Category: Inspiration

Collection of Best Inspirational Short Stories

FREEDOM FLY

A TEEN BOY, MERELY SAW HIS TEENAGE, BURDENED WITH RESPONSIBILITY; WITNESSED DEATH OF MOTHER; FIGHTS DRUG ADDICTED FATHER MORE SO EVER HIS DESTINY.
WILL HE MAKE IT OR WILL SUCCUMB TO THE 'ACT OF GOD': HIS DESTINY?

"Problems are same but attitude is different!" thought Harish. Fumbled on the stony red bricked road, though the copious night rain has made the road muddy and made everything mean to impossible for the eyes penetrate.

"Harish, 'Problems are same but attitude is different!' always remember" the last words of his saintly mother.

It's not the end of the world. Thought Harish to him. He must mend the gully plug before the river water breaks into the field and damage the already rain soaked crops. Crops. The only source of their meager income. A family of seven feels like of fifty. His abusive drug addicted father represents the forty five out of fifty. Harish’s father abused his mother to death.

Harish. A teenage at twelve. Responsibilities like a thirty. He had to take up what his father denied. His father with no sense, no family planning, no income as such, banged his mother every night after getting drunk, high on weed. His mother didn't complain for she knew what would happen if she did. Her place would be occupied by her then nine year old son.

Thoughts of his mother made him feel forsaken. But she was the only strength he had amidst this chaos and imbalance. Every night since his mother passed away were night mare, only difference they actually happens to him every night. His mother was right; her place would be occupied; only exception was that it was not occupied by Harish but his nine year old younger sister.

Harish tried stopping their father from 'having sex' with Suhas. But Harish couldn't defend the first couple of nights. He was terrified. And then an idea came into existence. Harish starting working day and night, selling crops, goat milk and more. His daily earning was very little but it managed to buy his father two bottles of country liquor, amount of cannabis and sleeping pills of meager dose. His earning defended his sisters from the tyranny of their father.

Food. What about food? How can seven people survive on the food of one that too for one half of the day. Harish used to beg for food at doorstep of every single people slightly better condition than them. Many gave and many gave away. He struggled to manage food for one, how can he bring for six. Gradually the youngest of all died due to malnutrition. Harish ran to the nearest health center 5 kilometers from there, on his bare foot, his sister on his back. But in vain. She was already dead.

He still didn't stop from defending his sister. He knew what would happen if not for the sleeping pills. And one day he thought the money is needed and he gave up. No. Not as brother but himself. He sacrificed his 'virginity' to his father. Every night, three hundred sixty five days.

Every time his father penis penetrated his anus causing immense pain, he thought. The portrait of his mother came waving in front of his eyes. He thought how she endured such pain. How? Every Shivratri, his mother used to fast for whom? For the malicious pain infecting monster! Gradually the pain vanished. Numbness.

And the final 'act of god'. That night the penis couldn't penetrate. It stopped. His father died. Harish's sister poured a vial of rat killer into his father's drink, which she borrowed from the neighbor’s house rather stole it.

The fire that went up to the sky made him think where they would go now.

Is there any place where this' never ending; darkness ends. Is there any place where we can find light. Where north winds will come bringing the messages from the sky. Where there will be no epistle between two about stopping. Where we won't have a place just a path, a never ending path towards fulfillment of dreams. No sorrows, where finding happiness is not a mammoth task. Nobody has to sit alone and brood over the reasons to live. Does such place exist?

He saw his mother walking up to pyre of his father, he yelled, shouted. Tried to stop. But siblings drew him back, “MA!!! MA! MAAAAAA!!". 'Harish problems are all same……..but attitude are different! The place which is known for the foot of Goddess of Kali, lowland named after her, literally meaning the land beneath her feet. KALIKATA.

Harish Go! Go away from this mouth of abyss! Don't slip into it!'

Harish and his siblings. To kalikata.

Do not cry my friend, sing the song of breaking rules. At the end the song, you will find dawn of a newly attained freedom and ecstasy. One swarm of freedom flies that were abandoned from flying will touch the sky and attain life.

Will kalikata welcome her sons and daughter and allow them at metropolitan Kolkata and intercede their dream?

Irabati.

June 23, 2016
The Little Master, Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar was born on 24 April 1973 in Mumbai in a Maharashtrian family. He is regarded as one of the world’s greatest cricketers. Well-known for his incredible batting skills and his affection for record-breaking one-day scoring, Sachin’s giant success in cricket world in unmatched by any other international players, making him a true star for the sport.

Sachin Tendulkar was born in Dadar, Mumbai to Ramesh Tendulkar, a Marathi novelist and his wife, Rahni, who worked in the insurance industry. He was named after Sachin Dev Barman, Ramesh Tendulkar's favourite music director in bollywood. Tendulkar has three elder siblings: two half-brothers Nitin and Ajit, and a half-sister Savita from his father’s first marriage.

Sachin was grown up in Mumbai itself. Sachin parents were relatively humble and middle class, offering him reasonable educational options and a potentially bright future. On the other hand, Sachin took his education as a responsibility instead of as a chance and was known as an annoyer in his early years.

During his early years of school

During his early years of school, driven by his idol tennis star John McEnroe, he used to play tennis and start fights with other students of the school and eventually becoming known amongst the staff as troublemaker with a limited educational future. His mischievous attitude and eternal energy noticed by his half – brother Ajit, who then introduced Sachin to cricket in his teenager years.

While Sachin viewed schoolwork as nuisance and academics as a waste of time, he immediately took keen interest to cricket at a younger age. He practised continuously as a batsman, either on his own or with his friends. His skills and potential caught the attention of a well-known local cricket coach in Mumbai called Ramakant Achrekar.

Early Career

Ramakant Achrekar immediately noticed Sachin’s talent and suggested that he move to a new high school with more advanced cricket facilities. Sachin followed his advice and moved to the new high school soon after. In the new school, Sachin found a group of players that had the potential and ability to challenge him and help him to improve his skills more. Then he devoted his life to cricket with full concentration and drive that few would ever match.

