Wish you all a very very happy new year 2023 🎉🎉🎉
May all of your dreams come true this year and you achieve everything you have set out for. May you have an abundance of good luck, good health, happiness, peace & success all through the year. May your families be happy and healthy, too.

It’s a deliberately late post because I wanted this post to come as a surprise for you after all the frenzy of the give-and-take of new year wishes gets over. I need you to remember that I’m always around 🤗🤗

I usually spend the new year sitting at home, chilling inside my quilt, watching an old classic movie with delicious food made by me. But this year, for a change, I attended an invite from a close friend and ended up welcoming the new year with a celebration of dance and music. This is unlike me and I think, I surprised myself by doing something unpredictable. Let’s hope the new year will be full of surprises.

I’ve been meeting old friends since the last week of December 2022. I didn’t post any updates here, in December, because I was a part of the organising committee (mainly taking care of the literary activities) of my medical college reunion celebration. It was a weekend of activities. Apart from cultural events and spending time together, we made the batch directory, edited articles for the journal, and conducted a few games. Also, I wrote the foreword of the directory, wrote a message from the editorial board and a few more write-ups. I also wrote and spoke the Welcome Speech. So, yes, I was tied up with a few things in December which kept me away from the blog. But the best part was that I met my old friends who I hadn’t met in years. We studied in college together. Later we separated to work in different parts of India and abroad as doctors of varied specialities. It was a beautiful experience to catch up with most of them.

I’ve always believed that the incoming year is decided by the way you end the previous year and welcome the new year. 2022 was a year of road trips for me. I was travelling almost twice a month. And that may be because I was travelling in December 2021 and I even drove my car for 300 km to reach home on 31st December 2021 🙈😅

This year began with meeting friends. So, I know 2023 will see me meeting more friends… a lot of friends 😍😍

I also write reflections, introspections, and goals in a new diary. That is my guilty pleasure every new year! I simply love buying a new diary and start filling it with my ideas and plans.

Let me know if you buy diaries, write resolutions for the new year or reflections on the year that passed… or any other ritual or belief around the new year. How did you celebrate? Or didn’t?
Everything is perfect. As long as you are happy.

May the happiness and peace continue in the new year too!!!

Stay blessed, happy & healthy 💖💖💖

M.

 

Paris club was a magnanimous club constructed during the medieval era to encourage sports and cultural activities by the kith and kin of the Dukes and the Duchesses of France. Over the years, it was taken over by the rich and famous, who met there to discuss the fine intricacies of art and politics.

It was said that governments formed and fell down at the conference rooms of the club, new sports talents discovered and concerts were often hosted there to keep the high and mighty entertained.

Dadu often visited Paris Club in the evenings to meet his fellow business veterans and retired officials of the armed forces to share experiences of life over a few drinks and play a game of chess or snooker with them.

It wasn’t new to Virat. And it was near the office too. After disconnecting Dadu’s call, Virat was at the Paris club within the next 15 minutes.

Niyati found Virat strolling along the foyer when she stepped out of her car. He looked suave in a cream shirt and grey suit. Niyati was always amazed at how dapper he looked even after a hectic day at work. That, he waited before going inside was profoundly endearing.

His eyes crinkled a bit as he flashed a warm smile towards her. Niyati returned his smile with her own bright grin and approached him for a quick hug.

“Did you come back after reaching home?” Niyati asked.

Virat curled his arm around her and gave her a soft squeeze. “Nah! I had just started from the office when Dadu called.”

He instructed the driver to leave the premises and go back home as they would be driving home together.

“Any idea why Dadu called us here?” Niyati asked.

Virat made a pout of his mouth and nodded to refuse.

“Maybe he is arranging a party for Dadi?” She speculated.

This time Virat laughed, “Party? Here? Dadi will block him everywhere if she hasn’t already.”

Niyati used her tote bag to slightly hit his arm, “Shut up! Dadi will never block him.”

“I hope not. I don’t have time for drama.” Virat took out his phone and checked messages while they took the stairs to reach the lounge and then towards the section where the elderly played chess.

Niyati observed the club and décor and moved swiftly, keeping pace with Virat. Virat, checking his phone constantly, never bothered her. She knew how he was glued to his phone at all times to check messages from his staff, about everything happening at the office, read emails from investors and collaborators, kept track of the share market, especially the shares of the Malhotra group and monitor every minor thing at business. Most of his work happened through his laptop and his phone was his mini-laptop when he was not in the office.

Niyati was aware of Virat’s style of working and she was not only used to it but she appreciated it too. She gave a glance at him and his phone and a goofy grin appeared on her face. Coincidentally, Virat happened to look at her at the same moment and caught her glance and grin.

“What?” He spread his hand sideways as if annoyed at being teased.

“Nothing!” Her grin was replaced by her laughter, this time. Her eyes twinkled.

“Come on!” He stood in one place and insisted. His eyes fixed on her face and his demeanour very certain he wasn’t going to move an inch unless she shared why she was laughing.

She giggled. “Your phone and obsession with CCTV cameras reminded me of my cabin. I miss sitting in front of camera no. 6.”

Mortified, Virat rolled his eyes and turned away before he started walking quickly. “Gaahh!”

Niyati quickly followed him, laughing more. “Don’t you miss it? Mr. Official stalker?”

“What will you take to shut up?” He pressed the key to the elevator at the end of the long meticulously decorated corridor.

“Ah! I miss those days. You would end up at my desk, fuming, darting daggers from your eyes.” She gloated proudly, as they entered the elevator.

Virat couldn’t stop a subtle, embarrassed smile on his lips. He looked away and tapped his feet on the steel floor of the elevator, looking at the digital screen mentioning the floor number. They stepped out on the third floor and started walking.

“Stop giggling. We are here to meet Dadu. He shouldn’t think that we are not serious.” He reminded her.

“Oh, yes! I am very serious about his issue. I will do my best to help him and Dadi.” Niyati cleared her throat and spoke in a serious tone.

Virat gave a long look to her, threw a huge bout of air from his mouth, and decided not to speak anything. He kept walking. She followed.

When they reached the Seniors Hall, they scanned the arena where several men in their sixties, seventies and eighties were playing chess, board games, and having a drink with discussions about polity and economy.

Holding a glass of wine in his hand, Dadu arrived from nowhere and tapped on Virat’s shoulder. “Hey! Son!”

“Dadu!” Virat bent to touch his feet, as always. Niyati followed. Dadu patted their backs and brushed off their attempts at greetings.

“Chuck the formalities, you two. It’s okayyy! Come…come…come…” Dadu walked them towards a corner to lead them into a small corridor at the end. He appeared cheerful and excited to take them somewhere.

Virat was surprised to see Dadu walking like he was in the air. He looked at Niyati and raised his brows. She twisted her lips in a sign that she was as clueless as him. They kept walking behind Dadu. He took them to a beautiful, huge, glass door and fished out keys from his silk trousers to open it.

Then, he held Virat’s hand and brought both of them inside.

Inside the door was a grand hall with chic decorations in a blend of contemporary and medieval. The embroidered drapes in cream and gold satin, the wooden furniture, the tall French windows and the high ceiling with beautiful, giant chandeliers.

Virat opened his mouth in awe and walked around the space. Niyati touched the drapes and walked over the fur carpet, soaking in the soft feel of the fabric.

“Dadu, what is this?” Virat asked.

“It’s a newly furnished and renovated reading room-turned-conference hall of the club. There was an old store room at this part of the club. I suggested that it can be turned to a reading room and also a conference hall. The club thought it was a great idea but lacked funds. So…”

“So, you funded it?” Virat knew his Dadu too well.

“Of course, son! And Malhotra group has a contract with the club. I funded the renovation and got the possession for first six months. Solely. It’s ours. We can also extend the ownership by paying every six months.”

Virat flared his eyes in disbelief. He spread his hands in the air, “But whyyy??? Why do we need this space? We have a palatial mansion. And for parties and conferences, we hire the best places in the town. Then, why this expenditure?”

Niyati was not only confused. But speechless too. The room was exquisite, but Virat was right. It was unnecessary.

“Mansion? You mean, home?” Dadu asked, “Did you see what Gayatri did that day? There’s no peace there. You can’t even sit and read there, properly. Somebody will come and disturb you. Maya has her own set of issues. Yash will never grow up. I find peace whenever I come to club…”

“So, you decided to live here??” Virat took a deep breath.

“No…no… I’m not living here. I will just extend my stay. The Seniors Hall is impersonal. You can’t have your own staff there. I can arrange all my books in this corner… I can sit here and read, do office work, read papers and documents… just the peaceful stuff.”

