Kindle Countdown Deal - You Compromise, I Won’t!

Kindle Countdown Deal on my e-book titled ‘You Compromise, I Won’t!’

Dear friends,

      What is life, if not a compromise? How people deal with circumstances needing a compromise, may vary greatly, as each person has a different perspective. Have you ever compromised? This collection of stories will set you thinking again....
      Kindly note that a Kindle Countdown Deal will be on at www.amazon.com for my e-book titled ‘You Compromise, I Won’t!’ from 27.05.2020 (today)  till 03.06.2020.

Paperback's cover

Paperback's back cover

E-book's cover

You could purchase this e-book for $0.99 only, at a whopping discount of 67% of its original price of $2.99.You could even preview it for free, at www.amazon.com. 

Kindly read this book’s review by Vijay Singh, on this blog. 
(Blog dated 23.07.2017)

One of the stories from this collection of stories is The Baby-doll. I recently received the 'Writers' Award Certificate' from www.penfactor.com for this story. You could read this gripping story at www.penfactor.com under the 
Category: Paranormal and Magical Realism - Page 2.

Hurry! Your invaluable feedback is most welcome.

You could even browse through my other 13 paperbacks and e-books at the same website!

You could peruse my novel titled The Love-addict at www.freeditorial.com,
my novel titled Dad's Great, Boys! at www.draft2digital.com,

my novel titled No Mother-in-law, Please! at www.wattpad.com

and 

my novel titled 

A Suitor for the Princess at https://radiantpriyasvision.blogspot.com.

Happy reading session!

Thanks. Have a nice day! Stay safe. Stay blessed.

                                                               Priya

Sabarmati Ashram – Abode of History.

We visited the Sabarmati ashram on our own before the city sightseeing tour started at 1.30 pm. So we spent considerable time in getting the vibe of the place. Peaceful, enchanting and serene; the ashram made us sentimental, as we remembered how that place had played such an important role in our freedom struggle.

The specter of Mahatma Gandhi and his supportive wife Kasturba Gandhi undoubtedly guided us through their abode, as we silently glimpsed their residential quarters, sparse belongings, the famed charkha, tableau of the Salt Satyagraha, writings, et al with the backdrop of the concrete waterfront and the tranquil Sabarmati river, glistening in the afternoon sun, with unabashed pride.

We bowed down before the statue of the Mahatma in a sitting pose and were filled with immense respect and love for the great leader and apostle of non-violence.

As the first place on the sight-seeing itinerary was the ashram that we had already experienced, we chose to relax for half an hour in the bus after a round of delicious cookies purchased from the kiosk selling ice-cream and baked snacks.

By the way, the sightseeing bus starts its journey from opposite side of the Sabarmati Ashram entrance, near Hotel Toran.

This review has also been posted at www.tripadvisor.in.

Kindle Countdown Deal - Just Not Meant For Marriage!

Dear friends,

What happens when a person finds his soul-mate but that soul-mate is unwilling to reciprocate?

Read on to experience it in my e-book titled Just Not Meant For Marriage!

This e-book is available at www.amazon.com. 

A Kindle Countdown Deal will be on from 10th  to 17th May, 2020 at www.amazon.com. This e-book will be available for just $ 0.99 at a whopping discount of 67%

You could even peruse my other 16 e-books and paperback novels.

Eagerly awaiting your invaluable feedback!

Thanks.

Priya Swaminathan

EXCERPT

          Preet had an annoying habit. It drove girls literally up the wall. He would court all the pretty girls in college, have them eating out of his hands and eating out their hearts for him and then spoil it all by popping the most-dreaded question. It was not the eagerly looked forward to, “Will you marry me please?” No, that wasn’t the most-dreaded question. It was, hold your breath, “Are you just not meant for marriage?” All the girls who had swooned over him some time in their college lives had been flabbergasted by that bomber.

              

          But eventually, everyone had reconciled themselves to the inevitable, ridiculous proposal. In fact, no girl was still quite sure what that absurd question meant. Did he mean that he was asking her to marry him in a back-handed manner, or did he want to cast her away by insinuating that she was not worthy enough for marriage? And that too after wooing her as if she was the last girl on earth!

