Branwyn is the Goddess of love, beauty, mischief and mystery. It also relates to genuine literature. The name has been tossed by Lavkesh Kumar Singh.

Publisher and Director Vineeta Gupta

Founder and Editor-in-Chief Sneha Gupta

Mentor Dr. Subodh Kumar Jha

Managing Editor Parul Parihar

Tech Support Rahul Kumar Singh

Legal and Financial Advisor Abhishek Singhania

Contacts: Email :

snehagupta01989@gmail.com sneha@branwyn.in

parul.parihar83@gmail.com

Website : www.branwyn.in

Editorial –

Dear Readers,

As the year 2013 ends, we – the Branwyn

family wish to express our token of

gratitude for the immense love and support

you bestowed on us. The year 2013 has

been marked as one of the most memorable

years since we would remember it as the

year of our association. Thanks again!

This Christmas Special issue has come with

many innovative changes on which your

feedback is earnestly awaited. With the

regular columns, we have introduced few

new segments and a new flavor of the cover

story. I hope you would enjoy that.

The real gem of this issue the “Amateur

Scribbles” segment. For the first time, we

got such amazing submissions that it really

became tough for us to reject any single

piece of work. Still, we had to source the

best among them keeping your choice in

consideration.

I hope you would enjoy this issue a lot and

we wish that the coming year adds many

more new memorable moments in our

unique relationship.

Wishing all of you a Very Happy New Year

2014!

- Sneha Gupta

Three Questions : Preeti Singh

Preeti Singh, the author of “Flirting with Fate…”, is often regarded as mother figure in literary circle. She is a

mentor to several aspirant authors and also scatters positive energy with her immaculate belief and quotes.

Many people get inspired by her.

In spite of her busy schedule, she agreed to have few words with Branwyn readers.

Branwyn: What is life in your opinion?

Preeti: According to me life is fleeting...

one moment here, next moment gone ...so

grab it... live it to its fullest. I believe we

have one life and we should make the best

of it...try not to hurt anyone, try to spread

love, happiness, peace and joy coz we just

don’t if we live to breathe the next breath

or not.

Branwyn: Do you think that daughters help mothers in being a Mom? What role does Harsheen play in your life as a daughter?

Preeti: Just like any child, a daughter also gives birth

to the mother she is born to. Well...my daughter

Harsheen, from infancy has taken care of me rather

than me mothering her. By god's grace she was born

a perfectly healthy child unlike me who was born an

epileptic. Over the years, Harsheen has 'taught' me

how to behave like a mother and thanks to her

expectations I have moulded myself as per her

wishes. There are times I fail miserably and can't live

up to my daughter's expectations but then enough

love resides between us to forgive each other as well.

I have learnt to be a strict, disciplined as well as a

chilled out mom, thanks to my daughter and her peer

pressure and it's a role I am thoroughly enjoying till I

can, coz soon she too shall fly off leaving the nest

empty.

Branwyn: How much 'the world for you' and 'you for the world' have changed after the publication of "FLIRTING WITH FATE"?

Preeti: My debut book meant the world to me and got

me a new identity which I had been yearning for

long. It helped me guide many budding authors who

sought help in the field of publication and needed

step by step guidance in this competitive arena.

Apart from that, my debut book made me myself

realize my potential as a crime thriller writer, a field I

felt I could never explore, being a diehard romantic

myself. But 'FLIRTING WITH FATE' put me on a

platform where I could breathe a sigh of relief and

pat myself on the back with a sense of achievement. I

am still the same for the world...friendly, helpful and

easy going and always will be. In the end it's all up to

you....whether you want to build walls and keep

people away or embrace them with warm hugs. It's

really all up to you....and I have chosen the

latter.....and always will. Thanks for being with us Ms. Preeti Singh. Branwyn Family wishes you all the very best in all your future endeavours.

Christmas is the festival of joy and goodness. People all across the world, celebrate it and share their joys with their family and friends. So,

how could it happen that authors remain untouched of it? Earlier, writers were thought to be out of the world species who give a damn to

festivity and celebrations. But with the changing scenario, the new generation of writers evolved and they actually started behaving like

humans. They were no those boring chaps. Like any other human being, authors also enjoyed and celebrated Christmas. Wanna know

how? Well yeah, Branwyn tried to find out –

Acted Santa

Many people out in the world were busy in celebrations and

buying gifts for themselves, whereas some of our authors

decided to become Santa for someone whom they care for.

Subhasis Das [Author with Rupa Publications] acted as Santa for

his ‘Boss’ and brought a big client. Wow! That was too good,

Subhasis!

Subhasis Das

But Subhasis was not alone. Pulkit Gupta, author of “Life and

Promises” acted as Santa for his readers and preponed the

release of his novel from january 1st to december 24th. “It was

the best Christmas ever!” says a smiling Pulkit.

Pulkit Gupta

Office Office

While others were busy in enjoying being Santa, some of our

authors had no other option left to spend the Christmas in their

office. Poor Umkanat Vashishtha, author of “I loved an Angel”

spend the Christmas working hard on his assignments in his

Merry Christmas…!

Merry Christmas…!

Christmas 2013

office. “I am not getting leave on New Year too.” – a sad Umakant

told Branwyn.

Umakant Vashisth

Not only Umakant, but also Kunal Marathe, the author of “Suicide at Seventeen” and the CEO of Author’s Empire India celebrated his Christmas in his office. “I worked in printing press, with my editors, and designers on the print progress of ‘My Glass of Wine’.” No, no! Not to be confused. “Glass of Wine” isn’t Kunal’s new addiction. Actually it is a new book from Author’s empire India written by Kiriti Sengupta! The book is said to have developed good grip among the readers. Kunal Marathe

However, if seen the other way round, we should say that the

respective offices were lucky to have such dynamic authors’

company on Christmas!

Family and Friends

Most of the authors were busy with their office works on

Christmas but we also had some authors who chose to spend the

day with their family and friends.

