Snapshots

But like our obsessions our dreams do reappear, fueled by chance and circumstance, like the essentials of Spontaneous Prose, that are captured in random words and abstract pictures. Finally he wakes up in a dream to pen down his thoughts; white noise follows streams of consciousness, groping in the darkness, retracing Freud, forming patterns out of randomness. His heartbeat screeches to a halt but the world around chugs forward in constant motion. Words give way to snapshots as he identifies the background, the repetitive sunrise to sunset, that drives the focal length to infinity, the elements in constant motion; working together, widening the depth of focus. He identifies the background and then waits for the subject to find its place; those random words and abstract pictures which in continuum form a poem. And it’s always poetry that begets poetry. There is no other way.

But people say that the poetry never lasts, and they are right. Except of course it does.

Discover Sikkim

Sikkim is nicely tucked into the Eastern Himalayas. A trip to Sikkim is not complete without breathing in the views of North Sikkim (Lachen and Lachung). A short trip to Pelling is also recommended which offers upclose and intimate conversations with Mount Kanchenenjunga, the world's third tallest peak. Gangtok is the access point for North Sikkim so you could spend 2 days exploring Tsongo lake, Nathula Pass, Baba Mandir and Rumtek monastery from there.

Gangtok siteseeing:

1) Rumtek monastery which is 1 hour drive from gangtok…

2) Tsongo lake (25 kms from gangtok), 

3) nathula pass/ baba mandir (50+ kms from gangtok, 25kms from tsongo lake)

4) within gangtok city --- MG marg (shopping center), 

5) 7 points in gangtok (you can skip this)…

Our driver was a nice person. Talk to him about siteseeing around gangtok.. 

Driver name: Karma – 9609851237

Gangtok is 140 km from Bagdogra Airport. You can take a vehicle from the airport to gangtok. No need of booking anything in advance.

Things to book in advance

- hotel in gangtok

- north sikkim tour

Pelling siteseeing:

Visit Pelling which is about 4-5 hrs from gangtok. You could stay at Mt Pandim (Elgin group hotel). The view of Mount Kanchenjunga from the hotel is just amazing.

Pelling is 150 km from Bagdogra Airport and 135 Km from Gangtok.

North Sikkim Trip

North sikkim can be done only thru tour operators. They charge for the complete package including travel from/to gangtok, hotel stay/food/permits in north sikkim.

I would suggest you keep a day in gangtok before heading to north sikkim cause you would need to acclimatize. You can do the local site seeing in gangtok on the first day.

Day 1 

Drive from Gangtok to Lachen village in North Sikkim. Lunch on the way. Sight seeing of waterfalls and places. (5 hrs. drive). Stay at Lachen.

Day 2

Drive to Gurudongmar lake at 17500 ft. Its about 2:30 hrs -3:00 hrs one way. Ideally leave early so that you reach Gurudongmar at around 10:00 AM. Remain there for 1 -1:30 hr and then return. You can see tibet along the way. Gurudongmar is accesible only to Indian citizens. You would find army bunkers along the way to the lake.

Lunch back at Lachen. Drive from Lachen to Lachung in about 2 hours.

Day 3 

After breakfast an excursion to Yumgthang valley and Shingbha Rhododendron sanctuary and Hot spring. Return to Lachung for Lunch. After Lunch drive from Lachung to Gangtok. Its a 4-4:30 hour drive. Sight seeing and lunch on the way. Tour ends with a drop to Gangtok.

You would require passport size photographs and photocopies of your Identity card/passports as the same is required for the permit.

We did not plan to cover Zero point. You coud ask the Tour operators about it. Zero point would have to be covered from Lachung as a base. i.e. on Day 3.

IMP NOTE: Our driver was a nice chap… talk to him first and see if he can organize your north sikkim trip. i.e. don’t go thru the tour operators but thru him since it will cost less. The tour operators anyway would ask someone like him to organize your trip.

Driver name: karma/denzing – 9474649411

Lachung (North Sikkim) is

116 Km from Gangtok

48 Km from Lachen

24 Km from Yumthang

38 Km from Donkiala (Zero point)

33 Km from Yumosomdong

26 Km from Katau

Lachen (North Sikkim) is

122 Km from Gangtok

48 Km from Lachung

28 Km from Thangu

60 Km from Gorudongmar

27 Km from Chungthang

Tour operators for North Sikkim: we went thru yak and yeti tours…

1) yak and yeti travels -  info@yaknyeti.com, visitsikkim@yahoo.com, slg_yaknyeti@bsnl.in, 

cost: Rs. 14,200- ( traveling in group of  two persons).  Inclusive or all meals, hotel stay, travelling, permits etc.