“But Dadu, we have an office for that.” Virat tried to reason with him.

“Ahhhh!! You don’t understand, son! I don’t need an office. I need a homely environment, but not home. Something which is like the club but has a homely touch. I like the club so much. That is why I thought I can stay here for more with my own customised facilities.”

Virat looked at Dadu as if he was speaking in Greek. The entire arrangement was beyond his understanding. He pushed his hair behind, using his fingers and let his hands rest on his neck.

Dadu continued, beaming in joy, “I received the keys today. I was so excited that I wanted to share it with you. Both of you are very dear to me. You are the only people I intend to show it… at least for now.”

“Dadi doesn’t know about it?” Virat huffed.

“Of course, not! And she shouldn’t. It’s like a ‘timeout from marriage’… you must be aware of this system. You are the new generation, after all!” Dadu laughed.

Virat was not aware of any such system, but he didn’t know what to say anymore. Niyati stayed glued to where she was, not sure what to say.

“Do you like it Niyati?”

Niyati smiled, “It’s beautiful, Dadu.”

“Both of you can come here and sit with me whenever you want some peace. Okay?” Dadu said.

Virat almost coughed.

Niyati asked, “But Dadu…”

“Well, I’m an independent, successful man! I need my space. In fact, I deserve my space, my time.”

“Don’t you think Dadi needs your time too?” Niyati murmured.

“Oh, yes! I agree. I have never lagged behind in my duties as a good husband. I have worked hard for years and provided everything to my family, my children, grandchildren… I’ve given time to Gayatri. So, to make her feel good, I have booked a table for dinner at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. She would be happy!” Dadu declared with his face glowing in pride.

………………………………..

“Dinner table? Like, seriously?!!” Niyati grumbled on their way back home.

Virat was baffled too. He didn’t speak much after leaving the Club, still processing Dadu’s words and actions. He quietly drove his car, with Niyati by his side.

“Dinner table???” She turned towards him to speak. Her irritation and anger spilt over in her words. “This is so disrespectful. Do men think that women will be happy if they take them for dinner?”

Virat cleared his throat and let his eyes stay on the road ahead. He was glad he didn’t go ahead with his plan to invite Niyati for a dinner date. What was I thinking? He wondered.

“Tch! Women don’t need dinners.” Niyati continued.

“Ehh! They don’t?” Virat looked at her and asked in a low, unsure voice.

“We can afford a fancy dinner on our own. Or, we can go with our besties. Dadu needs to understand that this is no solution. Dinner for Dadi and a ‘timeout’ for him… this is so wrong.”

“Yeahhhh!” Virat drew in a deep breath, “Dadu was always this weird. But I never knew he would actually do something like this.”

“I thought he would do something to make sure Dadi doesn’t get more annoyed with him. But he is going all out to ensure she gets upset.”

Virat shrugged. “Anyway…what can we do about it?”

“Let me think,” Niyati murmured, thinking deeply.

Virat immediately corrected her, “Oh, hello! Please stay away from this chaos. It’s not our problem.”

“But…” Niyati’s voice dipped low, unsure of how to react to this.

But Virat didn’t let her think more or counter him. He was sure and very firm. “No! Absolutely not. Don’t interfere in this issue or things will become bad to worse.”

“Hmm!” She nodded reluctantly. Her eyes and subtle nod defied the sound she made.

Virat knew her too well. He smirked, “It didn’t sound convincing enough.”

“Why don’t we do this… we sit together and talk about it. Maybe we decide to help?” She asked.

Virat gave her a wide fake smile, and stressed on each word, “Why don’t we do this… let’s go home, eat food, and have a good sleep. Maybe tomorrow brings a better perception that it’s none of our business.”

She sighed and reclined on the passenger seat, “You are tired, right?”

“It was a hectic day.”

She pressed her lips inwards and squeezed her eyes. “I’m sorry! I tend to get carried away.”

Virat grinned at her cute attempt to apologise. “But I don’t get carried away by you, anymore. I know, this ‘sorry’ is just for tonight, because I’m tired. I’m sure you will bring this issue tomorrow again.”

Niyati grinned too, hiding the blush on her cheeks. “You read me so well.”

Virat didn’t reply for a long moment. Then, he drew in a deep breath and murmured in a low, husky voice.

“You are my favourite subject.”

…………………………

I didn’t post the update last Sunday, as promised. One of my projects ran into a problem and I had to travel urgently. One of my phones was hacked too and it took me hours to retrieve a social media account.  Phew!! 

I will try to continue to post the updates on Sundays. Afternoon 12:00 pm 🤞

I don’t want to make the updates private right now as I don’t want to trouble you. But I may do so in future. I’m still thinking about it.

People who wanted to know about Spark and Spice: Book 2 – It was the second half of the book posted on Wattpad and this blog previously.  It will be published as a sequel to Spark & Spice in paperback and ebook format.

I hope I have cleared the air 🙂

Lots of love 💖

M.

………………………..

“She must be stressed about something, bro. You have given her too much work, it seems.” Samir stopped running and added his 2 cents while catching his breath.

When Virat called Samir to meet him for a jogging session, early in the morning, Samir instinctively knew something was troubling Virat.

“No, no, you don’t get it,” Virat stopped too and raised his foot on a small platform to fasten his shoelaces. Tying the knot, he said, “Niyati is never stressed about being overworked. In fact, she is so accustomed to pressure and chaos that I’m sure she’ll continue to work unbothered even when the entire planet is falling down. So, it isn’t only work-related stress. It’s different this time. She believes we’ve lost our spark.”

“What does that mean?” Samir twisted his lips.

“Whatever!” Virat huffed and stretched both his hands in the air, walking away.

“And you agreed with her… obviously!” Samir confirmed, keeping his usual sadistic, funny face aside and donning the role of both a wise ear and a sage advice for Virat. He had to do it whenever Virat needed him, especially, during his confusions revolving around Niyati. Samir had seen their relationship grow from the first moment they met at the airport and he had been a witness to Niyati’s ability to knock Virat off his senses. At different times, Samir had been a silent witness, or a patient listener, or even a thoughtful advisor to their budding relationship. Sometimes, he was all of them.

“Gawd! I’m such an idiot,” Virat sighed, wiping the sweat off his face using his palms, and combed his fingers through his hair. “That was my biggest mistake. I shouldn’t have agreed with her. Now she considers the issue more serious than she earlier believed it was. She’s geared to do something about it.”

“Exactly, what?” Samir jumped a few tiles on the running track of the central park.

“I don’t know. And that is scary. Trust me.”

“Relax. I don’t think she will come up with a weird solution.”

“You have no idea. She has receded into a full contemplative mode, is always thinking deeply, and goes into long phases of silence. I’m so worried, Samir. What should I do?”

Samir thought for a long moment and stretched himself backwards, until he could see the crown of the tall, lush trees in the park. He struggled to curb the itch to tease Virat but couldn’t. Pushing his tongue against his cheek, he sighed. “Dude! You don’t have much in your hands, at this moment, to be honest.”

“Really, now?!” Virat glared at him. “I didn’t call you at 5 am in the morning to listen to this.”

“So? Come to the point. What did you want to hear?”

“Think again. Think deeply,” Virat spoke in an investigative tone. “If only I could get to know her flow of thoughts, I’m sure I can prepare myself to manage the situation in a better manner. By any chance, can you guess what is going on in Niyati’s mind? I need to know.”

“Start running!” Samir chuckled.

“What!” Virat shrugged.

“When you run – the fresh air will enter your lungs, and your blood flow will increase, thereby taking more oxygen to your brain. You will be able to think better…”

“Sammiiiirrrr! Come on, yaar. Be serious.” Virat growled.

“Fine! Let me think again… deeply, this time,” Samir followed his cue, and squeezed his eyes narrow, trying to think in the way Niyati would. He walked away a few steps, turned around mysteriously and said, “This is Niyati Reddy we are talking about, right? Don’t we know how unpredictable she is?”

“Yeah, man! We definitely do. When I asked her about it, she said she will divulge at the right time. She didn’t say anything else. I tried so hard to get her to reveal something.”

“Virat…listen,” Samir spoke in a grave tone, fixing his eyes on Virat’s face, “I hate to tell you this…but when women think their relationship with their man has changed, they are mostly thinking about two solutions.”

“What?” Virat had a bit of a clue and he dreaded Samir was going to spill out exactly that.

“I said ‘mostly’ but not always…however…it is possible she is thinking about…” Samir let his sentence trail slowly.

Virat filled in the blanks with a dreadful murmur, hating the sound of the word, “Divorce?”