Vinod Pardhi, author of “Why Did I Fall in Love”, spent the day

with his family. This year, he was blessed with a baby boy and he

considers it the best Christmas of his life. And that was not

enough, he also bought Christmas gift for maid’s child. Probably,

this side of authors remains unseen and unknown and Branwyn

was thankful to Vinod for sharing this. A salute to the author!

Vinod Pardhi

Beautiful authoress Sasiprabha PS spent half of her day in the

hospital dealing with a medical emergency. Though in the other

half, she enjoyed a lot with her Keralite friends. A Christmas

dinner with a special Christmas cake and lots of special dishes

and chocolates added more to her joys.

Sasiprabha PS

However, author Abhinav Barik didn’t miss the chance and

enjoyed it a lot with his friends. “I enjoyed a glass of butterscotch

shake topped with cashew and pista with a close friend. I always

try to enjoy little things of life.” – said Abhinav.

Abhinav Barik

So, the authors acted contradictory to our expectations! The

Christmas holiday wasn’t spent completing the upcoming novel

or scribbling the plot of a new one!

Isn’t it enough to signify that Authors also act more humane way!

Christmas and New Years wishes to all authors and readers!

Merry Christmas…!

Branwyn Workshop @ M. J. P. R. U., Bareilley

After IIT, Branwyn conducted its second workshop at

Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohailkhand University, Bareilley.

On an official invitation from the University, Team Branwyn

had gone there to conduct the workshop on “Personality

Development”. The workshop was organized under the

impeccable guidance and direction of Shri M. S. Karuna,

H.O.D., Chemical Engineering Department, M.J.P.R.U., Bareilley

and was sponsored by TechKriti.

This two days workshop was conducted by Branwyn Chief

Editor Sneha Gupta and Branwyn Team member Mr. Gaurav

Gill.

The workshop was inaugurated on 30th November by the

Chief Guest Prof. Ashwini Kumar Gupta [Dean], Faculty of

Engineering and Technology. The two days workshop was

commenced successfully with the quintessential help and

support of Dr. O.P. Upadhyay [Former Head, Mechanical

Engineering Dept.], Dr. Sanjay Singh [HoD, Electrical

Engineering Dept.], Prof. Manoj Kumar Singh [Former Head,

Mechanical engineering Dept., pursuing PHD at IIT Delhi], Dr.

Yatendra Kumar [Former Head of Electronics and

Instrumentation Dept.], Prof. Hari Singh [ Assistant Prof.,

Electronics and Communication Engineering Dept.], Dr. S. K.

Pandey [Head of Chemistry Dept.], Er. Huma Warsi Khan

[Academic In-Charge, Chemical Engineering Dept.], Er. Anjali

[Event Co-ordinator], H.L. Arora [Industrialist and Senior

Guest Faculty], Er. Aradhana Kanchan, Er. Ramita Rana and

Er. Priyanka Gupta.

The workshop was very successful with the enthusiastic

participation of the students and considerate recognition by

University fraternity.

Following are some of the enthusiastic responses of the

students who participated in the workshop –

Experience with the Branwyn Creative workshop is very

good.

- Yashwat Kumar Kushwaha, B. Tech

Good experience, knowledge & more beneficial. I got to know

- How we should represent in an interview to industry.

- Rinku Singh, B.Tech

It was quite good one & has helped us to know about

professional life and its general requirements. The session

was very interactive and the communication was two way.

- Neha Singh

It was really an honour to attend this two days workshop. I

sincerely got a deep insight view of what really happens

during an interview, what were the traits of our personality

which need to be groomed & moreover what all the mistakes

should be avoided.

- Bhawya Sharma, B.Tech

It is good experience for this workshop. They are given good

knowledge, and more benefit and how can be represent to

give an interview for industry.

- Akbar Hussain, B.Tech

Experience was very good. I’ve attempted this type of

seminar first time. It was good learning by the seminar. I

enjoyed the seminar. All the topics were easy and

understanding.

- Sudhir Kumar, B.Tech

I really privileged to get an opportunity to attend this

swminar on personality development education. It was

completely knowledgeable and interactful & I am

heartedly thankful for your visit.

- Sadia Almas, B.Tech

It was a pleasure to be a part of this two day workshop.

Definitely I’ll sort out many points from this workshop

and will apply these ones in my practical life.

- Gaurav Pandey, B.Tech

Experience was so good. When I attend of this workshop

then some changes in my life and my carrier related to

this topic. After personality development then I feel my

interview are going good after complete the B.Tech.

- Tribhuvan Gupta, B.Tech

Experience with ‘Branwyn’ was very good. As the teacher

taught us various useful things about interviews, daily life

& also explained every asked question with satisfactory

answers.

- Sudhanshu Tyagi

It was a good experience. I learnt more things about my

personality and future life, what should we do or not? I

feel confident. This workshop helped me improving my

personality, communication skill etc. Thanks a lot!

- Pratibha Gangwar

Motivated, got wide knowledge and lots of experience.

The most important word I got fro this is ‘kaizen’ which I

will always do in my life.

- Deeksha, B. Tech

Experience was good. I wish to thank Sneha Ma’am and

Gaurav Sir who came here and taught us.

- Satyam Bharti

It was exciting experience. The best thing was the

interaction which our trainers did.

- Manoj Kumar, B.Tech

We had a valuable time. Each section made us learn

something. I will imply all these things in my life and

will never stop till my last breath.

- Arpit Chawla

I feel honoured and privileged to get an opportunity to

attend this session of personality development. Please

visit us again and repeatedly.

- Bhavya Mishra

Media Coverage

I really wish to thank you for coming to our institution and sharing this valuable things with us.

- Waseem Zafar

The experience was really awesome. We gained a lot from it. Please come again with longer schedule.

- Ram Bhadra Dwiwedi

Some other students who attended workshop were Ashok Kumar Maurya, Himanshu Singh, Navneet Garg, Neeraj Tripathi, Anil Kumar

Gupta, Kanhaiya Lal Maurya, Pankaj Kumar Shrivastava, Amardeep Singh, Rajan Pratap, Anuj Mishra, Aparna Singh, K. Dishwal, Fahim

Khan and others.