Satish Bardewa, Tel:+919434117418/+919933008822, visitsikkim@yahoo.com

www.yaknyeti.com www.summitsikkimhimalaya.com

2) Prabir Sen travels.. Costs a bit less than yak and yeti but yak and yeti is better…

Prabir Sen -- www.fortunalachung.com

e-mail address: prabsen@gmail.com

3) Marco Polo travels.

Hotel information:

Gangtok

1) The Nor-Khill, Gangtok

Telephone : 91-3592-205637, 200170, 200171, 220064

Fax : 91-3592-205639

email : norkhill@elginhotels.com

They are heritage hotels.

reservations@elginhotels.com

   http://www.elginhotels.com/index.html

   http://www.elginhotels.com/theelgin.html 

2) Mayfair

 Phone  +91 359 2250009

   Fax  +91 359 2250009

   e-Mail  gangtok@mayfairhotels.com

3) Tashi Delek

http://www.hoteltashidelek.com/

M G Marg,

Gangtok 737 101,

Sikkim, India

Phone: (+91 3592) 202991, 202038, 204156 / 57 / 58

Fax: (+91 3592) 202362

e-mail : reservations@hoteltashidelek.com

4) Denzong Inn 

Denzong Cinema Chowk, Lall Bazaar Road,

Gangtok 737 101

Sikkim, India

Phone: (+91 3592) 202692

Fax: (+91 3592) 202362 

e-mail : denzonginn@rediffmail.com

5) orange village resort

http://www.orangevillageresort.com/gallery.htm

Direct Line : +91-3592-251442 / 251443. Mobile: +91-94342-35565. Fax: +91-3592-251518. 

orangevillageresort@rediffmail.com

6) the royal plaza

http://www.theroyalplazahotel.com/

The Royal Plaza, Upper Syari, Gangtok - 737102, Sikkim.

Tel : +91-3592-280032 /280232; Fax : 03592-281112; 

Email : trp@sarovarhotels.com

7) the royal demazong

http://www.theroyaldemazong.com/

The Royal Demazong(A Mountain Resort), GRBA Road, Chongay Tar,P.O. Raj Bhawan,

Gangtok-737103,East Sikkim. Phone: +91-3592-203043/44 Fax: 203045

Mobile:+91-94340 -24070 / 98320 - 87334  / 99330 - 07780(EPBX). 

Email:info@theroyaldemazong.com, sikkiminfo@yahoo.com

8) hotel heruka

http://www.hotelheruka.com/

Hotel Heruka.

Near New Taxi Stand, 

31 A, National Highway, Deorali, Gangtok, Sikkim.

Ph: 03592-280793.

 Mobile: +91-9832544234. 

E-mail: hotelheruka@gmail.com

9) samrasa resort

http://www.saramsaresort.com/

9474982226

enquiry@saramsaresort.com

Pelling

1) Elgin Mt Pandim

http://www.elginhotels.com/index.html

reservations@elginhotels.com

2) norbughang

http://www.sikkiminfo.net/norbughang/

Norbu Ghang Resort

Pelling - 737113

West Sikkim

Ph: (03595) 250566, 258272, 258245

Fax :  (03592) 258271 

3) tashi gang

http://www.tashigangresort.com/

Hotel Tashigang,

Yuksom, West District

Sikkim

Ph. No. (03595) 241202 / 241203

Darjeeling

1) The Elgin, Darjeeling

Telephone : 91-354-2254082/2257226/27

Fax : 91-354-2254267

email : elgin@elginhotels.com

reservations@elginhotels.com

   http://www.elginhotels.com/index.html

   http://www.elginhotels.com/theelgin.html 

2) Mayfair, Darjeeling

http://www.mayfairhotels.com/darjeeling_about.aspx?page=darjeeling&sid=abt&lid=ovr

