?

Saptadeep: Thanks a lot for giving us the opportunity. The genesis of “I Was There” probably began years before I started to write the book. The curiosity of the protagonist to learn about life, are questions I had often irritated a lot of people around me with. However, Mamta & I realized spirituality has lost connect with the youth, so we decided to weave a fiction around it.

Mamta: Thank you so much for your warm welcome. Well, how the idea got conceptualized, is even a surprise for us? It was 2012 when we started writing this novel and believe me we were only sure about two things at that time - the afterlife& theprotagonist‟s interaction with God. We were not sure what issues we want pen down? In what form our God will be? How religion will be addressed? In what from we will describe Hell & Heaven? Basu wanted that the answers from God should be very realistic and logical, something which our readers can believe.

We discussed every chapter, what we are going to pen down and in what form. When we were done http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

we decided that we will write each chapter individually. After completion of each chapter we read each otherâ€&#x;s drafts and included the best of the ideas. Fortunately there was never a situation where we could not agree on final draft.

2. Why did you choose this particular topic for your debut novel?

Mamta: I had spent eight years of my life in a village. Growing up,whenever I thought about women, I felt deeply about their purposeless lives. I always wanted to write something that reveals their side of the story. At the same time we wanted a structure where the reader can shift between timelines, so that they can ponder upon their own lives. I think as human beings we all have same questions and we ask it at different stages of life to the same Almighty no matter in which country, religion, caste, creed and class we belong to.

3. This is a very sensitive topic to be written upon these days and I am sure you would have received a lot of feedback on the same from readers across. Any particular instances that you remember (good or bad) where the feedback was something that could be called unforgettable. http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Mamta: We are very happy with the response from ourreaders. One thing I find common in most of the reviews is that many of our readers find it hard to believe it is written by first time writers. I think this will remain with us ourwhole lives that our first novel was loved so much.

4. Can you tell us something more about both of you, as it is mentioned in the book you both haven‟t met till now but this book looks like a well worked upon project. How did you both meet and decide to come together for this one?

Saptadeep: Yes, it is strange that we have not met. I believe that God has better plans and it was the plan of God that we are able to hear the echoes of each other‟s thoughts and have strived to accomplish each other‟s dreams.

Mamta: It is an amazing story, how I met my coauthor Saptadeep Basu. The story starts from the days when I used to discuss political and social issues on various blogs. As it usually happens, ideas attract ideas, and Basuand I began to discuss various issues. After months, to get an insight of the guy, I visited his blog to find out what he shares in his Blog posts. It took me by surprise that even after writing brilliant stuff http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

with lively emotions, he does not write often. I simply loved his poems. After that I used to read his blog every day, even though he posted in months. I always shared my views when I read any of his new poem. By that time we did not have any contacts. Days passed, then weeks and months. I loved reading his creative work. It was a bit clumsy to open the blog each time just to see if the person wrote something new. So I searched him on Facebook. As it usually happens there are many people with same name, but in one I found the blog address,” D TALES OF D PIED PIPER”. I sent a friend request but we never spoke much.

After 6-7 months (I think) I told him about the plot, though I was very hesitant as I am a reserved kind of a person from a conservative family. Yet I asked him if he would like to work on a story with me. He agreed and asked me to send the plot. It was the first time we exchanged emails. Then there were issues about how we will discuss the story further when we start writing drafts. I did not have a cell phone that time and for a discussion we had to wait till evening until my classes got over or mail our doubts. After that we wrote drafts after drafts, edited and reedited them. We tried to bring the best ideas together.

And then brick by brick we completed the story, got a few rejections from publishers and finally made it. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

5. Honour killing is a burning issue in our country. Is this book inspired by some real life incidents witnessed by you or is it a work of fiction purely based on the newspaper reports of the same?

Saptadeep: “Honour killing� is the shameful truth of Indian society that prides itself in worshipping women. Coming from north east, I was lucky to be brought up in a world where women are given their due respect. However, I have an elder sister and I have experienced from close quarters that sometimes men are let off the hook for things which are considered unacceptable for women. These feelings of superiority grow with age and sometimes take unacceptable proportions in patriarchal societies.

Thus, even though it was a work of fiction for me, I could connect to the events in the story.

Mamta: Being from Haryana, I have witnessed all the issues we have penned down in the story whether it is honor killing, female foeticide, liquor addiction etc. Though, I always wonder why we as women are taken for granted here.

6. More than honour killing and other issues like female foeticide, love marriages, unwanted female child, liquor addiction etc the book talks http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

about spirituality with some deep about many questions that are unanswered. What was the intention the book a multi genre like this spirituality, self help, paranormal etc?

learnings otherwise of making – fiction,

Saptadeep: I would say this is what happens when two people, with no relation whatsoever, come together to create something! On a serious note, we believe people can connect with the spiritual aspect of the novel when it is propagated through a fiction. In our attempt to do so, we tried to touch few relevant issues that we as a society need to question ourselves. “I Was There” is a journey, and just as any journey goes through diverse geographies, the novel intends to take one through different genres to drive home its message.

7. If I were to ask you both independently what according to you and rather who should be blamed for all these issues that are still rampant in our society?

Saptadeep: I believe it is the society itself that is to be blamed for the mess we find ourselves in.

No one wants to give up their authority and it is the same with men. Religiously, socially and historically, men have created laws to further http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

strengthen their grip on the society and women have silently obliged. So the fault lies equally on both sides of the coin.

Mamta: I personally think we all are responsible.

We as an individual do not protest. We as family suppress. We as a society judge others without knowing the truth. We as a Government fail too, because we are part of the same society. If we all perform our roles honestly, believe me there will not be much issues.

8. What is the message you would like to give out to your readers through this book?

Saptadeep: There is not one message actually but many! But if I have to choose one among them, well it would be “Love Yourself, for there can never be another like you.”

Mamta: For me, I believe we are all here for a purpose & it is to accomplish each other‟s dream.

In this novel, God made Maansi realize her purpose, Reyaz made Maansi understand who she is & Maansi made the writer realize his dream. Surprisingly, through this novel, me & Basu helped each other achieve our best. So that is the underlying message of the book.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

9.Do we see you both experimenting with genres in future together and individually?

Saptadeep: Why not? Even though for now we haven‟t planned on anything new but who knows.

10. If given a choice is there anything you would like to change in the book. Why?

Saptadeep:“I Was There” is written in a first person account. It is the story of Maansi and how she perceives things. Somewhere in the midst of Maansi‟s inner struggle, the character of Reyaz is left open for reader‟s interpretation. If we could have re-written the story, we would have given Reyaz an opportunity to express himself through this book.

11. We would like to know about any future projects you are currently working on.

Saptadeep: I‟m a poet by heart and for now I‟m going back to writing poems, till I find something that excites me.

Mamta: Well I am thinking to publish my collection of Hindi Poetry.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

12. Some words for your readers.

Saptadeep: “I Was There” is an honest attempt to understand life; life that is built around stereotypes of the Indian society and attach value to it. It is an eye-opener to what is happening around us, which we in cities tend to ignore. But more than that, it is about feelings, those suppressed ones that we hide away every night under our pillow. I would love to thank all my readers, particularly those who have shared their pictures with the book, it means a lot to us!

Mamta: Every stage of life comes with a truth and an experience that reveals something new to us.

Do not be disappointed. Enjoy life because there is only one. Live it the way you want. In the end, everything is fine. And if there still remains a doubt, then this book is definitely for you!

Thank you very much for your time

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Experience of Witnessing a Music Festival “Thank you so much but I think if there are a few punks here they might just sue me for a trademark infringement if you were to paint my cheeks Red, Green or any other hue…” I quipped as I moved past the entrance. She didn't laugh.

“I could use a bottle of water though or soda… if you have one…” I said.

“Sorry I don't have any”, she said only this time with a little smile.

She was carrying a small paint brush with her. I was a bit scared to be honest; she looked half Vampire half doped junkie or her super dark eyeliner was meant for some other purpose I wasn't really aware of.

I could barely get past the first counter near the gate when I saw swarms of patrons filling the ground. A small glance at the parking lot and you could see a couple of super-rich kids in their http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Audis with a few uber-cool chicks, carrying more I-phones and I-pads than their pockets could fill.

The boy then scurried towards the VIP entrance in his shiny Levi's shoes and a Gucci watch. The girl on the other hand was a little slow on her high heels, donning a beret on her head and a beetle tattoo on her neck.

Forbearing the cacophonous roars and blasé sharp blares of Armin here and there, I was tiredly waiting in the third queue of General entrance when someone hurled an Armin banner four feet off the ground, carrying a few red Air balloons, she started to scream boisterously "Armin... Armin..." ten meters from the entrance.