The workshop was self-volunteered by B. Tech final year students Akhilesh Tiwari, Shipra Singh, Deeksha Sinha, Amanat Zehra and

friends.

Glimpses of the workshop

Alpine Ambergris : Dr. Subodh Kumar Jha

The Hooter

O! The bewitching fragrance The talking eyes

The alluring smiles The radiating face - That set me aflame

And my blood raced Through the veins!

With breath whistling between

The clenched teeth I rushed and chested The stabbing furnace

Glowing in the burning sensation Relishing and cherishing the intimate proximity!

But the hooter At the mosque

With its speed of a Striking snake

Shoved us apart Plunged us into a

Sulky silence!

Mind crawling with alarm We looked at each other -

a fleeting embarrassed smile Playing on our lips.

But what could have we done

Being nourished on Cowardly submissiveness

To conservatism?

(c) Dr. Subodh Kumar Jha

Head, Dept of English

SN Sinha College, Jehanabad (Magadh University, Bodh Gaya)

Dr. Subodh Kumar Jha has been a member of NCERT and UGC Workshops for the proficiency of English Language in various study streams! At present, he is a prominent part of Magadh University as the Head of Department of English in S.N. Sinha College! He honoured Branwyn with his special segment titled "ALPINE AMBERGRIS". Alpine means mountain peak which denotes Subodh Sir's intellectual persona and Ambergris means a fragrant substance found at sea level. Thus, "Alpine Ambergris" together denotes the combination of an intellectual person like Subodh Sir and novice writers like us who are just trying to make a difference!

Dear Friends, today we have a beautiful authoress with us who has decided to be daring enough to get

confronted in our crispy chit-chat segment “Bourbon with Branwyn”. And the authoress is none other but Prerna

Varma – the lovely writer of “Dumb and Dumbfounded”.

So? Why wait? Here we go…..

Branwyn : Ready Prerna?

Prerna : Yes [giggles]

Branwyn : Ok then! Tell me – saree or jeans? Branwyn : The most eligible bachelor in your opinion?

Prerna : Saree Prerna : Ranbir Kapoor

[Crispy Crunch – Wow! :D ] [Crispy Crunch – Haaye…! ]

Branwyn : Honda or Audi? Branwyn : The best compliment you ever got?

Prerna : Audi Prerna : That I could be a good teacher…

[Crispy Crunch – oho oho ;) ]

Branwyn : Salman Rushdie or Amish Tripathi? Branwyn : Your dream proposal?

Prerna : Salman Rushdie Prerna : Anywhere in Rains…

[Crispy Crunch – Guys, waiting for monsoon?? ;)]

Branwyn : Red or Brown?

Prerna : Red

Branwyn : Hill Station or Dover Beach?

Prerna : Hill Station

Branwyn : First Date?

Prerna : Not yet

[Crispy Crunch – Really?? ;) ]

Branwyn : A person whom you wish to slap desperately?

Prerna : My sister Poornima

Branwyn : A dream which couldn’t get fulfilled?

Prerna : I wanted to become an actress…

Branwyn : Your celebrity crush?

Prerna : First and forever Shahrukh Khan

[Crispy Crunch – Gauri, ain’t you envious? :P ]

“Enjoyed it a lot!” – Prerna Varma

RamCharitmanas- Lessons in leadership

I am an optimist. And I need to clarify it.

Cynicism is mostly rewarded with agreement, and

optimism mostly needs an explanation, when we

speak about any aspect of evolution of the Indian

society. Here, however, my intentions are not to

explain my optimism, but to seek an apology in

advance before I venture into saying something

that is evidently skeptical.

The concept of joint family is on the verge of

extinction, thanks to the structural

metamorphosis that we currently witness in our

society. The norm prevails more apparently in

our urban areas, and is pronounced within the

sections of our society that may boast of being

thought leaders. As a result, the niche within our

families once reserved for grandparents has

begun to disappear. With the world traversing at

an unimaginable speed, the gap between

generations has never been so evident before.

Consequently, we are in the process of creating

generations that are chronically distanced from

any connect to the very fabric that forms our

rather complex society, which is in any case is a

result of innumerable complex resultant impacts.

Old Granny’s tales are increasingly becoming a

thing of the past. Communication revolutions,

clubbed with globalization, clubbed with our own

indifference to our heritage, clubbed with several

other factors come into play as our generations

walk out in the world facing it as it was

bequeathed to them.

So have our ‘traditions’ become redundant?

That is a rather inflammable subject. Let’s keep

that aside for a while.

The Ramcharitmanas is perhaps one work (if I

may call it that) which has influenced generations

far more than any work from within the corpus of

literature (religious or otherwise) in India.

Believed to have been first composed in 1574 CE,

it has been a paradigm for generation of teeming

masses for centuries.

The most striking quality of the hero and central

figure Ram is the fact that he is strikingly human

even in his divinity.

Perhaps the best lines that help us get a sense of

the magical characterization of India’s greatest

mythological hero are recited in the first part,

called the Baalkand, that depicts the him as a

child.

“Brahma jo vyapak, biraj, aj, akal, aneeh, abhed.

So ki deh dhari hoi nara jaahi na jaanat Ved.”

The very God who is omni-present, pure, without

a beginning, quality-less, detached from

everything, non-discriminating;

Is it possible that He takes a human body, whom

not even the Vedas Understand?

The valiant Ram is affected by every human

emotion. He loves his wife and brothers, is

angered by non-compliance, cries when he loses

his wife or to see his brother on the verge of

death, and lets-go his wife for purely

administrative reasons. This is unlike any other

godly character. He is almost defeated by his

enemies, and has to struggle hard for victories.

The appeal in Ram’s character is in his humane

culpability. Thus, even when he is affected by

human emotions, and even with his limitations as

human, he always and only does what is

righteous.

Thus in the reading of the timeless scripture, we

come across some instances that give us

invaluable lessons in all aspects of life.

With the emergence of the corporate sector, it is

but evident that leadership is one skill that takes

precedence over all others. The dearth of nothing

pinches growth harder than the dearth of

leadership. And if there is one quality that Ram’s

character can teach anyone who intends to learn

from it, it is leadership.

