On the crest of a wave!

“Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.”

― Sandra Day O'Connor

It happens all the time. Every other day, we hear about the underdog companies that come up in the market and strive to survive. But seldom have we found any student, who is the brain behind the idea, getting recognition. Shantanu, pursuing fourth year Bachelor of Technology, is one such young enthusiast, who has the bee in his bonnet about proving his worth in his field.

A brilliant student, an ardent player of soccer and a keen learner, Shantanu has come a long way and has three applications registered in his name. These applications cater to the daily needs and might come in handy.

Let’s have a sneak peek into what these applications are all about:

Mup

Mup gives you the accessibility to know about your favourite music artist with just one click. Mup has an inbuilt music player and is filled with vibrant colors. What's more? Stuck on something or need to know anything extra? Mup gives you the feature to browse the internet simultaneously!

Download link - click here

Catnap

Has your phone's ringtone become ball and chain? We present Catnap - an application that follows your command. You can set the timer and let your phone sleep, while you engage yourself in an important work/ meeting. Catnap is the brain behind the whole idea of not interrupting the user when they are in the midst of something important. You can customize the timer and the moment the clock strikes, Catnap puts your phone on vibrate mode. So, sit back and relax, your personal caretaker is here!    

Download link - click here

Amigo (Beta)

Amigo is a newly conceptualized social network. You can like, comment and also share 'pins' of your amigos (Friends). Amigo is designed in such a way that it is visually appealing.

1. Introducing - "The board" and "The Pins"

"The board" is a new feature implemented in Amigo which keeps a record of your friends' activities. While some may call them 'posts', we like to call them 'pins'. You can add a 'pin' to your friends' boards by just choosing the most suitable cover and the related thought. Seems pretty normal? No. For every pin you submit, we modify your Amigo Social Quotient*. Your Amigo Social Quotient defines how socially active and famous you are. Being socially famous, will make you eligible for the 'Notoriety' wall pinup, which is displayed in the app and can be seen by anyone.

2. Introducing - "Casual Chat"

We know that you get a little bored while surfing the network, that's why we have designed this feature specially for you. Casual chatting is just like random stranger to stranger chat. You can just tap one button and Amigo will search a totally random stranger for you to chat with. Yes, your Social Notoriety* also plays a major role in the selection of random strangers.

3. Introducing - "Social Notoriety"

Social Notoriety is the WOW factor of Amigo. Your social notoriety is determined by your Amigos. Yes, your amigos can vote for which personality suits you the most. They can choose from a given list of personalities/traits that suit you the most like charming, charismatic, nerdy etc. While this can make you super popular, social notoriety can backfire too, therefore it's important who you make friends with.

4. Introducing - "Social Quotient"

A sub feature of Social Notoriety, Social Quotient is designed and implemented to maintain the psych balance. Your Social Quotient is determined by Amigo itself. For every pin that you create, Amigo will monitor the comments, the likes and the shares that it fetches. Depending on that, Amigo will modify your social quotient.

So, are you ready to know how much socially notorious you are and become famous? Download Amigo now :)

Download link - click here

Wow! That is some cool stuff! No doubt the young minds are dab hands at coming up with ideas that serve our interest. Shantanu, you have proved that you are a class act. Keep up the good work!

MOCKTALE: SULTAN ~Yeh mera daav hai!

No doubt Salman thinks he rules the hearts of millions. But does he really know that he is more like no fish only batter? With the recent Bollywood movie, he has yet again proved that the world consists of majority of those who prefer to walk a blind alley. With all the controversies being sidelined, Sultan does not leave any stone unturned in marking the huge success of the Khan of Bollywood.  People prefer dancing to his tune; people worship him; people fight for him and people would not even spare themselves death for him. This is the hero of the nation- The Khan.

When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow.

Anais Nin

PS: This post is not intended to hurt the sentiments of anyone or preach the thoughts. This is just a point of view.

With a blend of Warrior, Rocky, Southpaw and several other International Movies, Sultan was received with love and over-enthusiasm at the Box Office. People could not refrain from praising Salman’s feat and placed him on a pedestal, ever so higher. But was the movie that good?

Here is a mocktale that lists many flaws that might have skipped the keen eyes of the Bhai-fans.

• ·       The trailer, rather the first-look poster showed Salman and the mud. But his neck is nowhere to be found. Call it the miracle of photoshop or may be Bhai is neck-less, eh?
• 
  
• ·       This one has indeed become the talk of the town. Using of weapons on the wrestling ground is strictly prohibited. And with Anushka’s hairclips one could actually get hurt. But who cares? After all, when Bhai does it, nothing is wrong!
• 
  
• ·       The Haryanvi dialect that was spoken by the protagonists was something I could not digest. The fake accent is so evident. But still, who cares?
• 
  
• ·
  
         There was a scene where Salman picks up three kids on his scooter and probably intends to give them a ride to school. But no sooner does he reach a little ahead, than he drops them off for having ‘Ganne ka juice’. Why the hell did he give ride then? The kids could have walked this much distance, right?
• 
  
• ·       The statue that was built in Sultan’s honour did not look like him (even one bit)
• 
  
• ·       Where Aarfa was shown struggling with her moves and putting in her sweat and blood to win the Olympics, Sultan won not only the Olympics but also other International Wrestling championships on the basis of the efforts he put in for 2-3 months. Wow! That is how Bhai inspires the future generation- “If you cannot impress the girl, it will only take three months to conquer something that doesn’t even interests you. And then my child, the girl will come running towards you”.
• 
  
• ·       What the hell is Randeep Huda doing in the movie? Not even once does he agree to fight with Bhai. And his constant criticism about how Bhai’s daav are, are pathetic. Dude, being a coach you should have fought with your ‘chela’ atleast once. But yet again, who cares?
• 
  
• ·       “Insaan hun, superman nahi”, but still Bhai helped the villagers in lifting the tractor as if it were like a feather.
• 
  
• ·       This one definitely caught me by surprise. When Salman looks at himself in the mirror, there is something strange that is reflected.
  