The evening was upon us and the ground was full to its fill and the atmosphere was festive. I was a little surprised that there weren't any fireworks yet! I called my cousin (on whose insistence I was here) and he asked me to meet him inside the concert hall as I was already late anyway… “Hey, would you please take a picture of us?” a girl asked me, handing me her cam, as I entered the ground floor.

With silver-black spiked hair and a couple of piercings on her torso, she looked menacing. Her http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

eyes appeared to be all set for something hazardous (like flaring the hall or something).

Her friend looked just as rebellious as they simpered, posing together with a simulacrum of Armin.

Only after being satisfied with me getting them a spell of twenty-thirty pictures, “Thanks man!” she said. “You are welcome.” I said as I acknowledged the pleasantries and handed the cam back to her.

I then strolled past a couple of Cocktail vending counters with patrons all around the circumference of two to three meters of the stalls.

As the last line of my phone‟s battery vanished, my phone shut off and I was simply lost among the humongous hordes of people around me!

I couldn't get past the main entrance as the crowd started pouring in large numbers. The adjacent Cocktail seller in Retro outfit advised me to use the rear entrance instead.

“Move to the base floor. Go straight and take a right. A door is marked with “Fire Exit” fifty meters from there. A flight of stairs will take you to the hall.” he said. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

“Thanx dude.” I said and smiled at him. He didn't look back and got busy making Martinis. A deafening roar welcomed me as I entered the dark hall with a huge white balloon hanging midair. The man for whom this crowd amassed here was in that balloon and all you could see was his silhouette in the air.

“Hey, careful dude!” said a teen in his early twenties as I inadvertently spilled some of his beer while moving to the third row of hyper Armin fans. Armin was playing some popular tunes of which I had no idea…

The cadence of beats was rhythmic and in the multi-colored grill strobe lights one could see a festive cum religious hordes of music loving people savoring every minute with their hands raised and their belly moving to the groove of the oscillation of beats.

On the left edge of the hall corner, I found a half punk half vertebrate getting high on smoking grass or something… Later in the evening he started juggling the empty cocktail glasses and did a couple of somersaults a few minutes later!

Oddly enough he looked quite gaiety and sober though… http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

I then reached the midway of the front section, where I got a waft of sweet zephyr and Armin was out from his Balloon! The vociferous fans turned even more clamorous!!

A girl in the front row was levitating on her boyfriend in an elliptical path I guess... She jumped on me a couple of times too… I could hold her down only for a couple of seconds just so she doesn't fall down. But she didn't mind jumping on the adjacent patrons… oddly enough neither did his boyfriend!

As the artists started rotating, there were drummers, jugglers, more singers and the show was a big hit with not a square inch of void left on the floor to move! The 3-D projection on the screen was out of the world!! And Armin rocked with his magic mixers!

As I got a little thirsty, I moved past the rear side exit to the flight of stairs for a drink and I found a couple making out on the stairway... I excused myself for a two second interruption as this was the closest rear exit without too much crowd around… I had to go from here I thought. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

“A Red Bull”, I ordered.

“With Vodka?” man at the counter asked.

“No.” “Sure?”

“Yup.” As the night went on, I then met my cousin and his friends who adjusted themselves conveniently on the balustrade.

All said this would be one the best experiences I have had for a long time!!

Would surely be looking forward to Armin‟s next one here!

About Author: Rushabh Gandhi Editor's Comment: Music is the language of the soul, one that has the power to transport you into a different world altogether. Witness one such transportation through this article. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

21 Grams I climbed steadily. My breath seemed to be giving away. I struggled to keep up with the people ahead of me. They were weaving in and out of the thick mists swirling in front of our eyes like characters in a stage play. The air was icy cold, dampening my face every alternate second. My rucksack seemed to have found a newfound vengeance as it ate up flesh and then attacked the bone. My eyes were watering with the pain infused into my body.

“Keep up, will you?” the tour guide barked at me.

I looked at him with all the anger I could muster, but ended up grimacing in pain, as every extremity of mine screamed in agony. I had a sip of the rum I had brought. Warmth coiled its dry rattlers around my bones, giving me a momentary relief. I drudged on, wondering where all of this would end.

A girl of only 18 came up behind me. She was white as a sheet and pointed at the bottle of rum with vigorous hand movements. I passed it to her. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

“God save me!” I thought to myself, as she passed it back to me, after finishing half of it.

She smiled, thanking me in silence. I nodded brusquely, making a mental note of not sharing it with anyone anymore.

The gongs were nearer.

It echoed through the precipitous ravines, in symphony with each step we took. She looked at me and nodded slightly towards the monastery at the top of the mountain. She reminded me a lot of my daughter. The daughter I had loved. The daughter I had lost.

I smiled inwardly, as the girl took my hand and led me through the dangerously thinning and winding climb. I fell in line behind her as the tour guide, unyielding as ever, shouted at us for having too much talk, and no action. I doubted my true intentions of coming to this trek now. A 60 year old man with arrhythmia was not exactly a glove-fit for such an adventure.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

“Bistari, Bistari!!” the Nepali tour guide shouted in alarm.

I had learnt enough of their mannerisms, to understand such a call was usually one of precaution. He was warning us to go slow because of the steep curve ahead. We went ahead in blithe indulgence. The turn was teeming with wet snow and potholes. I jumped to avoid all of them. Hypothermia along with wet clothes was a disaster waiting to happen. As I jumped to avoid the last pothole, I went unusually far away from the line. My heart skipped several beats, as I went dangerously close to the cavernous ravine.

She tightened her grip around my hand and pulled me back.

She asked me, "Do you have a death wish?” with narrowed eyes.

I couldn‟t answer her. Along the way, the guide told us there were three categories of people who came here. Those who got lost midway and were never found again. Of people who came up here to commit suicide. Of those who came here with their loved ones only to go back alone. He seemed to be talking more than all of us combined. It seemed a welcome change from the deafening http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

silence that greeted us when we started this journey. The air cleared for a second and in that instant, the valley was no longer damp, morose and subdued. It was basking in the spotlight shone upon it. The monastery was just a few feet away. The girl smiled and went towards the edge of the ravine. She put her hands up as if hugging the sun and welcoming all the sunlight now streaming steadily towards us. I laughed as she put a C around the sun with her hands, imitating so many of the trekkers before her.

It all happened in an instant as she slipped on the rock she was standing on. She flailed wildly as I was too late to react. I jumped towards her as she started vicariously towards the chasms of the earth. I grabbed whatever I could of her and had her gloves in my hand the next instant. I heard a loud crack as she crashed onto a tree branch and fell into the plunging blackness which engulfed her hungrily. My mind went blank with anger as nausea crept up on me. I vomited into the same chasm she had fallen in an instant ago. A deafening silence arose as the other trekkers, now realising what had happened, pulled me back towards safety. I pushed all of them aside as I half-ran, halfslipped towards the monastery. http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

"Where are you going?! Wait!” the tour guide yelled.

I looked back. The tour guide and the other trekkers seemed to have vanished into thin air.

With furrowed brows, I went a step back from whence I came and then stopped midway on my tracks. White matter floated nirvanically in front of me. It bobbed up and down slowly. Then with a sudden whooshing sound as it went right through me. Stark realization hit home. I had just witnessed my daughter‟s death. I wondered if two people could be so intrinsically linked that they could view the remnants of each other‟s past. I slipped off my trekking shoes aside, and then realised my folly, as the wet floors of the place chilled me to my bones in a second.

The monk was facing away. He was meditating.

The gong seemed to echo louder and louder as it culminated into a heightened sense of awareness within me. He opened his eyes and turned slowly. There was a single tear from his left eye as his cataract-ridden right eye remained unfocused. Then I knew, I could never go back. I would never go back. I had found my calling and http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

there was no other place I would rather be. His lips curved upwards with a slight hint of apprehension. I stared defiantly back at him. I was now the sole member of the fourth category.

Of people who lose all of their loved ones, come here and never go back.

He narrowed his eyes and said, “Welcome.”

About Jagannathan R: Jagannathan R codes software by day and is a billionaire vigilante by night. Powered by Espresso and a few shots here and there, he blogs about whatever quirks he finds in Nature.

Philosophical, witty and sarcastic is what puts him a level above Bruce Wayne. He's the blogger this world deserves, and also the one it needs right now. Contact him using the Batsignal. Or Email would also do.

Email: jagannathanr@outlook.com.

Editor's Comment: A rabbit-out-of-a-hat story – completely takes you by surprise. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

She Was The One Daily, I get up at 6:30. In one hour, I finish off all my routine of brushing teeth, doing pranayam, taking a bath and then breakfast, praying and leaving for the office. I catch a local at 7:42 and reach office exactly at 9:30 after taking a train to Dadar and then again a train to Bandra and then a 15 walk to the office. This has been my schedule since past 15 years. Nothing has ever changed in this routine of mine. Only when monsoons arrive and only when it rains like crazy and the trains get late are there some chances of me getting late to the office.

