My Favorites from Brit Awards | 2018

The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trusts Show.

Cheryl Cole & Liam Payne

My Favorites from BAFTAs | 2018

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image – film, television and game in the United Kingdom.

Angelina Jolie

My Favorites from Nykaa Femina Beauty Awards | 2018

Femina, India’s largest women’s magazine and Nykaa, one of the best online destinations for beauty and wellness products, have come together for a beauty award for the readers, by the readers. The Nykaa Femina Beauty Awards brings a unique opportunity where you get the chance to share your beauty secrets with the world and vote for beauty products that have worked wonders for you. 

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Imperfect Misfits by Devanshi Sharma | Book Review

Summary:

Tiasha: I am very annoyed.
Aakaash: That’s your job, Tiasha. Good that you are doing it well.
Tiasha: And I am very serious.
Aakaash: When are you not!
Tiasha: Argh! I hate you, Aakaash.
Aakaash: Thank God for small mercies!
Just like a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes the sizzling chocolate brownie delicious, these best friends complimented each other. A chef by passion, Tiasha jumps and waves through her professional choices, while Aakaash, the witty stand-up comedian, knows exactly what he wants.
He was the tranquility which refugees crave to stay in and she was the refugee, who wanted to wander and explore. Imperfect Misfits is a story of perfect misfits, food, frolic, emotions and their endless imperfections.
The question is, will their friendship survive through this wavy journey of love?

Buffering Love by Issac John | Book Review

Summary:

Whether it's the tinsel town diva who accidentally tweets an intimate personal account, or the aspiring writer who opens a dating app in an office reception just before her interview, the characters from the world of Buffering Love cling on to their mobile phones, sometimes to crush reality and sometimes to embellish it.
Set in urban India, and replete with surprising turns, Buffering Love will delight and devastate its readers in equal measure with its 15 short stories about love and life through myriad mobile apps.

Betrayals And Paybacks by Sana Shetty | Book Review

Summary:

How far would you go to protect your loved one? Would you even condone murder?

Eight years ago Vedant Birajdar fled Tamara, a small nondescript village on the banks of the river Kaveri, after a wild night out with his best friend Jay Varma, turned disastrous.

Now he is back and Jay is dead, Misha, the love of his life is engaged to another man and his older brother, Tarun, is missing. All he is left with is a strange message Jay leaves on his answering machine, before his death.

Misha does not believe her brother, Jay, committed suicide. Yet, she has no reason to believe otherwise. Not until Vedant turns up at her doorstep, bleeding and seeking her help.

Together they have to figure out what really happened and they have to do it quick, before the body count goes up.

But can Misha trust Vedant? He had already betrayed her once before, after all.

Author:

Sana Shetty

Publisher:

Write India Publishers

Release date:

October 16th 2017

No. of Pages:

Paperback, 210 Pages

This book inevitably stopped me from doing what I had planned for the day. I had difficulty putting it down. The storyline is gripping, twists and turns that bump right back into themselves. The prologue seemed promising, full of intrigue and tension, and the anticipation of getting a good read hooked me. Concerning the plot, I thought it was solid. The story is filled with several potential suspects, and I was not completely sure who the murder was until well into the story. In my opinion it is very well written and believable.

 I enjoy the supporting characters and how they interact with each other and the main character. The author knows how to show us, rather than tell us, and he does it with such interesting characters and events. This book should come with a warning label: "Do not start reading until you're able to finish it, because it is impossible to put down." It's an easy read and keeps you interested enough to want to knock off the entire book in one sitting.

The Lucknow Cookbook by Chand Sur and Sunita Kohli | Book Review

Summary:

Lucknow’s famous Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb—a melding together of influences—is seen in its art, architecture, dance and music. But nowhere is this Tehzeeb better represented than in its food, redolent with the tastes of Turkey, Persia and Afghanistan and infused with the flavours of Sindhi, Parsi, Punjabi, Nawabi, Mughlai and British food. When Sunita Kohli’s parents, Chand and Inder Prakash Sur, first settled in Lucknow after having to leave Lahore following partition, they brought with them only the memories of home. In the Lucknow cookbook Sunita Kohli and Chand sur bring together the taste and smells of home in these 150 well-loved dishes from their kitchens and from the kitchens of family and friends. These delectable kebabs and soups, biryanis, pulao's and raitas, mutton, chicken and fish dishes, paranthas and rotis, vegetables, sweets and puddings, cocktail snacks, chutneys and pickles are a taste of the fabled Lucknowi tradition of hospitality. A celebration of the Tehzeeb of Lucknow as well as its nazaakat (elegance) the book is also a portrait of the city and its storied history.