   Phone  +91 354 2256 376

   Fax  +91 354 2252 674

   e-Mail  darjeeling@mayfairhotels.com

3) windamere

http://www.windamerehotel.com/windamere.asp

reservations@windamerehotel.net

reservations@windamerehotel.com

4) the viceroy

http://viceroyhoteldrj.com/

V I C E R O Y - Hotel.Restaurant

17, Gandhi Road

Darjeeling-734101, West Bengal, India

Near Clock Towers, The Mall, Darjeeling

+91-354- 22 56165,22 59556

+91-354-22 59556

Reservation@viceroyhoteldrj.com,viceroydarj@sancharnet.in

5) fortune park

http://www.fortunehotels.in/

http://www.fortunehotels.in/HotelResort/main.aspx?ID=5+yeWJcHG7GSduIbKhSshg==&PType=PHvq0A5geZ3y1ymDUQbVHA==

Fortune Resort Central, Darjeeling

Robertson Road,

Darjeeling - 734101

Tel: 0354-2258721/22/23

Fax: 0354-2258720

e-mail: centralresort@fortunehotels.in

6) sinclairs

http://www.sinclairshotels.com/

http://www.sinclairshotels.com/darjeeling/index.php3

Hotel Sinclairs Darjeeling 

181/1, Gandhi Road 

Darjeeling 

West Bengal 734 101 

Tel : (+91 0354) 2256431, 2256432, 2256948, 2256949 

Fax : (+91 0354) 2254355

darjeeling@sinclairshotels.com

7) cedar inn

http://www.cedarinndarjeeling.com/

Cedar Inn

Jalapahar Road, Darjeeling

West Bengal, India - 734101

Phone: +91-354-2254446/2253598

Fax: +91-354-2256764

Email: cedarinn@satyam.net.in

You are my Arms

Mumble: Happy Feet

And on the 15th day of the seventh month, when the sun was past its bedtime, the smile reappeared. Previous sightings were reported and for that one second time stoppeth; nope the battery didn't run outteth, and the People rejoiced. Then on the tenth second, of the eleventh minute, of the twelth hour of that fateful day a voice was heard and the silence was spoketh.  The reverberations of that mumble spread far and wide and touched the very ball bearings of his soul. The echo resounded as she exerted no resistance; the words were formed from carefully muttered syllables, "Me too". And the People rejoiced.

Time passeth and a lot of water flowed under the bridge; a lot of streams of consciousness too. And they thought to themsleves, 'Lets hooketh and booketh and come upeth with a planeth.' By Jupiter! plan plan not planeth, it started to get confusing!!!!

And the news spread far and wide and people began to appear from the East and from the West to the Land of Confetti (and cake and wine and sorpotel). To prepare himself for the task at hand he scribbled down the flow on a napkin.

And the People rejoiced as he mumbleth

"It seems like we've known each other for a long long time. At the same time it feels almost like yesterday when I managed to mumble something and she mumbled, 'Me too'. And then smiles spread across our faces with a certainty that comes a few times in a life time. I remember this quote I once read, 'Falling in love is not about finding the perfect person. Its about learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.' But thats just falling in love, like the red beginnings of a rose. Love is whats left when the rose dries up. I wish that we are all able to find it in our own way."

The Reader

Liked this quote from the movie "The Reader".

I'm not frightened. I'm not frightened of anything. The more I suffer, the more I love. Danger will only increase my love, will sharpen it, will give it spice. I will be the only angel you need. You will leave life even more beautiful than you entered it. Heaven will take you back and look at you and say: "Only one thing can make a soul complete and that thing is love."

Magipau in Never Never Land

The Wedding Card

Running the Mumbai Marathon

I will be running the mumbai marathon on 18th Jan. Have run a full marathon there in 2007. This will be my third full marathon.

Emil Zatopek, Czech runner; winner of four Olympic gold medals:
"We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon."

Steve Prefontaine
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."

Steve Prefontaine
"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."

Bill Rodgers, winner of four Boston and four NYC marathons:
"The marathon can humble you."

Hal Higdon, running writer and coach:
"The difference between the mile and the marathon is the difference between burning your fingers with a match and being slowly roasted over hot coals."

Rob de Castella:
"The marathon's about being in contention over the last 10K. That's when it's about what you have in your core. You have run all the strength, all the superficial fitness out of yourself, and it really comes down to what's left inside you. To be able to draw deep and pull something out of yourself is one of the most tremendous things about the marathon."

