Fight Pimples the Garnier Way!

Being a girl of the 21^st century, I, personally have to face a lot. My face is an open book. It reflects what I feel. It knows how and when to go under a mask and when to become fully written pages. Whatever stress I have or even the slightest bit of tension, shows directly on my face in no time. 

Mental stress teamed up with the pollution and dirt all around disturbs my sensitive skin and pimples start to show up. I would be wrong if I say that it doesn’t affect me and my daily routine because at times it surely destroys everything. I thank IndiBlogger and Garnier for giving me the opportunity to write about these.

Pimples are something that is more like the black spot on the moon. No, I am not calling myself the moon but I believe the face is like the moon- soothing and talkative. Our face is like the first impression that we give on people. And a face with pimples is really not the exact much anticipated first impression. I have noticed in many places that a pimple spoils everything. If I have a pimple or two and I am supposed to meet anyone or go for a meeting, it actually stops me.

Pimples are something that is very difficult to hide. Make-up and concealers only do worst for the pimples in place of correcting them. People notice our pimples first before looking at us. I had once become tired of hiding those pimples under glasses and with dupattas. A pimple can be a very big turn-off when on a date. Pimples stay for a day or for even months. I thank Lord, for my pimples doesn’t stay for long but it at times leave s apart that is not much easy to remove.

Garnier Pure Active Neem Face wash is something that I tried on an advice by a cousin, when I had a few pimples and trust me; I was really shocked with the results. The effect started in an instant and in just a few days time, my face was pimple free. From then on, I started using the Garnier Pure Active Neem face wash twice everyday and that surely gives me a glowing, smooth and pimple-free skin. Today, I can proudly go in front of the world rather than hiding my face from them because now, I fight pimples. I recommend Garnier Pure Active Neem face wash to every girl and boy so that they can go in front of the world, carefree. Cheers to Garnier!

Note: This article is a part of bit.ly/GPABlogLinkIndiBloggerActivity and bit.ly/GarnierPureActiveNeemWebsite 

How do you plan to propose your crush on Valentine’s Day? The bold the better!

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, just a few days and the atmosphere will be such that there will be love in the air. For me, the preparations start a bit early each year.


Saraswati Pooja; which comes before Valentine’s Day is called the Bengali Valentine’s day and so being a Bengali, Bengali valentine’s day is celebrated by me. This year, everything was special. Just to mention, this would be me and my fiancée’s first anniversary and 2nd Valentine’s Day together. For the same reasons, I was very confused as to what special shall I plan for him. I thank IndiBlogger for giving me the opportunity to write about this because this made me actually think about with my plans.

For the special day, after loads of thinking, I have come up with an idea. Knowing that we both are not too much extravagant at our choices, I wanna spend the afternoon, brunching with him at a roadside junk food stall. Before all, I plan to do everything that he likes; starting from wearing the color he loves to eat at the places he likes. I wanna then, take him to that place where we had seen the light of our relationship. Both of us are not too expressive in front of each other, so by the mighty Ganges, I wanna sit there, holding his hand and placing my head on his shoulder. I wanna see the river Ganga with him and see our future through the waves of the river. I wanna see our life there as the sun sets and the darkness engulfs us.

I wanna hold his hand tight and look into his eyes and say “Life’s like the water of the Ganga. It’s pure yet it’s impure. It’s clear yet unclear. Everyone has problems in his/her lives; it’s upon us to decide what we want to do with it. Lead it with dignity and love by taking whatever comes to us with a smile or just leave it like that. I want us to face all those problems together; I wanna grow old with you… I want you to live for me, for I live for you…”

Following which I would like to gift him the surprise I have planned for him. I would love to see the glow on his face when he will open the gifts I got for him. Finally, I plan to end the day with a quiet dinner by the river side. For I feel, after a whole day full of love; sharing from the same plate and feeding each other can only be the perfect end to the perfect date. When he comes to drop me home, I wanna hug him tight and whisper in his ears “I love u…”

Note: This article is a part of http://cupidgames.closeup.in/

The Birth of the Bastard Prince by Anurag Anand: a review

A beautiful cover to begin with, the title only accentuates the book to surprisingly pull the readers towards the book. The birth of the bastard prince is the second of a series by Anurag Anand which is named ‘The legend of Amrapali’. For many years now, we all have been reading mythological books and most of them have references to Lord Shiva, Lord Krishna but it is very rare that we find a book on such a mythological character that is not much known by the people. The blurb of the book, says much about it.