After school time he spends hours in the training grounds and creating a betting system with his fellow players to keep himself encouraged. Sachin would place one rupee on the top of the stumps and challenge players to bowl him out. If they bowled out him, they would keep the one rupee. But if could survive for the whole training session, he would keep the one rupee. His betting strategy worked well and by the end of his training sessions at the school he had thirteen coins, proving his abilities as a skilled and devoted batsman.

Sachin entered the ranks of professional cricket in the late 1980s, he batting as a player for India against Pakistan and New Zealand. At age of just sixteen, he continued to take part in international cricket matches and rising up through the ranks of Indian cricket to become a star in his early twenties.

It was the time of his early twenties, Sachin emerged as one of the India’s top cricket skills. Sachin made his first century in a one day, batting as one of the India’s top batsman against Australia at age 21. His batting reached its climax in 1998 when he scored an outstanding and recording breaking three century during a single tour against Australia.

He continued to play for India for over a decade, taking part in game from the late 1990s up until 2012. Sachin set a number of run records throughout his long cricket career as a batsman and emerged as one of the leading batsman of the entire cricket world and an outstanding and record breaking player.

Sachin’s unique playing style and giant success made him ideal for many young players. His minimalistic attitude as a batsman, in which he deliberately limits his movements and avoids showing off his skills, has resulted in comparisons between Sachin Tendulkar and Sir Donald Bradman.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s finest cricket players, Sachin Tendulkar is an incredible influence for young people looking to find their path in life. A success as a teenager and a true star by his mid-twenties, Sachin Tendulkar turned around his life after being a distracted, confused oppressor during his early teens and childhood.

Thanks to the guidance of his coaches and his own incredible work ethic, Tendulkar emerged as one of the cricket world’s true stars. Take his focus and attitude to your heart and you can find your own success, whether it’s on the batting crease, in a business environment, or even in the arts.

In 1995 Sachin married Anjali Tendulkar after a five year courtship. Anjali is a paediatrician and six years older to him. Her father is a Gujarati industrialist and a bridge champion and her mother is a British social worker. Sachin and Anjali have two children, Sara and Arjun, born in 1997 and 1999 respectively.

April 24, 2016
SHAH RUKH KHAN : The Destiny’s Child.

It is about Shah Rukh Khan. What other reason do we need to read it?

“I AM A GREAT, FANTASTIC ACCIDENT OF BEING THE RIGHT PERSON, AT THE RIGHT PLACE, AT THE RIGHT TIME. THAT’S THE DESCRIPTION OF MY SUCCESS.” – SHAH RUKH KHAN

We know them as the Pathans, a corruption of the word ‘Pakhtun’ perpetuated by the English. Shah Rukh was born to two beautiful people, Meer Taj Mohammad and Latif Fatima. Meer Taj Mohammad, a handsome, tall man stepped out of his mansion in Peshawar, at the age of 16, for a 942 km walk to Delhi. There was nothing that could stop him from being a lawyer. Shahrukh describes his father as an idealist, a well-read and well-educated man who could speak six languages- Persian, Sanskrit, Pushtu, Punjabi, Hindi, English.

Now, it’s really intriguing that the initial years of Meer Taj Mohammed in Delhi, were spent in a girl’s college studying law. How charming must he have been that he convinced the principal to no just give him a seat in the college but also a room in the hostel. What is absurd is that he left his home and family behind only to pursue a career in law even though he had a family business waiting just for him to ripe and become a man, big enough to make decisions. Was it passion? That drove him to move away and go after what he aspired?

This quality is distinctively seen in Shahrukh Khan, as there is nothing that drives him forward more than passion. It is not known exactly when Meer Taj joined the Khudhai Khidmatgar ( Servants of God) organisation of Frontier Gandhi, but shahrukh believes he was among the youngest freedom fighters to join.

During the partition of India-Pakistan, few of the members of this organisation stayed here, in India whereas the rest retreated to develop the newly-formed Pakistan. He met Fatima, a 16 year old girl who he would eventually marry in the late 1960’s. The dream of becoming a lawyer looked far-fetched now, with all the trouble with the partition and the politics.

Meer Taj Mohammed and Latif Fatima

The story about how Shahrukh’s parents met? It is the most fascinating one. Meer Taj Mohammad, with a friend found a car overturned on the road with a severely bleeding young girl in it. He rushed her to the hospital and due to heavy blood loss, she needed a blood transfusion.

Surprisingly, Meer Taj’s blood group matched hers’ and no, that wasn’t the end of his blood donations. A call came in, informing that Fatima’s mother had had a miscarriage and needed blood, and Meer Taj being a gentle giant, flew all the way from Delhi to Bangalore to donate blood again. He was a part of their family now. He asked for Fatima’s hand in marriage and they were gifted with two beautiful children.

Shehnaaz Lala Rukh, November 6 1960 and Shah Rukh, November 2 1965. Because of Meer Taj’s sheer honesty, the transport business was resulting in a loss.

With the allotment of open spaces around the World Trade Centre, Meer Taj persuaded the officials to grant him a small open space to start up a tea stall.

“My dad taught me that in the long run, honesty always pays.” – Shahrukh Khan.

Meer Taj was diagnosed with cancer, but the hope within the family members did not die. But as time passed by, they soon realised that this would be his last battle.

Shah Rukh was 15 when his father died.

It was his mother, Fatima who introduced Shah Rukh to the Hindi Cinema.

The most amusing thing about Shah Rukh is that he was very bad at Hindi. He would get around 1-2 marks on 10. Fatima would bribe him by saying that she would take him for a film every time he scored a 10/10. Shah Rukh topped in Hindi then onwards. His first film was, Dev Anand’s Joshilaa. It was his mother who insisted him on taking the admission for masters in filmmaking at NSD.

“It’s wrong to think that a star or an actor of my status or higher is in power. Whatever time one gets, one uses it in ass-licking.” – SRK

He had been exceptional at studies in school and had won numerous awards which he figured would give him a direct entry into the best college in Delhi, but turns out the principal didn’t give a second look at the certificates and was even harsh towards him.

He then decided that he would have to make the best of what he was offered and took admission in the first college that he was accepted into, Hans Raj College, Delhi University. As well as being good at studies, he was great at playing football, cricket and hockey but had to stop because of his severe back injury.