Like always, I reached Bandra station at 9:15.

There is always rush in the train during the peak hours and sometimes I do not get place to sit. But still I was never bored of this journey from home to the office which was almost of 2 hours one way. We all had formed a group who traveled in the same time in the same train from the past many years. Relieving ourselves of personal tensions and preparing http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

ourselves for the boring mundane routine of office work, we had formed a family outside home. That was also just another day when I said bye to my train friends and stepped out of the Bandra station and I saw her...

I stood frozen for 2 minutes. I could understand now what that "love at first sight means". I had seen it many times in the movies or read it in books, but this was the first time I had really felt something like it. I didn't know what to do. I stood there like crazy watching and observing her from top to bottom. She had a fair complexion, a pink luster just like a rose. She was looking very fresh just like the morning dew.

I fell short of words in exactly describing her. My mind was racing, heart was pounding, and thoughts were swarming. I came to my senses and realized that I was still on road and to reach office literally running. I was happy the other days in doing that, but today somehow I just dragged my feet and left from there.

Not for a minute, I could think away from her.

Her image was dancing in front of my eyes. I could not even watch her to my heart's fullest content. I should have waited for some more http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

time; will I see her in the evening? Oh god, help me. I was having a very different feeling and butterflies in my stomach. There was certain uneasiness and longing. 9 hours were just not passing today. There are only 60 seconds in a minute, but today those were passing like an hour. If I could have some power on time, I would have taken him directly to 6 o'clock, when I could push off to see her again (in case I was lucky. Everything was so quiet today. I was not able to concentrate on anything, couldn't eat properly, and couldnâ€&#x;t talk to my colleagues today. She had occupied my day, time and space today.

At last, the clock struck 6:30 and I rushed from the office. On other days, I would chat away to glory even after 6:30, but today was out at 6:31.

Everybody was surprised at my behavior today, but I neither had time and inclination to explain them the chain of events. I literally ran my way to the station and there I saw her again. She was looking just the same as I had left her in the morning -beautiful, delicate, and attractive. I was happy to see her and was all my painstaking efforts were fruitful in seeing and meeting her again. http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

This started happening almost daily now.

Seeing her, observing her, thinking about her became my daily routine. But it was only confined to whatever I felt for her. I could never express my feelings to her. Every day I mustered courage, but thought tomorrow would be a good day to break the ice. I had almost lost track of time and I had already lost the peace of my mind.

I didn't realize when June approached and one day it exactly happened as it is often shown in the Hindi movies..

It was raining heavily accompanied by a strong gush of wind; thunder and lightning were also dancing with each other. Skies were oozing black color and in this totally romantic atmosphere, I saw her with someone else...

Yes, it was raining very heavily and he was with her.

Yes, with her With the umbrella, which I had liked so much!

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

About Mrunalini Velankar: Mrunalini Velankar is a working mother to a 2 year old and an amateur cook. She blogs since 2011 and writes about anything and everything that touches her sensitive mind. She loves making friends and loves to help fellow people.

Besides writing and cooking, she loves reading, singing and collecting soft-toys and other artifacts. She is a true Libran by heart.

Editor's Comment: A story that will leave you with a huge smile.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Hopper’s Ladies

You stay and grow More mysterious but familiar In my interiorWith voices peeled Full of field Of fruiting orange trees Fertile to orchard breeze Soaked in summer rains So each refrain all remains.

Not afraid of contrast, Closed and opened in the past And present, this isolation of Hopper's ladies, Sat, thinking in and out of ifs and maybes http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

In a diner, reading on a chair or bed Knowing what wants to be said To someone Who is coming or goneSuch subsidence Into silence Is a unilateral curve Of moments And movements That swerve A straight lifetime To independence In dependence Touching sublime Rich roots Then ripe fruits.

We share their flesh and flutes In ribosomeâ€&#x;s and delicious shoots That release loveNo, not just the fingered glove http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

To wear And curl up with in a chair, But loving-kindness Cloaked in timeless Density and tone In settled loamBeyond lonely apartments in skyscrapers And empty newspapers, Or small town life Gutting you with gossips knife!

About Strider Marcus Jones: Strider Marcus Jones is a poet, law graduate, ex civil servant. His poem Exotic Birds is currently published in the Huffington Post USA http://www.huffingtonpost.com/strider-marcusjones/featured-fiftypoetry_b_4640202.html?utm_hp_ref=featuredfifty-poetry with other poems published in anthologies and magazines in many countries. A member of The Poetry Society, his five published http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

books of poetry are modern, traditional, mythical, sometimes erotic, surreal and metaphysical experiences of love, life and relationships in todayâ€&#x;s dystopian landscape. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/stridermarcusjones 1 Editor's Comment: Touching

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Heart of Darkness

Centuries far ago In the African state of Congo Trespassed by the heartless whites Civilizing the blacks, against their rights They invaded them under a false pretence They shattered humanismâ€&#x;s true essence Several men decayed, as malnourished For being skinned in charcoal colour they were punished The invaders sowed the seeds to racism It grew larger using euphemism It all spread like a malicious talk http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Darkness bowed when the white flesh would walk Subjugated with iron chains the slaves marched With empty stomachs and throats parched Killed unmercifully if they refused a task After all, the devil resided behind the white mask They looted several nations Leaving behind schools and railway stations But who would benefit from development of this kind?

In the darkness, hearts had turned blind Oh, one day back then it all changed Hearts pumped louder through the ribs that were caged Unleashing those iron chains they chased; Till those heartless masters felt disgraced The dark cloak of slavery burnt to dust While freedom of sunshine sparkled on all the rust http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Each enslaved human fought for what is right No one could dare to break their might Blood was shed on both sides But they didn‟t cease their stride Back then they made them flee But those racist seeds flew across seas The darkness never prevails From one land to another it sails Only the goodness in one‟s soul, Can take the darkness for a toll!

About Zainab Attari: Zainab is an English Literature Graduate and a Graphic Designer. She loves being surrounded with art and artistic people. She reaches out to the world with her words and other creative skills. Part-time weaves dream-catchers to make her dreams come true. Loves singing and sobbing http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

while watching movies when she is all alone. She also reads. You can stalk her at zainabattari14. wordpress.com z_attari@hotmail.com Editor's Comment: A beautiful ode to an ugly truth of our world.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

She Said

She said I made her feel complete.

She said her beauty was beyond compare only because of my company My lips tasted of sweet red wine to her And the moon and stars were jealous of us Yet she chose the arms of another A girl whom I thought was mine forever left me I shall never forget or understand.... why it happened????

Her beginning was our bitter end.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

About Ayush Surolia: Ayush Surolia is a first year B.Com student and has written various published and unpublished stories and is currently working on a novel named "21st century fight back" Editor's Comment: Innocence and pain of first love brought out very nicely.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

It Was There

It was there, We would sneak to meet, To laugh, to love , It was there, When I first saw you, Sad and sobbing.

And we burst our hearts out, together.

It was there; we winked and fell in love, immensely.

It was there, You enlightenment my life, http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Like the first sunshine after monsoon.

It was there, I tasted my favorite sweetness; your lips.

It was there, Bench under shadow of tree, green and healthy.

Were these miracles we witnessed, together?

It was there, I will be coming to meet my Angel, Dead or Alive.

About Author: Vivek Kumar Tiwari Editor's Comment: Love, in every form is still beautiful.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Book Review – II

:Intro: Kathmandu is the greatest city of the Himalaya; a unique survival of cultural practices that died out in India a thousand years ago. It is a carnival of sexual license and hypocrisy, a jewel of world http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

art, a hotbed of communist revolution, a paradigm of failed democracy, a case study in bungled Western intervention, and an environmental catastrophe.

Kathmandu follows the author‟s story through a decade in the city, and unravels the city‟s history through successive reinventions of itself.

Erudite, entertaining and accessible, it is the fascinating chronicle of a unique city. :Book Review: 1. Cover: Very relevant and eye catching cover, depicting Kathmandu completely.

2. Presentation: The presentation of the book is very engrossing. The flow in which the whole narration has been presented is something that is unique in this genre.

Nonfiction as a genre needs to have very strong description of the topics being spoken about as that is the strongest point for a reader. And that is where the author scores brownie points. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

The presentation of the author is so visually descriptive that the whole city of Kathmandu comes alive before your eyes as you visit the lanes, witness the houses, market places and almost meet the people living there in his words.

