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Impractical Dreamer

~ Dr Sweety Shinde: As a butterfly flits; so does the mind waltz in innumerable flights. Mine hovers over books, spirituality ,humor and random gems from everyday life.

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Tag Archives: kurukshetra

India & Indraprastha -Mythology connects History

03 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by dr sweetyshinde in Arjun Related posts, Mahabharata, Social Causes

≈ 66 Comments

Tags

army, betrayal, border, India Pakistan war, Indo-Pak war, kurukshetra, Pandavas Kauravas, peace & war, political treaty, terrorists

#India & #Pakistan were born of a common land. Whereas India zoomed into intellectual, monetary, industrial and literary progress, Pakistan stayed stagnant in hatred, envy and terrorist networks.

Pandavas made a meteoric leap from arid, barren Khandav to a blindingly prosperous #Indraprastha, while Kauravas stagnated in crippling envy, hatred and murder plots.

***

Pakistan gets million dollar gifts from #USA to fund & fuel further terrorism, while self reliant India builds wealth and fights terrorism alone.

india pakistan

Hastinapur had 100 princes. #Hastinapur had the readymade wisdom of Vidur, the military force of Drona-Ashwatthama and administration experience of Bhishm. Yet it was unable to expand its horizons, to perform Rajsuya yagna or amass wealth.

Indraprastha had just 5 princes. Continue reading →

#Read about Guest #Author Dr. Sweety Shinde

29 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by dr sweetyshinde in Arjun - my published novel, Arjun : Journey of my Novel, Arjun Related posts, Download Free Excerpt (pdf), Mahabharata, Mythology, Reblogged posts

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

arjun, arjuna, author interview, Bhagavad Gita, blurb ideas, book spine, books, cover design, fiction novel, Goodreads Giveaway, Guest blogpost, Indian epic, kurukshetra, Mahabharata, mythology, writing tips, youtube trailer

I got an opportunity to grace Chris Graham’s platform for authors. Here it is…

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

VRSOlZ

Perfect quote – It aptly sums up the motive to pen my novel.

Sweety Shinde 01
Why write at all?
You cannot inhale and not exhale.
You cannot eat and
not poop.
You cannot read and
not write. (Did I just equate writing with pooping?) Yin & Yang. Reading is a passive, pleasant passion. Writing is challenging, invigorating, and pathologically addictive!

Profession vs Passion: I’m a Pathologist by profession. I dissect dead bodies and diagnose live diseases under the microscope. But human beings hold deeper mysteries beneath the visible surface. Mind, emotions, and idiosyncrasies – those are beyond the scalpel, but not beyond the pen’s might!

I decided to use my profession 2 ways. One, to fund my passion. Two, to stimulate both halves of my brain – the rational and the creative. Yin & Yang again. 

Flexing the muscles of Time: ‘Work expands to fill the time required to complete it.’ As a…

View original post 880 more words

Goodreads Giveaway (USA Only) of Arjun: Without A Doubt

19 Sunday Jul 2015

Posted by dr sweetyshinde in Arjun - my published novel, Constructive Criticism: Book reviews, Mahabharata

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

arjun, arjuna, author, Bhagavad Gita, draupadi, Free book copy, Goodreads Giveaway, Krishn, Krishna, kurukshetra, love & betrayal, Mahabharata, mythology, Sweety Shinde, USA readers & book lovers, war & philosophy

History forgot his voice, but misquoted his silence. 
Genre: Indian Mythology/ Mahabharata/ History
Premise: 5000 years ago, Arjun the superlative warrior paused on the eve of Kurukshetra battle. His poignant question, “How many should die for the sins of a handful?” churned with charioteer Krishn’s, “How many times the sinful should be forgiven for the lives of countless?” to create the Bhagavad Gita.
Arjun, the idealist in a non-ideal world. He held the power to unleash devastation – and the compassion not to misuse it. He was idolized for defeating demiGods & demons – and ridiculed for not being ruthless. He was Heaven’s heir – and endured exile after exile. His love Draupadi – had to become the wife of his four brothers. He was the peerless archer, the seductive monk, the epitome of masculinity, the danseur eunuch, exemplary student and eternal seeker of knowledge – all in one roller coaster Life.
Come, join Arjun’s turbulent journey. Unravel his emotions, passions and angst.
Find ‘other’ famous Arjuns, compare Arjun vis-a-vis Achilles & Alexander and explore Myths of Mahabharata.
Discover Arjun beyond the warrior extraordinaire.
Note: Draupadi’s narration in the book is marked with *** symbol. Arjun’s narration is without any symbol.
Youtube Trailer: https://youtu.be/ToTEldixJDA

Feel free to ask me questions: author-of-arjun-without-a-doubt
WIN an ‘Author signed’ copy today! Goodreads Books

Click here: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/146743-arjun-without-a-doubt

ArjunShindeSweetyAbsoluteFinaltoPrint.jpg

Kurukshetra: War between the 3 Krishnas?

15 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by dr sweetyshinde in Arjun Related posts

≈ 29 Comments

Tags

arjun, battle, battlefield, Bhagwad Gita, compassion, danda-neeti, death, decision, dilemma, hand, heart, inspiration, justice, killing, Krishn, kurukshetra, Mahabharat, mind, passion, symbol, sync, war

3 Krishnas: Krishn (Dwarka), Arjun (Krishn) and Draupadi (Krishnaa).

All 3 shared a name, shared their dusky complexion and shared a deep emotional bond.