Shahrukh laid his eyes on Gauri, at a friend’s party in the year 1984, when he was only 18 years old. He, being a shy guy didn’t have the courage to walk up to her and ask her for a dance.

Later that night, he gathers all the courage he has and asks her where she turns down his offer because she wasn’t interested in him. That was the beginning of their lives together. Gauri soon fell for his wit, confidence and style but then, Shah Rukh, being possessive by nature started being very controlling which made Gauri take a break from this relationship and she decided to disappear from his life without telling him.

She’d decided to head towards Bombay. By 1990, Shah Rukh was dividing his time between Bombay and Delhi. When he approached his mother with his thought of getting married to her, she didn’t oppose him or even ask any questions. She put Rs 10,000 in his hands and asked him to go and get his love back home.

By this time, he had been approached by multiple TV projects. His first being Fauji.

Before he was approached for any show, he would borrow money from friends’ and travel up and down to the film city and audition, till his luck struck. He was spending a lot of time in Bombay for his second television series, Circus when he’d got a call from a friend having bad news.

His mother had fallen sick, a wound in her foot wasn’t healing and she’d been admitted to a near-by run-down hospital. Shahrukh rushed back home and immediately shifted her to Holy Family Hospital. He had to rush back to fulfil his major commitments and because he needed money for his mother’s treatment.

The doctor’s had told that her condition had become worse because of her diabetic condition and she had slipped into a coma and Shah Rukh had resigned himself of her fate and remained by her bed side for almost two months, without sleep, food, rest.

One day, when he goes out to buy medicines, Fatima passes away leaving him and his sister alone in this big world.

His sister, Shehnaz goes into depression and he stands up and takes charge to take care of his elder sister.

Gauri and Shah Rukh got married in 1991.

“And the closest you can come to being content is when you die. People say the only cure for life is death. Maybe, at the moment that one second, when all worries leave your mind, you die. I kept giving my mother a lot of worries, so she couldn’t die. I kept pleading, ‘Please don’t go’.” – SRK

It was never easy for him to make big in this industry. Not having any family background in the industry, he had really worked hard to make it big. His first Tele Series, Fauji had made him a heartthrob in the masses. This kick started his career in Bollywood. His life wasn’t always a bed of roses.

Most of the beginning of his careers was a total downhill. After the death of his mother, he wanted to pursue a full-time career in the film industry and so he came down to Bombay. He had been approached for four films, the first being Hema Malini’s directorial debut- Dil Aashna Hai.

The movie that kick started his career was Deewana, in which he played the second male lead. The audiences loved it. Shah Rukh Khan, the actor, had made it.

“The first day after pack-up, I was quite crushed. I felt I was the worst actor on earth. I kept thinking that maybe I was not cut out for this.” – SRK

Shah Rukh started the year 1993 with the release of Darr, in which he portrayed the role of an obsessive lover and a murderer in Baazigar, which both turned out to be great hit. He was acclaimed for his villainous roles. He brought in the trend of the Anti-hero.

The movies that turned out to be a big shot movie for him were actually the turndowns by other stars like Armaan Kohli, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan.

Darr marked one of the first movies signed by Shah Rukh with film maker Yash Chopra, which lead to endless movies but everything is time bound and then, it had all come down to one last movie, Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

Shah Rukh came back into the industry as a romantic hero which turned out to be his personal best genre. His biggest hit, being Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge till date. All of it seemed like a fairy tale but everything has its’ perks.

Life had become so hectic and Gauri, even after they both had married each other, there was no acceptance from Gauri’s family side, the issue being their different religions.

He would work for hours on the sets and then rush back to Gauri’s house to find ways to soften her parents. For his roles, even though he received a great amount of appreciation, he was also criticised based upon his acting skills. Even though they were poor, he worked hard, made sure he was good enough so that people couldn’t point out flaws that he couldn’t substantiate. Through the hardships, Shah Rukh Khan has conquered the world with his immense acting skills and powerful will.

SRK With His Family

“I saw my parents going through it. After I lost my dad at an early age, I equated poverty to failure. I just didn’t want to be poor. I signed films for the fear of poverty more than creative desire. Most of my initial films were discards of other actors.” – SRK

References:
http://www.imshahrukhkhan.com/shahrukh-khan-biography-1/
http://www.bollywoodshaadis.com/articles/magical-love-story-of-shahrukh-khan-and-gauri-2332
http://tribune.com.pk/story/611166/i-didnt-want-to-be-poor-says-shahrukh-khan/

April 12, 2016
The real goddess of India: Laxmi

This is a true story about how an acid attack victim has survived inspite of all the tough times she had to go through and how she eventually has found a reason to live. She chose to fight unlike other victims like her who were discouraged by families or were reluctant to come out of their homes.

Laxmi was going to the Mehrotra Book Depot. It was a part of her routine. She sold books there at the book shop. She had to work hard apart from studying for her school exams too. The target of selling at least thirty books every evening was a challenge for her. She had never reached her target. It would be always a twenty eight or twenty nine. But never a thirty. Laxmi had made up her mind to do her best that day.

Probably, Mehrotraji would then give her a bonus and then she would be able to get herself her favourite set of bangles she saw some day at a nearby shop. Laxmi left for work early that day. Her mother had fed her with fresh chapatis and onion that day. She was happy and excited about reaching her target that day.

She reached the Ring road and there he was standing on the opposite side of the road, as usual. She had not expected him to be there that day as she was leaving early for her work. She pretended as if she didn't notice him. Her pace got faster than ever. She tried to get into the market crowd and covered her head with her dupatta. Everything seemed useless. She heard a screeching sound of his voice.

"Arrey madam! Yeah, you the red dupatta one! Please listen to my heart and soul, madamji! At least give me your number!"

Laxmi didn't turn back. She knew that it was that creepy guy who always was there on the opposite side of the road and tormented her daily. It had been a month since she had been trying to escape from him. He was too much to handle. Laxmi tried to ignore her always. Things had gone out of her hands when she was shocked to see him standing in front of her in the crowd. He looked scary.