According to the blurb- ‘You forget, Maharaj Bimbisara, that I am already wedded. As the Nagarvadhu of Vaishali, I am married to the city and its people and I cannot desert them till my last living breath.’ Legendary courtesan Amrapali’s life story is an enigmatic and extraordinary as her beauty and grace. Found abandoned under a mango tree as an infant, twists and turns of fate led her to become the Nagarvadhu, the most sought-after yet morally reviled courtesan of the kingdom of Vaishali. In Birth of the Bastard prince, the sequel to the riveting The legend of Amrapali, Anurag Anand explores Amrapali’s eventual life as the Nagarvadhu. He described in thrilling detail the war between Vaishali and Magadh, in which Amrapali played a crucial role; traces her love affair with Bimbisara, the Emperor of Magadh, and the birth of their son Vimal Kondanna; reveals the royal intrigue and conspiracies that led to Amrapali’s tribulations; and finally explains how Amrapali found the solace and happiness she so desired. Weaving together facts with fiction, written with a contemporary flavor, Birth of the Bastard Prince is an enchanting exploration of Amrapali’s life as a courtesan and a mother, and her spiritual awakening in the Buddhist order.

After reading the blurb, anyone will have an instant urge of reading the book and I did the same. The first point that struck me from the beginning of the book was that the author has done his best in giving a recapitulation of the first book ‘The Legend of Amrapali’ before beginning the second book so that no reader has any problem with starting the book and understanding the facts. The references to the first book have been kept to a bare minimum and wherever necessary, it has been detailed in the book.

Before reading the book, I had heard about Devi Amrapali but I never knew what exactly the legend is all about; but now after reading the book, the respect for the Devi has doubled in my eyes and I am sure, it will be the same for everyone. The details of the mythology have been given wonderfully, and the research that had to be done for the book shows very properly in the book which adds to the plus points of the book. The characters have been wonderfully described and there are no unnecessary characters of the book. Every character has their own individuality and it is their story as much as it is Devi Amrapali’s.

For the cons of the book, I have to say that at places I found a few scenes that have been stretched too much to lengthen the book which wasn’t much needed. The beginning portion of the book is a bit down on the pace which might urge the readers to drop the book but as they go towards dropping the book, the story catches its pace well and that makes the readers stick to the book till the end. The twists and turns of the book have been very nicely portrayed and that gives the book an interesting feel.

I would’ve liked it more if it were written in a more interesting way and the beginning would’ve been a bit speedier. The Buddhism referred in the book has been kept to a bare minimum, but if it would’ve been a bit more descriptive, then the readers would’ve liked it more. All in all, this book is surely a very nice one-time read to know about the legendary courtesan Devi Amrapali. For me, I would like to rate the book 3.5 out of 5 waiting for more to come from the author.

Exit Point by Anil Goel- a review

In a turquoise colored background, white bold letters shining ‘on the internet no one knows you are dead…’ tells us the story of a edge of the seat fiction Exit Point by bestselling author Anil Goel. A silhouette of a guy, running towards light but light never seems to come. That’s probably how I would describe the cover. The 500 page book surely gives a wonderful sensation once you hold it. The blurb tells us much more…

According to the blurb- “What lies beneath?” An Australian intelligence officer wonders, as she sees terrible burn marks on sharks that go berserk off the coast of Bondi Beach. A super-intelligent teenage girl is found dead with no apparent cause and her father, implicated in another murder in the same house, at the same time, insists he doesn’t know how she died. The investigating team gets a mysterious tip-off – that the girl was chatting with another teenager on a social networking site at the exact time she died. A young reclusive tech genius is contemplating a suicide pact with an online soul mate who suddenly disappears. What ties these strange incidents together? Set in a chillingly probable 2016, Exit Point takes us into a dark, mysterious online world where an ancient mystery is unraveling after centuries. A mystery that cuts across Austrailia, India, china, Hong Kong, London, America- and ultimately all of mankind. From Adam and Eve. To Us. Our only hope of getting to the bottom of it, literally, is Alok- and his quest to find his intimate. At all of 17 years of age, he saved a country. At 25, can he save humanity?