Mike Fanelli, running club coach:
"I tell our runners to divide the race into thirds. Run the first part with your head, the middle part with your personality, and the last part with your heart."

Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champ:
"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed."

John J. Kelly, winner of the 1952 Boston Marathon:
"Marathoning is just another form of insanity."

The Bookmark

                       

        

       

Amagi going Live from December 15th in Hyderabad

We at Amagi (www.amagi.com) provide an innovative way of advertising on national TV channels on a significantly cost-effective basis. We have tied up with top English and Hindi national news channels to provide Hyderabad-only advertising through our local ad-insertion technology.

So, the viewers watching these channels in Hyderabad will see local advertisements. Please note that this is regular TV commercial advertising (10 sec, 20 sec, 30 second ad spots) and not a banner/ticker.

Local advertisers can now advertise on these national channels targeting only Hyderabad paying a much lower rate per spot on these channels.

This provides following major advantages:
- Access to higher income (SEC A & A+) households that the national news channels provide
- Stronger Brand image through association with national channels
- Campaign all through the month at a significantly lower cost compared to newspapers – you can get a few hundred spots a month across these premium channels for the cost of a single quarter-page advertisement in the local edition!!!

And, this could be at a rate significantly lower than national rates for these premium channels.

We can provide complete solution including TV creatives (ads) as required...

If you (or your friends in hyderabad) know the management in any of the following businesses in hyderabad, that are looking to advertise locally, could you let them know about us.

For example the local businesses could be any of the following
Real estate
Media – print, radio etc.
Retail – jewelry, textiles, malls, cinemas, interiors, furniture, home ware etc.
Hospitals
Colleges, schools, other educational institutions
Tutorial colleges
Hotels
Restaurants
Resorts
Spas/theme parks
Auto dealers – 2 wheeler, 4-wheelers
Event management / concerts
Companies who are recruiting
Election campaign management

Follow the yellow brick road

map loading...

And the Caterpillar said to Alice
'Come back here I have something important to say'

Follow the yellow brick road'.

I just realized something.

The yellow brick road, it is not made of gold,

and the wicked witch of the east just burnt her Red Ruby slippers.

Right then! What do we do now?

A personal request:

We have just a couple of hours to celebrate the start of a lifetime! Considering Mumbai's time restriction we will start (Wedding mass/ Wedding reception) on time. As most would know, there is a certain sequence of events at the reception and we would like you to be there every step of the way!

Wedding Mass:

In case you would like to come for the Wedding mass, it is advised that you reach the Church by 05:00 pm so as to get seating within the Church. The mass is a regular one in the Church and hence there would be limited seating.

Distances (in time and not kms- as is always the case for Mumbaikars!):

It takes about 15 minutes from Inorbit Mall (please see map) to the Orlem Church (Wedding mass- ‘Our Lady Of Lourdes Church’); about 30 minutes from the Orlem Church to Samara (Wedding reception venue); about 40 minutes from Inorbit Mall to Samara; about 90 minutes from Bandra to Samara.

Please note: Once you turn left at the INS Hamla board on Malad Marve road, it is a 12-15 minute drive to Samara. The road is quiet and relatively deserted compared to the rest of the city- so hang in there and please don’t panic! ☺

Distances in kms

Samara (wedding reception venue) is 10 kms away from Orlem Church. The left turn at the INS Hamla board is 4 kms away from Orlem church. From here its 6 kms to the reception. Samara is 700 meters away from The Retreat hotel. Look at this link for kms markers along the route.

Conveyance:

We will have a bus leaving from Orlem Church to Samara for the Reception at 06:30 pm. Conveyance from Samara (after the Reception) is difficult. We will have a bus shuttle between Samara and Orlem Church- every half hour from 09:30 pm to 11:00 pm (for those who don’t have their own conveyance). Public conveyance from Orlem Church can then be availed.

We would appreciate receiving an email/ call if you would like to avail of the bus from the Church to Samara, so that we can plan the number of buses accordingly.

We look forward to seeing you on the 15th!

Margaret & Alistair

Feb 15th, 2009

Once upon a time

Once upon a time…

Somewhere beyond the rainbow.

A smile spreads across a face like a butterfly.

Stealing glances, we see our fragility,

Thru same wavelengths on our eyelids.

Calm winds stroke the blue canvas,

Painting a breathless reverie.