The paan he was chewing was oozing out from the sides of his lips and the dirty greasy shirt he was wearing was speaking out aloud that he was some kind of mechanic who worked on automobile repair. The spanners and the wrench that were coming out of his torn trousers were enough to give information about him.

Laxmi stood still among the infinite people resembling a thousand houseflies feeding on garbage and excreta in the crowd. As still as a dead corpse. He came to her. Not a single man or woman came out of the crowd to help her. Each damn housefly was busy. He was like some scavenger hunting for the best left overs from the crowd, standing only half a metre away from her. Laxmi moved back.

"Arrey madamji! Don't be afraid! I will not do anything. I love you since the day I saw you in that green saaree. Will you marry me some day? Why not just roam around for some days with you?"

"Obviously no! Please let me go."

Laxmi hurriedly left that marketplace and reached the service road. It was now only a ten minutes walk from there to the shop. She felt somewhat relieved after leaving that place. But some peculiar noise was still haunting her. Footsteps were approaching nearer and nearer. Laxmi felt as if someone had tapped on her shoulder and she turned back.

" How can you talk like that to me? Remember that you are a girl after all!"

He ran away from that place. Like a frightened mouse. The liquid felt cold for some time on her face. It was a very hot day. The scorching heat of the sun was too less for her to bear until she had experienced the burning sensation of acid that day. That man had splashed her face and neck with acid. Laxmi could feel her face melting away like an Icecream. She couldn't even touch her face. She wailed as she sat on the side of the road hoping for someone to help her. The numerous vehicles on the road and the countless office goers, teachers, labourers were busy with their lives. Nobody came forward to help her. Soon she felt unconscious and couldn't see a thing. The acid had gone deep into her eyes and had taken away from her the power to look at the colours of the world forever. It had blinded her and she was hit by passing vehicles on the road. There she was on the road with nobody to look at her.

She gained her conscious when she was lying on her bed and she was surrounded by some doctors and her family members. The white walls if the hospital seemed unfamiliar to her. She saw her mother weeping constantly. A number of questions were running through her mind.

How will I go to school now? Who will want to be with me? How will I become a TV anchor now? Who will marry me? Was there any mistake in rejecting that creepy guy? Why should I even trust men? How will my family members go through all this? Why should I live now?

That is how a typical fifteen year old girl would think about her life after an acid attack. Laxmi was heartbroken. She felt like she had failed everything in her life. Nothing was there left for her to think about. She was afraid of looking into the mirror again. It seemed as if the acid had fed on her flesh with a lot of lust. Her eyeballs were popping out of her skull. She was blinded forever. All she could feel was an intense feeling of hatred for men.

But things had changed for her because God helps those who help themselves.

About Laxmi

Laxmi Agarwal is an Indian campaigner with Stop Acid Attacks and a TV host. She is an acid attack survivor and speaks for the rights of acid attack victims. She was attacked in 2005 at age 15, by a 32-year-old man whose advances she had rejected. Her story, among others, was told in a series on acid attack victims by Hindustan Times. She has also advocated against acid attacks through gathering 27,000 signatures for a petition to curb acid sales, and taking that cause to the Indian Supreme Court. Her petition led the Supreme Court to order the central and state governments to regulate the sale of acid, and the Parliament to make prosecutions of acid attacks easier to pursue.

She is the director of Chhanv Foundation, a NGO dedicated to help the survivors of acid attacks in India. Laxmi received a 2014 International Women of Courage award by US First Lady Michelle Obama. She was also chosen as the NDTV Indian of the Year.

April 11, 2016
Lady Gaga : The Singing Monster

Mostly people while searching for the meaning of success, look at the heroes of recent past. The case of Lady Gaga, who is a much successful superstar of today, offers inspiration and some of the most motivational thoughts for today’s people. Hereby we are providing the incredible story of Lady Gaga’s success to reach the top level and twist and turns came in her life to reach at this level.

Lady Gaga with her father

Lady Gaga born on the 28th of March, 1986 as Stefani Germanotta. This New York-based singer was a hit maker right from the start. The would be singer described herself as a provocative in his youth period and she was a target for oppressors during her high school because of her unusual appearance and behaviour. Her friends remember her as a star right from the start, singing as one of her major passions even as a youth.

Gaga's family lived in New York's exclusive upper eastern side, but they were very far from wealthy.

As they both were professionals, so they were out of the house for much of her early life. Gaga left alone with plenty of time for herself to style her hair, creative wicked outfits and f course the most important to sing. Germanotta was a hit at open mike nights from her 14^th birthday onwards, putting her promising piano skills to the test.

After a brief time at art school, Germanotta dropped out the school and felt that she was more able than most of her classmates and that the school’s schedule was holding her back.

So he asked her father to give her money to cover her rent for a year and promised that if her music career never moved up, she would move straight back to home and attend art school again as a backup plan.

But of course she did not need a backup plan. Her singing styles and abilities immediately attracted attention from Def Jam representatives, and Lady Gaga was signed to the label in 2006.

But after arguments over her music direction, she was dropped from the level and left on her own again. But she taken it as a challenge and wrote music again, and then a contact passed it on to executives at Streamline, a subsidiary of Interscope Records.

Once again, Gaga had an opportunity, and this time she decided to waste it. She spent her next year writing songs for other artists at the company until the well known R&B singer Akon saw great potential in her when she was called in to perform as a reference singer.

Akon immediately signed her to produce her album and insisted that she partner with some of his close friends.

Those friends happened to be Red One, famed producer and a key aspect of Gaga's sound. Gaga own discography of tracks grew, and on 2008, Gaga burst onto the scene with her hit 'Just Dance’. An attractive dance-pop song, it was followed with a number of other singles, and her praised follow up album The Fame: Monster.

Lady Gaga continues to be strength in the music industry, having sold a combined ninety-million singles and albums over the past four years.

Her journey began from her humble searching for a musical outlet and now she reached to the top of the world's biggest pop charts and the stages of the world's biggest arenas, this pop star, in spite of her strange image, built her success on hard work, hustle, and a belief in her own vision.