******************

             

          Preet was the equivalent of Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Salman Khan and Naseeruddin Shah; all rolled into one combo package of style, romance, brawn and smoldering intensity. As for looks, he had everything going for him, right from grayish-brown dreamy eyes fringed by thick lashes, smooth high forehead, well-chiseled cheek-bones and chin, tawny complexion and thick black hair that was always styled as per the latest trend in town. His gym-toned body was just meant for modeling as he wore smart outfits that suited him to the T. Towering well above six feet, he stood out from the rest of the college boys.

              

          Almost all the girls who enrolled in Universal College fell in love with him as soon as they set their eyes on this impossibly good-looking dude. After all, seeing the above-mentioned heroes on screen and seeing their combo in person, was different. Well actually, thrilling! They just couldn’t believe their luck. Each girl tried to get into his good books and charm him as much as she could. In fact, these girls thought that education and careers were secondary, as their primary aim was to land the catch of Preet! It was the be-all and end-all of their existence.

                

           Thus Preet got to see girls of all shapes and sizes, dressed in all types of clothes from mini-skirts to saris, ‘artificially’ made-up or ‘naturally’ made-up and with all sorts of fancy accessories. His friends envied him but joked that thanks to him, they also got to see well-dressed lasses and feast their eyes on them! Preet was cool and casual in his manner towards the girls. He didn’t lead anyone on. He obviously was waiting for someone special to light up his life. He just knew that one look would be enough to separate the grain from the chaff. His heart would tell him so!

END OF EXCERPT

Did you like what you just read? Would you like to find out what happens next?

Kindly purchase the e-book and read on.... Preet is waiting for you....

Some more precious gems from my trips

To me heritage means much more than monuments and artifacts! It is a way of life. Customs, traditions, rituals, festivals, languages, dialects, art, craft, music, poetry, stories, songs, dance, sculpture, costumes, accessories, cinema, theater, folk-lore, mythology..... The list is endless. In short, heritage summarizes the ethos and culture of a civilization. 

Everything that is worth preserving, revering and passing on to the next generation constitutes heritage. It is heritage which defines us as individuals and collectively, as citizens.

Heritage would definitely include the way we treat each other and outsiders! 'Atithi Devo Bhava' is not just a saying. It is an idiom of the Indian tradition of going all out to welcome and be hospitable to guests, irrespective of whether they are known to us or are even strangers!

Ayurveda and Yoga are undoubtedly the gems of our Indian heritage.

Here are some more gems of heritage, culled from my trips in India:

Sculptures depicting Bharatanatyam dance
Chidambaram temple

Meditation center - Auroville
Puducherry

Meticulously caved rock - Arjuna's penance
Mamallapuram

Wall painting

Ivory sculptures - Madurai

Shiv temple - Rameshwaram

Ornate door carving

Sri Brihadeeswarar temple - Thanjavur

Sri Brihadeeswarar temple - Thanjavur

Sea-shore - Rameshwaram

Madurai Nayagar Palace - Madurai

Temple - Madurai

Mahalaxmi temple - Chennai

Chennai

Queen Victoria's Memorial - Kolkata

Queen Victoria's Memorial - Kolkata

Jain temple - Kolkata

St. Paul's Cathedral - Kolkata

Konarak - Sun temple

Konarak - Sun temple

Unconditional love in exchange - Kindle Countdown Deal

Dear friends,

Very few people in this world are capable of giving unconditional love. Read on to experience it in the story of one such kindred soul, in my e-book titled 

Unconditional love in exchange. This book is a collection of heartwarming stories.

This e-book will be available for just $0.99 at www.amazon.com, under a Kindle Countdown Deal from 26th April to 3rd May, 2020.

You could even peruse my other 16 exciting e-books and paperback novels. Eagerly awaiting your invaluable feedback! Thanks.

Priya

Excerpt from the story 'Only hard work pays!' (from this e-book)

          That night Madhav was going to visit a bar where his girl-friend was a bar dancer. He extended an invitation to Suresh too. “You’ve always refused to indulge in any vices along with me and our friends. But today, I request you to accompany me for this show. I’m sure that your anxiety will be greatly reduced and you’ll be able to relax a little.” Reluctantly, Suresh went along with Madhav to the show.