The RamCharitmanas has several instances

where Ram’s decision, conducts and actions are

not only praiseworthy, but are also strategically

exemplary. It is astonishing how small yet

consequential gestures by leaders at the helm

time and again make all the difference. There is

paramount strategic management and leadership

lessons that are almost scientific in approach,

which may help today’s leaders in situations that

are encountered by most corporate as well as

political warlords.

Let us consider specific examples.

Ram is out to fight Ravaan, the most powerful of

Kings, in order to redeem his wife from the

clutches of the evil king. He needs help, and has

an army of monkeys by his side. They are out to

fight the biggest army of demons and monsters

that ever accumulated.

Picture this. You convincing monkeys to fight till

death with an unimaginably robust enemy line,

for regaining another man’s wife!

They did, and eventually win. How did the man

(with perceived divine qualities, nevertheless)

convince the weaker folks to form a stronger

army that won?

It was simply because he didn’t “position” the war

as the fight to regain his wife. It was the fight of

all that was righteous, moral and progressive

against that which was not. So instead of fighting

for the cause of one man, Ram’s army fought for

the idea of moral sense, and for their leader who

stood for their ideas. That is where the stronger

army of Ravaan lost out; they were fighting to

preserve the lust of their overconfident leader

who was the king by default.

Most leaders miss the trick.

A vital part of the invincible strategy came from

Ram’s knowledge of the intricacies of his

opponent’s plans, capabilities, strengths and

weaknesses. The access to this valuable

information came from his ally in Vibhishan, who

was also Ravaan’s real brother.

Trust in his opponent’s brother was not Ram’s

weakness. It became his ultimate strength. Also

let us look at another side of the equation.

Vibhishan is not his General. He is Ram’s friend.

He is named king the moment he joins Ram. What

that does is, it rules out Vibhishan’s returning to

his brother’s camp.

And if this seems strategic, there is another

aspect to consider.

I have been in the middle of Mergers and

acquisitions. I wish the acquirers would

appreciate the lesson the epic teaches in such a

scenario.

Ram is a leader. He not only crowns Vibhishan

king of Lanka, but also sees to it that the people of

Lanka know this. He deliberately releases

Ravaan’s spies who come to get a sense of his war

tactics. That is a daring step, and may have

proven unadvisable. But Ram wants people of

Lanka to know that his intentions are to rescue

his wife unjustly captured, and not to usurp the

throne. He thus reinforces his selfless character to

his army, and simultaneously had the sympathy

of the other camp too. Everyone who could see

must have seen that this was a rational jungle

dweller who had been wronged. On both sides.

Towards the end of the battle there is a situation

where victory is sniffed. Ravaan’s army has been

reduced. His valiant warriors are dead. When the

last and the mightiest Meghnad falls, with his

corpse lying in front of Ram!

His generals are of the opinion that Meghnad’s

body should be mutilated beyond recognition, so

as to create an eerie feeling, a feeling of horror in

the opponents, and avenge the death of their own

warriors.

What does Ram do?

Ram unfurls his body cloth and covers the corpse

of the slain enemy, as a mark of his respect for the

valour of the deceased. This only reinforces that

the war is not of grudge but of principles. But is

there something that Investment bankers miss

and Ram didn’t?

Picture a mutilated corpse of a prince known for

his feats at the battlefield returning to the city of

Lanka. The distressed army would know that

their opponent was strong. However, they would

also know that the opponent was arrogant and

would not be humble in victory. Thus, the option

left for the army would be to fight with all might,

and death being inevitable, there was nothing to

lose. The tables would turn, and now Raavan’s

army would be fighting an evil opponent with

girth and anger.

But when the corpse is displayed in public,

covered with the saffron body-cloth of the

Sanyasi-King, imagine the wave of sympathy

wave that flowed in Ram favour. It not only

mitigates the wrath of the weakening army, but

also makes it clear even in the minds of the foes

that Ram is a righteous man, and thus what he is

doing must have been right.

Also, now the army has a reason to believe that

even in defeat, they will be given a Lankan king,

and would be treated with grace by a victorious

Ram. No wonder, the motive of even winning

such a battle must have been a tarnished one;

most would chose to surrender to a righteous

king who would restore them their sovereign, and

uphold their honor, than fight for a kind who

opposes him.

Oft times managers acquiring firms discount the

dilemma of the employees of the target company.

With just this lesson from Ram’s character, there

could be so much that modern leaders could do to

transform the way the corporate world runs.

It is said that god doesn’t end. Perhaps the same

can be said for the interpretation of the epic

based on the Hindu God who has inspired and

will continue to inspire generations of Indians.

Hope there are people who circulate his story,

though!

Mr. Incandescent Speaks…

Mr. Incandescent is a soul never at peace. But once you ignore his self-proclaimed megalomania with fallacies, you discover that he stores doublefolds than what he actually speaks out. Adoor from Dhanbad, he lives in New Delhi and works in Tecnova.

Whisper of enlightened souls

The book "Whisper of

enlightened souls" by Saket and

co-authors, is

one of its kind. The book is

polished with a collection of

unparalleled poems, that has well

portrayed expressions, emotions

and ecstasy.

The love poems are passionate.

At the same time they are

cynical about the way

relationships workout. There is

much more for

the nature lovers. Nature poems

mainly focus on the beauty of the

natural world and at the same

time they also deal with

solicitous

ideas of death and destruction.

There is a great combination of

rhymes, meters and free verse in

the

book, each sentence polished to

the point of perfection.

The book has been written

keeping in mind the youths of the

social heterogeneity. The poetry

book has been compiled by Saket.

POETS ARE :

SAKET

TANVEER SHARMA

ROMIKA

VARSHA SHARAN

AKSHAY PRAKASH

India – Then and Now

As I sifted through a newspaper on a cold morning

with a cup of simmering tea, lifeless pages seemed

to be hollering at me, coaxed me to mull it over.

