Tushar Mangl

While we are all are poised to celebrate Republic Day, it is the apt occasion to write about one of its most admired heroes without whose contribution the India could never become free and no colonized country become a republic in its true sense. However, there were, and still are many opponents of Gandhi who even tried to prove that the non-violence, as a method to fight British empire, was not only inappropriate but a downright blunder. Many people had doubts regarding Satyagraha or non-violence during Gandhi’s times. In today’s times of military trials, it is but natural to have doubts regarding the relevance of non-violence. So, let us understand the full import of Gandhi’s Satyagraha, what it was not, and relevance in today’s time: Myth: Satyagraha was for weak It was the strongest weapon used against violent forces. He famously believed “Satyagraha is the vindication of truth not by infliction of suffering on the opponent but on oneself.” In fact, the very concept of ...

A new global era has ushered in with President Donald Trump taking over the charge of the World's biggest economy and military. His welcome has been vile, outrageous and absolutely absurd. The media tells us that he is the most unpopular President ever. Perhaps according to them, he is the most unpopular citizen of the country at the moment.  All this is absurd and mindless of course. He won by a majority. A thorough election process got him through. Those who are protesting at the moment, has even one of them requested an electoral reform in the United States? None. No one in the United States thinks that their electoral process could be flawed. They just don't want Trump around. How is that even possible? American Presidents off late have been too fond of wars and military fighting, resembling overgrown boys playing with their GI Joe sets. They bloodied the streets of Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and possibly everywhere they could. As if Presidency of United States is a...

Last year I released two books, Ultimate Guide to Content Writing and The Crumpled Innocence. Apart from Amazon where I generally publish my books, I also had the opportunity to get The Avenging Act on Quillr App a new reading service launched last year.  Another exciting thing happened last year was my participation in NaNoWriMo, 2016. It was the first time I participated in penning down a full-length novel. Even though I wrote around 60,000 words, subsequent editing has rendered a sharp decrease in the word count.  Which brings me to writing plans for 2017. I would be releasing Ye Honey Bunch, my next book on 05 Feb 2017. This is the same one, which got me a NaNoWriMo winner certificate. I don't know which book would follow this. I have 2-3 sketches in mind. So many stories need to be told to the World, yet so many to hide from sight.  I hope to release one more book between August and November. Let's see how that works out. After Ye Honey Bunch ...

When the government of India's ill planned move of demonetization of higher currency notes back-fired,  the propaganda machine of the govt. came up with a fresh idea. A less cash society. Surely if there is no cash, people could be forced (read motivated) to opt for less-cash measures. What they forget to conveniently state that illiteracy is so high in India that many people still use thumb impressions instead of signatures. A large part of our country is still uncovered by the internet making cash the best option instead of digital transactions. It certainly surprises me that the government would spend tons of taxpayer money for such a phony campaign that it sounds ridiculous and repulsive at the same time. Consider this for example. Fuel pumps account for one of the largest cash transactions every day. If you use your card for payment, you would be penalized by these state-run pumps. You pay a debit card or a credit card surcharge but if you pay in cash, all is oka...

Yet another year passes by so much fulfilled, yet so much remains Books to be read, Dreams to be dreamt Novels to be written Friendships to be created Relationships to be buried Promises to be broken Assurances to be given Have a great 2017 folks !

If I had to pick one good thing happened to me this year, I would say it was my reading list which made me happy. I was lucky enough to read several authors writing in different genres who inspired me to write and read more.  The year started with a reading challenge sent via Whatsapp by an acquaintance who I knew would never serious about a reading challenge unless it was a fad propagated by popular culture. I promptly dumped that one.   The reading challenge that I follow rigorously is the one I set up for myself at Goodreads. Last year I had taken the challenge to read 90 books and easily surpassed the number (I closed 2015 with 93 books). So this year I decided to go for 120 books, averaging 10 books per month. As of writing this blog, I have already achieved my target and read 128 books. Hopefully I should be able to reach the 130 mark. No idea yet, what my goals would be for 2017, but then, the year has not even started yet.  Another reading chall...

This is Vadhan's second book I believe but the first that I have read. The story has a mystic and rustic touch to it. It has been some time since this book has been on my to-read list. Just when the book arrived in the mail, I was already starting with Ye Honey Bunch my new novel. Now that Ye Honey Bunch is almost done, I got the book out again and was certainly hooked to this one. It's an enjoyable read, especially if you like Dan Browns or  Ashwin Sanghi kind of books. It is not exactly a sci-fi or mythological fiction, but quite close to fantasy fiction. The cover design by Graficus is simply amazing. The story goes something like this. (I am trying to be as vague as possible to avoid spoilers). There is a dark energy hidden in a village. A tantrik knows plenty about this and ties up with a power hungry politician to take advantage of the fact. Opposing them is Raghuram Surya a  lawyer under whose property this evil is lurking. He joins forces with a parano...