March 28, 2016
Quentin Tarantino : Another Name of Violence

Violence is one of the most fun things to watch.

– Quentin Jerome Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino was born on March 27th, 1963, in the city of Knoxville, Tennessee. His upbringing was relatively simple and straightforward. He was born to a musician father and a strong, independent mother. He had to quickly relocate himself to California after his parents separated early in his life.

From the age of two onwards, he spent his early life in the suburbs of Los Angeles.

He was greatly fascinated by cinema at an early age, so he dropped out of high school at age fifteen to make an acting career. He started taking classes during daytime and watching classic movies by night. While he was struggling to survive, he got his first job as an employee at the Video Archives rental store near his home. It resulted in one of the most creative film consumption periods of any person working in Hollywood today.

During his career at the Video Archives, Tarantino watched thousands of films and built a immense knowledge of cinema and also formed his creative yet homage-filled style at the same time. From western flicks and historical movies to kung fu, Tarantino's knowledge of cinema became an important aspect of his style, influencing stories and designs in his future creations.

Tarantino meet his future collaborator Lawrence Bender at a party and after it he started writing his first screenplay.

His first immediate success was The mega-violent and street-smart Reservoir Dogs and it’s also bringing in over ten times his modest budget. This film was financed by an actor Harvey Keitel, who would then become one of the most valued recurring cast members of Tarantino.

When people ask me if I went to film school I tell them, 'no, I went to films.'

– Quentin Jerome Tarantino

Although Reservoir Dogs received the critical acclaim, but Tarantino wanted more and he set out to make a movie that would clearly define him as a director. After two years, his second film, Pulp Fiction, was released to universal acclaim. The film was a huge financial success and established Tarantino as a new Hollywood filmmaker that combined style with meaningful story.

After it many film hit but no one like the Pulp Fiction.

A partnership with cult favourite director Robert Rodriguez resulted in From Dusk Till Dawn, a bizarre vampire movie that wasn't a hit amongst critics. Soon Tarantino received critical acclaim once again for his first non-original script, the hit blaxploitation homage Jackie Brown, which reignited the career of former star Pam Grier.

From a struggler to on top of the world, Tarantino spent the more recent years of his career on the film projects that he was most interested in. He made a two part series based on the character of 'The Bride', a revenge-seeking bride which he invented with Uma Thurman while directing Pulp Fiction.

Later he created what be the world’s best revenge film, the hilarious and somewhat disturbing Inglourious Basterds, a bizarre take on World War II.

He also spent his time to helping international directors gain exposure in the United States, using his name and reputation to release a range of independent releases in major cinema chains.

With a career that's produced both critical acclaim and commercial success, Quentin Tarantino is a rare ambassador of both artistic integrity and bankable skills in the film industry.

An ambitious self-educator, his success isn't the result of advanced training or an extensive education, but a desire and motivation to succeed that pushed him past his peers.

March 27, 2016
The Dhoni Story
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's journey to cricket superstardom.

Childhood

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian cricket team captain, was born in Ranchi Bihar (now in Jharkhand) in east India on 7 July 1981. He has done his study from the DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir where he was wholeheartedly interested in football and badminton.
MS Dhoni belongs from a very typical family. His father, Mr. Pan Singh, worked in MECON at junior management position. His mother Devki Devi is a housewife. He has a sister named, Jayanti Gupta, who is a teacher and a brother named Narendra Singh Dhoni, who is a politician.

Source:www.indiatvnews.com

MS Dhoni was the goalkeeper of his football team and he had played up to district and state level. Although he was not interested into cricket, on the insistence of his football coach, he tried to play cricket.

Early Career

MS Dhoni was played well in cricket especially well which allowed him to enter into a local cricket club named the Commando cricket club, where he played from 1995-1998. At the last session from 1997-98, his outstanding performances in the Vinoo Mankad Under-16 Championship attracted the selectors.

Then he was selected for the next season of Bihar U-19 squad. He worked very much on his cricket and improved his batting and keeping performances which at last led him to be selected for the Bihar Ranji Trophy squad for the 1999/2000 season. His first match was against Assam team and he made unbeaten score of 68.

Dhoni made his first century in the very next season but he was able to score at an average of about 40 runs per game till the 2003 season. 2003 became a milestone for him and he was selected to the India A team which going to Kenya to play a tri- series tournament against Pakistan A as the third team. In that series he played so well and scored 362 runs at an average of 72.40 with his unbeatable centuries against Pakistan.

Source:www.styleequation.com

As Dhoni played excellently in domestic matches and international tours, he made a place in the ODI squad for the tour to Bangladesh in 2004-2005. On his first match, unluckily he was run out for a duck but at his 5 th ODI match against Pakistan, he made 148 runs in 123 balls and called as match winning player in the Indian squad. With this excellent performance he had recorded the maximum score by an Indian wicket keeper as well as fixed his place in the team.

In November 2005, while chasing a tough target of 299, he made 183 runs in 145 balls to win the Indian team. He then won the ‘Man of the Series’ award for scoring top in the tournament by 346 runs.

In the 2007 world cup he made a score of only 29 runs in the three matches with two ducks which made to the knockout in the group stages. But Dhoni came back with his excellent performances which all made him the captain of the Indian T20 squad in September 2007. After that Dhoni led the team to win the debut World Cup T20 in South Africa.

Source:www.mid-day.com

As a Captain Cool

Dhoni was made the captain of the ODI team in 2007 and the Test team in 2008. In the year 2009, Dhoni made a score of 1198 runs in 24 innings at an average of 70.43 and became the highest scorer of the year in ODI’s.

Source:www.indianexpress.com

Dhoni remained a part of the World ODI XI for 6 years in a row from 2008-2013. Government of India awarded the highest sport honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna to Dhoni in 2008 for his excellent performances. Dhoni advertises more than 15 products as of 2013 and became one of the most marketable players in the world. In June 2013, Dhoni became the 16th highest paid sportsman in the world with yearly earnings of $31 million. He is also one of the most successful Indian sportsmen that the world has ever seen.
Milestones

In his cricket career, Dhoni has reached a many milestones.Dhoni became the captain of the Indian cricket team for T20 World Cup in 2007. In this world cup Indian team won the match and they returned from South Africa with the trophy. After that he was then made the permanent captain of the Cricket team for ODIs too.