3. Narration: The narration is in a very simplistic tone that connects with the reader immediately.

4. Language: Fluid, very gripping and one that is connectable for the reader.

5. Pros: The author has written the book is such an easy going manner that it feels as if the reader has embarked on a trip himself to witness all those places as described by the author. That is the key every nonfiction writer needs to keep in mind.

6. Cons: The only flaw, if it can be called so is a genre like this is limited to a particular target audience and not all will enjoy such books.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

:Overview: The overall rating for the book would be 4 out of 5 for the descriptive narrative and being a window to Kathmandu.

WE team would like to thank Random House for sending across this book for review and would also like to wish the author all the best for all their future endeavours.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Author Interview – II

Today we have Mr. Thomas Bell with us at Writer‟s Ezine. Author of Kathmandu, Thomas Bell was born in the north of England in 1978 and studied at Oxford and the Courtauld Institute of Art. After university he moved to Kathmandu to cover the civil war in Nepal for the Daily Telegraph, The Economist, and other publications. He was the South East Asia correspondent of the Daily Telegraph before returning to Kathmandu, where he lives with his family.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

The blurb of his book reads: Kathmandu is the greatest city of the Himalaya; a unique survival of cultural practices that died out in India a thousand years ago. It is a carnival of sexual license and hypocrisy, a jewel of world art, a hotbed of communist revolution, a paradigm of failed democracy, a case study in bungled Western intervention, and an environmental catastrophe.

Kathmandu follows the author‟s story through a decade in the city, and unravels the city‟s history through successive reinventions of itself.

Erudite, entertaining and accessible, it is the fascinating chronicle of a unique city.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

In conversation with him: 1. A warm welcome to you at Writer‟s Ezine, talking about your book Kathmandu– how did this whole idea get conceptualized?

It came to me a few years ago while I was living in Bangkok, which I never really liked, and I was missing Kathmandu - where I‟d lived for several years before that. I was already interested in architecture and cities from another part of my life, so I realized that I could write about Nepal, and all the extraordinary things that are going on there at the moment, through the device of describing the city. I would start at the inside, the oldest part, and work out to the Ring Road.

From that starting point the whole thing developed quite readily once I started work.

2. Why did you choose this particular topic for your debut book?

When I was in my early twenties I moved to Nepal as a freelance journalist, the cover the Maoist insurgency which was going on at the time. I became very involved with the place, and I found I had a lot I wanted to say about it.

Anyway, it was what I knew the most about. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Choosing a topic for a second book is much harder.

3. In many ways this book seems to be what one can call – coming of age – has that also been your experience as you travel to various places? Did you get a chance to see life‟s various facets and find out the one what defined you the most?

Not exactly. I am in the book, and many of the events it describes happened when I was a few years younger than I am now,so you could say it describes a previous phase of my life. But I don‟t really think of it as a book about me at all. I‟m in there as one among several characters, to describe the things which I saw, and to guide the reader and so on, but my role‟s more in the nature of a plot device than the actual subject of the thing. Of course our experiences in life do change us, but you could write a book about that without saying very much at all about the places where life events took place. I‟ve written about a place.

4. Bringing together history and your own experiences in this book – it must have been a mammoth task, as it is said merging the past and the present to create a future is difficult for an http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

author. What has your experience been on the same?

All the research - and figuring out how to put it together - was quite a big job, but it was very enjoyable. The past and the present are something we should be able to at least try to understand. I steered clear of the future on the whole though - going there seemed very risky.

5. Amidst all the things your book talks about what is that one thing that stands out in them and connects with you the most.

That‟s a tough one, because one of the things the book tries to do is show how everything is connected. In a city like Kathmandu all the strands of the city‟s life are knitted together, and that‟s how I tried to write it. The idea was to use it all (and there‟s a lot of history in the book) to show how Kathmandu is now, and why it is that way. So you could say that what‟s most important to me is the present, and - though it may seem strange - that‟s why I decided to write a kind of history book.

6. If asked to describe in one word – what is the one single thing that makes Kathmandu stand http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

apart from all the other places in the world, according to you?

Newars.

7. What is the message you would like to give out to your readers through this book?

I really want people to enjoy it and be entertained. I‟ve mentioned „history‟ and this and that and it all sounds very serious, but I really tried to make this book good to read. One of the most pleasing things for me, in the way people have responded to it so far, is the guys who say, „I finished it in a weekend, I was up all night reading it, I couldn‟t put it down‟. That‟s great to hear. People who are particularly concerned with Kathmandu and Nepal may find other stuff in there to talk about, but for most people I just want it to be a pleasure.

8. Can you take our readers through your journey of becoming a published author? Was it always a desire to be one that has got materialized now? When did you realize that THIS is what I want to be – an author?

When I was a kid I thought it would be nice to write books, but it wasn‟t something that http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

determined by life choices. I had a stab at it in my late twenties but I don‟t think I was ready. I wasn‟t yet in a position to pull it off. A couple of years later I could - or, at least, I hope I could.

Now I‟d like to write several more. The question is, what will I do for a day job?

9. Do we see you experimenting with genres in future?

I guess I‟ll always write non-fiction. But yeah, if possible I‟d like to have something interesting going on in the way my books are made.

10. Getting published is supposed to be a mammoth task for any writer. How has your experience been about it? Any specific incidents (good or bad) that you would like to share here with us.

I‟ve had a great experience with my publisher, Random House India. The book was mostly written already when I approached them with it, which was about a year before it came out. They were great to work with and I think the finished result looks fantastic. Some people may be well advised to start working with editors and so on at an earlier stage. For me, I toiled in private for a few years and I was lucky it worked out. Even http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

so, I think it‟s very important to have people you trust who can comment on your work at certain stages as you go along.

11. We would like to know about any future projects you are currently working on.

I haven‟t started working on anything new yet, but I have a couple of ideas. I think I‟ll get into a bit of research, to try to figure out where I might be able to go with them, sometime soon. Maybe I‟ll have to toss those out and look for something different, I don‟t know.

12. Some words for your readers.

I hope you like it! Don‟t be put off by the 400 pages -it practically reads itself. www.kathmandubook.com @bellthomasbell Thank you very much for your time

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Diversity Tapestry

Makes

for

a

Rich

I needed this alone time, just being with me.

No daughters asking me which dress to wear, if hair was better straight or curly, or which job offer was intriguing – Alaska or Timbuktu. No nephews or nieces telling me that their moms and dads suck, that the guy in the next seat in class today was cute, or that they don‟t want careers but would rather bum through life. And pardon me, this time no buddies heaping their woes on my small weary shoulders. So here I am now at my favorite regular coffee bar with my favorite hot cup of cappuccino. Thor, waiter and friend, was doting on me like a mother hen asked if I wanted a refill on my cup. Teasingly I told him that I was only half through my first one. He smiled and said that it was getting cold so a hot replacement would be just fine. Well, who‟s to argue that?!

Still wonder why I like this place?!

So my coffee was getting cold. Unimaginable.

That usually doesn‟t happen. I looked through http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

the glass wall out to the street – saw the day outside moving on quite normally as any other day. Boring to a certain point. So I shifted my gaze back to the people traffic inside the mall, at least that part fronting the coffee bar. I wondered what goes on behind those bland expressionless faces. Often what‟s seen on the outside doesn‟t necessarily reflect what‟s within. Who was it that said -- a person is a behavior triangle– one is how people see him; another is how he wants people to see him; and the other is, how he sees himself... if I remember that correctly. Here at the mall, the battle ensues within the person as any one of this grapple for center stage. I guess we can say that it‟s the same thing in any other arena of life a person finds himself. One or any side comes out to the fore in response to the encounter, environment, or circumstance presented. Oh well!

So much for that now, I withdrew into memory lane the mood shifting wistful. Whoa! Memories came tumbling out like a tipped-over bucket of KFC fried chicken – crisp, spicy, delicious! (Nope that doesn‟t refer to the memories. It rather refers to my tummy now grumbling for good ole friend chicken the KFC way.) http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Well, back to memories. Each memory held a precious moment or milestone or meaning which stirred up overwhelmingly varied responses. I‟ll say I ran the whole gamut of emotions on a wide assortment of events and experiences. At different points of life have-- made my mark, had mistakes, experienced failure, was betrayed, disillusioned, lost loved ones, loved someone, married, raised children, made friends, worked.

Oh yes, these were the diverse threads of my life under the page of yesteryears. There‟re more threads to be put in, of course, as this long journey continues.

We each have our different stories to tell, yet we‟re all still the same– laugh, cry, grieve, love, hate, fight, hope, trust, believe. Our similarities and differences all make up the colorful threads of our lives, separately or collectively. Author, Maya Angelou said this --- "We all should know

that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color."

