Preeti Shenoy's blog.

How is it possible for two people to be so very different, and yet so alike in so many ways? How is it possible for two people to fight over the silliest of things, argue, sulk, and yet the next moment look at each other and burst into laughter, all anger dissipated? How is it possible to get so mad at each other that you want to kill the other person, yet not be able to sleep unless the other is with you? I don't know how it is possible, but I can tell you it very much is. He is one of the most determined people I know. He really has an iron will and once he makes up his mind about something, it stays that way. He will not be swayed. The other good thing about him is his patience and accepting nature, when the person means something to him. No matter how much you irk him, he would still be patient with you. Professionally, I have seen his career soar. The people who he has worked with tell me what a great team-player he is. Almost every management trainee who has worked u

Like most people in this country, I am horrified, appalled and deeply disturbed by yet another incident of gang-rape, this time in Mumbai. I had raised my voice when it had happened the last time. You can read the post here. And now I am compelled to write yet another post. The fact is Indian culture is deeply tinged with misogyny--whether we accept it or not. Years and years of social conditioning has ensured a bias towards sons, whether we acknowledge it or not. Women in India have to be really scared today, to even step out after 5.30 pm, and sometimes even in broad day-light. When I first moved to the UK to live, I was amazed at the sense of pure freedom I felt, as a woman. It was something completely different from what I was used to,in India. It was in UK, that I first felt *respected* as a woman. Nobody saw me as anyone's wife or mother or daughter. I had my own identity there--I was Preeti and that was it. I can't tell you how liberating that felt. Unless you ha

So, I have just got back from IIT Kanpur, where I was invited to speak at the E summit 2013. Times of India carried a news item about it.  I spoke about my journey as an author and emphasized the five lessons that I learnt along the way. I was told I spoke really well- it was powerful and made an impact. I was glad to hear such praise. It is interesting to see the kind of reactions, that 'success' spews. Especially so, if the 'successful person' in question is very accessible by mail or the social media. Almost everybody that I meet or encounter from my 'past'(  'past' refers to the time when I  was an unknown nobody)  has something or the other to say about my books, about my writing, my poetry, my blog-posts---anything that comes to their mind. Do they pause to consider how I feel about their opinions? Ninety percent of the time, it is a no. Today a friend from my past, whom I have not met or spoken to, for the past ten years, got i

I have just got back from The Doon School (see previous post) after giving a talk to the students there. There is just one word for the school---Splendid. I am now officially a Doon School fan. I had an opportunity to interact closely with the faculty, and the students and I spent a lot of time on the campus. I spotted Vikram Seth's name on the wooden boards outside the Principal's office which have embossed on them, the names of school captains and the editors of the school magazine, throughout the years.(Since 1935 which was when the school was established).  The former prime-minister Rajiv Gandhi too studied in this school. (But his name isn't on the boards outside :) ) It is a myth that the school is 'elitist and western'. I absolutely loved the 'Indianness'  of the school. The students are grounded, intelligent and smart. They asked me great questions. They loved my talk and the interactions, and some of the students told me 'M'am, yours i

Amazon India--Indian fiction best-sellers     If you click on Amazon India's best-seller list right now (updated hourly) this is what it looks like. :) . 'Life is what you make it' is on Number 4 and 'The Secret Wish list' is on No.13.(a record of sorts as it is the highest it has climbed so far). Needless to say I am thrilled to bits. (If you haven't read them , go get them now! ) Apart from the above, some  nice things have been happening in my life. The Doon School has invited me for a talk, at their campus. I leave for Dehradun on 7th August. IIT Kanpur has invited me as  speaker at their E-summit 2013 , which is happening  at their campus. I leave for Kanpur on 18th. I am going to be speaking on 'The secrets of success' at both these talks. What makes people successful? What exactly is success? Do you really think hard-work is all that is needed to be successful? Or are other skill-sets necessary? Is success determined b