Petals!

Planning a 3 day visit to Kochi? Is Kochi worth visiting?  I would say 'Absolutely, don't miss it!'. I've put together this list because I love the city of Kochi. It is also my home town. But first, stay safe! When there is an extended weekend, I often visit Kochi for 3 days and I love every moment.                                           Image Credit: https://twitter.com/Svara Ernakulam Shiva Temple: Revered as 'Ernakulathappan', Lord Shiva is the presiding deity of this temple and the entry is free. Indeed, a beautiful temple to visit while you are spending time in Kochi. For me, this is a temple that links me back to my earliest memories of my grandmother, an ardent devotee of Ernakulathappan. She would do 'pradakshina' in the mornings and evenings and would leave the temple premises very reluctantly. As a child, I used to accompany her though I couldn't figure out w...

The Girl On The Train review: This weekend, I watched the Netflix thriller 'The Girl On The Train'. Directed by Ribhu Dasgupta, the Parineeti Chopra starrer has been inpsired by the best selling Paula Hawkins novel with the same title. But I have not read the book. However, I found Parineeti Chopra's portrayal of the protagonist quite intriguing in terms of her performance. But the film? Well....                          Overall, the film is a complete let-down in terms of how it structures the story plotting and rolls out weakly structured characters that are wasted on Parineeti Chopra and Aditi Rao Hydari. Sloppy direction has wrecked the Bollywood version of 'The Girl On The Train'. The Girl On The Train review: What's disappointing? Racing across a gamut of turbulent emotions and situations such as infidelity, betrayal, blackmail and a police investigation, The Girl On The Train fails to convince the audience 'what is ...

Book Review of Awasthis of Aamnagri: The unusual book title and its tempting cover showcasing golden coloured mangoes clinched my instant interest. Oozing with the sweetness of mangoes, Shubha Sarma's 'The Awasthis of Aamnagari' is a delightful read. For latest book reviews, subscribe to  Svara's Newsletter !                                            [Source: petalsfromtheheart.blogspot.com ] With the fragrance of old world charm, the Awasthis of Aamnagri is an ode to the old world charm of living in a Indian family ecosystem.  Published by Niyogi Books, the story revolves around the happenings inside the home of a renowned lawyer Pandit Dinath Awasthi, his wife known as 'Mataji' and their seven children, who are married and staying with them under the same roof. The conversations between Panditji and his wife will remind readers of the banter between their own paren...

Is Love Enough Sir movie review: Loved watching this movie! What a brilliant and sensitive portrayal by two fine artists - kudos! This is a heartwarming story of Ashwin, a rich young man (starring Vivek Gomber) with a privileged background and a young widow (starring Tilottama Shome) who works at his home as a domestic help. Their emotional struggles and social chasm are brought to life. Is Love Enough Sir Movie review: Story, plot, protagonists We are introduced to Ashwin, an aspiring writer who returns from the US and lives in with his girl friend, breaks off their wedding and stays cocooned in his apartment. Through glimpses of a neatly maintained apartment and a functional, super neat kitchen, we see the culinary skills and housekeeping discipline of Ratna, the domestic help, who is employed by Ashwin's mother, referred to as 'Mummyji'. Ratna's dignity is evident in every word she speaks and every step she takes. Ashwin comes across as a rare gentleman - one who no...

Overcoming winter blues isn't easy. A spell of no sunshine, only gloom! As I write this, a hot cup of adrak chai sits by my side. A blanket crunches up, offering a warm layer of comfort for my feet - which feels perpetually cold. Amidst the unpredictability of everything around us - be it life, weather conditions, I choose to read and find my comfort from the pages that I dive into.                                                                                                            Image: Pexels.com Winters are gloomy and depressing. The one thing that cheers me up other than sunshine is - yes, you guessed it - READING! How to fight the Winter Blues Reading helps! In fact, I am reading The Mother's words today ...

2020 has been a mind boggling year like no other.  From the way life has panned out since the coronavirus pandemic took over the world , everything has changed. Books brought me peace. No doubt,  my collection of books  propped me up with good company, made me laugh and cry and cozy up when I needed it. Everytime I stepped into the pages of a book, I found that my fears and worries vanished into it. Some magic, huh? It wasn't an easy year. Still here are a f ew favourites from my reading list during the pandemic. Struggling to find time to read books - join Gretchen Rubin's to read for 21 mins every day - read this for more details.                                               FOLLOW MY PINTEREST BOARDS In Search of Heer by Manjul Bajaj: Published by Tranquebar Loved this book to bits! My best read of 2020 started off with this contemporary retelling of th...

2020, I can never forget you! From March 2020, it felt as though everything in my life had become unreal - more like sequences on reel than real life, a sort of question mark looming ahead and my constant worries related to safety. Like many of you, I too had my share of  situations that made it extremely painful to navigate. During the first few months, I felt as though I was walking on an inner fire that scorched and had the power to turn everything into ashes but it didn't.                                   [Image: Swapna Raghu Sanand] But the toughest part - being helpless and losing loved ones. Losing loved ones isn't easy. To stand back and watch friends and family members who lost their loved ones and could not even travel to complete the last rites - it is way too painful for words.  I prayed for their resilience continuously because helplessness is what I felt too. When SPB pa...