The next year, he made the captain of the test team too, when he as the vice captain of the team had to take the control against Australia because Anil Kumble, who was the skipper then, was injured. And after that series Anil Kumble declared his retirement and then Dhoni became the full time test captain of the Indian team too. It was under his captaincy that Indian team reached No 1 in the ICC Test Ratings.

In 2009, the score of 729/9 of Indian team against Sri Lanka was the Highest Test total ever. Under his reign the Indian team won the2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and he became the second Indian captain after Kapil Dev to do so. Dhoni is also the only captain who had taken home both the ICC world cups (T20 and ODI).

Source:www.telegraph.co.uk

On 17th January 2008, Dhoni became the first Indian wicketkeeper with five international dismissals in an innings against Australia, equal to Gilchrist’s record. As a wicket keeper batsman, he has some highlights in the batting fields also. His blow of 183 not out is the highest score of any cricketer who has ever made in the second innings of an ODI and then he broke the record of Brian Lara’s153*.

In the very innings Dhoni hit 10 Sixes, the most number hit by any Indian in a single inning and made 120 out of that 183 from Boundaries alone ( 15 Boundaries, and 10 over-boundaries). Dhoni made it to 1 in ICC ODI batting Ranking, the second batsman to do so.

Source:www.theguardian.com

In the season of 2014-15 Dhoni took retirement from the test cricket.His stumping in his last test match helped him to break the record of Kumar Sangakkara of all time stumpings (134). He also broke the record for the maximum number of dismissals by any Indian Wicket keeper.

As a wicketkeeper, he completed his ‘Double’ (4000 runs, 100 dismissals) in just 114 innings. He’s the sixth in the world to do so, and the youngest one also who have achieved that feat. Dhoni is only wicket keeper in the world who has taken a wicket. He is not just a batsman and a wicket keeper, but he also has proved himself as a bowler too. He took the wicket of Travis Dowlin of West Indies.

Dhoni had signed up with Chennai Super Kings in 2008 in the Indian Premier League. He had won the trophy twice in the last six seasons. He is the only captain who has achieved this feat.

Source:www.zimbio.com

His Other Achievements
- Dhoni’s score of 224 is the highest score in a Test by an Indian captain, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 217.
- Dhoni is also the most successful Indian Test Captain who won 24 tests.
- Dhoni is only one of the three people in the world to have captained their teams for more than 300 ODIs. Currently he ranks third after Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming.
- Dhoni is also the Third captain who has won 100 ODIs after Ricky Ponting and Allan Border.
- Only a few players have been wicket-keeper Captains for their team for a long time, MS Dhoni is at the top and beating Alexander by over 15 who ranks second in that list.
- He is the highest scoring wicket-keeper captain on the world in a Test.
Personal and Family Life

In 2010, MS Dhoni married Sakshi, his childhood love. Sakhshi was his classmate while he was at DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Shyamali, and she was then studying Hotel Management in Kolkata, and working at The Taj Bengal as a trainee. They have known each other from their childhood and their families are close friends as well. Sakshi’s family is native to Dehradun, Uttarkhand. And their family moved back once her father retired from his service.

Although they had a very short engagement ceremony (just one day), Dhoni’s friends told the interviewers that the wedding was properly planned and executed. Among his friends list was Bipasha Basu, the renowned model and actress is a close friend of Dhoni’s.
In February of 2015, Sakshi gave birth to a baby girl named Ziva.
March 16, 2016
Good things happen to good people

Do good things really happen to good people? If so, why was Seth, a young boy who helped everyone and never hurt a soul, kidnapped?

When my younger son, Seth, first saw the movie, Pay It Forward, he was very much affected and inspired by it. He would get up early and make sandwiches for everyone, he would do the laundry, he would take a large lunch to school so that he could share it with the other boys, and sometimes, he would bring a beggar home to feed him and give him clothes. All this was well and good but when he started doing other kids’ homework and came home one day with the news that he had given his bicycle to a person who really needed it, I decided to put my foot down.

I walked into the kitchen and found a plate of sandwich on the table. The little note beside it read – like it always read – ‘pay it forward’. I sighed and turned around to glance out of the window. Seth stood in the front yard, waiting for the school bus. His hand gripped a large bag of goodies for his friends. I debated going out to talk to him. I had been wondering how I would broach the subject of paying it forward and what I would say to him that would make him stop giving his possessions to other people but still be helpful to others when in need.

The school bus arrived and I watched him hop on in glee. Maybe I would talk to him after he got back from school…

Except, he never got back. I waited and waited but he didn’t return. I drove to the school and talked to his teachers. I called a few of his friends whom he usually hung out with. I checked with the neighbours. He wasn’t to be found anywhere. I started to panic. When my husband returned from work and found out Seth was missing, he immediately called the police. We were told that a complaint couldn’t be registered until a person was missing for 24 hours. But how could we explain to them that it was Seth, it was our little boy and he hadn’t just gotten sidetracked while coming home from school. Seth wasn’t that careless. He kept us informed of his whereabouts.

And if he hadn’t called, then he really was missing!

My husband and I stayed up all night, our emotions switching from anger to concern to fear for our child. Where could he be? What could have happened to him? Had he been kidnapped? Was he even alive? No, he couldn’t be dead. He just couldn’t be. The thought made me weep and I buried myself into my husband’s warmth. Seth would be okay. He was a good boy. I remembered he had once said to me, “Mom, good things happen to good people. So let’s be good, okay?” If he was right, then he would be okay. We would find him.

I fell into a fitful sleep, and after waking up from a sleep filled with nightmares, I wept again. I tried to be strong for my older son and daughter, but by evening when there was still no news of Seth, my parents and in-laws arrived and I couldn’t hold myself together when I saw my mother. I kept thinking about how Seth must be feeling right that moment, alone without his mother to comfort him and shield him from the obvious nightmare he must be going through.