The Shadow of Darkness by Priyanka Baranwal | Book Review

Summary:

When Maya fought two criminals one night and saved herself and her five year old daughter, Sejal, she thought the worst was over. But was it really? Or, there could be something worse than the worst? The childhood trauma that little Sejal did not deserve resulted in nightmares, trust issues and bizarre habits. Even after thirteen long years, the night continues to haunt and debilitate her senses with its magnificence, and as if it wasn't enough, an encounter with the remains of past slips her deep into a treacherous darkness.

Sejal has a loving family, a comfortable life yet disappointment is the only thing now echoing inside her. Will its shadow ever leave her side? Then we see a shining light in the dark brooding sky - Kartik. Is he the answer to her quest of peace? Will Sejal be able to find love, strong enough to fight all odds and bring her out from the darkness? Will the light of hope win over its foes?

The Shadow of Darkness holds answer to every question

Her Master Key by Shruti Johri | Book Review

Summary:

She uncovers incredible and amusing stories from luxury hotels in India. She captures extraordinary episodes of infidelity, bigotry and brings to light the absurdity of travellers. She highlights the struggles of white-collared, blue-collared and non-collared staff to break the stereotypes around hotel professionals. While much has been written and read about star hotels in the West, the tales from India remain untold.It’s time we read these stories!

Hell! No Saints in Paradise by A.K. Asif | Book Review

Summary:

2050, New York. In the aftermath of a gruelling spiritual cleansing quest, Ismael, a Pakistani-American student, enters into an alliance with spiritual beings who send him on a perilous journey of self-discovery. A non-believer, Ismael must return to Pakistan, now in the grip of a brutal fundamentalist government, and gain the trust of his estranged father, a prominent extremist in the Caliphate. To accomplish this, he must pose as a true believer. Will he survive long enough to infiltrate his father's inner sanctum and complete his mission? Hell! No Saints in Paradise is both biting satire and allegory that takes urban fantasy to dizzying heights.

The Legend of Kuldhara: A Historical Novel Set in Rajasthan by Malathi Ramachandran | Book Review

Summary:

Kuldhara, a village in the Rajasthan desert, perched at the edge of time. Abandoned, cursed, nearly two hundred years ago, to remain a heap of rubble and stone. It lies dreaming of its vibrant past when the streets echoed with laughter and the fields swayed green and gold. What happened one night that drove its inhabitants from their homes, never to return? Did they flee to preserve their honour, when the covetous gaze of a local lord fell on Pari, the headman’s daughter? Where did they go? How did they survive?

Pawan: The Flying Accountant by Sorabh Pant | Book Review

Summary:

Arjun Singh is an accountant by day and a demigod by night. But he’d rather care about GST than his superpowers—even less so about life himself.
Arjun is about to be murdered by goons and he couldn’t be happier. He’s spent his life waiting for death. Unfortunately, things do not go as per plan. Much to Arjun’s chagrin, he manages to live. But things get a lot worse than a failed death.
Arjun is an accountant but behind this façade he’s protecting his identity as an almost indestructible species of humanoids, a power that Arjun would gladly exchange for a bushel of bananas and a vat of rum. And now some people know exactly what Arjun is capable of.
He’s forced to work for an alcohol baron’s unofficial army, assassinate terrorists and fall into life-or-death battles with a Chinese dragon. What is even worse is that they’ve not cleared his taxes yet.
Combining dark humour with a whirlwind plot—Pawan is a story of a reluctant superhero, the futility of war and a whole lot of rum.