Traditionally, Kurukshetra was a war of these 3 Krishnas against evil.

Symbolically, though, was it a war of Arjun versus Krishn & Krishnaa?

Any great deed requires the mind, the heart and the hand to be in-sync.

The Mind = for cool analysis, planning, ideas, impulses, thoughts.

The Heart = for passion, emotions, inspiration and fire.

The Hand = for skills, finesse, well-honed, strong, the doer.

Krishn was the mind, Draupadi was the inspiration and Arjun was the executor of their combined vision.

mind and hand

           What if the hand rebels against the heart & mind?

On the eve of Kurukshetra, Arjun paused, paralyzed by his dilemma. Then followed the enriching Q & A session which we know today as Bhagwad Gita.

At Kurukshetra, the mind and the heart were Continue reading →

Book Cover Design – why, what, how?

09 Monday Feb 2015

Posted by dr sweetyshinde in Arjun : Journey of my Novel

≈ 33 Comments

Tags

arjun, artist, book blurb, book cover, Champa Srinivas, color scheme, concept, cover design, draupadi, ideas, Krishn, kurukshetra, Mahabharata, symbolism

5 seconds for book cover and 15 seconds for back page text!

That is the average attention span to entice a book reader. That is the time span needed to convert a ‘maybe book buyer’ into a ‘definitely interested book buyer’.

This is my story, my exciting journey – as my Cover Design Artist and myself  made a memorable foray into concepts, ideas and colors.

Premise & target audience

‘Aim high’ – I thought hopefully, when asked to state my target audience. Indians, NRIs, pan-Earth Mythology buffs, Aliens…

Mahabharata may be an Indian Epic, but its emotions, its philosophy and its characters are rich & relevant across religion, region, language and Time.

My book focuses on 3 protagonists of Mahabharata  – Arjun, Draupadi and Krishn.

My book blurb had to condense a 96,000 word manuscript into 132 words.

My book cover had to complement those 132 words in a vivid 5 second vision. Easy , huh?

I found the perfect artist to capture my dream idea in Champa Srinivas, my exquisite Cover Designer. She is an Architect cum artist who loves to ‘capture the beauty of aesthetic spaces and colors’.

Concept, symbols, colors, ideas.

Symbolism: My 3 protagonists:

1] Arjun – The ace archer and superlative warrior.

2] Draupadi – his feisty Queen.

3] Krishn – God who walked Earth in human form.

Their symbols: Arrow, Blue Lotus and Peacock feather respectively.

Concept behind symbolism:

Arrow was a no-brainer, given Arjun’s authoritative excellence in archery.

Blue lotus (for Draupadi) , since she possessed the inborn fragrance of a blue lotus.

We tossed our coin over Krishn’s symbols – the flute (artistic, melodious, poetic) or Sudarshan chakra (his discus weapon) or peacock feather (his flamboyant characteristic head gear) – before finalizing the latter.

Color palette:

Silver Arrow : ‘Arjun’ in Sanskrit = spotless/luminous as silver; just like its sound-alike ‘Argentum’ in Latin. {Such an amazing coincidence!}

Sleek and honed like Arjun’s razor sharp focus. Yet – humble and understated in comparison to his 2 soul mates.

Blue Lotus : Apart from the fragrance factor, Draupadi was a dusky beauty with lustrous blue-black hair, which essayed a pivotal role in the epic’s turning point.

She was also the most desirable & exotic Lady in her era. In Oriental writings, powdered Blue Lotus is used as an aphrodisiac!

Peacock feather: Multi hued, flamboyant and striking as Krishn’s multi-faceted persona.

3 symbol placement : In the decisive Kurukshetra war, Arjun was the skilled warrior, Draupadi was the passionate inspiration and Krishn was the cool headed strategist and mentor.

Hence, my blurb says ‘The Missile (Arjun) … The Trajectory (Draupadi) …The Vision (Krishn).

Lotus and peacock feather stems entwined : symbolic of Krishn-Draupadi’s divine relation as friend & protector. In addition, their spectrum of blue hues signified their rhythmic thoughts. Both were firm, resolute and decisive in their Danda neeti (War for Justice).

The stems curling around silver arrow: symbolic of their deep emotional entanglement and mutual love for Arjun.

Flames as background: 2 cool colors – the 2 blue symbols needed to be balanced by a warmer color. What better than glowing yellow-orange flames to bring the image vibrantly alive?

Why flames? Flames carry significant implications in Indian Vedic context. They play a role in sacrificial fires, in marriage ceremony, in funeral pyres, fire as purification, fire for passions, fire from which Draupadi arose as a divine gift for her Father.

Arjun: book cover design

Thus culminated my book cover’s journey. A dream idea captured in a Vision.

Champas’s Artwork Facebook Page :

Visit https://www.facebook.com/ChampaArtworks to sample more of Champa’s artistic endeavors.

Arjun’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ArjunTheNovel

Did the symbolism get translated well enough?

Share your own book cover journey with me…

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Arjun: Without a Doubt

Indian mythology novel

Silence, too, can be misquoted. Discover Arjun beyond the warrior extraordinaire (Indian Mythology)

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Posts: Toppers & Winners!

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Kartikeya: Arjun’s brother–in-law!
Download Free Excerpt (pdf). Arjun: Without A Doubt
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Arjun’s conquests without the Gandiva bow
Irrationally Passionate by Jason Kothari

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