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

“Maybe you would like a sandwich now?” butted in Thor‟s pleasant voice cutting through my reverie.

I looked at him and smiled “I‟ve never asked you about your name. Where‟d you get that?”

He laughed. “Mom gave it to me”.

“She reads mythology?”

“No. Well, yes, when she met my father. She was

doing her literature assignment at the school library….”

Warmed by the thought, I replied “...And she was on the page of Thor when love sparks flew.”

He grinned sheepishly. Ah! but their own tapestry of life.

“Thanks, Thor; I think that sandwich sounds good.”

Time alone like this --is time well spent. Indeed.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

About Ellen A. Santos Diaz: Ellen A. Santos Diaz is a widow, retiree, and writer who loves to write about life, people, and the Divine. Worked as a contributor to a local women's magazine before entering the blog world. You can see her writing regularly at http://ellen-inretrospect.blogspot.com/ Email: ellen622@yahoo.com Editor's Comment: An experience that makes you want to believe in the magic of love and life.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Opposites Attract This was supposed to b a HAPPY date, but looking at the sky, she feared that rain would spoil her plans and end the day on a SAD note.

Brushing aside, such NEGATIVE thoughts, she picked her beeping mobile. She blushed, on reading the text, and sprung from her chair, on a POSITIVE note.

In a flicker, she stood in front of the mirror, matching UP her dress with delicate accessories, when the clouds grew darker, and it started drizzling DOWN. She crossed the lane in a dilemma, and the thought brought tears to her eyes. She REMEMBERED checking the mirror umpteen times, to look perfect but cursed herself, for having FORGOTTEN the bunch of gorgeous lilies, she had got especially for him.

Her upbeat mood was totally LOST. Suddenly, to her surprise, she FOUND her guy, with that charismatic smile, and ruffled hair, get down from his bike. http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

She had one reason to CRY and thousand reasons to SMILE. It was a BITTER SWEET moment.

They stood looking at each other on the WET, slippery, road. Their hearts pumped faster, as their mouth went DRY. Their eyes which MET did not PART.........

Finally, he took her in his bike to a SEPARATE place, with lesser mobility, spoke for hours, with their hands clutched TOGETHER. She enjoyed every moment. Around midnight, he LIGHTED the candle, and as she BLEW them, he smeared a peck of the creamy, cake on her nose.

He gazed at her eyes, FULL of love, and assurance; She thought how imperfect the night is without lilies and her heart felt EMPTY and void. But she consoled herself, as she had not gone WRONG in finding the RIGHT choice!

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

About Viji Nathan: Viji Nathan is a responsible homemaker, whose passion for reading, has taken a different turn and she loves to write and post her scribbling on fb. This short story narrated carries sweet moments of her daughterâ€&#x;s date.

Editor's Comment: Sweet and mushy read

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Asylum Muse

Every morning I sit hearing for the key to hit the lock and see whatâ€&#x;s coming in, The asylum door opens and closes a thousand times with a deafening bam and a clink.

But there's only one face that I yearn for, My only grasp at mountain air and morning dew galore.

So ravenous so perfect-She can put any sculptor to shame, An electric blue waterfall is unleashed when she smiles keeping me sane. http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

While she's alien to the ward and is free to walk out of this hall, I'm on a steep downhill to insanity and it wonâ€&#x;t be long before I free fall.

About Arjun Jayant: Arjun Jayant is an avid reader and generally tends to muse about the eclipsing, alternate things in life. He is also pursuing an honorary degree in English from a revered university.

P.s. Carpe diem.

Editor's Comment: Deep and Poignant

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

The ‘Single’ Duo That day was special for me and my friend. She was to get married to the guy her parents had chosen for her. I mumbled a small prayer under my breath as I sat on the oak pews of the church waiting for her. The bells chimed in tow with her arrival on the doorway. Everyone turned their heads to look at the bride who looked resplendent in her white wedding dress trimmed with silver lace.

“So you came for the wedding…I don‟t believe it!” she beamed as soon as she saw me. We couldn‟t speak much as her father had to quickly lead her way down the aisle. She turned back to look at me and I knew there were tears in her eyes.

I had met her for the first time in a restaurant, as we sat across the same table since the other ones were occupied. She was listening to music while waiting for the order to be served. ”I know you must be bored for not having a lively neighbor to chat up with. So maybe, the music can offer you some solace.” she said offering her ear phones. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

“Thanks. But I think a chat would be better.” I replied.

Since that day, we become the best of friends, though both of us were completely different in our approach and mindsets.

I was unhappy about staying away from my parents on account of a job transfer. I rued about a dreary house and thankless work. To top it all, I was on the horribly wrong side of 30s and still held the single status without much aplomb.

On the other hand, she was a year elder than me and unmarried. She had to support her family comprising her parents and a younger brother.

Every time we met, she always managed to wring out a smile out of the petulant me.

“I am just not made for it or maybe it‟s just not destined for me.” I spoke and this time my voice ringed with pain and sadness.

“Remember a relationship will happen whenever it has to. You can‟t hurry things up.” she told me. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

“But there is not a single positive swig to any of my meetings with guys.” I went on to tell her about the guy whom Dad wanted me to see. He had flown in from Mumbai to Bangalore for the sole purpose of seeing me in person. However, he left within half an hour of our “discussion” and dropped me a message later on saying “I am

sorry…I don‟t think we should take this matter forward. It was nice meeting you though.”

“That‟s a pattern I have been observing…of multiple rejections…is that a sign?” I asked her ruefully.

“What sign?”

“Of me remaining a spinster all my life!”

“You are thinking too much into all this. Stop doing that.”

That was the first sign of a depression if not anything else. I slowly withdrew into my solitary world and stopped being in touch with anyone including Annie.

That day, she left me a string of messages on my mobile and made several calls but I didn‟t reply to any of them. We hadn‟t met for more than a week.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

“I want to be alone…please don‟t call me

henceforth, I don‟t want to be friends with you anymore,” I replied to her message later with words of an acrid tone.

A blizzard of gloomy thoughts swept through all corners of my mind, and tears streamed down my face. I knew I had been rude to her and that I may have lost the only true friend I had.

Someone rang the bell of my room. But before I could respond, I fell down in a swoon on the floor. The next thing I remember is Annie kneeling down mumbling a prayer besides my hospital bed.

“Annie….,” my frail voice called out to her.

She opened her eyes and rushed to my side. She wanted to speak something, but words failed her.

What I didn‟t know while recovering at the hospital was that Annie was going through the pangs of a break-up herself. The day I dashed off my unsavory message to her was when her fiancée had broken up with her. She slowly got her bearings back while I limped back to health.

The day I was discharged, she picked me up from the hospital. We walked in silence, too wry to say anything. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

“I am sorry…Annie. I was rude to you,” my garbled voice spoke.

“It‟s OK." “Have I not been a fool?”

“We all go through our lows and highs. But yes,

you had scared me really. I was worried sick about you.”

“I know. I have troubled you enough.”

“Don‟t say that. I promise you one thing, my

dear. I will always be your friend and remain by your side, no matter what.”

“What if you get married?” I teased her.

“Well…in that case, I would wait till you get married before taking the plunge myself.”

“What?”

“Ha …ha…ha…that‟s my promise!”

Two years later, I met the man of my life. He was sweet, loving, and caring. It was then that I experienced the proverbial attraction/spark/sweeping off the feet thingamabob that my single soul had only imagined of. Annie sent me her true wishes since she couldn‟t come over my wedding on account of a family emergency. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

And a few months later, I got a message followed by an invite of my best friend‟s wedding.

Her mail had read, “And so the „single duo‟ finally meet their respective mates.”

Her smile radiated from behind the thin veil as she walked down the wedding carpet. She threw kisses at me as I sat in the front pew with tears from my past memories.

About Pooja Nair: Meet the happy-go-lucky girl who likes to look at the sunnier side of things. Writing is my hobby as well as passion. I have attempted all forms of writing be it creative, technical, or plain expressive. One of my short stories has been featured in a book titled "Inner Voices" that was published internationally. In addition, three of my short stories were published in the Chicken Soup for the soul series. Recently one of my short stories was published in an anthology released by the Lituminati group. I write regularly for Indian weeklies and ezines as well. I can be reached at istroller2010@gmail.com. The link to my blog is istrollersdiary.blogspot.in.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Editor's Comment: Friendship is one of the most beautiful relations in the world, the author has managed to bring out its beauty very nicely.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

The failed quest to escape God in the End of the Affair In Graham Greeneâ€&#x;s the End of the Affair, God is shown to be an omniscient presence that the characters fail to escape even though they try to pretend that he does not exist. Bendrix is deeply jealous of Henry, whose wife Sarah had an affair with him in the past. However he could never persuade Sarah to leave Henry for him even though it was a loveless marriage. He hires a private detective Savage to find out what had happened in the two year interval since she had stopped seeing him, and discovers she has since had an affair with another man.