“Or maybe…err…a baby?” Samir added.

“Goodness!” Virat almost gasped. It wasn’t like Niyati and he had never discussed this before but whenever the topic of having a baby arose, both of them had felt it was too early. They had been working towards their goals and were so full of each other that the thought of kids was always pushed to the back burner.

Virat wondered if Niyati was now thinking of extending their family. But would she? Without discussing it with him? She was aware of his and her plans related to work for the next year. Kids needed time and commitment. Were they really ready for this? Also, is having kids a solution to a couple’s problems?

By the way, did they even have any serious problems between them? Their only problem, according to her, was that they were too comfortable with each other. They behaved like one unit. Was that a red flag?

Virat tucked his lower lip under his upper one. “What do I do now?”

Samir sat down on the bench, thinking deeply. Virat followed him, looking at his face hopefully.

“Listen… before she comes up with a silly solution, I think you should tell her that you’ve been thinking too and you should give her your solution first.”

Virat liked the idea. “Hmm…okay…but what solution?”

Samir shrugged. “Do something she likes. Take her on a holiday…plan it thoughtfully. Ask her out on a date…maybe?”

“Interesting!” Virat finally felt relieved. He was sure he could think of ways to distract Niyati.

“Anyway, Arpita is going to meet Niyati at the office today. So, there are high chances she may discuss it with Arpita.”

Virat didn’t know his sister was going to their office to meet Niyati. “Why office?”

Samir shrugged. “I wish I understood women better. But I don’t. Take Arpita. She wants Niyati to design a dazzling gown for her.”

Virat gawked at him for a second before a soft chortle escaped from his lips. “Man! I don’t want to sound mean but ‘dazzling gown’ and Arpita don’t go together.”

“This was mean!” Samir glared at him. “You can’t crack jokes on my wife.”

“Sorry! But you know that it isn’t her style. Arpita has always been unconventional, individualistic, and straight-forward. That’s her style. She attends grand parties in a cotton kurta and denim jeans. She didn’t opt for designer, gawdy stuff even for your wedding or my wedding. So, it’s hard to imagine her in a flashy dress.”

Samir nodded. “I thought so too, the first time she mentioned.”

“Any special occasion?”

“God knows!” Samir twisted his lips cluelessly, “I was about to ask you if there is any special occasion in the near future that I might have forgotten.”

“I’m no good with dates either.” Virat raised his hands in the air and grinned. Swiping his tongue over his lower lip, he teased Samir, “But looks like you are in the soup too. I’m feeling so much better now…aahaaa!”

“You are laughing?” Samir spread his hands in the air, “Seriously, man! I’m doomed. I need to know what’s going on in Arpita’s mind. ASAP!”

“Start running!” Virat chuckled more.

The advice wasn’t entirely a tease. It had been their mantra for dire situations. Whether they were underprepared for exams in school, missed university deadlines, had teen break-ups, or were caught doing mischief at home, when nothing made sense, Virat and Samir would always, by default, resort to sports, jogging or exercise as a coping mechanism. They believed it helped them think better due to the rush of blood flow to their brains. It didn’t matter if it worked or not but physical activity did keep their mind distracted from the troubling situation.

………………………….

Niyati appeared pleasantly surprised to meet Arpita in her office. She ordered coffee and sandwiches for them and took Arpita’s measurements.

“Finally! Can I now say I’ve managed to earn my sister-in-law’s confidence in my work?” Niyati chuckled.

“Come on! You know it was never like that.” Arpita was embarrassed.

“Why not? I’ve been making dresses for the entire world but you never asked me for one. I never offered for I didn’t know if you even liked my work. But yayyy! I’m so thrilled to have you here today.” Niyati said, writing the measurements and Arpita’s preferences in the diary.

Arpita walked around, looking in the mirror. “You’re the best, you know. I wouldn’t have come to you if I didn’t think so. Just that…before today, I’ve never wanted to get into designer wear. But this time, I want to look perfect.”

Niyati stopped writing in the diary. Something in Arpita’s tone disturbed her. But she didn’t know what it was. Or maybe she was overthinking.

“Any special occasion?” Niyati asked.

Arpita turned around to face Niyati and smiled. She didn’t reply. Niyati didn’t ask again.

Arpita elaborated on how she wanted her gown in layers, frills, lace and brocade, studded with sequins and diamonds. Once again, she left Niyati wondering about her choice. It wasn’t her style. It was just not her.

“By the way…” Arpita distracted Niyati out of her thoughts.

“Hmm? Yeah?” Niyati smiled, trying not to judge her and picked up a water bottle.

“Do you know a good doctor… I mean, a good plastic surgeon. I’m unable to get rid of this tire of flab.” Arpita marked a layer of thin fat around her belly and made a helpless face. “Do you know someone who can cut it away.”

Niyati coughed on the water she just had and struggled not to spill it out. “What!!”

“I also find these annoying fine lines and wrinkles on my face. Do you see them?”

Niyati nodded. “Aren’t they natural lines?”

“Of ageing?”

“You are in your twenties,” Niyati reminded her. Once again, she was surprised. Since when did Arpita care about looks and physical appearance. It wasn’t wrong, thought. Niyati even had some clients completely obsessed with their looks and she didn’t judge them either. But coming from Arpita, it felt like a new and strange development.

“Do you know ageing begins as soon as twenties?” Arpita replied.

“Arpita… wait…what are you talking about? Ageing?! God! No…in fact, you look pretty… and you look great!”

Arpita smiled again. Niyati had loads of questions in her mind but she put them off for a later time. Niyati had never probed anyone about their personal issues and choices. For the first time, she wanted to do this. But at the same time, she sensed a discomfort in Arpita’s attitude. Pestering her to divulge more would push her in a shell. Niyati decided to stay quiet for now and support Arpita silently while she found a way out of her mess. If there was, any!

She didn’t tell Arpita that the design she wanted wasn’t her style. Instead, Niyati assured Arpita that she would do her best if Arpita promised to be there during the entire process of making & fitting of the dress.

……………………………

Virat moved his finger on his phone screen, scrolling through the list of best restaurants in Paris for a dinner date. None of them appeared suitable for the purpose.

‘Should I take her for a midnight boat ride, under Pont Marie, or Pont Alexandre III … tell her how much I love her?’ He speculated. The next moment, he took a laboured breath refuting the idea. ‘Naah!’

‘Too much work, eh?’

‘Too formal, as well.’

‘She’s going to laugh. And will also tease me this time.’

‘We’ve grown beyond that stage.’

He started scrolling again and found a few restaurants they had visited during their courtship. Many precious memories were connected to some of the eateries where they once sat for hours and spent time together.

‘Sounds like a workable plan!’

………………………………….

“Are you coming to my cabin? We’ll leave for home together.” Virat called her in the evening.

Niyati switched on her wireless headphones and replied, “Hey! I’m not in the office. I’m taking Maya chachi’s diamond ring to the jeweller. She asked me to get the missing diamonds fixed while I watched it. Then I’ll go to Dadi’s doctor. She has asked me to meet him and understand her new medicine regimen from him.”

“Aren’t you tired?” Virat rolled his eyes. “And why do you have to do everything?”

“Because there are some things which secretaries and assistants can’t do.” Niyati smiled, “Anyway, after this I’ll be going to the factory.”

“Why factory? The system was rolling smoothly, the last time I checked.” Virat switched off his laptop and picked up his aviators.

“Yeah, I know. But I just wanted to make a random visit. I need to ensure that the new winter collection reaches the stores at least four weeks ahead of Christmas.”

“Do you need to go? Should have called any manager.” He suggested.

“Yeah, I want to go… why? You don’t want me to go?”

“I want you to take a rest. You’ve been working too much.”

“You’ve become so chill, na?!” Niyati chuckled, “You were the one who would be on the front foot before every launch, every new collection… you taught me to be there and supervise things first-hand…”

Virat smiled. “Hmm. I realised that you don’t need to be on high alert at all times. We have good managers. They can take care of basic stuff like this. Things eventually go as planned.”

“Yes, they do… mostly… but we need to be there for times when things might not go as planned. You always said this.”

“That has never happened.”

“And will never. Keeping fingers crossed.”

“Amen! By the way, what time will you be back home? I need to talk to you about something.” Virat asked.

Niyati glanced at her wristwatch and replied, “Around 2 hours?”

“Perfect.”

“Virat, I want to talk about something too.”

Virat frowned. “About what?”