Marketing by Adit Chouhan | Book Review

Summary:

No management school prepares a budding marketing professional for the real world. Most business courses end up offering only theoretical knowledge on marketing. Filling in this crucial gap, this book offers practical tips on marketing strategy, planning and execution. It is a quick guide to the hands-on approach of marketing as opposed to the hundreds of theoretical books available on the subject.
This book is a step-by-step guide on planning and executing TVC, prints, OOH, radio, BTL and digital campaigns as a marketer and more. How do you manage your bills? What do you as a marketer understand by negotiation? How should you manage internal communications? What is social/business networking and how can this be managed? Find answers to all these questions and more, explained in this book in the most pragmatic manner.
Marketing: Tricks of the Trade They Won’t Teach You at B-Schools! is a must-have for any management student, marketing professional or entrepreneur who wants to be a notch above her/his peers. Sharpen your marketing acumen, know the trade secrets and get it right every time!

Feast: With a Taste of Amir Khusro by Bisma Tirmizi | Book Review

Summary:

‘Stories and food remain the same, only faces change and those too only vaguely. The same faces keep coming back every few generations to eat the same food and live out the same stories.’
Ayesha realizes that her relationship with food has made her obese and this realization takes her on a journey of self-discovery where she learns to fall in love with food not through gluttony, but by understanding its sensuous journey and evolution. In her life, feast runs parallel to the tales of people and sometimes becomes the cerebral voice relating its journey over time and regions, telling stories of the people to whom it provides nourishment and nurturing.
Travelling in time, Ayesha and Feast present scenarios of hospitality, generosity and warmth of the people of the subcontinent; through seasons, traditions and celebrations. Soon Ayesha comes to appreciate how food brings with it interesting stories, tying various emotions together—celebratory, jubilant, sorrowful and the ordinary. The history of regional cuisine, the multitude of tastes and flavours and the passions they evoke, have a deep impact on Ayesha. She eventually comes to understand that her primary relationship is with food and until that is not healthy, nothing else will be.
Away from Ayesha’s voice, Tirmizi’s account is often omniscient, telling tales of a different time, stepping into another past and then jumping to the present, voicing the evolution of food and its impact on Ayesha and the relationships she has with others.
Additionally, mouth-watering recipes of traditional dishes from the subcontinent make for a delightful read. In Tirmizi’s deft hands, Feast is as a feast should be: endearing and unputdownable.

Curried Cultures: Indian Food in the Age of Globalization by Krishnendu Ray and Tulasi Srinivas | Book Review

Summary:

Indian food is one of the world’s most popular cuisines. Even as it has transformed the contemporary urban foodscape in this age of globalization, social scientists have paid scant attention to the phenomenon. The essays in this book explore the relationship between globalization and South Asia through food. Udupi restaurants, Indian food in colonial times, dum pukht cuisine, staples of the prepared food industry like Bangalore’s MTR Foods, Britain’s curry culture, Indian fast food in California—these and other distinctive aspects of South Asia’s food and culture are examined to gain new insights into subcontinental food and the ways in which it has influenced the world around us.

Super Foods for Awesome Memory by Shipra Khanna

Summary:

We are what we eat and so our memory is linked to food. The helplessness that overwhelms us when one forgets a name can be embarrassing. In this age of instant googling, this is just the start of the ebbing process where memory is gradually relegated to a shrinking space in our brains. Enter Master Chef India shipra Khanna who tells you about the fish that helps you meditate or a walnut that prevents you from going nuts. This amazing book of recipes brings to us on a platter the food that helps us in strengthening our mind and memory. And this food is to be found not in some exotic location but in our own kitchen. Try her recipes and see for yourself how you can fight the complacency and sloth that come in the way of your exercise and positive action, thereby making for a better life. From chicken recipes that keep ageing away to recipes made with coconut oil that help fight memory loss, super foods for awesome memory is the book you will never forget.