Sarah for one is a woman who desperately does not want to believe in God but discovers that she cannot escape his presence. It turns out that she had prayed to God to keep Bendrix alive when a bomb blast took place in the building they were having an affair in. She had prayed that if God kept Bendrix alive, she would stop seeing him.

Indeed Bendrix emerges alive in an answered prayer to her and she has to stop seeing him and start believing in God even though it was not what she wanted. http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Sarah had told God to make her believe in him even though she did not by keeping Bendrix alive. It turns out that the God she was trying so desperately to escape did exist by answering her prayer and keeping Bendrix alive though she did not wish to believe in him as she was committing adultery which she thought was only between her and God. It turns out that the omniscient God did apprehend her being deeply mired in sin and did care about her purity, sending the signal that she should end the affair by keeping Bendrix alive in response to her prayer.

Years later when Sarah dies, Sarahâ€&#x;s mother discloses to Bendrix that Sarah had been baptized a Catholic even though she did not know it herself. This explains her bursts of religiosity even though she for most of her life had thought herself agnostic.

Bendrix himself while being deeply in love with Sarah could never quite separate love from hate.

He hated Henry for being able to keep Sarah even though he had long ceased to have any physical http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

desire for her and had lulled the marriage into a pallid and loveless one. He hated Henry for being able to hold on to Sarah only by virtue of a marriage vow which he had held on to without bringing any sparks to the marriage which was what prompted Sarah to seek love outside the marriage in the first place.

Bendrix describes himself as a deeply jealous man. Throughout his affair with Sarah he cannot cease feeling jealous towards Henry for possessing Sarah even though he had long ceased feeling passion for her or igniting passion in the marriage. It was this jealousy that led Bendrix to hire a private detective to find out if Sarah had gotten intimate with another man since she had abruptly stopped seeing her two years ago.

It turned out she indeed was seeing a colleague of Henry‟s whose wife had run away with a civil servant and they had not taken very long to fall in love. Bendrix is jealous that Sarah seems such a loose and fickle woman, though it is revealed in her diaries that it is Bendrix she really loved.

As a result the characters in Graham Greene‟s novel apprehend the existence of God, even though they do not love God and in fact, hate God http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

for not allowing them to love each other. For Sarah and Bendrix, it is the simple marriage vow to Henry which keeps them from getting together, but Sarah apprehends that what she is doing is sinful when she prays to God upon the bomb blast that her vow matters only to him but she will cease her adultery if God keeps Bendrix alive.

Indeed God reveals his presence and existence by keeping Bendrix alive and from then on, Sarah begins to fear God and apprehend that he exists though she does not necessarily love him and indeed hates him for keeping her apart from the man she truly loves.

Eventually Sarah sees Henry‟s colleague Richard in another affair and another adulterous relationship but when Richard asks him to leave Henry for her she tells him she loves another, who is of course, Bendrix. The irony is thus heavy, while Bendrix suffocates all the love out of Sarah by being jealous and possessive all the time because of the guilt that drives him in an adulterous relationship it is he that Sarah truly loves but is kept apart from by law and by God‟s justice. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

The characters of the novel eventually begin to apprehend the existence of God and understand the nature of his laws even though they do not necessarily love God because it is his law that keeps them apart from their true passions. Sarah and Bendrix are kept apart by the hollow marriage vow that keeps Sarah and Henry together even though the passion has long since evaporated from their marriage and their marriage has lost its vitality.

Often the characters question if free will is an illusion. They think that God has predestined them to be trapped in sin by arranging that they fall in love in an adulterous relationship which they prefer over the legitimate marriage. At one point Bendrix questions if God had arranged him to be an agent of the devil so that saints such as Henry could emerge pure and untarnished by the lust of adultery.

Indeed he argues that if God can choose and appoint his saints, the devil can likewise choose and appoint his saint and Bendrix feels that he has been appointed by the devil to destroy Henryâ€&#x;s marriage and to be kept from his true http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

love Sarah. At one point Bendrix describes himself as the demon speaking to Henry when he denies that Henry is a fool when he knows he has been taking him for one by cuckolding him!

At the end of the novel when Sarah dies Bendrix does learn to believe in God and fear him though he does not necessarily love God and indeed hates him for punishing Sarah for her adultery through death and keeping them apart though they were truly in love when Sarah was alove.

The novel ends with Bendrix uttering that he has no doubt that God exists and is a God who sends justice and retribution for sins while he does not love this God and indeed hates this God for keeping him from what he most desires.

Indeed God‟s justice is inescapable for each of the characters of the novel even though they try to ignore God at various points and pretend that he does not exist. God‟s justice is indeed, inexorable and something they cannot flee from.

Throughout the novel the characters are tormented by guilt for engaging in sin and http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

adultery. Bendrix destroys the relationship by manifesting this guilt in jealousy of Henry and seeking to possess Sarah all the time and being jealous of her past, present and future. Sarah on the other hand, is led to believe the bomb blast is retribution for their adultery and prays to God to relieve her of her punishment by promising to turn away from sin if God keeps Bendrix alive.

Indeed uncannily God responds by keeping Bendrix alive and Sarah is forced to turn away from her adulterous ways even though her marriage has become pallid and loveless and it is Bendrix rather than Henry whom she truly loves.

At one point Sarah tells God she hates Henry for being the factor that keeps her away from running away with Bendrix even though he has long since stopped physically desiring her or kindling any sparks in their marriage.

It is at moment like those that she feels she does not seem to have free will and is rather a puppet of God because she feels she is bound by his invisible laws to steer her away from what is most precious to her. There is a thin line between love and hate in the novel. Bendrix tells us many times that his love for Sarah came http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

closer to hatred for abandoning him after the bomb blast and for not gathering the courage to leave Henry even though their passion in the marriage has long faded.

Sarah hates Henry for being the factor that keeps her away from finding true love though she fears the God whose law she must honour by staying true to Henry because God had sought her out and shown her that he existed through inflicting the bomb blast where Bendrix and she were having the affair and securing her promise not to continue in adultery.

God‟s justice is thus inexorable and inescapable for all the characters in the novel. Bendrix is eventually punished for his adultery by having the woman who he loves most, Sarah taken away from his once through abandonment after the bomb blast and second through her death.

While Sarah had come to apprehend and appreciate the existence of God, she too did not escape his relentless justice for her two affairs outside marriage as she eventually meets with an early death.

Hence the God of Greene‟s world is a God that all the characters come to fear though they do not http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

necessarily love Him because He keeps them from their most intimate desires because he construes them as sin and punishes and distributes justice accordingly. Indeed, all the characters of the novel express their hatred for God and his wrath at one point or another because they are kept from their true passions due to his law and his swift justice in punishing those who fail to keep God‟s standards and God‟s law.

The attitude of Grenne towards the biblical God is thus ambivalent. Greene depicts the biblical God as a God of justice who sees to the swift retribution of sins but does not seem to depict the biblical God as a merciful God of compassion because the reasons they are kept from their passions seems to be a hollow law which preserves a marriage which has long since gone stale with Henry. There is little doubt that Greene believes that the biblical God exists, as all his characters come to apprehend through the dealing of justice in their lives.

On the other hand, it would be false to say the Biblical God that Greene depicts is free of compassion and mercy. He spares Bendrix‟s life http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

on the condition that Sarah turns away from sin, indeed, God secures this promise from her by keeping Bendrix alive and thus steering her away from adultery.

The conflict at the heart of the novel is thus the temporary satiation of desires at the expense of the eternal preservation of one‟s sanctity with God which the characters willingly forgo. God is merciful to those who preserve his law, as He demonstrated through his preservation of Bendrix. But for those who flout his laws repeatedly, as Sarah does when she goes on to have another affair outside marriage, the punishment is swift. Sarah dies early, much to the grief of all her lovers.

On the other hand, Greene‟s ambivalence towards the biblical God cannot be denied as Greene seems to be implying that this biblical God would rather preserve a marriage which has become a lie, hollow and empty rather than allow the characters to pursue their true passions.

The unfolding of Sarah‟s life is a tragedy for all who know her because she cannot escape her sham marriage and repeatedly falls into sin by http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

trying to escape her marriage which has become a falsehood and false bond for her which she is swiftly punished for. According to Greene thus the biblical God does not seem to allow his characters to authenticate their desires, or live their lives true to themselves.