Imagination is manifest to the fullest,

Senses being their own artist.

And within all that magic realism,

Poetry is turned into prose.

Like a silent whisper it comes,

With a consciousness of its own.

It comes in a second,

The only time we know its real.

Certainty caresses a frozen sea,

Piercing the subconscious.

Silence repeats itself,

Like echoes in resonant rhetoric.

An unlearning rephrases rationality,

Making connections that transcend.

And then we exhale,

Exhale the wisdom,

That lies in a single simple deep breath.

Once upon a time…

Or so the story begins

Cause we all remember fairytales in our own way.

--- Alice & Magipau in Never Never Land

October 2008

NaNoWriMo

I completed NaNoWriMo 2006. Have decided to give it another try this year. Magipau will be writing too :)

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.

In 2007, we had over 100,000 participants. More than 15,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.

So, to recap:

What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.

Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.

When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

Still confused? 

How NaNoWriMo Works (in Ten Easy Steps)

1) Sign up for the event by clicking the "Sign up Now" link at the top of the site. It's right at the tip of the runner's pencil.

2) Read the ginormous email our noveling robots send you. It will have "Love" in the subject line.

3) Log into your account and use the links on the My NaNoWriMo page to set your timezone, affiliate with a region, and tell us a little bit about yourself.

4) Begin procrastinating by reading through all the great advice and funny stories in the forums. Post some stories and questions of your own. Get excited. Get nervous. Try to rope someone else into doing this with you. Eat lots of chocolate and stockpile noveling rewards.

5) On November 1, begin writing your novel. Your goal is to write a 50,000-word novel by midnight, local time, on November 30th. You write on your own computer, using whatever software you prefer.

6) This is not as scary as it sounds.

7) Starting November 1, you can update your word count in that box at the top of the site, and post excerpts of your work for others to read. Watch your word-count accumulate and story take shape. Feel a little giddy.

8) Write with other NaNoWriMo participants in your area. Write by yourself. Write. Write. Write.

9) If you write 50,000 words of fiction by midnight, local time, November 30th, you can upload your novel for official verification, and be added to our hallowed Winner’s Page and receive a handsome winner’s certificate and web badge. We'll post step-by-step instructions on how to scramble and upload your novel starting in mid-November.

10) Win or lose, you rock for even trying.

Once: Falling Slowly

Title song of the Movie "Once"

Glen Hansard - Falling Slowly Lyrics

I don't know you

But I want you

All the more for that

Words fall through me

And always fool me

And I can't react

And games that never amount

To more than they're meant

Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home

We've still got time

Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice

You've made it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me

And I can't go back

Moods that take me and erase me

And I'm painted black

You have suffered enough

And warred with yourself

It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home

We've still got time

Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice

You've made it now

Take this sinking boat and point it home

We've still got time

Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice

You've made it now

Falling slowly sing your melody

I'll sing along

A single simple deep breath

"It comes in a second. Thats the only time I know its real", her whisper saw realization unclothe itself, laying aside its inhibitions.

"We are beginning to discover each other and ourselves. Isn't it amazing, unlearning and discovering what is already there", the overtone found its way through waxing epiphany.

Her voice felt the reverberations of its thoughts, "The more complex we get, the simpler our thinking needs to be. Its like for example the human body- the more we try and explain the seemingly 'simple'; 'seemingly simple' coz we who are so intelligent still cannot create life at will; the more complex our explanations are getting. And yet, it is so simple the way we give life! and yet cannot give life at will! Thats where I think the unlearning part is; at the heart of something we are all overlooking; understanding something greater by unlearning.

Take the pyramids. I honestly believe we have gotten so damn complex in our thinking, that we just cannot fathom how the hell the pyramids were built all that time ago and yet they must have used something so simple, that it escapes our understanding as a race. We have this need to get complex, increase the entropy for no apparent larger reason and yet.... and yet..", a simple smile inhaled its fresh crisp sensing touch, taking it all in.

"And yet there is so much wisdom in a single simple deep breath"

Connections that transcend

"What you thinking", he asked as silence resonated and awaited an understanding.

A whispering echo then found its way back, "Are all connected... in a manner that transcends beyond our human weaknesses.. and makes us almost human in its fullest potential... well... the essence being that humanness- in its weakness and in its strength- can fill in a void as large possibly as the universe... and all within a single being... all within the mind... it begins and ends there and all that is in between can fill a huge void we cant even begin to understand and yet we do it everyday... We transcend".