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The Inheritors by Sonu Bhasin | Book Review

Summary:

Why did Harsh Mariwala leave his family business?
What made the entire Dabur management to quit one day?
How did Dhingra brothers turn a suffering business in to India’s second largest paints company?
This is a fascinating behind the scenes look into what goes behind brands like Marico, Dabar, Keventers, Berger Paints, Select Group, Max Group and many others. The book focuses on the culture, family politics, business rivalries between and within families, ego battles and a lot more. Plus there are the inheritors themselves who sometimes take the business to great heights and during others, lead to its doom.

I Tagged Her in My Heart by Anuj Tiwari | Book Review 

Summary:

Things get broken. We repair them. They get a new shape. Perhaps a new identity. This applies to love as well. Because, you are yours before you are someone else’s. But what happens when we fall or fail in love?After two heartbreaks, Adrika, a fiercely independent career-girl, changes her hashtag on Instagram to #HappyGoLucky and dreams become her priority. Arjun, workaholic and socially inept, struggles with his weakness for Dimpy Aunty’s daughter Anushka and his hesitation in sharing heartaches and emotional baggage. Into this mess, steps in Dimpy Aunty, an unlikely saviour, with all her quirks and jauntiness, steering them through rough patches in unlikely ways as only she can.Insightful, bold and witty, I Tagged Her in My Heart is based on a true story that will inspire many to look at the sunny side of life when faced with darkness.

Dying to Live by Monisha K. Gumber | Book Review

Summary:

An honest, painful and often humourous narrative- a tale of resilience, courage and grace..when nothing matters anymore…

Megha, a young super-achiever with a perfect life has all that is needed to be happy. After all why wouldn’t she? A swimming champion, school topper, popular, good-looking girl with amazing friends and loving parents. What more could a girl ask for? A lot, actually.

Because even when she has it all; she sulks and does the unthinkable. A grave mistake that could take her to her own grave. But survivor that she is, she breaks through the wall of ‘perfections’ and accepts that she is what she is: sad, vulnerable and confused. Oh, don’t get her wrong, as she puts up a tough fight to reach where she is meant to be. And on the way learns some lessons that will take her through this amazing journey called life. A happy kind of life.

Sick of Being Healthy by Monisha K Gumber | Book Review

Summary:

"Tara, a young teenager is blessed with a little bit too much of health for her own good. Desperate to get the guy of her dreams, she ends up playing a very dangerous game- a game that could cost her friendship, her peace of mind and even her life ! Actually that's an exaggeration but yes, she does make some serious blunders in her quest for a perfect body to impress her one true love. Can she do it an d is it all really worth it?
Welcome to her world and discover her inspiring journey towards real health and happiness, meet her stunning high achiever best friends and her parents who never seem to be satisfied. Let down by her own sister and under constant pressure to do well in studies, she learns how to fight her confidence and self-esteem issues and emerge a winner in the end."

My Favorite Looks of The January 13th - January 19th

Between red carpets and IRL sightings, here are my favorite looks of the week. .

Kangana Ranaut

Ryaal Mr.Beans Coffee Scrub | Review

About brand:

With a rich experience of over 20 years in this industry, Ryaal is a brand name anonymous with quality and service. They love their clients so much that they work day and night to provide us the best quality products that make them live a healthy happier life.

My Favorites from Xpose Benefit Awards | 2018

Xpose Benefit Awards 2018 at The Mansion House in Dublin, Ireland 02/01/2018

Teodora Sutra

A Life To Die For by Nilay Shah | Book Review

Summary:

She doesn't know who she is.' The diverse voices emanating from all the corners of Kashwarg are blending into a consensus to create a tune never opined before, 'Nor does she realise yet what her Baba has caused her to be a victim of.' 'But, she will.' 'One day, she will adopt this world now a stranger to her as hers.' 'The whole of Kashwarg will be the light on her path to her freedom.' 'Kashwarg will be ready to be at disagreement with anything there can be, if that is what is demanded of it in this quest to bring her justice.'

'But, what if time comes, when truth unveils itself and there remains nothing to fear but one's own self?' 'Will Kashwarg be able to protect its stand at such dawn of darkness?'

Will you be able to protect your opinions from your own self?

My Favorite Looks of The January 6th - January 12th

Between red carpets and IRL sightings, here are my favorite looks of the week.

Aditi Rao Hydari