Indeed God demands that marriage vows be kept, without considering the state or authenticity of the marriage. Greene thus seems to imply that while adultery is a sin and the punishment for adultery is inexorable and swift, God does not seem to heed the authenticity of the marriage being violated or the true passion that is destroyed by God seeing to the punishment of his laws through swiftly punishing adultery by having Sarah meet an early death and destroying the affair between Sarah and Bendrix.

Greene thus seems to depict God as an austere and jealous God who distributes his justice and retribution swiftly on those who violate his commandments but seems to imply that God does not heed the conditions which lead to the violation of his commandments. As a result, all the characters of Greeneâ€&#x;s novel fear God but do

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

not love him and indeed hate God for keeping them from their truest desires.

The End of the Affair, thus while being a religious novel seems to be ambivalent overall about religion. While it presents God as an undeniable presence, it does not seem to present that God as a character that the characters of the novel love because they cannot live with the consequences of their actions. What in ultimate however is the certitude of Godâ€&#x;s existence that all the characters of the novel come to know through the consequences of their actions. The biblical God is someone all the characters come to know, though not necessarily love as He keeps them from their innermost desires.

References: Greene, Graham.The End of the Affair.Vintage.

London. 2004.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

About Chung Chin-Yi : Chung Chin-Yi completed doctoral studies at the National University of Singapore in 2011.She has published widely on deconstruction and dabbled a bit in poetry and readings of contemporary literature and Shakespeare as well.

Editor's Comment: A thought provoking article.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Venom and Elixir The little girl was standing at the threshold of the room, unable to understand the fuss around the two babies in the cribs beside her mother‟s bed in the hospital.

Her mamaji, was standing at the only window in the room, deep in his thoughts and her mother was sobbing with occasional hiccups. The little girl waited for her father to take them home so that she can have hot, soft and fluffy rotis, her mother was famous for. Today was their third day in the hospital and she was fed up of cold food coming from mamaji‟s house.

Mamaji turned from the window. „What‟s taking him so long; he should have been here by now?‟ „He will not come,‟ her mother replied. One of the babies squirmed; her mother mechanically rocked the crib. „What nonsense is this? Children are a gift from

God, how can he not acknowledge them! It has been two days and no one from his family has http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

come to see the babies!‟ He started towards the door and said, „I will go and call him from the reception again.‟ Were they talking about her father? He wasn't like that! He will come to take them home. He loved them. The little girl frowned.

Her mother started to sob again. She had been crying off and on since her two baby sisters were born. Sure they looked red and squiggly and cried for milk at times, but looked cute when they yawned or opened their eyes. She had been helping her mother for the past two days and had got a little attached to them. „He says, he is not going to take you and the girls‟ home.‟ Her mamaji came thundering inside the room. „He will send Neha also and wants a divorce!‟ Saying so, he sat heavily on the only chair in the room with his head in his hands.

Her mother stopped weeping and looked listlessly outside the window. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

The little girl stood frozen at his words. That‟s impossible! Her father was sending Neha here and would not be taking them home? But why?

Her little eyebrows furrowed, she looked at her mother and then back at her mamaji. „Ma?‟ She called out. Her mother continued to look outside without any change in expression. „Ma!‟ she repeated, pleading now.

Her mamaji beckoned her and cuddled her in his lap. Her mother looked at her and started to cry again. „Papa will not do that, he will take us home. He loves Neha, ma and me.‟ She reasoned trying to comfort her mother. To her chagrin, instead of smiling and agreeing with her, her mother burst into another inconsolable bout of crying. The eight year old could not understand anything and started to cry herself. ****

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Night came and still her husband had not sent any word or message. Her brother and his wife had left, consoling her with the promise to talk to her husband the next day. But she knew nothing will come out of any discussion. Her husband and mother-in-law would not allow her to step inside the house. She was carrying twins.

They had made very clear that if she gave birth to daughters again; she would have no place in the house. Her mother-in-law‟s astrologer had predicted that there are only daughters in her chart and they wanted a son.

Dry eyed, she looked at Naina, sleeping on the couch and fingered the phial under her pillow. If she was not there, at least he would keep the daughters, even if he married again. Her daughters will have a roof on their head and food in their bellies. Will he take care of them if she was not there? Who will feed and bathe them?

What if they fell sick? Who will look after them?

She wasn‟t sure? She wasn‟t sure of anything these days? Was this the end? The final journey and her destiny. A tear escaped from her eyes and got soaked in the pillow. She took the phial out.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

„Ma?‟ She came back to present with a jolt. „Ma…‟ Naina was awake and stood beside the bed. Naina wiped the tears with her little fingers and said, „Don‟t worry ma, don‟t cry. It‟s alright.

I will take care of you all. I will never leave you.‟ The phial slipped from her fingers and crashed on the floor.

She pulled her joy… her pride on the bed, hugged her hard and started to cry. This time the tears were of hope and courage! ****

About Ruchi Singh: Ruchi is a writer by choice (a dream Epiphany), a quality consultant by profession, and an electronics engineer by education. Writing is now a passion and obsession, aiming to entertain the http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

readers. A voracious reader, she is passionate about books, books & books (therefore she starts to read a new book only on Friday evenings). author.ruchisingh@gmail.com Editor's Comment: Heart Wrenching

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Love v/s hate The scorching heat at 3 pm in a summery afternoon could not deter the enthusiasm of three sparkling silhouettes walking down the deserted road. Giggling with inundated joy their laughter could be heard across the street. They could have easily passed off as any other teenager had it not been for their school uniforms giving away their real identities. From a distance they seemed like Siamese twins glued together at the hip walking together step after step.

What else do you do when you are a teenager? Life seems to be one long party full of fun and frolic with your best friends all around.

You just know your world is full of rainbow colours; sweetness of chocolates filling it and abundant beautiful dresses to doll you up. Love and relationships take a different meaning altogether now making you look at everything around including yourself in newer light.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Striding ahead arm in arm they all made an endearing picture. Distinct in many aspects yet something uniquely common that tied them all together. Could be friendship, could be their age or could be just that they were all young girls beginning to fall in love with life recently. Just as they approached the end of the lane one of the pieces fell apart and you could hear loud byes being exchanged. *** Leaving behind the laughter and cheeriness Sneha slowly turned the knob of the door to enter the building which was her home. The bubbly and chirpy Sneha was left behind the moment she stepped inside. A shroud of disappointment and gloom had enveloped her face suddenly. At 17, life for Sneha had become a complex web of truth and lies and she saw no way out of it.

Tall and slender she made a pretty sight with a very captivating face but her eyes had a strange look in them. They seemed to be looking around the world with a plea in them waiting for someone to answer each of her questions. Within http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

the close confines of the house she was a timid and quiet girl with a look of dejectedness written all over her face.

She glanced around the house and heaved a sigh of relief on not finding anyone nearby. She had developed a dislike for interactions at home in recent times and no one knew why. She would look out for opportunities to slip out to her room and be by herself. She entered her room and wearily dumped her school bag in one corner.

With hands on her hips she shot a fleeting look across the room and smiled as she saw things just the way she had left. Of late her mother had taken to spying on her. “Spying” just the thought of that word made her cringe. “How could she do this to me…? She needs to trust me!” she wondered as she switched on her computer.

Internet was a solace– her only window to the outer world; away from the suffocating walls of her house. She logged into her mail box and saw 24 new mails in her inbox. She scrolled through them eagerly. “Finally…” she exclaimed when her eyes fell on one mail with the subject Hey. She opened it hurriedly and started reading. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Hey Hope everything is doing great with you. I have been missing you terribly and cannot wait for the next weekend to meet you! I know you have asked me not to call you hence I am just sending you this mail. Do reply by an email or call me if possible before we meet….

Loads of love She smiled as she re-read the mail again thinking, "It is so sweet of him to have written

this mail especially after the way mom had behaved with him.” She was shocked to see her otherwise sweet and docile mom react the way she had on that day. Sneha remembered that day when she was talking to him on phone one evening and narrating one funny incident that had happened at the school.

Suddenly her mom came stomping towards her and snatched the phone from her hands. She started yelling at him telling him to keep away from Sneha as he was not doing any good to her.

Sneha was dumbstruck as she tried to understand what made her mom react like this. http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

The more she argued the more angry her mom got and in the end this discussion led to Sneha being grounded at home for almost a week. Even remembering that incident made Sneha angrier!

She shook her head and clicked on reply as she began typing a mail to him.

Hey! Yup everything is good with me. Hope the same with you. I know mom freaked out that day I don‟t know why and she has grounded me for the entire week as a punishment. I am really sorry for all that she said to you. It is really sweet of you to think of sending this mail to me even after all that. I thought you would stop talking to me.

I don‟t know why she is so angry on me for talking to you. She knows you so well since so many years. I wish I could make her understand or rather understand what she is thinking. I just don‟t feel I am going to be in college next year.