“I’ll come back and discuss. It’s better to talk in person.” Niyati said. She wanted Virat to know how she felt about Arpita and that they should ensure all was well with her. At the same time, she didn’t want Virat to be worried over her random musings on a phone call.

Virat could feel his heartbeat rising.  Was Niyati going to discuss what he had been dreading? For once, he wondered if he should follow Niyati to the factory visit. But then, he gave it a pass for he had to make reservations for the dinner table.

…………………………………

Virat’s phone rang while he was on his way home. As soon as he parked the car on one side of the road and answered the call, Dadu started speaking on the other end. “Virat, is Niyati with you?”

“No Dadu… she is not.”

He was about to tell him more but Dadu quickly called Niyati too and included her in the conference call with them.

“Good evening, Dadu, is there anything urgent?” Niyati asked.

“Virat, Niyati, I want both of you to drop everything you are doing and reach the Paris Club. Right now.”

“What happened, Dadu?” Both Virat and Niyati spoke in unison.

“I’ll tell you when we meet,” Dadu declared, “It’s regarding something very important.”

………………………

Thank you for responding to my question. After much contemplation, I am posting the first chapter of Spark & Spice Forever. It’s Book 3 of Spark & Spice series of books. 

Disclaimer: Read it only if you have already read Book 2 of Spark & Spice already posted here, once. Don’t read it if you have only read Book 1 as it will have spoilers of Book 2.

From next update onwards, the chapters will be a posted as a private post as I don’t want to keep it unattended online. My followers will be able to read it. You don’t need to have a wordpress account to read it. I will give password to whoever is reading it 😀

I will update on every Sunday night.
These are unedited, raw drafts. Kindly avoid the proof-check errors. And bring bloopers to my notice 🙈😅

Also – Please read them here and please don’t copy or try to download it. I sincerely request. 

Loads of love 💖

M.

……………………………………….

 

Spark & Spice Forever – Chapter 1

 

‘Bet for Dadi to have the last word?’

Niyati scribbled the question on a blank page in her journal, keeping a straight face to look busy, pretending to take notes from the latest issue of a French design magazine. Without lifting her eyelids, she discreetly slid the journal towards Virat, sitting across the table with his back towards Dadu and Dadi. He threw a glance at Niyati’s question and instead of writing on it, he replied to her with a stern stare, he was known for.

Niyati appeared unfazed and pulled the journal back to her. Virat cursed the moment he had decided to bring his file to the study room, hoping to spend a relaxed time with Niyati and Dadu. However, things went down pretty soon.

A few minutes ago, Dadu had been keenly reading a document spread on his desk when Dadi had stormed inside the study room and caught him unawares. The peaceful silence of the corner room soon faded into the clatter of her complaints. Dadi demanded Dadu should accompany her to the charity function organised by the NGO she supported. But Dadu wished to be left alone in peace.

“Listen, I can’t go all over the city from one function to another. I wish to attend the award ceremony in the evening. Virat has been nominated for the ‘Business Icon of the Year’ award… I can’t miss it for anything,” Dadu declared.

“I’m going there too.” Dadi was non-chalant.

“So?”

“So?”

Dadu shrugged. “So, we are not young anymore.”

“What do you mean by that?” Dadi was annoyed.

“I mean, let me live in some peace, Gayatri…I like to do things at my pace.”

“Your pace?” Dadi roared like a tigress, “Oh, really? Do you ever realise how I’ve struggled all my life to match with your so-called pace and to roam around the world with you? You travelled for business, attended meetings, networked with people… you were always on your toes. And you wanted me to accompany you. Now, all of a sudden, your pace has spiralled down and once again, you want me to abide by it. Why is it always about you, Gajendra?”.

Niyati lowered her neck further to stifle the smile on her lips. She had never seen Dadi mince her words to express what she wanted. She might have had her emotional and weak moments but she had her bouts of aggression too. So strongly, that she had no qualms about making a scene even before their grandkids. She had had enough. Audience didn’t affect her anymore.

Dadu stood up, lightly making a hand gesture to remind Dadi of the presence of two witnesses in the room. He kept a hand on her shoulder and escorted her out of the room, saying, “Come on, I’ve always done everything for you. Doesn’t it mean, it always actually about you?”

Niyati couldn’t stop giggling after Dadu and Dadi left the room. Virat shut his file with a snap sound and clicked his tongue. “Gawd! What was that?”

“Normal husband-wife quarrel.” Niyati shrugged.

“Don’t you think their fights are increasing these days? I either see them bickering on a silly issue or so upset that they don’t talk for days. It wasn’t like that previously.”

Niyati carefully closed her journal and stood up. She turned around the table to join him and with a faint smile, she said, “I miss fighting with you.”

This time, Virat chuckled too. “So, who is stopping you? Go ahead.”

She sighed and smiled again. “Virat, I’m serious. I miss those days.”

“Which days?” Virat asked casually, collecting his file, phone, pen and airpods.

“The initial few years…when we met… when we got married. We were so…” She was at a loss of words, trying to explain her feelings to him.

Virat squeezed his eyes slightly to request her for a moment as he had a call on his phone and he had to receive it. Niyati rolled her eyes and stood still while Virat talked to his assistant from the office and informed him to send the mails he had dictated previously.

“Yeah? What were you saying?” He disconnected the call and appeared to be interested in Niyati’s discussion. Sometimes, he did it so unintentionally that Niyati couldn’t stop smiling at his efforts to behave like a good husband.

“Nothing.” She grinned and walked away, out of the room.

“No, seriously. Go on, I was listening.” He made a pout of his lips.

Niyati sighed and grinned more, “No.”

“We fight… we do fight, right?”

“No, we don’t.” Niyati made a helpless face, still grinning to prove her point.

“Oh! So, that must be good?” He didn’t want to accept there was something Niyati expected from him and he didn’t do. He followed her as she walked out of the study room into the corridor on the ground floor of Malhotra mansion.

Niyati looked sideways, through the large French windows, towards the plush lawn in front of the foyer and asked, “Virat, don’t you think we’ve become too comfortable with each other? We gel so seamlessly, that we keep agreeing with each other… on almost everything.”

He folded his hands and looked at her as if she was talking from space. “Well! Is that a problem?”

“Isn’t it?” She asked, innocently fluttering her eyes.

“How?” He stood facing her, leaning by the other edge of the tall window, waiting for her to elaborate more.

“Do we agree because we are on the same page? Or we agree to avoid any conflict? Is it possible that we’ve become more of a habit to each other? Maybe we don’t want to hurt each other, so we agree? Or maybe at the end of the day, we are left with no energy to fight or create disharmony in our room?”

Virat stood blank-faced. Only Niyati could knock him out of his wits for something he hadn’t even given a thought. Ever. Not even in his weirdest dreams. He only knew one thing – that he loved her and that was his eternal truth. He never liked fighting with her or being the reason for her tears. He loved to make her happy and see her smile.

Speechless, he stared at her face for a long moment, and nodded. Before he could say something in reply, Maya spotted them standing in the corridor. She approached them.

“Virat, Niyati… aren’t you going to get ready? We have to attend the award ceremony… remember?”

How could they forget?! How could anyone forget it? Virat Malhotra was nominated the Business Icon of the year by the Businessmen Guild of France.

“Chachi…We were about to… you know, going to get ready.” Virat informed her.

Maya was visibly excited. “I’ve promised a huge party to my friends from the business circles. You know how it is… it’s a big deal to win this award… I’m so sure you will get the award this year.”

Virat flashed a dry smile at her and replied in a casual tone, “I know, Chachi. An insider has informed me that I’m getting the award. To be honest, it isn’t really a big deal. It’s all about politics and right connections. Actually, the guild wants Dadu and our group to invest in some of the joint ventures. Plus, they want Dadu to be the next Chairman of the guild…so…”

Maya’s smile vanished as if someone stole a balloon from a little kid. With her hands twisted, she asked, “What! They’ve told you already?”

This time, Virat laughed. “Come on, Chachi. Don’t tell me, you don’t know about it. It is always like that. They nominate people and inform the winners so that winners don’t skip the function. Instead, they are asked to come prepared with a speech. Or else, the event might turn out to be a flop show. In fact, I’m glad they didn’t ask for money. A lot of organisers do that. And wannabes give it too.”

“Gosh!” Maya waved her hand in the air as if dismissing too much information she never wanted. She walked away, saying, “Never mind! let’s reach the venue on time and meet people in the best of our attires.”

Virat laughed again and nodded to agree.

Niyati clicked her tongue, “Virat, you are so hopeless, do you know that?”

“Mmm…maybe coz you keep telling me that all the time. But what did I do now?”