For the next two days, I tried to keep myself busy. Word about Seth’s disappearance had spread and throughout the day, neighbours and relatives kept visiting, hoping to soothe and motivate us into thinking that everything would be all right in the end. Their words did not help me in the least but I took pleasure in making them tea and serving them biscuits as these trivial things distracted me from constantly worrying about Seth.

“Jane, dear.” It was my mother, lightly knocking the bedroom door. “May I come in?”

“Yes, mother.”

She walked in and sat on the bed, facing me. She didn’t say anything and just sat there silently, looking at nothing in particular. Minutes passed and I eventually burst into tears. “Oh, Jane,” my mom sighed and scooted closer to give me a hug. I clung to her like a little girl.

“I never thought something like this would ever happen to us,” I said between sobs. My mother ran a gentle hand up and down my back. “This happens only in movies. Why did Seth have to be the one?”

“Sweetheart…”

I couldn’t let her speak. I wanted to talk about Seth. I wanted to say everything that was on my mind, eating away at my insides. “He is always helping others. Did I tell you he gave away his bicycle to a total stranger?”

“He did?” My mother was surprised, just like my husband had been when I had shared the news with him that fateful day.

I nodded. “He makes a sandwich-breakfast for everyone every morning, he does our laundry,” I sniffed. “And I saw him mowing Mrs. Foster’s lawn the other day.” From our window, I had spied on him refusing the money Mrs. Foster was trying to force into his hands for helping her. He had said something that had confused and amused old Mrs. Foster at the same time and I am fairly certain he had told her to pay it forward. Tears filled my eyes and I roughly swiped at them. “He’s such a good boy, mother. Why did this happen to him?”

“Dear, you don’t know what’s going on with him,” my mom said gently. “He could be safe and uninjured for all we know.”

I shook my head. Somehow I could only imagine him huddled scared in the dark, screaming out my name again and again. I opened my mouth to tell her as much when we heard commotion from downstairs. Both of us shared a bewildered look and hurried to get off the bed and check out what was going on.

“Jane!” I could hear my husband shouting. He was standing by the phone, looking excited.

“What happened? Is it about Seth? Did they find him?”

Our entire family had gathered around us, everyone asking questions at the same time. My husband said a few words into the phone and ended the call with, “We’ll be right over.” He put the phone down and nodded.

“He’s at the police station, he’s fine.” His voice caught in his throat and I threw myself at him. Oh, thank God!

Since no one wanted to be left behind, the entire family – my parents and in-laws, my son and daughter – accompanied the two of us to the police station. When we reached, I tightly held onto my husband’s hand. Seth was in there, waiting for us. Had he missed us as much as we had missed him? Was he hurt?

We immediately spotted him talking to an officer. Beside him stood another boy his age but I couldn’t recall ever seeing him before. I called out Seth’s name and he turned, his face splitting into a big smile. I saw him mouth the word ‘mom’ and I literally flew to him, wrapping my arms around his skinny shoulders and kissing him everywhere. Oh my boy, my little boy!

“Hi mom,” he said when I finally pulled back to look at him properly. There were a couple of bruises and scratches on his face and elbow but other than that, he was completely unhurt. “Hi dad,” he said, looking behind me. I let him go hug his father and siblings.

The officer was still standing there, watching us with a slight smile on his face. “Can you tell us how you found him, officer?” I asked.

To my surprise, the man pointed to the boy who had been standing next to Seth when we had arrived. He was still standing in the same place, trying not to be noticed. “Jack found him. He informed us and we staged a rescue.” He looked to Jack. “You want to tell them your story, young man?”

“Uh…,” he said and hesitated a bit. He was wearing soiled clothes and had no shoes on. My heart immediately went out to him. Seth came to stand by his side and said loudly, “I’ll tell you the story.”

We all nodded and he began speaking. “That day, I had missed the school bus home. I was walking back when a man came up to me and told me that he needed help, so I went with him,” here, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and laugh at the same time because that is just how Seth was. I couldn’t be angry anymore, “and he took me to his house and locked me in a room. He was… he is a bad man, maa.” Seth fell silent and looked sadly at Jack.

I reached for his hand and asked gently, “What did he do to you, dear?”

Seth shook his head and wouldn’t elaborate. Jack wouldn’t meet our eyes either. My husband and I turned our gazes to the police officer. “He was a pedophile, ma’am,” he informed us and a gasp escaped my lips.

“Oh my!” I could hear my mother-in-law whisper behind me.

“Did he… did he –,” It seemed my husband couldn’t form the proper words to ask what was on everyone’s mind.

“No, sir, your son might have taken a punch or two to his face but he’s fine,” the officer said. My shoulders sagged with relief and I squeezed Seth’s hand. “Jack, on the other hand…” he trailed off and I turned to look at Jack. So small, so innocent, he looked younger than Seth, and yet, so brave. Sure, he looked sad but he did not look broken in any way. I had the sudden urge to hug him.

“Were you also locked in with Seth?” I asked him gently.

He shook his head. “I go to school,” he said shyly.

“He let you go to school?” This did not make much sense. Why had Jack been allowed to roam free?

Seth decided that moment to break his silence. “Jack is his son, mom. He lived there, in that house.”

“What a sick, sick man!” my father exclaimed.

“Please tell me you got him, officer,” my husband said, looking equally disgusted with this new information.

“We sure did,” the officer replied solemnly.

I couldn’t help it. I asked softly, “May I hug you, Jack?”

He looked up at me in surprise, and then turned to look at Seth as if asking for permission. When Seth just smiled, he came forward and gave me a quick hug. I chuckled, completely charmed by the little guy.

“What made you help Seth, Jack?” I asked him out of curiosity.

“He helped me once,” Jack said immediately, somehow eager to tell this story. “I walk almost twenty blocks from my school every day. I go to a public school, we don’t have school buses. So when I was walking home from school one day, Seth came to me and told me he saw me walk home every day. He gave me his bicycle,” my eyes widened, so this was the kid, “and told me I should ride it to my school every day.”

“Well, it is rather far,” Seth piped up.

“He told me to pay it forward. I don’t really know what that means, I don’t have a lot of money,” mumbled Jack, looking down in embarrassment.

