Tushar Mangl

Presenting, Hope Library's Annual Essay Writing Competition, 2013  College Students aged 18 years and above can apply  Participants can submit their online (info@rentbooksonline.in) or post us your entries at C/o Sigma Agro Industries Pvt. Ltd. ‘Sigma House’, B-23, Focal Point, Metro Road, Ludhiana  Theme for the essay is a famous quote attributed to Victoria Billings: Rape is a culturally fostered means of suppressing women. Legally we say we condemn it, but mythically we romanticize and perpetuate it, and privately we excuse and overlook it.   Ideal word Limit – 2100 - 3700 words  The essays should be in English language only  Winners shall be awarded exciting gifts and prizes  Any attempts at plagiarism will lead to rejection of the entry.  Last date for submitting your entries –  Monday 18th February, 2013 Note: All submitted entries will become property of the Hope Library and it will have the prerogative to publish the best entries on its blog/website. 

I have this queer habit to clean up my files and wardrobes on the onset of every  new  year. As I flip through some old letters and my own handwritten notes, I am forced to recall old times which I would so love to forget but never will have the resolve too. So here I am writing the year end post while tearing old papers and drinking hot soup (Of course the music is also on at full volume and Atif Aslam is singing Doorie). Mankind has passed through yet another year. Its time to get new calendars and to form a new habit of writing 13 in the date column instead of 12. Seriously, I almost confuse the years while writing dates at least the first two months of any new year. Sitting atop dead bodies of my own over realistic ambitions and dreams, I look back at this year as a really eventful year. 2012 marked new lows and downfalls in career, relations and life. How I wish time could be like a whiteboard where we can write with all our colors and erase everything ugly spick and span. The big

What's this hoopla all about? Ok. I get it. A woman was gangraped in Delhi. That is as routine an incident as going to office or school everyday. I mean, that happens all the time. A few months ago a string of incidents regarding minor girls being gang raped in Haryana had hogged the media lime light. Of course nothing happened, I am sure. No one burned paraffin candles or drew placards for those girls whose voice probably we would never here. But this incident happened in Delhi. Our very own rape capital of India not just the political capital. And suddenly you are having all this hoopla that is very weird and phony. What are these guys trying to prove? Yes, we are a callous nation. We are a homogeneous mixture of several races of aggressive people who either tried to defend the riches of this land called Bharat or who tried to invade and exploit it. We have more crimes happening domestically than on streets. Most of all who is bothered? More than half of these people protesting w

Let me begin by saying that The Bankster is a gripping novel. Its written by Ravi Subramanium who has already a bunch of best selling books to his credit. Even though he has a fab record of good books, this is the first book of his that I have read and needless to say, I want to read more of his works. He goes deep into his plots and boomerangs the story with a solid punch of thrill. We have three story tracks here. One deals with the CIA and its covert activities. Ravi has infused lot of vision and research on this one. Joseph Braganza is supposedly involved in the blood diamond trade in Africa on directions of the CIA. He trades them for arms and ammunition.  The character is what we have already seen in so many western films and novels but still the author makes it look and feel different. On a parallel note we have Krishna Menon from Devikulam who is fighting for Nuclear Plants Safety in India, specifically for a plant that is close to his home. This sub plot draws references

It is not easy to cope up with teenage hair loss problem because if immediate solution is not taken, then this problem can play havoc on teenager’s self-esteem in a big way. Young generation definitely pays great value on how they look so teenage hair loss problem can be real tough for them to handle. There are many causes of teenage hair loss and homely solutions that can help in combating this condition in an effectual way! Teenagers love to experiment with their tresses which forced them to make use of number of hair products on their hair. This can be one of the most prominent causes of hair loss in teenagers. The presence of harsh chemicals in hair care products, excessive use of styling instruments like rollers, blow dryers take toll on the health of hair thereby making hair roots weak and eventually causing hair loss. Even the chemicals which are used during perming and other styling treatments cause hair fall problem in a big way. Not only this, even unhealthy dietary pattern,

I have been planning to write a blog on how poorly researched in Indian fiction nowadays. Most of the authors are drawing from their own life or environment. And its a sheer co-incidence that the wonderful people at Blogadda sent me this book - The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi for a review.  This book is rich in research and has a depth that is amazing. The writer has made an enormous effort and it has not gone unnoticed. I just wish that more Indian authors follow the suit. So that is the prime selling point of this book. I now go back to the start of it. From where, all impressions of books start for us. At least for me.  I don't know what it is with  the people at Westland, they come up with some great and always bluish covers. This one, too is brilliantly designed, with white and golden embossing on the cover. Since I mentioning the name of the publisher here, I must add that in just few years, Westland has catapulted itself at the top among the best of the publishers in our

This entry won the first prize for Hope Library's Short Story Competition, 2012 ________________________________________________________________ The Car Accident This is the true story of my life. And this is the most tragic story of my life till now. One day, we were very - very happy as it was Sunday. We all were excited as we were going to a picnic. At that time, we were living at Moga. So, we were getting ready for the picnic. I was the most excited than my other family members. So at 8 o' clock in the morning, we were at home and we got ready for the picnic. At last, we locked out home, and then my papa started the car. I, my mother and my two sisters got into the car. I and my younger sister sat at the back and my mother and little sister sat in the front seat. And my papa was driving the car. We were so happy, that I can't tell. But who knows that what will happen after a second also. If there is anybody who knows it then that is God only. We were talking to each oth