“Why did you break someone’s bubble like that? How hard was it to go with the flow?”

He twisted his lips before saying, “Sorry. Did you want me to speak a lie?”

“Of course, not! But you could have kept her excitement intact and stayed quiet… you don’t need to tell everyone that you know the results.”

Virat chuckled and shrugged. “Alright, next time onwards, I will play along.”

Niyati threw a heavy bout of air from her lips and pointed her index finger towards him. “See, look at you. This was exactly what I was telling you. Once again, you agree to everything so easily. You just don’t fight. You keep agreeing with everything.”

Virat couldn’t stop laughing. Niyati folded her arms and nodded hopelessly. She knew, she didn’t make much sense to him. Nor to herself. But that was how it was. And she never failed to share her deepest thoughts with Virat, whether they made sense or not, whether they made her look silly.

Virat left Niyati, with her musings and doubts, before he turned around to take stairs to their room on the first floor, skipping alternate steps. Niyati sighed and leaned her back to rest at the window pane. Unable to decide if she should be irked by his nonchalance or feel comforted in his composure.

He looked calm and peaceful. She was happy too. So, everything must be fine, she convinced herself.

***

The dazzling award function was hosted at Les affaires, the grand new auditorium constructed at the outskirts of Paris, famously reserved for business conferences and fashion shows. The huge space inside the central boasted of plush seating, rich upholstery, fine carpeting, and beautiful lights on the walls with marble statues at all corners. The interiors served as a perfect blend of contemporary and medieval European architecture.

Virat stood up when his name was announced, putting no efforts to look surprised, even after Niyati’s suggestion. He walked authoritatively and took the stairs to the podium. A month ago, he had rejected the prospect of receiving this award but Dadu convinced him to do it. His team said that it was a PR exercise and would reflect well on the image of Malhotra group. Virat had to accept it as a promotional strategy. It was win-win for both the guild and Malhotra group. Finally, Virat reached the venue on time and accepted the award gracefully but he couldn’t fake being over-the-moon about it. He didn’t even give an elaborate speech. He simply smiled and spoke one sentence.

‘My sincere thanks to my family, friends, and the employees of our company for always being there with me.’

Sitting in the audience in the front row, Niyati grinned. She had guessed what his attitude on stage would be. And he had lived up to it. He did exactly what she had expected from him.

Maya, Yash, Dadu and Dadi, Samir and Arpita clapped the loudest, though. They were always so proud of him. Awards and rewards were only a bonus. Dressed in black tuxedo and chic, designer shoes, Virat looked dapper as he walked down the stage and went straight to Dadu and Dadi to give them his trophy. They hugged him.

The rest of the function followed smoothly, with a few speeches by senior members of the guild, announcements of events and dates, and declaring the committee members for the next year. Dadu was being nominated as the Chairman. He was selected unopposed. The ceremony was followed by dinner.

“Sorry, I couldn’t act to look surprised… and excited!” Virat turned the key of his new Maybach.

“I’m glad you didn’t do it. That would have looked just like you said – an act!” Niyati replied, tapping the sequined clutch-bag in her lap. Her knee length, ash-blue gown with cowl-neck hugged her at all the right places. It was designed for this function and delivered in the late evening. Virat didn’t compliment her throughout the evening and Niyati wondered whether the effort was worth it. She could have worn any old dress she had and he would have hardly bothered. She was sure he didn’t even look at her properly.

“What are you thinking?” Virat asked as he started driving the car.

“Hmm? Nothing.” She murmured and looked outside the window.

Roads in Paris had always fascinated her. Since the day she reached here for the first time. Well illuminated. Studded with the heavy rush of vehicles. People commuting on foot at the sidewalk. Well lit statues and crossroads. Even late at night.

Virat had no idea what Niyati was thinking. He had his own issue. “Do you think I should have prepared a big speech?”

She replied instinctively, “No. It would have been so unlike you.”

He rolled his eyes wondering what she meant by that. He kept driving and she observed the road before closing her eyes unintentionally. She had been working day and night on a new project and was mostly tired these days. She dozed off to sleep and woke up only after they reached the foyer.

“Sorry!” Niyati stifled a yawn, “I didn’t realise when I fell asleep.”

“Don’t bother! I’m glad you slept.” Virat stepped down the car and hurled the key towards an attendant to park the car.

By the time, Virat ended a phone call, Niyati had already changed and crashed on the bed. Deep in sleep. Virat spread the duvet over her and adjusted the temperature of the room heater. Soon, he changed too and retired to sleep on the other side of the bed.

***

“Niyati, can you please come to my cabin?”

Surprised, Niyati stared at the phone for a few seconds. For the past few months, the files she needed to go through or sign, would reach her desk. She had her own cabin now, her personal assistants and staff at designing. She was heading the couture segment. Virat didn’t usually call her to her cabin.

She wondered what made him do this today. When she entered Virat’s cabin, she found him waiting for her with a tray before him. The tray had 2 mugs and a tea-pot.

She sat before him, looking at him for answers to the questions she didn’t ask but had in her mind. He smiled. “You woke up early and left the home before breakfast. So, I thought, we’ll have tea together.”

“Woh…” she stretched her right hand far and above, before she replied, “I wanted to polish the final look of the new collection.”

“I guessed that.” He replied.

“I didn’t want to wake you up.” Niyati poured tea for herself and Virat, and looked at her phone screen while taking a sip.

Virat observed her closely and said, “You know… I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday.”

“Hmm?” Niyati raised her eyes, trying to remember what she had said.

“That… we don’t fight these days… we don’t even argue about anything. We keep agreeing or don’t talk at all.”

Niyati kept her phone on the table, happy to know he was trying to see her point. Though, again he was agreeing with her.

“What?” He shrugged when he saw her frowning.

“I mean… I don’t know if it is good that you see my point or bad that you agree once again, without any discussion.”

Virat tapped his fingers on the table, waiting for her to speak more. He knew, she was going to do that.

Niyati continued, “I mean… we work together, we are at office for most of the day and we are together at home, as well. By the time, we are alone, we are either too tired to argue, or too instinctive about each other’s likes or dislikes. We understand what the other is trying to say, so we keep agreeing with each other.”

“I’m trying to understand what’s weird in this?” Virat asked.

“Okay… tell me, when was the last time, we fought? Do you remember?”

He nodded his head disbelievingly, “No. I don’t see any point in contradicting you because I like your designs and business inputs…I really like them. And you manage things at home, so well. Our thoughts match. Similarly, I believe that you say ‘yes’ to everything I suggest because… maybe because it made sense to you? Isn’t so?”

She shrugged, wondering aloud. “I don’t know.”

“Now, what does that mean?”

“That means we are just becoming a habit to each other. That’s it!” she spread her hands in the air.

“Is that a bad thing?” He asked gravely, looking into her eyes, leaning ahead on his table.

“First step of drifting apart.” She declared.

“Shut up!” He confidently dismissed her claim. “That’s a crap theory.”

“Virat, I think we have started taking each other for granted.” She spoke confidently too.

“No! Are you nuts. Unbelievable!” Virat spoke louder, almost to convince himself. He couldn’t believe what she was trying to insinuate.

“Okay, you tell me – in the past 4 years of our relationship, haven’t you felt dull or bored, even once? Don’t you feel something is missing in our relationship? Something which was there previously but just fizzled off somewhere?”

He twisted his lips, thinking deeply. “Okay…maybe…”

“We have become like any other couple – we have accepted each other as a casual part of our lives…we are simply headed towards a stage of our marriage where a couple gets bored of each other around 5 years of their marriage.”

Virat hated to hear that but he didn’t want any of what Niyati had said to come true. He had to accept that they weren’t the same as before. “Mmm…I agree, we are definitely not like what we used to be. But…”

“But?” Niyati raised her brow.

“I don’t know. You seem to know more. Tell me what did we lose.”

“The spark in our conversations. The spice in our relationship.”

Hello everyone,

Hope all of you are doing well in your respective domains and your personal front too.

In the last few months, not a day has passed when I didn’t think of picking up my laptop and writing something for this blog. But something or the other kept coming up and I knew it wasn’t the right time. The last few months have been almost a roller coaster for me. So much has happened, on professional front mainly, I will share soon.

For now, I’m here to announce the sequel of Spark & Spice… yayyyy 🤩🤩

Many of you have already read the Book 2 which was previously posted here. It will be released as More Spark Extra Spice, in ebook and physical book format like the first part.

Book 3 – Spark & Spice Forever is new. I’m not sure if I should post it here as I believe people have moved on. In case, you want Spark & Spice Forever on this blog, raise your hands and type ‘yes’ in the comment box. I’ll decide further based on the response.

