Udyan Care

Following up on the volunteering policy that we have been discussing for some time now, I have some more news:

The representatives from the organization Udyan Care were here to meet us recently. All the team leaders attended this meeting. Many possibilities were discussed and amongst them, one was to collect old ‘wearable & usable’ following:
• clothes – adult and children sizes
• toys
• stationery
• books
• food items; packaged
• anything else that children could use.
• Cutlery
• utensils

This act of kindness is purely VOLUNTARY and I would like to propose a call on behalf of Taylor & Francis India to all of you to come forward and donate things that are perhaps kept in our homes for a long time, without being used. If it can be of use to children, we’ll perhaps be doing an act of kindness which could form a human chain……


The collect would be donated to Udyan Care on behalf of Taylor & Francis India.

There is a large carton being placed next to Aman’s cabin, where you could anonymously donate material on the 9th floor. Another carton is being placed at the entrance of the 8th floor. Both the cartons will read: UDYAN CARE…….The cartons should make their appearance by today evening or tomorrow morning. As I mentioned earlier, the donation is purely voluntary and you could either leave your name on the packet or donate it anonymously.

I hope as an organization, we’d be honoured to participate and make a small difference to the lives of the under privileged.


Thanks


The Marketing Team

23rd April is World Book and Copyright Day

UNESCO recognizes 23rd April as a day on which we “pay tribute to books and authors, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity”. The date 23rd April was chosen because it is a day when the lives of several great writers either began or ended. For instance, both William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes passed away on 23rd April 1616.

For those of us who work in publishing it’s a reminder of the fact that the stock market may go up or down, the economy may go boom or bust, but as writer Christopher Morley once said, “Words are a commodity in which there is never any slump”.


Best wishes,


Priyamvada

The Winners of the Earth Day Campaign

The proud winners of the Earth Day Campiagn are

• K E Priyamvada
• Pallavi Narayan

Pallavi, unfortunately, was not available when these pictures were clicked. So, here's a smiling Priya accepting her committment prize from Mr Manik.

Thank you all, from the heart, for your thought and effort!!

Best wishes

The Marketing Team

Participating Captions - Winners to be announced on 26 April 2010

1. Face to face, literally!”
2. This is what happens when you feel sleepy while travelling”
3. Downtime… My literary face (OR)
4. Facing Prose… Saving Face
5. The Fact Behind a Fiction"
6. Would you wear that?”
7. Walking the City
8. Nameless, Faceless - Urbanized?
9. Comfortable Anonymity
10. I see you (Avatar Inspired)
11. Our Lives and Other Untold Stories…
12. As the Thoughts Pass By..
13. ‘Damm women, u got Lucky..!! The whole of T&F is ravin bout ya..!!’
14. A face that stood out in a crowd.
15. The many faces of a woman…
16. Never judge a book by its cover…
17. Kitaab ke peeche kya hai?
18. “ Maybe that’s why they say, ‘Never judge a book by its cover’. ”
19. “Dammed : Two faces under one hat!!”
20. Faceless in the city.
21. In search of an identity.
22. Lost in memories.
23. Operation Cover Up.
24. Hey! Don’t look at me, I am already married.
25. Alter Ego
26. Merged Surroundings, Submerged Emotions
27. Impostor
28. Image
29. Mystique
30. ‘Behind a splendid single face… lies a thousand enigma.’
31. “An Escape from Reality”
32. “Cover up story”
33. “Aboard the Flight of Imagination”
34. “Split Personality”
35. “Catharsis”
36. “FACE OFF”
37. “A Cover for Cover!”
38. Behind a face, is a different story.”
39. “Omnipresent: To be and not to be”
40. “Women…always an ENIGMA!”
41. Appearances can be deceptive; Beware
42. “ Hi!! I am in the facebook ”
43. ITEFAAQ
44. Dreaming Past into Present
45. Truth is not always what you see!
46. Truth half Known raises maximum curiosity!!!
47. What’s behind? Curiosity at its Peak!

The Marketing Team

On Earth Day

It’s Earth Day and I wanted to help,
So I decided not to take a shower;
Now my colleagues are avoiding me at work,
Guess I’m not as fragrant as a flower!

It’s Earth Day and I wanted to help,
So I thought I’d plant a tree;
Started to dig with a shovel,
Hurt my back and knee!

It’s Earth Day and I wanted to help,
Decided to eat salad thrice a day;
Now I’m dreaming of tandoori chicken,
Someone feed me meat, I pray!

