Tushar Mangl

It was a fun filled Saturday with the Indiblogger team ganging up with Berger XP to create a fun-filled, knowledgeable event. It is always great that brands like to facilitate a blogger event to send their message across but it is super when a brand takes pains to make it all interesting and interactive. I thought that the venue ( Vivanta by Taj ) would be too far away from my place, but surprisingly I encountered very little traffic and hence was one of the first people to reach the event. They were still getting everything all set up at 11.30 when I reached the venue. The people at the desk gave me a cool looking badge when I registered sharp on time and asked me to get a picture clicked at a photo booth set up. The beginning was indeed ominous as during coffee break, later on, they asked us to give a video byte at the same booth. The marketing personnel from an agency working with Berger shot off some questions and I answered them, with spotlight too harsh on me....

Elections to various legislatures of Indian states are underway amid a slowdown in the economy and in the aftermath of the demonetization of higher currency which had shocked the nation last year. The demonetization has had a crucial impact on these elections. Even though it was business as usual, cash crunch clearly showed in the campaign festivities. It was this reason perhaps which brought the Indian National Congress and Samajwadi Party together. And this can be well-made ridings choppy for the ruling BJP at the center.  Indeed the BJP seems to be the pet target this election season. The Aam Aadmi Party has made it its mission to only fight elections where the BJP is currently in power. The other opposition parties getting together to fight the BJP is not helping them either. In Punjab, the party has virtually given up, outsourcing the elections to its ally, Shrimoni Akali Dal.  In Goa and U.P., the party is still fuzzy about who its major leader is. In Uttar...

Finally, on 05th of  Feb, I released my latest story. Hey, Honey Bunch. Writing any story, short or long takes a tremendous effort and frankly drains a part of you. This is especially true of me. Stories I write are etched inside me. When I write it is like carving a stone. I hardly write 15% of what I actually have in mind. HHB is set in an urban setting. Lead characters Neelima and Pushkar love each other and like it happens every second of the day, their love story falls short. But Neelima asks for a thing which Pushkar considers his obligation to give her. Although, in fact, he cannot. Readers can visit this link at Smashwords where I am offering a free copy of the book for a limited time period. Do add a review and let me know what you thought of Hey Honey Bunch. The book is available in almost all e-reading formats. Very soon I would be coming up with the print version of the book too. Here is the cover image designed by me. I haven't got any feedback...

Introduction We write something each day, a note, a grocery list, a journal, or even a story for those of us that are creative. How often, though, do we acknowledge the effects of writing - the benefits that writing provides for our brains? This article looks at how writing has a positive influence on our brains. From helping us have a meditative, focused mind, to being able to remember things more accurately, there are many benefits to be enjoyed! Despite being something that’s usually done on a regular basis and seen as something that cannot have a profound effect, writing shapes our brains in ways that are not easily noticeable even under a microscope, and they also take the time to manifest in us. We shall look at all the effects that writing has on our brains and the different parts of the brain that become engaged whenever we pick up the pen to write something down. We shall also look at some interesting facts that are associated with writing. The Frontal Lobe ...

It is quite confusing these days, whom to vote for. Each candidate seems promising enough to bring doom to the land you love. You can't expect any political party to take an honest stand anymore. In his budget speech, the finance minister said India and banks have benefitted a lot due to demonetization. Then he went ahead and gifted 10,000 crores of taxpayer money to banks to have a little extra to have fun with. No one gives a shit to the little man on the street. We, people, are here to slog so that the high-level people can enjoy their lives. So, it would not shock you that your humble writer has been assured a mobile phone, a smart phone with free calling if I vote for a certain party. In all these years of my voting life, no one has offered me the whiskey bottles and the blankets. Those are only meant for poor voters I am told. You can afford your own whiskey. We salaried class people are mostly offered assurances that we would be taxed more, burdened with more legislatio...

Most of those who write, sometimes have a hard time when it comes to getting creative so as to give the best work possible. Being creative takes practice and time; it’s something which has to be nurtured. Different people have different ways of getting their creative juices flowing, from wearing their lucky socks to sitting at their favorite spot at the local coffee house or even watching their favorite movie. Here are 10 ways to get creativity for writing: 1. Plan In Advance Being creative does not warrant us to skip out on planning how to get the task at hand done. Making a plan prior can help to avoid situations where your creativity fails you when you need it and you’ll be less inclined to pass judgment on any of your ideas once you’re finished. You can make a plan by simply writing down a ‘blueprint’ of how you want your writing to go or you can brainstorm ideas and arrange them in a chronological order that you can follow later. This way, you’ll be sure ...

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 ...