 

See you soon 💖💖

M.

 

I’ve missed writing on this blog
almost like crazy…

And your messages tell me that you missed me too.
Thank you. That’s really kind of you!

Not a day passed when I didn’t think about opening this blank page and scribbling something. Initially, I thought I was taking a break. But later, this blog and my stories became like an unfinished chore for me. That phase of school when you haven’t done your home-work on time. You tend to avoid, you escape, you think you will someday cover up all the backlog and be regular from then onwards. But that day never comes. The gap keeps widening. Until the moment, when you start believing that you won’t be able to write anymore. That no one is reading anyway. So, is there any worth in writing on the blog.  Not that I was writing anywhere else. I wasn’t.
I wasn’t writing at all. I’ve never given so much gap to writing before.  But it just happened.

Thank you to all those of you who have sent good wishes for me. Many have asked what I have been up to.
So, I was working on a few new projects, making slow and subtle change in the way I work, so that I get more time with my family and for things I love. I’ve invested in some new ventures, was living a few family responsibilities and just a few things, here and there.

Whenever I do something, I feel I should give it my 100 percent. I feel when I write, I should bring something worthwhile to the table. It should be of value to my readers and to everyone it touches. What is the point in doing something just for the heck of it. And this thought process, sometimes, becomes hindering to the progress. You want to do something good and valuable and end up doing nothing.

So, today, after a lot of dilly dallying for weeks, I decided to drop by and say ‘hi’

I will get back to posting new articles and unfinished stories, in case people are still reading this blog. If you want me to help you with any of my experiences, drop a request in the comments or message box to my mail. I will try my best to write about things I have gained in the process of sailing through life.

What are you guys doing these days? Learnt something new? Joined a new job? Got married? Write to me. I love hearing about small and big developments on your end.

Wishing you loads of love and good wishes 💖💖💖

M.

 

I haven’t updated ‘The Size of Love’ on last 2 Sundays for several reasons.

Firstly, the version I was posting here was my first, rough draft and unlike my previous books, I was taking multiple breaks this time. I felt that I wasn’t able to give much time and needed to add more to the characters to do justice to them. For that, I needed to revisit the story with fresh eyes. Secondly, the engagement and reader clicks kept falling too. I thought about it and felt that it was maybe because I was irregular or maybe the readers didn’t want to read a story about post partum depression with manan as characters.

So, I decided to edit it as a novella and make it available on Amazon & on this blog both. I will upload it as a complete story for anyone who wants to read it. This will be my closure to the story.

Thirdly, I am also involved in a lot of things going at my end. I am coming up with some new and very exciting progress regarding my clinic. I will update them once they are done.

Thank you for your love and support all through my writing journey. I miss the frequent connect we had. Though it seems that a lot of people don’t read the blog regularly. I have no complaints. This is how we grow and move on.

Wish you all the best in your personal and professional lives. Stay healthy and happy.

Loads of love

M.

PS – I’ll reveal the cover of The Size of Love tomorrow ie 8th March 2022, The International Women’s Day. Stay tuned 💖💖

 

Hello people,

I have an important meeting tomorrow. And I was preparing for it so I’m unable to update today.

I was hoping to post it after completing the work but got stuck.

I’ll update tomorrow.

Take care ❤

Hello Everyone,

Please do have a look at the landing page of Spark & Spice that I posted right now.

It’s a big tedious work and I really hope I did a decent job there 🙈😅

It took a lot of time today. So, I will post the sample chapters and more trivia tomorrow. Also, I’ve mentioned the dates of other updates regarding this book.

Link – Spark & Spice 

It can also be accessed through the menu bar at the top of this site

💖💖💖

 

I know, I’m late. As always 🙈😅

I just saw my social media timeline and message box full of excited people screaming their lungs out saying – MaNan 💖💖💖

It’s such a pretty co-incidence but Spark & Spice has been incredibly lucky for me. I announced it in Jan 2018 and at the same time we started getting feelers by the cast and crew that season 3 was on cards. By pure co-incidence, I posted the Chapter 1 on February 14th, 2018, Valentine’s Day, and the same day we got announcement of season 3. And now, it is getting released in a week or so and we are getting another season – season 4. What a beautiful stroke of luck!!!

I always tell everyone that Spark & Spice has been too precious for me. It gave me so much love and adulation by my readers and followers. I made so many friends through the course of writing and posting this book. It gave me a lot of recognition and I have no words to describe how I was the happiest when I was writing this book.

Coming back to MaNan, my eternal muse for most of my books, it’s so heartwarming to know they are coming back for more 🎊🎉

Let’s celebrate this moment in a Special Corner on my blog ✨🥂 – I’m making a separate page for MaNan and I will post something for them tomorrow. 

I was avoiding to write and post anything new for so many months now. Ever since Beyond Every Border was finished in April, so many times I have announced that I will start writing and posting regularly. I know you might be thinking where I disappear after every such post. I didn’t want to start something and keep you waiting because I was stuck in finishing Spark & Spice, and then, I didn’t know if there were enough people on the blog to read my stories. So, I kinda procrastinated, to be honest 🙈🙈

But it took a few VMs and edits on social media to push me to get back to what I love doing the most 😅

Stay tuned for more. And lots of Surprises.

Also, please click a ‘like’ on this post if you read this. I really don’t know if someone is reading my blogs anymore or not 😀

Love you all. Miss you loads.

M.

This book was supposed to be released in February, this year, around Valentine’s day. But life doesn’t go as planned. Things happened one after the other, and it kept getting delayed.

From a long time of alternating good and bad times, I’ve learnt that we shouldn’t lose heart when we are with busy days, low days, or difficult days. Nothing stays for long, and life does take a turn back for the better.
That’s what life is.
And all we need to do is embrace both good and bad times, easy and tough times with grace. Enjoy the good times, and keep faith in God during all times. Keep patience and continue to do your work.

I did the same. And finally, I can hope for things to return to normal one by one.

I write similar experiences in my books. They are pieces of my life and soul during all the times when I’ve felt like saying something. And ended up creating something I would love to share with you.

Now, coming to present – Spark & Spice is finally going in print 😀🌻
And I have no words to express what I’m feeling. There’s nervousness – yes, I know it was published twice, in 2018 and 2019, and a lot of people have already read it, still I feel jittery. And I feel soooooo excited 🙈😀… and more than everything else, I feel pangs of detachment of a mother whose baby is going to school for the first time, or a teenager’s mom whose kid is performing for the first time on stage 😂😂… yeah, I know that’s crazy. But that’s how I feel.

I’ve always loved Spark & Spice like I love all my books. It was one of my blockbusters on Wattpad… haha… with 1 million reads in a short span of 7 months  and I received so much love from readers, I feel so so so proud of it.

1 M reads on the book are not my clicks, or my friends, or few people… it’s thanks to ALL of you together who not only read it, loved it, and recommended to their friends. I am and will be eternally grateful to each of you for that love which gave me the confidence to bring this book to you in paperback and ebook format.

I believe, more than anything, this book deserves to be immortalized in a paperback/ebook form so that more readers read it and it gets more love. I’m sure all of you want that too.

I’d had to make a few changes to convert it in a book form as previously I’ve posted as episodes/chapters. This time, it’s a story as a novel. Also… there’s a SURPRISE for you… that I’ll tell you in a while…

Firstly — The biggest challenge was ‘wordcount’ – I’ve divided the book in 3 parts and will be released as a series. To adhere to word count, without compromising on dialogues, essence, etc is the main hard part. I didn’t want to change anything. And it wasn’t possible to publish a book of 1500 pages. Yes, it’s a big book 😀🙈

Second Change — As all of you know, they are Virat Malhotra and Niyati Reddy this time. Along with other characters, of which I have changed the names of almost all, except Samir and Maya.
I’ll post initial few chapters and a few parts so that you know how it reads with different names. I’ve been editing the book for the last 7-8 months and for the 6th time, last month. So, I’m kinda loving Virat and Niyati.

Now the surprise element – I have added at least 7-8 NEW scenes of Virat and Niyati, a couple of dates, and few office scenes with lots of dialogues. Added 3-4 scenes of Maya, Dadi and Dadu… 2 scenes of Meera and Niyati… and her sisters… to highlight their character…  And one scene of Dadu and Virat.
I love that scene so much!!!
I wanted to give you MORE in case you decide to buy the book. You should have added experience, that’s what I believe. That’s the only way I can thank my readers.

(I’ve only deleted one scene, and that didn’t have Virat and Niyati, so probably you won’t miss it.)