The Times of India costing 3.50 rupee paper

brought life to 350 issues (buried in the hearts and

graves of millions) that are rampant and pervasive

across the nooks and corners of our developing

nation and all we want is "Yellow Journalism",

craving for stories that could gratify our salacious

insatiable desires.

We are promised a new dawn where the potential

stakeholders of the country ( so called 273 in

number) prepare to slug it out and their

adversaries ( 269) brace themselves to stall

anything that comes from across the "Radcliffe

Line"( Border between India and Pakistan). Scams,

problems, malfunctioning and debates (you name

it and we have it) are inextricably interwoven in

this hedonist society.

Even if i flit through channels of the modern

day satellite glorified idiot box ( if we may call it

as), would get to see a barrage of eminent and not

so familiar faces involved in matches of mud-

slinging, trying to defend not the country but the

plundered wealth that they had brazenly

embezzled from the exchequer.

Out of the myriad channels i see wizened Anna, a

septuagenarian crusading without caring for the

fact that the people he is battling for, are the ones

who are perpetrating it and are nonchalantly

reclined in their comfort zones. In the name of

Democracy all you get to feast upon is "Debate"

where political parties stall the already paralyzed

work of an Oligarchic Government.

Does Democracy mean mere conducting of

elections, or it had some other definition to it.

D- Debate on who acquired the most wealth?

E- Endless Accusation

M-Money Laundering

O- Oligarchy Govt- where power is concentrated in

hands of few powerful people.

C-Corruption

R-Rising Inflation

A-Anna lone crusader in a country of 1.2 billion

population.

C-Cronyism-practice of favoring if you are in

power especially your relatives, DMK can be

quoted

Y- You still would like to call India a democratic

country, please think about it, it is still in shackles,

British rule was better, at least we had no one to

debate and cause losses like 4 crore a day for

not functioning in Parliament, hope it makes sense!

Now – 2013

A new Government in Delhi! I am not being cynic!

Lets hope for some good. Happy New Year!

Sacrament Sobriety : Gaurav Gill

Mr. Gaurav Gill is a person of quintessential contemplation known for his kind and modest nature. He is a lecturer and lives in New Delhi.

The Chief Instructor, Wing Commander GPB Chowdhury

stormed into the classroom comprising of a batch of young

Indian Air Force trainees. A veteran of the 1965 and 1971

war, the Wing Commander is a witty and ever smiling

person by nature. But today he was not his natural self. He

was very disturbed and was scanning the classroom like

the radar which scans the skies for enemy fighters.

The class comprised of a batch of young Air Force

Technicians just out of their teens, undergoing a

Specialization course in an Anti Air Aircraft Missile system.

Seeing GPB, as he was fondly called, as per the tradition of

IAF, the senior most trainee shouted “Class Attention”. GPB

lost his concentration for a moment and thundered….

“RELAX….But where are those two jokers…Why can’t I see

them?” There was pin drop silence as Wing Commander

GPB paced up the gallery of stairs and continued staring at

each of us. As his eyes met mine, he froze like a statue. A

man, who always smiled, gave me a stoic look, raised his

right index finger and signaled me to go and stand on the

instructor’s dais. Quietly, I marched down the gallery and

stood in attention facing the glare of my batch mates.

Wing Commander Chowdhury followed me up to the dais

gave me a look of utter disdain and murmured “Sala Jai to

mil gaya….Viru kahaN haiN”….I was not able to

comprehend what he meant. I returned a blank look of a

goat about to be sacrificed for meat. A veteran of 30 plus

years of service, Wing Commander GPB spoke English and

Hindi with a lot of Bengali ascent. He proudly confessed

that people whom he hired to teach him Hindi ended up

with learning Bengali but he maintained Status Quo. As my

mind got quagmired in all sorts of thoughts, GPB thundered

“Where is your partner…”Kal Shaam ko jab line marne gaya

tha, tumhare sath kaun tha ?” Without thinking for a

moment I said “Sir last evening I went to have tea with

Regmi…I did not go anywhere else.” A warm smile greeted

me and for the first time GPB sir smiled and said “Chalo

Viru bhi mil gaya.” He thundered like a fighter jet he used to

fly “Regmi come and stand beside Jai”. I raised my eyes and

say Regmi walking down the aisle with a sheepish look. It

seemed years after Regmi walked down the aisle and stood

beside me.

GPB sir looked at the class and said “In Sholay there was

only Viru to impress Basanti. But here I have both Jai and

Viru trying to woo Basanti. “The whole class laughed out

loudly. Wing Commander Chowdhury shouted back “Don’t

Laugh Jokers. It’s a serious issue. Help your colleagues.” He

took out a coin and said “Shall we go for a toss to decide the

winner who can get the right to marry Basanti?”. I and

Regmi stood like two pieces of rocks ashamed and

humiliated unable to understand what went wrong and

what to say. Suddenly our beloved Sir looked at me and

said “Kal sham wali kaisi thi?”. My heart started pounding

heavily and I knew instantly that me and Regmi is in a soup.

Last evening, I and Regmi were walking down the service

road from Guided Weapon Training School to Makarpura to

have a cup of flavoured tea topped with Malai at Kaki’s tea

stall. It was one of our favourite tea joints as Kaki served

tea with lot of love and care. On the way there lies a

restaurant named Chakor which served Punjabi, Gujarati

and Marathi food. We used to visit this restaurant once in a

while to break the monotony of food served by the Airforce

Mess. As we were approaching Chakor, we noticed a

beautiful lady standing alongside a scooter and looking at

her wrist watch. She must have been around 25 years old

wearing a salwar suit which was making her fair

complexion glow. She had the face of a Goddess and a figure

good enough to attract teenagers like us. Regmi poked me

with his left elbow and said “Biwi ho to aisi” I said “Pehle

dekh le phir bat karenge”. As we crossed her I looked at her

through the corner of my eyes. She was the dream woman

every man would love to have as his wife. As we walked a

few meters after crossing her I looked around to see her

once more but alas she was no more there nor was the

scooter.