The blurb though looks a tad too big for a readers liking but trust me, when you get to the book, the blurb looks reasonably small. The beginning of the book was a bit shaky; for most of it went on to introduce the characters in the book. The readers will be perplexed at when the author has introduced characters and when he is telling more of the story. The story is such that one will be bound to trust the author and think that whatever incidents are written in the book will surely be a part of our probable future.


The characters of the book have been very carefully chosen and I would like to congratulate the author for choosing such powerful characters. I believe, the character is nothing without its name and the name plays a very vital role in making the character. Through this book, every reader could relate themselves to the character with their names. The real life settings used in a fictionalized way in the book makes it more relatable. And that, I believe has made the book a reality fiction.

In a time when the internet is everything, a probable future to humanity showed through X-Net and GPhones has the power to garner more attention from the readers. How clue leads on to clue and how the characters find their way out gives the essence of the book. The readers can keep on guessing how the end is gonna turn out to be but they will never be able to guess what’s in store for them and the surprise is really interesting.

As the book went to catch the speed from the otherwise slow start, the readers get engrossed inside the book. There were a few minus points of the book. At places the book seems too stretched and some characters were (I felt) a bit unnecessary. There has been a point where there is a character being talked about or a reference being discussed and it has been kept mute for a long time. When readers tend to miss the catch of those discussions, then they suddenly see the topic coming live again.

At times this seems interesting but at times it is monotonous. I believe the speed and at places the length has become the biggest minus points of the book. The probable future being discussed here has been very nicely described upon and I would surely want to experience what would happen if the book comes out to be true. All in all, the book has become a wonderful experience of learning and knowing things and I would like to give the book a 4 out of 5. Ending my take, I would say a line that is mostly used by a protagonist inside the book….

‘Humanity is highly overrated’

Gulab by Annie Zaidi: a review

Gulab… what do you think of when you hear of this word? A rose? A name of a person? In the midst of a black and white cover, the 5 lettered word written in dark red is sure to send shivers down the spine. What if I say that this book is about life and beyond? The book comes in hardcover and is a very hand-friendly book the quality of which is amazing. And all this features attracts the reader to the book. And the blurb makes the readers read the book that very instant.

According to the blurb- On a warm, muggy summer’s day. Nikunj is at the cemetery to attend Saira’s burial. Saira, the long-lost love he has been searching for, even though he is married to another woman now. But what are Usman and Parmod doing at her grave? Who are these women-Gulab, Mumtaz- that lay claim to her resting place? This is a love story. But what sort of relationship can you have with a dead person. What sort of future? Ghosts don’t grow old. Or have children. But do we really know? If they can reclaim a body for themselves, perhaps they can cover that body with stretch marks. In the afterlife, possibilities extend into infinity. Gulab tests the limits that our mind sets upon a ghost’s powers. If you see her as a woman clinging to life, there is not much to fear. Yet: what if she wants to return to your life? And what makes you think you can make her leave? Annie Zaidi brings her characteristically clear-eyed exploration of love to this beguiling, hair-raising ghost story.

The book, when I ended it left me with an unbelievable heavy heart and kept me thinking for a long time. The authoress grabs the reader’s heart from the very first page of the book and without much further ado goes straight into the novel. No, it’s not a novel; a novella as I should say it to be. The thought behind the story has been wonderfully put and it keeps the readers thinking.

Coming to the characters, the authoress has used very different characters inside the novella and each character has its own essence in the story. Nikunj Seth, Parmod, Usman and Rani along with Gulab, Mumtaz, Saira; the gravedigger also has distinct characters and that is very nicely put in the book. The mental condition every character is in has been described in a very thought enriching way.

The story was also a very enlightening one when one reads about the inner thoughts that the authoress has put with the story. Of Life and beyond! When people think that this is a horror story (as I thought before reading) I would be telling them that the book is much more than just the horror element. Throughout the book, the authoress gives the readers chills through their characters and they start even suspecting what’s going around the book and is that actually real.

By the end of the book, I am sure most readers will be blank, devoid of any expressions and they won’t even know how deep the book had left its impact on its readers. Coming to the hitches, I must say that even though the book was engaging, some set of readers might have to read certain parts twice before understanding what the authoress meant. Apart from that, a more engaging start could’ve given this book a level of its own. All in all, the book is 4.25 out of 5 for me. Waiting for more to come from the authoress!