One long scene, which was written new, that is one of Virat and Niyati’s date did not make it to the final draft, because I had exceeded wordcount like always, and since I had already written a few dates, I had to take it away. I’ll post that here for everyone to read 😊

Starting today, I’ll keep Sundays as Spark & Spice Days!! I’ll post tidbits, scenes, sample chapters, videos, and posters… you may ask questions and I’ll answer.

I’m announcing names of Beta Readers. Please use the contact button and send me your email address and phone numbers –

Simar Manu
Aasma Ul Haq
Samvidhan Roy
Samruddhi K
Krinzel D

Others, please don’t get disheartened. You are all very precious to me. So, like last time, I will be doing lots of giveaways. Participate in giveaways every Sunday and I will send you a signed book.

To thank people who’ve left reviews on Amazon for my debut book – The Masquerade, I will randomly pick up 5 readers from there and send them a signed copy of Spark & Spice. So, if you have read The Masquerade and didn’t leave an Amazon review, please do so. I’ll pick up readers from there next week.

Thank you for standing by me through thick and thin, and through every phase I’ve been 🙏🙏
We have made it till here. Together, we will hopefully go far. I’ll keep writing. I hope you keep reading too 💖💖💖

Will tell you more, next Sunday… Stay tuned 💖✨💖

Wishing the best of health for you and your families. May you all stay blessed, stay happy, and stay safe ✨🌻

Take care 🤗🤗🤗

Love you all,

M.

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone,

Thank you for the all the wishes, messages, and prayers you’ve poured in for my family and loved ones after my last post, and messages and emails you wrote when I was not active… I have no words to pay gratitude 🙏🙏

I sincerely apologize for not replying to each of you because I couldn’t. I was tied up on all sides. But your messages made me smile, and made my days more bearable. May God bless each one of you.

Hope you guys are doing well, and your families are fine. Now since we are seeing a regular decrease in number of Covid19 infection, I am looking forward to a bit of normalcy and return to routine. Please, please don’t be complacent. Corona hasn’t gone. The number of patients have reduced as people in India were in a constant lockdown. People abroad are still doing better. But we, in India, can only hope that we have been through worst.
Please follow all the guidelines of distancing and masks. We don’t want a third wave. Right??

Get yourself registered for Vaccines. Whenever you get a slot and are eligible, go get your shot. Anyone who has a query about any vaccine or doubts, can contact me. I’ll try to solve your doubt. But please don’t promote vaccine hesitancy.

A lot of people mail and message me for various issues. I try to deal with the most urgent ones first. So if you have sent a medical query or a serious issue, I try to reply it even if I have to stretch for a bit.

Some of you have asked for my previous books. I’m sorry, I feel really bad refusing again and again, but this is one decision that I took long back for my peace of mind. And I want to stick to that decision. I don’t have time and energy to deal with issues of plagiarism, uploading and deleting stuff all over again. I prefer to move on and do new things, write new books, explore more.
The older books that I have removed will be published as paperback and ebooks.

The last 1.5 year has been a roller coaster for all of us. In my last post – Hang On For Some More – I’ve spoken about how I deal with the most distressing of situations. Apart from all of those things that I do, there is one thing that comes under – things I love to do – Writing is the most important activity that makes me really really happy.

I’ve been writing random short stories, and I will post them probably from next month. I’ve edited Spark & Spice and it is finally complete. You must be thinking why it took so long…
I’ve added more scenes – LOTS of them – without altering the story or changing scenes or dialogues – More about that in my next post on Sunday afternoon… ie 13. 6. 2021... day after tomorrow.

I’d asked about beta readers in the month of April. And then, things got delayed due to personal issues. I’ll be announcing list of beta readers on Sunday.

On Sunday, I’ll tell more about Spark and Spice, changed names of all other characters, and announce some giveaways  too. That’s my way to thank you from the bottom of my heart for standing by me through thick and thin.
I’d never thought these stories will give me friends for life.

May you all stay blessed. And stay happy.

My wishes and prayers for everyone in your families 💖💖💖

Take care

M.

Hello Dear Lovely People,

As I am nearly done with editing Spark & Spice, I’m looking for people if anyone is genuinely interested in Beta Reading the book before it gets published in ebook and paperback format.

What do Beta readers do?

You need to read the book like a novel from beginning to finish. I’ll give you a set of questions to answer – so that you know what to look for – like the discrepancies, blunders, flow of story, or something that doesn’t go well according to you – it could be a place where the story is dragging or characters not behaving as per their arc.
Since I have already finished and edited the story, the work done at your end is mainly for finer nuances.

Please drop your name in comment box – Only The Name – I’ll inform in 2-3 days about 10 beta readers who get to read the book before everyone does. Though, many of you have already read the longer version posted on wattpad and here on the blog. But I have tried to add new scenes, add more gravity to side characters, and some situations.

It’s going to be a 3 series book. So, Part 1 is up for release. Keeping fingers crossed 🤞

I’m asking for beta readers here because I don’t want to pressurize those few people regularly in contact with me. These are difficult times and everyone is busy in their own lives, exams, family responsibilities, and so many other issues. I don’t want them to say yes to me even when they are not free, just because they don’t want to say no to me 😊

So, kindly drop your names —
if you are in India
are free to read the book
will be able to do it in one week max
and will answer a few questions that I send you.

I know, it’s a bit work for you, but I will make it easy for you by sending specific questions so you know what I am asking for.

Also, I’m making it fun for you –
I will be sending a signed copy of published book once it releases 😀😀
And guess what – Your name will be mentioned in the acknowledgements too 😍😀

So, please drop your names. I’ll pick 10 people randomly.

Hope you’ all are doing fine. Please, please stay safe. Mask up. Follow social distancing. And if not necessary, don’t go around roaming the world. We need to keep patience for few more days.

Loads of love 💖💖💖

M

Hello people,

I have been travelling due to official work. So, I couldn’t write. I will update on Monday.

Apologies for not informing previously and making you wait.

Take care 💗

M.

Hey all,

This note is for everyone waiting for the Thursday update – I haven’t been able to finish writing the next update of Beyond Every Border.
So, I will finish it in the morning and will update tomorrow afternoon, hopefully 🙂

Take care

Love you 💓💓

M.

Hey there, everyone,

This message is for all those waiting for an update of Beyond Every Border, sending me messages and writing to me.

I apologize for the unintended delay.  I had not planned to keep it hanging for this long. I don’t like dragging sad parts myself and I try to get through them.

But some personal and professional responsibilities came up.  All is fine. Only a bit hectic.
So, I could neither write nor post a note here. I am not active on any social media since almost a week. I had decided to stay offline until all pending work is finished. Logged in today to post this note.

For the same reason, the release of Spark & Spice might be delayed too. But some things are not in our hands and I have always believed that we should keep doing our work, and leave the rest for God to take care of.

Regarding Beyond Every Border – This story is very, very special to me, too close to my heart, more than all other previous stories of mine… and it is at a very crucial stage. The initial parts were about Manasvi’s struggles, followed by Anshuman’s ordeals… this is a stage beyond which it will be about both of them…

The last thing I will ever do is rush and destroy any of my story… whether it is BEB; or Love, Lies, Etc, or even the short story – The Size of Love;
If I don’t have enough time, I will not post just for the sake of writing and posting anything. As a reader, if you have invested time and emotions in a story, you have every right to read what could be the best version of that story –  ‘according to me’…

So, please have a little patience 😊 I promise, you won’t regret having read it. Beyond Every Border is going to make up for all the delay, and the tears shed for Manasvi and Anshuman.

Love you loadddssss 💖💖💖

Take care.

M.

PS – Hopefully, I will post in a day or two 🙈

I’ve been editing Spark & Spice, these days. It’s a big responsibility to weed out the grammar, spelling errors, repetitions & blunders from a longggg story without messing with the storyline, deleting dialogues, or playing around with the characters.

Only I know how I control the writer in me to stop writing it all over again 😃

Because, every writer thinks that he/she has written crap ( I definitely, do) and so every single time I read my own work, I feel like deleting all of it and writing it in a better way🙈🙈

I don’t want to mess with Spark & Spice. I haven’t, till now 😃

Coming to the point, I have decided to shift all my urge to write about MaNan on other stuff so that I don’t play around with Spark & Spice and strictly stick to editing only!!

Today evening, I started writing a short story with MaNan as parents. Let me know if you want to read it. I’ll post it here tonight 💖
(Around 12:00 am, because I am not feeling sleepy and tomorrow is Sunday)

………………………………………….