The silence of the class was broken by the thundering voice

of the Fighter Pilot who had sent chills down the spine of

the enemy when he had flown his Gnats and Hunters. GPB

shouted “Basanti ka jimmedari koun lega? Come on speak

out. You are a bloody soldier. Don’t get scared. “Without a

second thought I realized that the lady whom we saw last

evening is the Wing Commander’s daughter. I mustered

some courage and said “Sir, we are sorry…We did not know

that she is your daughter”. My Instructor laughed out

loudly and said “What is your take home pay? Do you know

she spends more at the beauty parlours than what you earn

per month? Sala salary se family ka kharcha nikal loge?”

There was no doubt in my mind that the lady was the Wing

Commander’s daughter. We were looking sheepishly at the

floor while the whole class was smiling. I was feeling as if

the roof would crash on me.

All of a sudden my tormentor, my beloved GPB sir laughed

out loudly and said “She is my wife. Maintain karke rakha

haiN. Dekho 20-22 sal ka baccha usko line mar raha hai.

Bloody jokers, it was my marriage anniversary and I was

ordering food at Chakor. Because of the black glass of the

restaurant door you could not see me. But you should have

seen my scooter which is as old as my tenure in IAF. Come

on guys go and enjoy life. But don’t assess a woman’s age

incorrectly. Otherwise you will be in distress. “

We ran upstairs as if we were let free after being given a

death sentence. Later I was commanded by Wing

Commander GPB Chowdhury in a Field Unit but he never

discussed this incident with any of my colleagues. It’s his

greatness that I still salute him years after not being in

touch with him.

Wherever you are GPB sir, may you stay safe and healthy.

Down Memory Lane : Koushik Gangopadhyay

Kaushik Gangopadhyay is an ex-defense personnel presently working with State Bank of India. He honoured us by accepting our request to share his real experiences and anecdotes of Air-Force life in ‘Down Memory Lane’ section of Branwyn.

Heavenly Child….. In this winter night is wild Born was the heavenly child Wrapped in rude manger In kindness he’s the anchor Born to virgin Mamma Mary His love will never vary Was Saint Joseph’s loving son With love many hearts he won For masses he’s the teacher For years he was their preacher Betrayed by his own disciple Judas But he never loathed any of us Sharing his last supper with his apostles Watched by Abba father and his angels He knew his wish was to be fulfilled But from his duties he never wobbled Though he’s forgiveness’s emblem He was at last crucified in Jerusalem On third day he rose from the dead As it was rightly destined and said And soon he ascended into heaven Sitting right to the Father was his haven

Fragrance of Heena

Heena Ahuja is a girl who loves to scribble the rhythmic melody of literature. She lives in Mumbai.

Purpose

“Do we really need a purpose to do something?”

This question is answer to the very existence of mine. If

there is no purpose, I might not breathe even. Everything,

every single entity around me is encircled within the word

Purpose.

Once I had a friend, with whom I usually had conversation

regarding Software Technology, as he was working with a

major IT firm. One day he told me he is writing a novel. I

was not amazed with his words, because I knew he is pretty

much of a wordsmith, who can craft beautiful sentences out

of simple incidents, and had a good command over

language. But still, I asked him “Do you have a purpose?”

Question was simple. And certainly it still is one of the most

common questions that I still ask.

He replied, “Do I need one?” making it simpler than ever. I

don’t remember when this conversation did take place, but

those were the days when Orkut used to be the most

happening place.

With time, and his success we drifted apart, he became a

big celebrity and I kept a distance to make sure that I won’t

hurt his image in his fans. Until one day I saw his message

on my mailbox.

It read,

Hi,

I hope you remember me. I haven’t heard from you since

quite a long time. Hope you are doing well.

You might know, that I wrote the novel that once I discussed

with you, and a few more. I’m sure you must have read it.

Would love to know what you think about it.

You must be wondering why I appeared out of nowhere and

asking about it today. It’s been years we discussed about it,

and certainly I couldn’t stay in touch with you due to multiple

reasons that you understand well. What I don’t understand is

why you never contacted. We were more than Orkut Friends,

aren’t we?

We need to meet and sort it out ASAP!

Before that, I need to tell you why I thought of you.

Yesterday, when I was writing an article, my wife (Oh Yes, I

got married recently!) asked me “Why do you write?” with a

generous curiosity.

She further asked “Do you have a purpose?” She just wanted

to know why I am always engrossed in writing.

I’m sure she is nowhere connected to you, nor I told her about

you, but she asked it in the same way as you did years ago.

When was that? 2007? Or 2008? I don’t remember clearly.

And it reminded me of you. And your question of Purpose!

I hadn’t had the answer then. But now I have. And that’s the

reason why I searched for you in my mailing contact and

thought of sharing my reasons with you.

Yes, I have a purpose. Then, it was escaping the bitterness of

reality, and now it is to capture the beauty of life.

I write because I write about my own life. Every day there

would be another novel in the stands, but none of them will

have my story in them. I might not be an extraordinary

writer, but I can shape my thoughts to give them a life, that is

beyond the pages of my novels, and stays in the hearts of my

readers.

I write because that’s all I know. I wrote codes which had no

life. Now I am writing novels, that has my own life. How can I

stay away from my own life?

I write because the purpose of reading and writing is to

sustain the sense of being alive and connected to your soul

makes you feel something that is beyond explain. It is my way

to resist the existential loneliness that creeps up in the nights

and takes away my sleep. When I am writing, there is no

numbness. You should try that too.

I thought of quitting from writing many a times, but every

time something stopped me. And I realized there really is

always a greater purpose of everything that you do. Didn’t

you say that before?

You know, I am feeling relieved after writing it all. I never

thought I was carrying such a burden in my heart since a

long time. I don’t know when you will see this mail, or reply

to it, but I will wait for your reply. There’s a lot to catch up.

Did you get married? Or still believe in ‘Do se bhale Ek’,

remember that joke?

Your Bhabhi is excited to meet you, and seems more than me

she is happy to find you back.

I have your number, but not sure if it is still working or not. I

called up, but no one picked it.

Send me your number, and if possible we might catch up in a

video call. What say?

