Preeti Shenoy's blog.

Today is the very last day of the blog marathon. Since I've also signed up for a #30faces30days challenge AND since I am also working really hard on my next book, this blog marathon was very stressful and hard. However  I am happy I managed to complete it. I think  my reader Usha Ganesh managed to comment on every single post--so thank you! Also thank you to all who left comments frequently--Usha, Alka, PK and a few more. (apologies if I left out your name).

This time around, I haven't been able to reply individually to comments--but be assured I read every single one and it was very encouraging. Had you not left comments, I would have felt a bit disheartened to get no reactions. So thank you. 

I leave you with a portrait I completed using colour pencils.


Will blog again soon.
Till then, many thanks for reading! My blog as well as my books.
Good night!

Isn't anticipation better than the actual event that you're waiting for?  When whatever you are waiting for happens, there's nothing anymore to look forward to. It's all done. But when you are counting down the days, then there's a  heady rush of exhilaration, a reason to get out of bed, a pring in your step, and a hum in your heart.

I think it is these things that you look forward to, your rewards (however you define rewards)which makes life meaningful. It gives us a purpose, a sense of direction, a reason to exist. You eagerly wait. Since you know there is, for certainty, a reward at the end of your daily 'struggle', the struggle becomes lighter to bear.

I also think it is important to reward yourself for a job you have done well, and to create anticipation for yourself.

If I am in a philosophical mood, it is because I'm reading a dense non-fiction book. I find the author tiresome but there are a few takeaways. The one thing I cannot stand is preten…

November onwards, the lit fest seasons start. It's an opportunity for readers to meet their favourite writers, listen to some interesting (hopefully!) discussions, get their books signed, and mingle with other book lovers. The mood is celebratory.
My good friend and fellow writers and columnist Vinita Nangia has written an excellent piece about litfests and what they achieve. Do clickHERE to read it.

For writers too, litfests are a time to catch up with other writers. We work alone most of the year. It's during litfests, after the events and panel discussions are over that the real fun begins !  I enjoy meeting my fellow authors and chatting away about everything in the industry. It is only the established authors who get called for the litfests and hence it is a matter of homour and prestige. Many years back, when I wrote my first book, I didn't even think that I would get invited to International litfests. Now I have done so many litfests internationally, that I've …

The world economic forum releases a gender gap report every year, which benchmarks and quantifies the progress towards parity between men and women in four areas: educational health and survival, economic opportunity and political empowerment.According to the 2016 reports released, the chasm is widening, globally. The discoveries are startling. The global workplace gender gap and economic parity between the sexes could take as many as 170 years to bridge, unless drastic measures are taken for correction. What is surprising is the imbalance in salaries and participation in workforce, considering that in 95 out of the 144 countries studied, women attend universities in equal or larger number than men.
The reports say that on an average, around the world, the women earn lesser than their male counterparts, even though they work longer hours. India ranks 87 out of the 144 countries ranked, with a gap of 68 percent, right among the bottom most countries.India also makes it to a group of coun…

For today's post, just a portrait of a lady and her cat. This is a part of Sktchy's #30days30faces challenge that I signed up for. We get a face in our inbox every day, and we make a portrait. More than a 1000 artists have signed up for this, and it is great fun.

Here's my portrait:


Come back tomorrow for a new post!
Today is Day 25 of a 30 day blog marathon.
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What does it take to forgive someone who has hurt you over and over? The easiest thing to say would be to cut them out of your life, and move on. But sometimes the one who has hurt you is a family member, an adult  child, a spouse, a sibling.

If it's an adult sibling or a parent or an adult child  who has hurt you,  and if  you too are an adult, then putting a physical distance between you might be the best solution. It is the first step towards forgiveness. When we are away, we get a perspective which we don't when we we are IN the situation.

If it's a spouse, then WAIT for a few days. Do not talk about it when you are in an agitated state. It takes a LOT of effort to smile when you are bristling with resentment.  Take a break from the issue, not from your spouse. Focus on what they did RIGHT.

I cam across a brilliant post from Brain Pickings, which I share here.


I loved the above.

Forgive. Especially when it is very hard to. You will be doing yourself a favour. A big one…

When we enter into a new partnership--be it a friendship or a business relationship, we're excited and optimistic. If no external circumstances change and no internal growth happens for both parties, and both put in equal effort, then the partnership continues for a long time. But often that's not the case.

