World of Books and Travel

This is to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2018. I'm sorry I could not post anything during the last 3 months. I shall try to be more regular during 2018. 

Happy Onam to all. Onam is the greatest festival of Kerala. Keralites all over the world celebrate this festival. This year, Onam falls on Monday, the 4th of September 2017. If you want to know more about Onam, please visit this page.  

It was a bright and pleasant morning. Our neighbour invited us to join her during her visit to Panchavadi Ayurveda Kendra. Needless to say I was excited to join her. Panchavadi is an Ayurveda Kendra located at Marasur Gate, on Chandapura-Anekal Road in Bangalore.   I was amazed to find so many medicinal plants grown in the 2 1/2 acres of land which are used in Ayurveda treatment.  Presently Chandapura-Anekal Road is a fast growing area with so many new villas and flats  mushrooming up every day. In such a situation, it is amazing to see a pristine place which is still preserved, untouched by tourists. They also have a Yoga Centre in the property where regular yoga classes are held. Complete silence is maintained there. Inside the Yoga centre, there is also a small Library with Kannada and English books pertaining to spirituality. They are also growing some ducks there. It will be a great entertainment for the kids. As you enter the gate the first thing you will see i

“Before the Sunset” by Lakshmi Menon delves deep into the abyss of human psyche although on an apparent note it echoes the poignant account of a poor man Raju and his children Deepthi and Tarun, who were separated in childhood due to a stoke of bad luck when Raju was young and full of bouncy spirit. On an imminent note, it fights sensitive issues concerning societal norms. Children make the world go round for their parents, adoption turns out to be the apple of discord to some people and they bear an ingrained aversion to the fact. Tarun goes through the whims of hatred for not being related to his father’s wife by blood and on the contrary, his sister Deepthi never discovers about her originators. The Woman characters namely Viji, Raju’s dead wife; he is forever stuck with her memories and on the flip-side Janaki, Raju’s second wife appears to be a woman of benevolent nature as she looks after young Tarun as her own, but reveals her true colors after the birth of her daughter Bindu

Before the Sunset"  is Lakshmi Menon's new novel. It is a heart-touching page turner, while being a hard-hitting and realistic slice of life. The plot mainly deals with the fortunes of two families, that of Raju and Dr. Manoj, which are interwoven by Fate. It is only at the end that the two threads come together. The story starts as a heart-stopper, the experience being akin to plunging one’s hand into ice-cold water. Raju, the protagonist, returns home from office to find his wife, Viji, critically ill. She passes away giving birth to a baby girl, whom Raju hands over to the childless Dr. Manoj. The story then follows two separate bit interrelated plots, following the fortunes of Raju, his second wife Janaki and his son Tarun on one side, and Dr. Manoj, his wife Shobha and adopted daughter Deepthi on the other. The revelation of the truth about Deepthi’s origin comes at the end when Raju meets Deepthi. The main strength of the novel lies in its characterization. Menon has

Hello friends, It is my pleasure to inform you that an introductory offer of 35% discount is given to my new book  BEFORE THE SUNSET   for 3 days - on  26th,27th and 28th June 2017 .  Those who are interested can grab this opportunity. This is the link -   https://notionpress.com/read/before-the-sunset You can also buy this book on any of the market places mentioned there (amazon.in, flipkart, infibeam, shopclues, and paytm).  Please don't forget to avail this opportunity to get the paperback of this book. The paperback is available now only in India.  The ebook version of this book will be available in a couple of days.

BEFORE THE SUNSET is my 3rd novel which is going to be released soon.  It is the touching story of a man whose two children got separated at the birth of the younger one, and they meet again at the same spot after 25 years without knowing who they are. The sample chapter is here. Chapter 1 The lights shone brightly in all the houses on the 3rd street, except in the fourth house. It was half past seven and why has she not switched on the light yet, Raju wondered. Usually, when he returned home after work, his wife would be anxiously waiting for him at the door. All his weariness would disappear on seeing her warm smile and listening to her sweet words. He hoped nothing was amiss. Raju knocked on the door repeatedly, but there was no response. He banged again, this time with a little bit of urgency, and still, there was no reply. He panicked when his wife didn’t open the door even after continuously knocking at the door and calling out her name.  "Viji,...please open

1. "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." - Henry Miller 2. "To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiary it is taken for granted." - Bill Bryson 3.   “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”   ―  Jawaharlal Nehru 4.   “Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”   ―  Anita Desai   5.   “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”   ―  Gustave Flaubert 6.   “I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.”   ―   Mary Anne Radmacher 7.   “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”   ―  Augustine of Hippo   8.   “No one realizes how beautiful it is to

Some times we look forward for getting some writing advice from the famous writers which may help us in improving our writing career. 1. “To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the inner music that words make.”     -  Truman Capote 2.   “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”  - Robert Frost 3.  “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.”   - George Orwell   4.  “There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.”   - Oscar Wilde 5.   “Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself... It's a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of his divine discontent.”   - Harper Lee  6.  W

During our family trip to Coorg, we stayed in a home stay named 'Chili Pili'. We wanted to be more with nature and for this purpose, we preferred to stay in a home stay.  This estate is a nature lover's paradise and we truly enjoyed our stay and food there.  It was truly a home away from home. The house is located in the centre of the estate, surrounded by coffee and pepper. The hosts were very warm and friendly and made us feel at home. So it was definitely a pleasant stay of 3 nights with lovely Coorgie food.  We wanted to take a tour of their estate, but because of the lack of time, we cancelled our plan.  The address of the Homestay - ChiliPili Estate Stay Hoskeri Village Arekkad P.O Kodagu Dist - PIN 571253 http://coorgchilipili.com/en/