My husband and I were shocked at this revelation. Jack was the boy Seth had given his bicycle to. Jack had saved Seth by managing to contact the police before anything untoward happened. Jack had been abused. Jack was all alone now.

I did a good job of holding back my tears but my voice shook when I thanked Jack for saving my son and asked him if he wanted to come home with us. I still had to explain to Seth that it was not right to talk to strangers but…

My son was right. Good things do happen to good people.

March 14, 2016
Armless Cricketer Who Made It To A State Para-Cricket Team

God gifted us in several ways. We, sometimes criticize God for our problems and things that we don't have. But there are people, who take whatever they have and set an example by defying all odds. Here, is a story of Amir Hussain Lone who lost both his arms and aspire to became a cricketer.

He was just 8 year old when Amir lost his arms and now at 26, he is the Captain of the Jammu and Kashmir state para-cricket team.

Watch inspiring story of this armless cricketer.

March 12, 2016
EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL

This story is based on a true tale about a fashion designer who walked a different path in choosing models. Recently, she chose a domestic worker as a model for her collection of apparel. It was a way of empowering women for her compared to those fashion designers who opt for models who are fashionable and have the so-called oomph factor.

This is a true story about a leading designer who chose an unlikely model and left everyone astonished by her decision. Mandeep Negi, who is the director of Shades of India–one of India’s leading brands in soft furnishings and fashion picked a domestic worker for her set of new collection of apparel.

The black hue of the dirty utensils and plates was too deep. Under the handpump they were lying since her busy morning. She had to wash them as soon as water came from the pump in the evening and cook food for her two children. A regular day was never long for her. She was so busy. The Kapoor's house was the first one on her list. Then was the Bengali Babu's house and then the Majumdar's villa. She was as busy as a celebrity. She was the Kantabai of her locality. Life was indeed a bed of roses for her. Roses less and thorns more. It had been three years since the Almighty God had snatched him away from her. He was her only means of support and love in her life. Her husband. But nothing stopped her from going a step further to live a life without him with all the valour and strength.

She was Kamala. Kamala was a domestic worker. Gopi, her son, was a school going boy and Kamala often used to have a tough time managing the money for his school fees. Gauri was still a toddler. Kamala had tough days. She used to clean utensils, wash clothes, do gardening and cook food at different houses.

Little did her masters at those houses know that she couldn't even feed her children properly with one time's meal. She was almost a slave. A minion.

All her days were like some rough bumpy road until she started working at the Negi's.Navdeep Negi was a different kind of woman. She was the working woman at her home. She was a fashion designer. Kamala observed her.There was something magnetic about her. She walked with the gait of a queen, full of fearlessness and was like the lioness of the forest. Kamala's initial days with the Negi's used to be hectic until she was called by Navdeep one day.

"Kamala! Will you come for a photoshoot with me?"

Kamala was stunned. She didn't speak a word. She felt that her job of domestic worker was in danger. She started sobbing and wailing. Her throat was feeling very dry but somehow she opened her mouth to speak.

"Memsaaheb! I am too weak and I am only a maid! I don't even know how to look good. I am not beautiful. Please don't embarrass me."

Kamala started looking down at her feet with all the dirt filled in her nails. She started sweeping the floor with the mop.Navdeep responded.

" I am not joking Kamala! Firstly everyone is beautiful. Don't ever think like that. And I want you to come with me in half an hour to the studio. I will take care of everything else. Kakaram will find another maid for us."

And from that moment onwards, Kamala's life was really a bed of roses. Her first days were difficult. She would sit in the corner of the studio and feel so low about her decision of going for modelling. But somehow she mustered up to finally work for Navdeep and was ready to clean her nails and wash her feet. Ready and all set for the procedures of manicure and pedicure. She got her hair done. She was a fan of the famous actress, Madhuri Dixit. She wanted to look like her. With beaming eyes she asked Navdeep one day.

"Memsaaheb! Can I look like Madhuriji? I want to wear a skirt like the one she wore in the movie Dhadak."

Mandeep smiled. She saw Kamala being confident now.Kamala had rigorous sessions of getting her make up done. Then there was the biggest trouble of walking in high heels. Day by day, she was getting better and got groomed so much that her final day had come for which she was eagerly waiting for.

Kamala was no longer a weak and struggling with no self esteem. She was a model now. She felt so confident that she was not even afraid of talking to Navdeep. Coming from the villages of Rajasthan, where a typical woman would always be considered unclean for working as a model, she felt empowered that day. She felt like Navdeep. Like a lioness. That was what she had wanted for her whole life. And she got it. What else did she need?

It was the final day when Kamala had to walk on the red carpet. It was one of the best days of her life. She was now a celebrity. Not a Kantabaai. The innumerate lights on the stage and the media persons who were interviewing Navdeep Negi and the attention she got from the crowd made her feel ecstatic. A skinny guy suddenly popped out from the mob and asked the designer.

"Ms.Navdeep Negi! Why did you go for a sudden change in the choice for your models being the director of the 'Hues of India', one of India’s leading brands in soft furnishings and fashion ?"

"The focus of our new collection, Vivacious, is on textures and I wanted someone extraordinary and I found it in her. I knew that I found what was looking for. She was Kamala. That is it."

"Why did you go for a model like Kamala?"

"I prefer shooting with those women who don’t expect to be models, and suddenly feel empowered and powerful before the camera, in their favourite attire.”

The skinny guy was not convinced and he asked something that Navdeep was not ready to face.

"Don't you think that Kamala doesn't deserve to be a model. I mean she is not that beautiful and doesn't have any oomph factor!"

"Everyone is beautiful. Your eyes need the beauty to discover the oomph factor in anyone. And please stop judging about anybody's beauty. Happy woman's day, man! I am sure that you will soon get beaten up by the women surrounding you."

And that is when the whole crowd and the models walking on the ramp stood at their places still and each and every person applauded for her. The sound of the clapping hands were so soothing to Kamala's ears, she felt strong. That day was a remarkable day when the real meaning of Women's day was crystal clear. Empowering women had started from the grass root level. It had to just grow generously into a tree.

March 11, 2016