Regards,

Your Once Purposeless Friend

Mr. YouKnowMe Speaks…

Mr. YouKnowMe is someone whom all of us know yet all of us are still to discover. He is a biker, an author and like all of us, a lover of life… He is at present working with an IT Company.

With You Life is Heaven

Worst days of yours are all over right now Though not words but heart can describe how

Life is going to have a lot more of happiness

Liberation for both from long years of loneliness

With you and me undergoing each moments of love

Destiny is showing amity like peace shown by dove

Our togetherness will surely heal the wounds of your past

To stop your quest for smiles and shines of good days at last

Each day will unfold the new stories that we adore Cheerfulness of heart will definitely open its door

The fears of separation will meet death for sure

Our feelings towards each other will certainly cure

No more hurdles, no more tears, no more black days

No more lies, no more egotism, no more betrays

When you and me are not alone any more this year The coming year will surely whisper a lot new in

our ear

With new hopes, new homes, new family to welcome

Life will steal hugs from joy and kisses from bliss in sum

This December will speak of 'Good Bye' to all dead

dreams In this New Year, life with you will be like heaven,

it seems

- Ms. N. M. LEEPSA L. M. Thapar School of Management (LMTSOM), Thapar University, Patiala, Pin -147004 Email: n.m.leepsa@gmail.com

AN EVENING AT THE CINEMA

The Office

The phone rang just as he was about to log in to the

office network. Picking up the mobile he frowned

when he saw the call was from his wife. His

irritation increased when she reminded him to

book the tickets for the latest blockbuster running

at the multiplex nearby. He had already booked it

online the day his daughter demanded it as a treat

for her twelfth birthday. He loved his daughter

very much and though his wife complained often

that he was spoiling her by acceding to her every

wish, he would always ignore her views.

Continuing with his work, he was interrupted

again when his secretary walked in with some files

in her hand. This time there was no frown and he

smiled at her and as was his wont, he ran a glad

eye over her buxom figure. She was twenty one

and had recently joined the firm. He had selected

her in the interview over many experienced

candidates. Her inexperience to his delight proved

to be a boon as she seemed willing to go the extra

mile to be in his good books. Going through the

files he gave her instructions to draft a Request For

Proposal. As she sat down at her desk in corner of

his office he could not restrain a smile at the

thought of the number of times she was going to

come to him seeking clarifications. Suddenly an

idea struck him, why not ask her out to watch the

movie with his family. Or better with him. Looking

at her he decided reluctantly that she would not

agree to it. Feeling his intent gaze, she

uncomfortably shifted in her chair and self-

consciously adjusted her dupatta. She hated it

when he stood behind her chair as she worked,

peering over her shoulders on the pretext of

guiding her. Women working in the office had

already warned her about him. The lecher

deserved to be punished she thought as she typed

away angrily.

At Home

Reaching home he found that his wife and

daughter in process of getting dressed for the

outing. Scolding his wife for being tardy, he went to

his study and switched on his laptop and started to

transfer the photos of his secretary he had taken

with his mobile camera without her knowledge. He

had a good collection of photos he had taken of her

and some of the ones he was proud of snapping he

had uploaded in various social network accounts

he operated through pseudo names to get multiple

“likes”. There was one of her bending over the file

cabinet searching for a file and he had snapped the

moment to record her voluptuous posterior for

Amateur Scribbles…

posterity. He chuckled as he remembered the

moment. Engrossed in morphing one image he did

not notice his daughter had walked into the room

and was watching him. “What are you doing papa?

Let us go, we are ready” The question startled him

and immediately he shut down the computer and

scolded her entering his study room without

knocking. Though she had access to the internet,

he had restricted the sites she could visit. There

were all kinds of people preying on children out in

the World Wide Web but he had made sure his

daughter was safe. His wife would never have

dared to enter this room. Hurriedly he changed his

dress and got ready for the cinema while his wife

and daughter waited for him.

In The Cinema

They entered the hall just as the movie was about

to start. He had booked their tickets near the aisle,

as he did not want his wife sitting next to some

stranger. And so his wife sat in the aisle seat and

their daughter between them. Two seats away a

gang of boisterous youth was busy being merry

and he was happy he had booked an aisle seat for

his wife. The movie started and he was engrossed

in it when there was a disturbance from the aisle.

He frowned as the latecomers stumbled past him

to the two vacant seats. The first was a youth with

a popcorn pack in his hand and then the man’s

heart missed a beat and then raced as he saw the

second person was a young woman and she had

sat down next to him. On the screen the villain was

busy trying to denude and rape a woman and he

was going about it a leisurely way laughing aloud

at the woman’s screams and helplessness. At that

point the man glanced uneasily at his daughter and

wondered if she ought to be watching the sexual

violence on the screen. He was aghast at what was

being shown to family audiences. Adults like him

would not have been affected by what was being

shown these days but young boys and girls should

not be shown such filth he thought. He soon lost

interest in the movie and all his attention was

focused on the young woman to his right who he

watched through the corner of his eyes. The new

comers obviously were too young to be married

but it was apparent that they were more than just

friends. Leaning on to each other over the armrest

between them they watched the movie whispering

and munching corn all the while. The man felt a

twinge of jealously watching the young man. In his

youth it was difficult to even get a girl to talk, let

alone cuddle in a movie show. These young women

of today were out for excitement all the time he

thought. Slowly he let his arm slide across the

armrest. His heart was beating fast and he was

filled with a wild illicit excitement. Slowly and

surreptitiously he moved his arm till he touched

her body with his elbow. At first she looked at him

and then shifted away. Emboldened he waited

dizzy with anticipation for any move from her and

then seeing no response he moved his elbow once

again. This time he got a response. Turning

furiously at him she glared in anger and raised her

arm as him if to slap him and then stopped.

All his excitement had withered and shriveled as

he cowered back to his side of seat. The girl had

downed her hand as she realized that the man’s

daughter was watching her wide eyed in shock.

With a final look at the man that said more than a

thousand words could do, she ignored him and

turned back to her friend who had been watching

perplexed. The man furtively glanced around to

see if anybody had noticed and relaxed when he

saw that other than his daughter no one was

paying any attention to him.