Got really hungry by lunchtime,
Saw my colleague had chicken today;
Got caught trying to steal his lunchbox,
Now everyone’s staying away!

Decided it’s probably best,
To take it one step at a time;
Thought I’d go home and meditate,
And try not to commit a crime!

Watered the plants on my balcony,
And fed the birds on this hot summer day;
As I watched a flock of sparrows take wing,
Wished I could fly away...

Came back to work the next day,
Gave everyone a plant as a gift,
Was forgiven for stealing my colleague’s lunch,
Organized a car pool (or as I call it ‘free lift’)!

It’s not easy but I’m trying,
To turn over a new leaf;
I’ll go green and avoid tissues,
Instead, I’ll use an eco-friendly handkerchief.

I’ll reuse paper and always try,
To use both sides of every sheet;
And, I know it’s not easy,
But I will try to cut down on meat.

Let me know what else I can do to make a little change,
For seriously, I’m trying to live in a sustainable way;
I realize, each one of us can make a difference,
And make every day, Earth Day!

An Anonymous Colleague

The Earth Day - 22 April 2010

Hello everyone,

The Earth Day is celebrated every year on the 22nd of April. For the last forty years, many people have done their bit for the Earth.
My resolution is:

I have decided that I will take shorter showers and use a water-saving shower head....

See what others are saying as a part of their commitment towards the Earth day. 

I will use a reusable water bottle and bring a mug to the coffee shop....

I will abstain from meat at least one day a week to curb carbon emissions from the livestock industry....

I will use a reusable water bottle and bring a mug to the coffee shop....

For the Earth Day tomorrow, I am happy to announce a small campaign where everyone is invited to make their resolutions and send them to us. The deadline for the same is tomorrow morning 11 a.m. The best and most useful entry wins a SURPRISE PRIZE, which will be announced on the 23rd of April 2010, early morning.
You could send us poems, resolutions, articles, comments, anecdotes or simple fill in the line below:

I will use/abstain/pay/shop/walk/organize ___________________________________________

The Marketing Team

SARISISKA CONTINUED

After reading the post on Sariska by Rima, I thought to post my experience too. I tried to shoot photos as clear as possible. But these are what I was able to shoot while driving.

My post is a little bit contradictory with Rima's one. The road till Alwar is good but after that it is pathetic. The road inside the reserve is horrible. You can see this in the photo. I was able to spot deers, Langurs and Peacocks. Rima was a little bit lucky as she was able to spot some crocodiles also. But there is one thing in which I feel myself lucky as I was able to spot a Dancing Peacock.

See the Video for the dancing Beauty.

There is a temple of PanduPol inside the reserve. Its a saying that Bheem of Mahabharata met hanuman here. So one should visit there for sure.

Silised lake is no doubt a sheer beauty. The calm lake is so good that anyone can sit there for hours.

Few things which I would like to mention if you are going to visit Sariska are. One should reach the gate of Sariska till 11:00AM as it will take around 4 hours to drive through the reserve andentries are given only till 3:30 PM. Afterwards it will take around 2 more hours to visit Silised Lake. There is a place called 'Bhangarh ' near Sariska. It is said to be the most Haunted place in India. Even they had a show on 'Bhangarh' in Discovery channel.

Few things which one should not miss are the onion Kachauris of rajastahan and गन्ने का रस in 'Kullarhs' which you will easily find in Outskirts of Alwar.

Always keep lot of water and food as you will find nothing inside the reserve.

My Trip to Sariska

The motivation for writing this blog entry was absolutely Shafina and her tempting post on ‘City of Angels’ but the motivation behind the whole activity was ‘Stripey’. And, I hope you recognize Stripey for he’s the cute little tiger cub who reminds us how there are only 1,411 tigers left in the country (and just so you know that’s his name actually, don’t believe me! Check out Facebook, he’s quite a celebrity) and I decided let’s chance it out. So, away I went on my Easter weekend (let’s say extended Easter weekend) to Sariska National Park in the district of Alwar, Rajasthan. It’s a breezy couple of hours drive from Delhi and the weather is much more tolerable than the city.
And before you ask me, “NO”, I did not see any tigers at all. They simply didn’t think it was worthwhile enough to give me a glimpse of their majestic presence. So, you should all sympathize with my beautiful sentiments of extreme envy towards Shafina. However, I’m not the one to go down without a fight and so, I am with a ‘Tiger Bird’ eating out of my hands—literally. Here it is…

Now, it’s so called because this bird takes care of the ‘Dental Hygiene’ needs of a tiger. You see, when a tiger sees a ‘Tiger Bird’ it simply opens its jaws while the bird dutifully picks at the stray meat and flesh remnants in the tiger’s teeth cleaning them and snacking in turn. Nature has it’s own way of taking care of things and mostly it’s very innovative and interesting. Apart from that, here’s how the rest of the trip went.