People change. Things change. Situations change. What was once great might now seem unbearable. People who were your best friends might now seem distant. You might decide to let go of those who you no longer vibe with.

It's all a part of growth. Growth is painful. It is through pain that your understanding and empathy expands. I believe what Christian Barnard said--That suffering ennobles you. Oh it is hard! But it is also what makes us stronger.
Agree?
Tell me in comment box what you think of change, growth and pain, and whether you think it has made you a better person.
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ps: Check out my latest book: preeti.io/awakepreeti.io/awake
uns…

Most of us think from the point of view of 'what's in it for me.' This is how the human mind works.

This morning, I posted a question on my Instagram feed.


People who follow me on Instagram know that I post a story each morning, a short video of something interesting (mostly the greenery around my home, or a flower which bloomed etc) and say 'Wake Up Life is Calling.'
On days that I don't post, I would get tonnes of messages asking me if I am okay and why I didn't post.

The last few days, I have been really busy, submerged in the edits of my next book. Hence I haven't been posting. So today when I asked the question why I should restart, I got over a thousand  responses (I have shared many in my Instagram stories)  which were variations of the same thing: That they find it motivating, and they feel refreshed.

Not a single person told me what I would get out of it! (I mean, I don't get paid to create that content). It can be argued that I am promoting…

For today's #30faces30days challenge, we were asked to add a phrase to our drawing. Since I finished the edits of my next book today (WHEW!) I decided to add  'All Done".
What a satisfying phrase!

That's all for today.  Last few days left of the blog marathon.
Hope you have been enjoying my posts
Come back tomorrow!

Today, three quotes for you to think about. The letting go bit---it's very hard to do. It's also hard to bear the pain in love. As regards friends--people change.

Most of my books revolve around these themes. I write about love, friendship, life.
What books of mine have you read? Which ones are your favourite ones? Tell me in my comment box!
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ps: Today is Day 21 of a 30 day blog marathon! new post tomorrow.

A splendid book that I read, The Tamil Story, is a collection of88Tamil short storiesfrom the last hundred years, translated into English. It showcases the society, the human emotions and the rich literature of the language, in a wonderful way. While the societal beliefs, norms, customs and traditions have evolved and changed over the years, what remains constant , never changing, ever-present are the human emotions.
A story I found particularly interesting, written in 1920 is by Subramania Bharathi, the well-known poet, freedom fighter, activist, writer ,journalist and social reformer from Tamilnadu. The story titled Railway Station, talks about a young man, in a dilemma as he is forced to marry three sisters, who were now fighting among themselves for his affection. The young man says that life is a living hell because of them. If he buys a silk blouse for one of his wives, the other one tears up hers, demanding the same. If he buys a jewel for one of them, the same story repeats. E…

Today's post is a vibrant portrait from the #30faces30days challenge that I am doing.
If you want to see my other portraits, please check out my Instagram art page.
Click HERE
Come back tomorrow for a new post!
Today is day 18 of a 30 day blog marathon that I am doing :)

Are you the kind of person who

a> Makes resolutions but does not keep them?
b> Makes resolutions but they are the same as last years?
c> Does not believe in resolutions and hence does not make them
d> Makes resolutions and keeps them for a little while
e> Makes resolutions but follows it throughout the year


I am the last kind. I make resolutions and I follow them throughout the year. I believe in resolutions but not just on New years. Resolutions can be made starting NOW. You don't have to wait for a new year or a new day. I believe those are just excuses to procrastinate.

If you have answered a> it means you do want to improve yourself. But you probably need a little push. Try going public with your resoluton where people will ask you about it. This way you will be forced to follow

If you have answered b> then it means your goals are too hard. You need to break them down into smaller bits. Example: Rather than saying I will write a book this year, say I will…

This year or this decades starts with an art challenge for me. I have joined in the Sktchy Challenge 30 faces 30 days,  where I am joining an International community of over 800 artists all over the world. We make a portrait every single day---of the same muse. We get the muse in our inbox, and we all share what we have made using #30faces30days

The above is the portait I made today.
I think it is important to keep oneself challenged creatively. Only then does one grow.

You can see the process of how I painted the above on my Instagram stories.
They remain for 24 hours.

Wishing you all a wonderful new year! This is post 17 of my 30 day blog marathon. Rather than mention it in the title, this year I thought I would put it in the body of the post :)
Come back tomorrow for a new post! :)