{PS: I will post Beyond Every Border: Tomorrow
I will start posting Love, lies, etc – After this short story is finished }

 

Wishing all of you a very Happy Ganesh Utsav 🙏✨💖

May Ganpati Bappa bring with Him immense love, peace, happiness, and calmness for all of us. May He take away all our obstacles, forgives our sins and mistakes, teaches us to be patient, and fills our homes and lives with an abundance of good health, prosperity, good times, and peace.

May situation improves worldwide and covid19 leaves the planet soon 🙏

I know I am late but glad that I could wish you all before the day ends. Ganpati Bappa, anyway, is with us for next 11 days and I hope this Ganesh Festival rings in positive vibes in the air around us.

Stay blessed. Stay Happy!!

Love you all.

M

Leaving you with a painting of Bappa in watercolours that I made today. I wanted to share because I painted after a long time…

 

PS – Due to covid 19, the grandness of the festival has reduced but that is okay. We need to be responsible about the world and people around us and not contribute to the disease. We celebrated in a simple manner by praying with family and cooking delicacies for puja. Do let me know how you celebrated the festival at your place.

The scale might have reduced but our spirits will never 😃🙏

……………

Every night I decide to update and right after dinner, I get so many phone calls that I get free only by midnight 🤦‍♀️

Other things also pile up throughout the day and I am not able to finish the next part of BEB. I just dropped in here to inform you all that I will update soon. I feel guilty when I make people wait.

Thanks for the patience.

Love you all!!💖💖💖

M 😊

Hey people,

It’s power shutdown at my side since one hour now. Using my phone to inform you.

I will post tomorrow.

Hello people,

I’m stuck in something very crucial and couldn’t finish it.

I thought I will be able to do it but couldn’t.

So, this week, I will update on Tuesday- BEB. And other stories, after that.

Sorry to keep you waiting. Love you. Stay safe. 🤗🤗🤗

M.

Hello everyone,

I had announced a new book ‘Till Eternity And Beyond’ a few weeks back with one chapter uploaded.

Due to a lot of unavoidable reasons, I have decided to shelve it temporarily.

I try not to repeat myself and try my best not to write any story in a cliched manner. I have a new and different concept in mind for TEAB but since the male character is an army doctor and the female character is a chirpy young girl, I believe that it will be better that I continue with them after my current ongoing stories are over, mainly to avoid any unintentional overlap or similarities.

I hope you understand. Like you always do 🙂
Since only 1 part of TEAB was uploaded, I hope the attachment to the characters wouldn’t be an issue.

Thanks a lot.

Take care. Stay safe.

M.

……………………………………………..

PS – That leaves us with Beyond Every Border ongoing currently and a manan story in the pipeline, to begin when I have time to write more. Hopefully soon.

 

Hey people,

I don’t know whether to say this as urgent or whatever, but this is the first time that I am using my phone to post something.

I’m a laptop-kinda person who is not usually on phone. I am not addicted to phone and usually keep it away, so that my younger one doesn’t want it. On laptop, she knows mom is working. People who know me know that I am not regular on phone-based apps like Instagram and WhatsApp. But I am okay with blogs and Twitter as I have them on my laptop.

Anyway, so this post is to let you know that this is the third time in last one year that my laptop keyboard is not responding. I tried my best to fix but …nada… it refuses to co-operate. And that is how I am here through my phone.

Basically to inform you all that I will not be updating today.

By tomorrow, I will find some way. Either my laptop will start responding, or I will do something to download wordpress app on my ipad, or maybe use this phone to write.

I’m used to typing fast on my laptop, so it is going to be a pain to use any other device to write. So, I’ll wait for one day to decide what to do next.

I’m trying not to panic at this stage. Let’s hope for the best.

Just yesterday, I said to someone that apart from basics if I have coffee and my laptop with me, I can survive any difficult situation.

Spoke too much, too soon 😊 I guess!!

Anyway, let me know what are you doing in this lockdown and have you learnt something about yourself that you never knew before.

Stay safe. Stay blessed.

Lots of love to all of you.

Take care

M.

Hey everyone,

Sorry, I am absent here and not even replying to people.

Actually, few days back, I received the final draft of my book – The Masquerade from the publisher for Last and Final Check where I am supposed to check each and every line for the go-ahead!

And you have no idea what kind of torture it is.

Like a kid who has an exam, I run away after every few pages, waste time on twitter, as I don’t have my phone with me for some reason and phone apps like Instagram and Whatsapp are out of the question. So, I tweet here and there, pass time, feel guilty, go back to editing and checking… and the cycle repeats…
Behaving unpredictable, I am worse than my kids right now… lol… 😀 😀

I will not crib about clinic work & family responsibilities… those are constants… no point counting them again.

But whatever it is… What could have taken 4-5 days, has taken me almost 10 days.

That is the reason that I didn’t write the updates of Tangles and Ties; haven’t started updating Beyond Every Border; haven’t made the video for The Masquerade – I will do all of it in 2-3 days.

Thanks for putting up with my ups and downs… and all silliness…

To compensate –

~ A lot of stories have been ringing in my mind. I will begin writing them once I am done with this work 🙂

~ I will make available ALL my old books as and when I get time 😀

Love you people,

Stay blessed. Stay happy.

Take care

M.

I have been adding – ‘Next Chapter Link’ with old updates as a lot of people were having issues in finding the chapters & reading the story in a flow. Now you can click on the link at the end of each chapter to read the ‘next chapter’

An old update got reposted in the morning while doing this. Apologies for creating a confusion. When you click that link – it says – You are not authorized to see this chapter

It was enough to have me bombarded with messages since then… No…. there is no new update. You are not able to see it as I deleted it immediately!!!

Sorry for creating this confusion!!!

Also –

I am writing Beyond Every Border and will update today… Sorry for keeping you waiting…

Some people are facing issues regarding the older chapters of Tangles & Ties. When I checked it on my phone, even I couldn’t open as it said – ‘Page Not Found’

It happened because of high traffic on the blog and the increased number of posts which clog the space, or something like that, which I could understand only in parts as I am not a techno gal…

Anyway… I have enabled a ‘Search bar’ on the blog ( Sidebar on laptop and desktop & bottom footer on mobile) Type the story name and chapter number and it will direct you to the link.

Let me know if the issue is solved or you are still facing problems.

Also, the VM that I uploaded last night shows the ‘play button in the center’ … it happened with the phone app but not in laptop, from where it was uploaded.

Let me know if anyone else is facing the same issue.

I think half of my life will be wasted solving the issues of this app and making it user-friendly 😀

All those who are not receiving notifications on emails even now … I’ll be adding their names from the backend…

Kindly fill your email id here and send it to me

 

If you are facing any other issue, even then you can use this form. Or you can write below in the comment box!!

Also… about something to celebrate – 

It has been 15 days since I created this blog and this is what we have as a family –

 

This is HUGE for me… As it means the trust and love for me and my stories/books

Thank you…thank you…thank you…

From the bottom of my heart!!!! You all are too special!!!

The password is — mature

The post does not ask for your login password at wordpress. That is needed for private site. This particular post needs password generated by me… that is – mature

PS  : Also… please scroll down the comment section in the password protected post… I have mentioned the password almost 100 times there.

This is simply a test post to know if you are receiving notifications on email…

If you do, you must know that you have missed these three notifications previously posted today…

A Few Announcements

New Story : Beyond Every Border

Beyond Every Border : Prologue

 

Let me know in comments that you received this post’s notification on email!!

Thank you and sorry for this inconvenience 🙂

You can turn off the notifications if you get bugged by notifications from this blog. Otherwise, please ignore my frequent irrelevant posts… as I’m reformatting few things…

I have been trying to format the blog in a way that it becomes simpler to read and the pages are easily accessible to readers, once they increase in number.

I’ve had people telling me on wattpad message box and other social media that they are not able to access this site or not able to understand it. Since it’s inception, I’ve tried to solve each and every query or problem that was addressed to me. I’m trying my best to make this blog as a simple reading experience for you. Please let me know if it is still an issue to access the blog/ to read chapters etc.

Now you can access all books on the top of the page, like you did at wattpad. One click will take you to all chapters of that story and you can read from there…

Tangles and Ties, I’m now posting under one head… please track it with chapter numbers…

For rest of the stories, I’ve created categories for them to see how it turns out but I haven’t started posting chapters of any other story. I will soon post all my stories here.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for standing by me in every phase of life …

Love you all 🙂

Hey there, I thought I will be able to manage so didn’t inform before but I’m just too stuck up as I’m shifting my home… too much work…

Will update tonight…

💖💖💖