Discovering Silence

Was talking about 'silence' with a friend and what it does to you. She managed to bring out the gist pretty well, including 'discovery' and its process.

"There is no 'discovery' of self in the way we set out to find it. We 'discover' who we are by unlearning, reverting to a more basic self. A self we all lose touch with as we live life. We add on layers and explanations and rationale and we "coat" that self. And then set out at some point in life to "discover" it. When in fact it was always there. We just stop reconginizing who we are. 

Thats what a quiet serene place does. It helps that unlearning process, in a manner no other place can.

All people - brilliant achievers, they reach a stage in life where they stop trying to show what they know. They are 'almost' simple. u know? Its like they reach a stage where they know something more precious than all that knowledge and experience they have attained."

Never saw blue like that

Today I took a walk up the street 

And picked a flower and climbed the hill 

Above the lake 

And secret thoughts were said aloud 

We watched the faces in the clouds 

Until the clouds had blown away 

And were we ever somewhere else 

You know, it's hard to say 

And I never saw blue like that before 

Across the sky 

Around the world 

You've given me all you have and more 

And no one else has ever shown me how 

To see the world the way I see it now 

Oh, I, I never saw blue like that 

I can't believe a month ago 

I was alone, I didn't know you 

I hadn't seen or heard you're name 

And even now, I'm so amazed 

It's like a dream, It's like a rainbow, it's like the rain 

And somethings are the way they are 

And words just can't explain 

Cause I never saw blue like that before 

Across the sky 

Around the world 

You've given me all you have and more 

And no one else has ever shown me how 

To see the world the way I see it now 

Oh, I, I never saw blue like that before 

And it feels like now, 

And it feels always, 

And it feels like coming home 

I never saw blue like that before 

Across the sky 

Around the world 

You've given me all you have and more 

And no one else has ever shown me how 

To see the world the way I see it now 

Oh, I, I never saw blue like that before 

Oh, I, I never saw blue like that

-- Shawn Colvin

Be a Writer@NGOPost

Are you tired with the current state of media reporting? Do you want to share stories about social change on a global platform?

NGOpost is a web based community for sharing news and ideas about various social welfare initiatives. In loose terms you can refer to it as "orkut" for people who are interested in making a difference.

NGOpost is actively seeking writers, who are keen on creating something which would have far reaching benefits.

Some simple questions answered.

Do I need to have writing experience?
Not necessary. As long as you know English and can form meaningful sentences it should fine.

What do I have to write on?
Write about the social change you see happening around you. Or write about the change that is needed. It could be interviewing someone who is silently doing great work, and whose work would be an inspiration for others, or it could be an organization doing great job in its respective field. There could also be generic articles like Open education tools available for schools or benefits of organ donation. Otherwise we have list of unending topics which we want people to write on, you can choose from them.

What is the benefit for me in writing for NGOPost?
* NGOpost has readership in 150 countries around the world and it has been increasing. Your article will reach hundreds of people every day!
* Each month we send out our newsletter, which goes to about ~5k people. Your name will featured there along with the link to your profile. Personally if you are a blogger, that would give your blog a lot of visibility.
* More than all this it is the satisfaction of writing about something, which would be of use to hundreds of people. We keep getting feedback how reading some articles on NGOpost helped them solve their own problems and helped them connect with relevant people.
* Going ahead we are working on the partnering with print magazines/newspapers wherein selected articles from NGOpost will get published there. Hence there is a possibility that your article might go in print :).

So Join the band wagon of people who are keen to make a positive difference. If you are interested or have further queries write to us at parul@ngopost.org or goli@ngopost.org

A Moment

I sit by the window
The warmth on my face
A distant noise can be heard
But the warmth and quiet inside makes me forget
For a moment I am transported
To a simple time of dreams
To a simple longing for the vaguely familiar
I breathe deeply and exhale
My eyes close and mind opens
A gentle whispering
From the past
Someone I used to be
Someone I try to now connect with
The distant noise gets louder
Just the way it always does
The quiet now gets distant, as does the past
And my eyes open
My breathing back to being labored
My past gone
I am in the now again
And I am me

-- Margaret Desouza