Sanjana's Books

My last post was all about Kathak and its history. Most of you must be wondering why I chose a topic as random as Kathak for my blog post. Well this post is exactly to explain the connection between my blog and Kathak. Kathak is a very very very important part of my life. I have loved dance from a very young age, and it was my mother's dream to see me trained as a Kathak dancer. My Kathak training started at the age of 6 for a very brief period, under the able guidance of Archana Joglekar, who runs the prestigious Archana Nritylay in New Jersey. However, due to certain family problems, I had to stop going to class a month after I had joined. My Kathak training stayed on a break until me and my mother discovered Kathak classes in my city, Dombivali. At the age of 12, we met Mrs. Jyoti Shidhaye, founder and proponent of Vishakha Nrityalay. Jyoti Tai (teacher is fondly called Tai  in Kathak, which means elder sister) honored me, by accepting me as her student. Currently, I h...

Kathak is one of the 8 classical dances of India and originates from Uttar Pradesh. Kathak was originally performed in temples, on hymns praising Lord Krishna and his beloved, Radha. Eventually, as the court culture began to prevail and Rajput and Mughal rulers established rule over India, the dance form was drastically changed. Dance began to be performed in courts of kings rather than in temples. The attire change and so did the basic fundamentals of the dance. Kathak split into three Gharanas or styles - Lucknow, Banaras and Jaipur. These three styles are the names of the cities where they originated. Every style eventually modified itself to suit the desires of the king of that area. Dancers of the Lucknow Gharana were influenced by poise and grace, which was what the Mughal rulers in that region demanded to see. Therefore, these dancers focused on elegant hand gestures and delicate movements, brimming with opulence and grace. Facial expressions are highly important in this g...

Forgive, Forget and Move on... I am sure all of you have been given this advice at some point in your life. Things happen, life can be mean and so are people. Everything doesn't always tread the path you choose and not everyone behaves the way you expect. The people around you may hurt you and sometimes circumstances may break you . But at the end of the day, we all have to move on. We all have our lives ahead of us and grudges held on to are simply arrows hurting your own hear. ' Forgiveness is difficult - much easily preached than acted upon, but it is in forgiveness that lies your greater good. Somewhere somebody might be hurt today, and planning to avenge his sadness and grief. This post is for that individual who feels wronged and wishes to put his foot on the path of revenge.  Here are a few quotes that uphold the power of forgiveness. Perhaps these words may have the power to uplift your souls and heal your wounds What is your favorite quote on forgivenes...

I recently watched a mini TV series called Thirteen on Amazon Prime Video and I thought that it would be a great idea to share my opinions about the show with my readers. Don't worry! I won't be giving any spoilers! It is a crime thriller and what would the fun be if I spilled all the beans! The 5-episode series is basically about a 26-year old girl name Ivy Moxam who returns to her family after 13 long years. She had been kidnapped and no one had heard of her since 2003. The show follows the journey to find her kidnapper and as more and more details are revealed, the audience is forced to question what kind of a relationship Ivy had with her kidnapper. The show stars Jodie Comer as Ivy Moxam, Valene Kane as D.S. Lisa Merchant and Richard Rankin as D.I. Elliott Carne and was created by Marnie Dickens. The show was directed initially by Vanessa Caswill up to episode 3, after which China Moo-Young took over. I think the most laudable aspect of the show was Comer'...

I am sure all of you must have read about the mayhem that is happening across Australia. This beautiful continent is literally burning. Summer has just begun here but the bush fires and high temperatures have already made life nearly impossible for humans and animals alike. The bush fires have affected the entire nation with New South Wales being the most affected. This has been one of the worst bushfires Australia has ever faced in all of history. Land as large as seven times the state of California has been destroyed. In fact the situation was so bad that the state had to declare a state of emergency. Half a billion animals have been killed. Over 1300 houses have been destroyed. 24 people have died and several more missing or injured. The numbers are so baffling. Hot, arid climates and global warming are just some of the reasons behind this catastrophe. Check out this video from USA Today Outlining the extent of loss on this continent Australia needs your help. Visit the...

Music is one of the most powerful therapies that I have ever come across. I don't think there is any person on this planet who couldn't love some form of music - pop, rock, jazz, blues, or any kind for that matter. I am a self-confessed music lover. A cup of coffee, some nice music and a wonderful sunset - that my aha moment! You can call me a hopeless romantic for all I care, but my taste for music definitely inclines towards Bollywood - be it the soft, gentle tunes that calm the mind or the romantic melodies making you fall in love all over again - this is my go to music, anytime. Some of my favorite Bollywood songs include: 1. Tu Hai Wahi | Jonita Gandhi This is a remake of the song from the old Bollywood Movie Yeh Vaada Raha  starring Poonam Dhillon, Tina Munim and Rishi Kapoor in lead roles.  The song was originally sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle. I, however, like this version, sung by Jonita Gandhi better. It is a beautiful song that will really help you ...

