Four Clover Life- By Namrata Shailendra Singh

He smiled and handed it back to her, “I love this hot pink Maa. Do you think Draupadi would like hot pink? I forgot to tell you...I am playing Draupadi in our college production... rehearsals started a week back." “Oh! That’s nice. When is the program?” she asked. “On the day of Diwali. The team thought I could really do well as Draupadi. You know I have those  adaayein  Maa,” Arjun threw his hand over his bosom, lowering his eyelids with the coyness of a girl. Click on  Trapped  to read the full story. Image courtesy-Pixabay

“What’s the difference Naina? I understand your pain. But people make a living because it is important to live life.” “I am making more than a living Chandana. It’s just that I find it all meaningless… an emptiness where I am all about numbers, targets, awards, promotions, pay package, a kind of excess which is making me unhappy. I think I am missing out on life?” “And what exactly is that?” “I am not sure; I can’t put my finger on it and say- this is it, but I know that the abundance that I have is not making me happy. It doesn’t give me joy.” Click on  Life Calling  to read the story. Image courtesy-Pixabay

"I see her again and I feel the envy rise. 120 seconds before I had decided not to ever visit her Facebook profile, exactly 120 seconds later my mind forces me, and I read her new post, actually old for me, it has been 16 hours since she posted, and I have visited, read, re read, processed it 16000 times. With father and son on a camping trip over the weekend, I am drowning in the company of happy faces on Facebook.   FB ruined me, almost literally. If I had the powers, I could get the owners of FB arrested for unleashing a heinous social crime on us. Or is it just me? May be, just me. My mind cannot stop. I need to see a shrink." Click on  Phew!  to read the full story. Image courtesy-Pixabay

My most precious Gratitude, Your accent, dialect, jargon, and lingua franca are difficult to decrypt, decipher, and understand. I have struggled all my life and realize that you can only be felt. I read somewhere today that you are dying a silent death. It gives me immense satisfaction to know that you choose to live in me. Is there something special about my heart, or is it my stubbornness that I don’t let you go? Either way, I am happy. You see, you have kept me right where I belong- ON THE GROUND, IN DUST. I started a life with my parents where we were always ‘IN- NEED.’ A humble life brings in its own grand challenges and turmoil. I hated the thriftiness then, despised the frugality which enveloped my life, and once even thought of stealing a Barbie from a friend’s house because I didn’t have one. You saved me then. But I didn’t thank you. You see then, my eyes could only see that much. Later, life blessed me with abundance beyond my appetite, my needs, and my

You see, A PARADISE DOESN’T EXIST. YOU MUST CREATE IT. And to top, it all, rule your thoughts with tyranny and dictatorship. I have never seen a worse master than our THOUGHTS. You let it loose, and it rains mayhem. Make it your slave; choose the thoughts that facilitate your well–being. You leave the gate opened, and serpents will enter your living room, pull out your favorite wine, take control over your TV and have merriment at your expense. CHOOSE WHAT YOU THINK, AND THAT WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. I wish you all a busy year ahead... have an overflowing plate. To read the full article, click on  May your 2019 fly like Bugatti Chiron 261MPH Image courtesy- www.wired.com

It is another thing that you do not want to look at the one opening in front of you, that you are not able to gather courage to take that first step, that you are so attached to your previous road that you do not find any other road worth it. Click on the link to read the winning story----------- GUJIYA Image courtesy-Pixabay

“ Happiness is a choice Naina. Comparison is a choice. Making a choice is a choice . I am just trying to get across one point Naina.  CHOOSE . Is it so difficult to not look at others? Are you so unoccupied and if that is the case Naina Roy, I Sanjukta Sircar will tell you the biggest secret why I choose to work till now. An empty mind was a devil’s workshop and continues to be so. Social Media has added to the power of this demon. If you do not have something productive to do, find one, start one. It requires one to be brave because we love our comfort zone. It is the best place to settle in but it soon starts rotting and decaying and you have to get out of it. That, undoubtedly calls for some effort and courage which you have shown. To me you are a bright kid and your start –up looks like a great idea. What is the problem then? Your friends and their FB posts? Delete your FB account if you cannot handle it. Click on the link to read the winning story- Choices   Image

Both came from small towns, Durgapur and Lucknow, respectively, and both placed their career chart much above the marriage  kundli  and the ‘ chattis gun .’ 7th August 2018 “Naina, come on in. Congratulations. How does it feel? I am so happy for you. You deserve every bit of it,” said Chandana, the 42-year-old, Director, Marketing, Xerox India, rising from her seat, hugging Naina as she entered her room. “You are the Virat Kohli of my team,” she added, patting Naina’s back and pulling a chair for her. Click on the link to read the full story - Just living is not enough. Image courtesy-Pixabay

The festival of Diwali came, saw, and conquered not only the atria and the ventricles but also OUR BODY. Resplendent in all glory, we ditched our inhibition and shopped like there was no tomorrow, sparkled like diamonds and moissanites, and posted like an octopus with many hands, all of them working synchronously. Yes, this festival makes you feel like a whole enchilada and satiated. The 'oohs ' and 'aah' of friends and frenemies over the 'Sabyasachi' in all of us ensured we have enough in our pantry to last a year until next Diwali. Facebook was on a rampage, and I loved the overflowing 'likes' and 'hearts' moving around. At age 35, n either too young nor too old, just in the middle, these 'likes and hearts' matter. Even more, if you are a MUM.  That’s important because the world is cautious about a woman's age, and the tag ‘MUM’ changes the way people look and perceive you. People don't compliment me often, courtesy- ME. I w

" Moms, don't miss the opportunity to make the most of your time with the little ones while they are still little. Cuddle them, squish them, smell the top of their heads, shower them with a hundred kisses! Let your clothes soak up their tears and let their grubby fingers ruin your hair as they fling their arms around you. Etch each moment in your memory because no pictures will ever do them justice. Trust me, time flies. Soon, these days will seem like a distant dream, and you will wish for them all over again!" These lines have not been written by me. It's been pretty viral on Facebook, and it made me think. Literally, pause and think. Undoubtedly, beautiful words, heartfelt emotions, and just so TRUE. Then what's the discomfort? It's painful and, unfortunately, unavoidable. The nest one day will be empty. Can you prepare for it? NO. Can you ensure it doesn’t pain? NO. What can you do? Make the best use of your time RIGHT NOW a

I GET USED TO WHAT I HAVE!!! And this is what the biggest human frailty is all about. Isn't it? The itch, the hunger, the thirst with which we pursue, chase our 'happiness goals' and manage to realize them, why does it cease to provide the happiness which was the very goal we started the quest. To me, it is our biggest weakness that ails us; psychology calls it  habituation -a form of learning in which an organism decreases or ceases to respond to a stimulus after repeated presentations.  From a TV to a long-awaited promotion to a Green card to 10000 likes, WE GET USED TO IT ONCE WE HAVE IT AND IT NO MORE MAKES US HAPPY? The acquisition of one leads to a momentary feeling of happiness, and then what? WHOOSH! Happiness is an abstract concept which we have come to define in terms of material acquisitions, coveted degrees, SAT scores, salary, good-looking spouse, and the list is infinite. So, we acquire these possessions and try to make ourselves happy only to