          

          The bar was a dingy, smoke-filled room where several pot-bellied men, ruffians and some white-collared men sat on chairs around dinner tables and ate and drank non-stop, talking garrulously and ogling at the scantily clad dancers, who went about their dance moves set to the latest popular movie tracks, like robots. Every once in a while, a drunk man would unsteadily get up and throw some notes on the dancers. The girls would scramble to get them and continue with their ‘job’.

         

           “What would you like to have?” asked Madhav solicitously, as he blew a kiss at his girl-friend, who repeated his action and laughed, even as she lip-synced the song blaring from the music system.

           

          “Nothing,” said Suresh tersely. He cursed himself for having accompanied his cousin to such a sleazy place. He just felt nauseous and uneasy. He longed for some fresh air. “Would you mind, if I just went out for a while? I need some fresh air. I’m feeling claustrophobic.”

           

          “Suit yourself,” Madhav said airily. “I’ll order something for both of us. The mutton biryani here is really tasty. I’ll also order wine for both of us. Today, I’ll show you how you must enjoy life. Come soon.”

          

          After 10 minutes, Suresh braced himself to go inside that smelly room once again. How he 

wished that he had refused Madhav’s invitation in the first place! 

END OF EXCERPT

Hungry for more? Kindly buy the e-book and finish reading it, all in one go! Don't forget to review it online at www.amazon.com. Thanks in anticipation. Priya

Stay at home. Stay safe and blessed!

World Heritage Day - 18th April

     Recently we visited the first city in India to get the tag of the UNESCO World Heritage City - Ahmedabad. After visiting its numerous heritage structures, we realized that it indeed was a treasure-trove of our rich cultural and architectural heritage. 

     In my blog dated 24th February, I have relived my experience at Ahmedabad. Do peruse it!

     As an avid traveler who has visited lots of Indian heritage sites and been awe-struck by their resilience and sheer magnificence, I have lots of photographs to share. Here are some heritage landmarks:

Jantar-mantar  -  Jaipur, Rajasthan

Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Dargah - Ajmer, Rajasthan

Velankanni Church - Nagapattiam, Tamil Nadu

Shore temples - Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu

Living heritage! 100 year old banyan tree - Auroville, Puducherry

Aurobindo Ashram - Puducherry

Fort Saint George - Chennai (First British Fortress of India) Tamil Nadu

Government museum - Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Chidambaram temple - Chidambaram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Varadaraja Perumal temple - Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu

Sri Siddhi Vinayak Temple - Siddhatek, Maharashtra

Sri Jagdish temple - Udaipur, Gujarat

City Palace - Udaipur, Rajasthan

Saheliyon-ki-bawdi - Udaipur, Rajasthan

Ummed Bhawan palace - Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Mehrangarh fort - Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Jaswant Thada - Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Cenotaph - Mandore, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Zenana Mahal - Mandore, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Ambaji temple - Ambaji, Gujarat

Amer Fort - Jaipur, Rajasthan

World's largest cannon on wheels - Jaigarh Fort, Rajasthan

Amer Fort - Jaipur, Rajasthan

Maharaja Jaisingh's Palace - Jaipur, Rajasthan

Hawa Mahal - Jaipur, Rajasthan

St. Patrick's Cathedral - Pune, Maharashtra

Sun temple - Modhera, Gujarat

Sabarmati Ashram - Sabarmati, Gujarat

Adalaj step-well - Adalaj, Gujarat

The Empress Botanical Garden - Pune, Maharashtra

The Chennai Municipal Corporation building - Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Salarjung Museum - Hyderabad

Charminar - Hyderabad

Pichavaram mangroves - Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu

Taj Mahal - Agra, U.P.

Buland Darwaza - Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, U.P.

Panch Mahal
Rani Jodhabai's Palace - Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, U.P.

Ramgarh Palace - Varanasi, U.P.

Khwaja Salim Chisti's Dargah - Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, U.P.

The Sacred Ganges - Varanasi 

Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) - Amritsar, Punjab

You could read detailed reviews of most of these places on this blog. 

By the way, in my opinion, most of the cities in India would qualify for the UNESCO World Heritage City tag as architectural gems dot our country, making it vibrant and a tourist's delight!



Our ancient Indian civilization and its way of life has charmed visitors for centuries and will undoubtedly continue to do so in the ages to come. Long Live India!

I eagerly await the time when I will be able to visit all the heritage sites of the world. May it come soon...

I am delighted to inform you that I am in the top 10% of contributors from Pune to www.tripadvisor.in.