In the past few years, Bollywood has begun to generate a really diverse amount of good scripts - be it historical blockbusters like Bajirao Mastani and Padmavat or biopics like Mary Kom and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag or films revolving on societal problems like Toilet- Ek Prem Katha and Padman - Bollywood is accepting a massively changing culture. With innovative story lines and promising faces dominating the industry, the sky seems to be the limit. Despite the changing face of Bollywood, there are some aspects that are innate to this industry and we can never enjoy a true Bollywood film without these elements. Be it the songs or the dialoguebaazi - Bollywood movies would be incomplete without these cliches! Here are 5 popular cliches that you will find in almost every Bollywood movie. 1. Dancing on the Streets when you are in Love Absolutely every Tom, Dick and Harry on those London or New York streets knows the steps to the hero's dance and no policeman ever comes to stop them...

" मेहनत इतनी खामोशी से करो की कामयाबी शोर मचा दे " This is a Hindi quote that translates to: "Work hard in silence, let your success make the noise" This is one of my favorite quotes primarily because it makes me feel so powerful. The vibe it carries is very motivating. It encourages me when I fall weak and I want to cry out to the world that I am tired of constantly putting in some kind of effort. It inspires me when some of my friends are having a jolly good time while I am stuck studying or working hard. The quote holds a deep meaning and I basically feel invigorated every time I read it. "It's not your salary that makes you rich, it's your spending habits." I think this quote carries so much weight to its words. Just read it one more time. It feels like its yelling out to me that buddy, if you want to be rich, you don't need to buy that expensive dress that you won't even wear as many times as many bucks ...

Regardless of how much we talk about the NOW moment and carpe diem , we all take a guilty pleasure in imagining the future and brooding over the past. Humans are creatures who love to be in any moment of their life other than the present. Let's add this to the fact that life is very unpredictable. However, neither of these facts is capable of stopping us from regretting our actions or planning for the future. We all have visions for ourselves; plans we live by. So, for this post, I decided to share with all of you the visions that I have for myself in the next ten years. We are in the last year of this decade and  thought that ten years would be a good number to express my plans and ventures. So here are my top 10 visions for the next 10 years of my life: 1. Graduated from a reputed Medical School 2. Accepted in a Residency for Plastic Surgery 3. A New York Times Best Selling Author 4. A Fitness Inspiration for my peers 5. A comfortable life in the US with my fam...

That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet - Emily Dickinson Death is inevitable  but so is life, unless of course your parents choose not to bring you to earth, (in which case you wouldn't be reading this either). However, what is not inevitable, is our choice of how we choose to live. There are happy days and sad days, inspiring days and gloomy day, all-is-so-right days and everything-is-so-messed-up days - but regardless of what kind of day you have a chance to live, you are living and that is what counts in the end. So, if we have the chance to live, why not make it huge? Or at least hope to make it huge. So, as ong as you and I have not kicked the bucket, lets imagine the things we have always wanted and dream the ideas we have always cherished, because whether cliche or creative, they will always find their way into our very own bucket lists.  My Bucket List : A List of Things to Do before I Die! Visit Bali, Paris and Maldives ...

Life is never easy- not for anyone. If you agree comment below. If not, thank God that your life isn't difficult. :) My life hasn't been the most gentle path either. I have had my ups and downs and on the way, I have picked up a few lessons that I wish to share with all of you today. It's a new year and as I resolve to make a difference in my life, I wish to make a difference in yours too.  1. Stop over-analyzing If you are anything like me, you absolutely over-analyse every single thing you have ever experienced. And I mean it. You will think about conversations long after they have finished, assess behaviors of your crush like a detective, scrutinize every act of your friend' as if they are perfect humans (which do not exist by the way) and evaluate every scolding your parents might have ever showered on you. If you are doing anything like this, PLEASE STOP IT! That kind of behavior will only ruin your relationships and turn you into a depressed indiv...

New Year and New Resolutions are nearly synonymous phrases and every person makes definite resolutions to live up to at the beginning of the year. How many of you actually achieve it is a real question, but here are my 5 resolutions for 2020 : 1. Lose weight In the past year, with my board exams, and vacations afterwards, I have gained nearly 10 kilos of weight. It is high time that I start burning some fat. In fact, I did some research and found a 2 week shred challenge by Chloe Ting - a short intensive regimen to get those abs and achieve that stunning body.  The workout is a 14 day program to lose weight and several people have tried and tested her challenge and have seen unbelievable results. I am crossing my fingers and hoping to live through the challenge. Check it out below and let me know what you think about it.  2 Weeks Shred Challenge | Chloe Ting 2. DIY Pamper Routines I am a big fan of homemade facials and DIY manicures and pedicures. I absol...

A very Happy New Year to all my blog readers! A new year has arrived and another decade has almost come to an end. With this fresh beginning have come better dreams, aspirations and adventures. I wish to celebrate this new inception with all my readers and therefore I have decided to restart this blog.  I am very sorry that this blog has stayed inactive for such a long time- nearly five years-  but now I am going to start updating it on a regular basis.  What better way to welcome 2020! I am planning to take up a 30 day challenge and publish one blog post each day. I have to make up for the tonnes of content that I have kept unveiled from all of you. Do comment and like my posts to support this venture. This blog focuses not just on my books but also the behind-the-scenes adventures during the process of writing, editing, drafting and publishing my creative ventures. In addition, this blog is my channel to express my opinions on topics that my readers will en...