The Way Back

The man was in a hurry to leave the theater as

soon as the movie got over, explaining to his wife

the need to get to their car before the exit got

jammed by the rush of viewers in hurry to depart.

In the car, as they left the multiplex, his daughter

was unusually silent and his wife remarked on this

by cutting short her rambling review of the movie

to ask her if she had enjoyed the movie. The girl

remained quiet looking out of the window and the

man hoped she did not ask any questions.

Suddenly she cried “Look, look,…Didi..” The man

turned to watch out of the car window and was

very surprised to see the woman from the cinema

waving and shouting something from the window

of the bus she was travelling in. Before he could

understand what was happening, the bus had

overtaken his car and he was left bemused. What

was the meaning of that wave he wondered! Why

was she being friendly now? Of course he was

quite handsome and perhaps she saw him when

the lights had come on in the theater and ……

Should he try to speed up to the bus and check her

out he wondered.

Unfortunately by then they had reached the

restaurant where the birthday dinner was planned

and he regretfully turned into to the parking lot of

the hotel. During dinner he ordered all the favorite

dishes of his daughter including a huge dollop of

ice cream dish and his daughter was back to her

cheerful mood. He was happy that the dinner went

off well and as he entered the car to drive back

home he could not help remembering the woman

waving at him.

It was now late in the night and he was speeding

down the road when suddenly a bus in front of him

cut across the road from the center median to the

sidewalk and halted suddenly. He cursed the driver

and slammed on the brakes in time to avoid hitting

the bus. He got down angrily from the car and

began to move towards the bus to give the driver a

piece of his mind. Just then two figures jumped out

of the bus and fell on to the sidewalk and without

warning the bus began to reverse towards him and

the car. Hurriedly he moved back to the car

shouting in anger and sudden panic for the bus to

stop. The bus stopped and then lurched forward

and hit the sidewalk and almost ran over the

persons sprawled there after getting down from

the bus. The height of the sidewalk prevented any

further motion forward of the bus and after a few

seconds the front wheels turned and the bus sped

away leaving the man dazed and shocked. He went

back to the car and saw that the sudden braking

had caused minor injuries to his wife who had

banged her head on the dashboard. His daughter

seemed to be fine and he was about to examine her

when she pointed out of the window towards the

sidewalk. The figures were sitting up and from the

light of the cars head lamp he could now see that

they were a man and a woman and they appeared

to be…...nude. He froze when he recognized them

as the couple he had seen at the cinema earlier. By

now they were calling out for help. They seemed to

be badly injured with bloodied face and injuries all

over their bodies. As he took a step towards them

his wife spoke “Come back”. Her tone was sharp

and urgent. “Let us go. They may come back’ There

was fear in her voice. “Papa, help them please!” His

daughter cried out and in her voice was anguish

and a sense of helplessness. He had recovered his

wits by then and told them that he would call the

police. Taking out his mobile he walked towards

the couple lying on the sidewalk. His wife shouted

that it would be foolish to get involved in a police

case. Come back she screamed at him. He had

never seen her so determined or forceful and for a

moment he hesitated but then coming to a decision

he walked out to them with his mobile in his hand.

As he got near them, he saw the seriousness of

their injuries. The young man was trying to get up

but could not. He was bleeding from a big gash on

his head. The young woman was in a worse

condition and her whole body was covered by

injury marks. Her eyes were almost swollen shut

and weakly sensing his presence, she tried to

preserve her modesty with her bloodied hands.

Taking the mobile the man began pressing

the button frantically. Then turning swiftly he

walked away back to his car. Driving away he could

not help trembling in excitement at the thought of

the number of “likes” and “hits” his page would

have when he would upload the photos of the nude

girl on the internet.

- K. SREEKUMAR, Ambady, Nagaripuram,

Palakkad Kerala

Last Night

Last night I had a dream You ran down like a stream Your heart was throbbing And eyes were gleaming

Lips moved though unheard I heard whatever you whispered

A long pull back of time got unleashed Rain, winter, summer, spring

All became one at your advent Hand in hand we moved along

There were no promise There were no space

You filled me, I filled you We sang together the melody of our love

We sowed the seeds of our happy and blissful life

The odyssey had just begun When my mother woke me up

Shaking my head like a thrill in her hand The threads of the dream are still alive

You are not with me but your presence can't be denied

The halo of your beauty Makes everything bright

Your company enriches me Whether my eyes are closed or open wide

They are always dreaming Rather it be a day or night Last night I had a dream Has became a tag line..... Last night I had a dream

Has became a tag line........

- Mritunjay Kumar,

Munger, Bihar

WHY DID YOU LEAVE….????

I need you around, you make me complete..

I wish I could shake you up….hold you tight

and tell how much I loved…

See your love is here…I need you back.

C’mon say you love me too….

Just as you always do…

REMEMBER…you promised me life….just ME

and YOU…

Together…would be close…hand in hand….

both in highs and lows…

... No matter how hard is it…we would never

be apart..

REMEMBER….you promised.. so why…now

it’s you…who is doing so…????

C’mon.. Open your eyes..

Lets have a sweet morning fight..

Hey…come to me…there is none by my side..

Listen to me..I have so much to say…

M dying….I can’t watch you walk away.

Wake up and tell me it’s just a horrible

dream

Stop playing mock..

You know how much I hate these silent

screams…

OHH…!!!!!

Without you….

There is not an option rather..

All I know is I want you back..

Love you hard…..

……and to do same for the next so many lives

together…………

- VENU PANDEY, Almora

THE WAY YOU DID IT ‘MANDELA’

No one could again inspire the sphere, The way you did it ‘Mandela’ A savior, In the darkest thought. A revolutionary, Without any turbulent shout. The world of hope, Which you had brought. Fighting with the patience, Against the draught. We overlook the lesson, Which you had taught. Even God needs your presence, That’s why you have been caught. But, No one could again prompt the world, The way you did it ‘Mandela’ - Satwik Mishra,

Purnea, Bihar

Merry Christmas…!

Happy New Year 2014!