The way she treats me off late I could be very well in kindergarten.

BTW I hope you remember the gift I had asked http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

you to get for me the next time we meet!! Will try to call you sometime soon before we meet next weekend.

Missing you a lot Da..

Just as Sneha was typing the last word she heard her mom scream behind her.” Sneha….!!..... what

on earth do you think are you doing? How many times have I told you not to speak to him?”

Sneha was jolted by her sudden outburst. „Why

don‟t you understand Mom… I have told you I like talking to him… why should I stop doing that?‟ „Sneha I don‟t understand why do we need to go

through the same story again and again and how many times?‟ „As many number of times that I need to tell you

that a piece of paper cannot change things for me!!‟ saying this Sneha turned back to complete her mail:

http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Missing you a lot Dad. Love Sneha She finished typing and clicked on send.

About Namrata: An investment banker by profession and a child woman, a dreamer, a dancer, a bibliophile, a poetess, a writer, a painter, a singer, a go-getter, a doer and an achiever by passion is how Namrata can be described. She is a prolific blogger and ardent reviewer since past 3 years under the name Privy Trifles. Her short stories have been published in various anthologies titled 25 Strokes of Kindness, Timeâ€&#x;s Lost Atlas and Stories for your Valentine.

She can be reached @ privytrifles@gmail.com.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Stress – Buster Story Behind the Photograph: In this fast-paced, stress-filled life we all need a stress buster. I bought a Puzzle for my nephew a few weeks back and then ended up buying a few more for myself. This is one of those - Frank Puzzle of 500 pieces.

It took approximately 6-7 hours for me to complete this - in two sittings.

When I was doing the puzzle all I could think of was placing the pieces in right places and concentrated on the same; temporarily forgetting about the stress of life. Sometimes, simple things in life make you look at life with a different perspective.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

About Arti Honrao: Author of fiction books titled 'My Life story' and 'Is This Love & Autumn - The Last Leaf' and novel 'Resemblance - The Journey of a Doppelganger' Arti enjoys writing short stories on Relationships. She has attempted writing different form poems but most enjoy writing Prose poems where she gets to express without the limitations of words or rhyming. Most of her writings depict human feelings and emotions, which she tries to bring onto the page and into the minds of the reader. She believes that essence of writing lies in not only entertaining the reader, but speaking to them through words.

She writes at www.artihonrao.net and can be reached at contact@artihonrao.net

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

Making the Decision It is never too late to make the right decision; but of course it is difficult especially if the choice is between a supposedly settled life and unplanned future or between continuing a job that adds handsome amounts to your bank balance or leaving the job thus putting your bank balance at risk.

The truth is that almost all the times we know the choices we have to make. There is a voice at the back of our mind telling us what we must do but we all need a second opinion. The fact is that we need someone to tell us that the decision we are going to make is the right one, sometimes we are not aware of the answers to the questions we ask; but the answers are always there inside our mind. We simply need someone to clear our head enough for us to figure out.

Sometimes, a settled life does not give you peace of mind, sometimes your job is not what you really want to do. However you continue doing it http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

because that is what you think you have to do, you must do - until something changes.

Something more important is compromised.

All this might seem fiction but the truth is that I have seen it happening to someone. I have been a part of it. This is a true life story and I am going to share it with you (of course without mentioning names AND with the permission of the person) They say - if you have a choice between marrying someone you love and marrying someone who loves you - marry the one who loves you.

Making the decision is easier if it is marry the one who loves you or marry a stranger. Yet, you want to be sure and you seek second opinion.

This is about someone I know through my blog.

Someone who wrote to me through Whispered Words. She sent me a photograph of hers and http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

someone who wanted to marry her. I did my reading of the photograph and told her my views.

At that time I did not know some things are not that easy.

Marriages in India, as we all know, is not only about two individuals. It is about one family marrying another. There are a lot many factors to consider apart from the compatibility factor.

Of course, one can face any kind of situation, all sorts of people if the partner is loving, supportive and compatible. But, things are different when it is about being supportive of you and being supportive of another family member. That leaves you in a less safer place.

This person I know had a decision to make and she did based on the partner's compatibility and all other personal factors. Things changed over a period of time.

Another common thing seen in India is horoscope-matching. I am not against it but I am skeptical about the whole concept. Just because horoscopes say that you are compatible with someone it does not mean that you are going to have a smooth ride and just because enough points do not match it does not mean that two http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

people cannot love one another or lead a life together. Anyways.

There are other things that are determined through horoscopes and when someone strongly believes that you are a wrong addition to the family and harmful for the well-being of the family, there is not much you can say or do other than turn to your partner for support. A neutral stand taken does not help much.

The concerned person suffered emotionally. Lost her peace of mind, which started affecting her health aggravating the symptoms of the condition she has.

We talked and tried to figure out how to handle this. I was shocked by a few things I heard. I was amazed by her tolerance level.

On one hand I knew that I did not have the right to ask her to take the drastic step and on the other hand I knew that I had to do something and put an end to the suffering because I believe that HEALTH comes http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

first. It is above all other things. Love, friendship, relations, work all are important but not as important as health. It was essential for her to know that.

She felt sick and stuck. She did not believe that her parents would be supportive. It was important to change the negative to positive. It was important for her to be optimistic. I had to make her believe that she had all the support she needed and she must trust herself. Above all, what I realised is that I had to listen. Not just hear, I had to listen - listen to care and I did that.

To ask her to step out of her in-laws was a very tough decision for me to make. I thought maybe because I am single, I cannot really look at this matter from a married person's perspective, weigh the pros and cons of the decision she was about to make. That was the time when I heard a little voice in my head. I know and I believe that health comes first and it was important for her to take the drastic step. Apart from the physical health issues she had started to develop psychological symptoms as well - leading to panic attacks and depression. No person, no amount of love is worth all this suffering. I told her so and left the decision on her and at the same time I http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

tried my best to infuse optimism into her life, hoping and praying that she finds the support and the strength she needs.

She took the decision and walked out of the house and she found the support she needed, in bits and pieces. Not too many parents in India are supportive when their daughter decides to walk out of in-laws. Thankfully, they did realise in the end how it was affecting her health.

Now, she is glad that she took the decision, it reflects in her improved health and peace of mind. She has a long way to go but she has started her journey on the right path.

Her state of mind and health issues caused some issues on professional front as well. The office people were not supportive and she felt being taken for granted. The panic attacks were taken care of but the physical ailment kept getting from bad to worse and she had to make a choice once again. The doctor told her that she needed rest and her office people did not let her rest. She had to pick one out of Job and Health. Like I have mentioned before it is a tough choice to make.

She finally decided to quit her job. She resigned.

Can you believe what affect that had on her http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

health? It improved. She is not completely healed of the ailment but she has started to heal and feels stronger and healthier than before. Can you believe what affect did walking out of a supposedly settled life had on her? It made her stronger. It made her believe in herself. And, what affect did her decision have on her bank balance? She cleared the loan she had taken for her marriage. She found another way to earn money; doing what she loves to do.

I know, decisions cannot be made by reading selfhelp articles, they cannot be made by flipping coins. It is a lengthy process. However, in the end, it is all about believing in yourself; having a positive attitude and following your heart.

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

About Writer‟s Ezine When Alfred Hitchcock said “Ideas come from everything” little did he know that everything would mean literally everything in this world.

Taking inspiration from him, two fellow bloggers and friends – Namrata and Arti debated one day the exact meaning of Freedom of Expression and its rightful usage is today‟s times. And so was born Writer‟s Ezine, a monthly literary online magazine (E-zine) with the intention of providing platform to emerging as well as established writers from around the world.

Born out of a need and a necessity of solely being able to express all that one feels, thinks and understands Writer‟s Ezine is one place where writing and creativity come together to ensure a wonderful experience to the reader. As you read along and turn a page you will find your mind wandering into places you never thought of before, making you sit up and question the biggest mystery of all times – LIFE. This is one place where readers, writers, poets, photographers, idealists, thinkers, atheists, believers and story-tellers all will be in sync with creativity. We accept submissions in poetry, short-stories, non-fiction, author interviews; http://www.writersezine.com

Writer‟s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue

book reviews etc. (Please Guidelines for details).

read

Submission

So what are you waiting for, unleash the artist within and paint the palette with colours of your choice!

About the Administrators We are readers and writers madly in love with the written word. To know more about us please visit us at: About Namrata About Arti Honrao Submissions for the November issue of Writer's Ezine are open.

Please do read Submission Guidelines before submitting your entries using the submission form.

The last date for submission for the entries for November issue is 20th October.

Designed by Arti Honrao

http://www.writersezine.com

Writerâ€&#x;s Ezine : Volume VII | October 2014 Issue