  Here, have a look:
• 
  
• 
  
• And why does he look so bloated? Chole khai the kya?

• ·       Last but not the least; Sultan did not quite reach out to my heart. May be because I had already seen all the English movies from where the scenes have been copied or may be because the emotional turmoil of Sultan and Aarfa was not logical to me.

For a person who has failed in love, that too after being insulted by his love, it seems impractical to strive yet again, and win the love back again. Where once Salman is shown to portray emotions of ego, self-esteem and respect he suddenly switches his emotional state to ‘being wanted’. And then the sudden crave for self-redemption! “If I am able to defeat myself, I can avenge the death of my son”. And how did Bhai reach to this conclusion?

May be that I did not understand the movie like the others did; may be my sudden hatred towards Bhai is giving rise to Sultan’s Mocktale; but somewhere I have come to terms with the fact that come what may people will still love him like a God and this will not change. No, I am not asking anyone to boycott his movies. I am only asking the government to work towards the welfare of the society and give justice to the Animals that have been hunted; to the people who have been run over by a car.

Book Review: Destiny of Shattered Dreams by Nilesh Rathod

Destiny of Shattered Dreams

Author: Nilesh Rathod

Publisher: Rupa Publishers

Rating: 3.5/5

Summary

“The monster I run from is in me.”Atul is ambitious, passionate about his work and is in love with Roshni. But the sudden turn of events, change everything. It is hard to find love, harder to commit to love and hardest to sail through the journey. For Atul, finding love was easy, even committing to it was easier but sailing through was definitely not the easiest. ‘Destiny of shattered dreams’ is a story that exposes you to the hardcore politics of the corporate world and the personal dilemmas of life. This is a story that portrays the emotional turmoil of Atul- both at professional and personal front. But some decisions do not prove fruitful and that is what shapes Atul’s destiny too. This story is all about the dreams and the efforts required in the process of making them come true. You might lose some and win some but it will never be a win-win situation.

Read more here.

Book Review: 2 Peg ke Baad by Nikita Lalwani

2 Peg Ke Baad

Author: Nikita Lalwani

Publisher: Srishti Publishers

Rating: 2.5/5

Summary

It has been rightly said by George Burns- “It takes only one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is, I can't remember if it's the thirteenth or the fourteenth “.

“2 Peg ke baad” is a collection of short stories by Nikita Lalwani. The authoress has penned down various stories of various people. The central idea is basically about the memories you make (be it good or bad) after getting drunk. Going by the words of the authoress- though the book is not intended to encourage drinking alcohol in any sense, it is just an attempt to celebrate every emotion that kicks in after a few pegs.

Read more here.

Buy this book from:

Amazon

Book Review: Scarlet Nights by Mayur Patel

Scarlet Nights

Author: Mayur Patel

Publisher: Half Baked Beans

Rating: 3.5/5

Summary

‘Scarlet nights’ is a psycho-thriller that exposes young Malvika to bitter truths about her life. Having achieved the desired success, Malvika is a happy camper and lives a comfortable life only to realize one day that there is someone else, who has a bitter role to play in her mushy life movie. The entry of Margrita marks the beginning of a new struggle. Things turn dirty when the two women come face to face with each other. Where on one hand Malvika is jolly and ebullient, Margrita is fearless, spiteful and loves to life at extreme ends.

But there is something that Margrita is up to- she is eager to spill the beans and expose Malvika’s past. And that would make Malvika lose everything.

Grab your copy to know the answers!

My opinion

Fast paced psycho-thriller with balanced emotions, twists and turns and well turned out characters- all this makes ‘Scarlet Nights’ a complete potboiler. This book is a movie material. The story is gripping and has the potential to keep the readers engrossed. This is one such story that promises to take you through a rollercoaster ride all along. There are ingredients of joy, sorrow, hope, helplessness, love and faith. This plot is a complete recipe of a good story. The cover of the book is not catchy. It could have been more intense, for a story like this, demands more. The print quality is fine. The font is, however, really small (abiding by the standard size would have been better). The blurb is catchy enough. The previews definitely add to the impact factor of the book.

Coming to the plot, the plot is strong. It cannot be classified as new but yes, it has the capacity to bind the interest of the readers. In some chapters, I found the description a bit longer than required. The characterization of Malvika and her fighting spirit is wonderful. The author has taken care of blending different emotions together, is a commendable way. Somewhere I felt that inclusion of the scenes portraying physical intimacy was unnecessary. With such a difficult plot, the addition of spicy details could have been excluded as it is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Overall, this is a good read. Good effort done by the author!

Drawbacks

There are some punctuation errors and at several places an unnecessary comma has been used. Other minor grammar mistakes are also there. The font size might come out as a major drawback.

Buy this book from:

Amazon