The first thing that hits you while you are on the way to Sariska is its arid landscape. Trees are few and far in between, hills are barren and rock-faced, and vegetation, very scarce but beautiful. Once inside Rajasthan and on the by-pass of Alwar, you pass men in stately and huge turbans, women in vividly coloured ghagras and camels strutting in their majestic sway. Even, the dung heaps in the fields (which would be later used as fuel for their earthen stoves) are smoothed into big square blocks and embossed with designs in line drawings. (Again, before you ask, Yes, it’s true and No, I don’t have photographs of it because my husband thought stopping the car in the middle of the road to click dung heaps would psychologically affect his notions about our relationship. So there!)
After, reaching Sariska we checked into the Tiger Den Resort. It’s a good place with a sprawling lawn in front to unwind. The first and most obvious and overwhelming realization that engulfs you is the silence, I could not recall when was the last time I sat in so much calm and natural beauty surrounding me. Relaxation has a new meaning.

We booked a safari for the next morning and it was very scenic as well as exciting. There was lots of curious flora which our knowledgeable guide dutifully pointed to us, along with their botanical names! To make for the lack of the big cat, we spotted a lot of deers (some 3 types of them), crocodiles, tortoises, black faced langurs and a lot of birds. Oh yes, and peacocks, huge peacocks, lots of peacocks and I don’t think I would want to see anymore, I’ve had my lifetime’s fill of them. But, they are beautiful, very regal.
We next decided to hit the road for our second destination, Silisedh Lake, 14 kms from Sariska. Words fail to describe the barren beauty of the surrounding hills and the soothing calm of the pristine expansive lake. All we did was sit and stare and stare and …. There is zero noise, no commercial establishments nearby; the nearest small shop is a km. away, no jarring lights so that in the evenings the lake is plunked into a calming twilight of minimum lights. The Lake Palace hotel is the only accommodation so it’s not scarred by modern concrete structures but a palace which belongs to the scenery and the cluster of houses make a beautiful village on the other side of the lake. It’s almost like a painting and is either acrylic, or water-coloured, or oil-based depending on the time of the day you are seeing it on. A number of birds dot the rippling waters; it’s a delight to gaze at. And curiously enough, there are hordes of white butterflies, only white.

You could easily visit both these places over a weekend; Sariska is 193 kms from Delhi and took us 3 and a half hour to drive. Road conditions are good and traffic very sparse, so you can speed it up. Regarding accommodation, RTDC hotels provide the most reasonable rates, and include breakfast and dinner with the room tariff. Simple and tasty fares in food but best avoid non-vegetarian because the vegetarian cooks are not that good in it. It’s amazing how a world of difference is sitting there and is not very far from the city. Make a trip and tell me about it!


Regards,


Rima

Congratulations to the Journals and Online Resources Team

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

A Glass of Milk

Hi everyone,

Please read this real-life story which teaches us a valuable lesson in humanity.

Best wishes,
Anjali

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water! She thought he looked hungry and brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you ma’am?"

“You don't owe me anything", she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness”.

And so he said, "Then I thank you from my heart”.

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man became stronger as well. He had been ready to give up and quit earlier.

Many years later this same woman became critically ill. The local doctors were clueless. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.

He got up immediately and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her and recognized her at once.

He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words ...

"Paid in full with one glass of milk"

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly

Best Caption Award

CAPTION ME

PRIZE: A meal for two @ Nirulas Potpourri!!

A Trip to the City of Angels

Good morning everyone,
I've just returned from a place whose official name is this - okay, now take a deep breath and try saying it -

Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit........

(It is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest name for a place)

In case you've guessed it - congratulations are in store for your HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS - incase you haven't, I am talking about Thailand! The Exotic land of angels as the thais call themselves. According to Travel and Leisure magazine, Bangkok was ranked the best city in world, in 2008. During my five day trip, I clicked some pictures showing Thai culture that I wanted to share with you. So, here it goes:

A

This is the house of spirits.......Thais believe that building houses for spirits makes them happy and they never harm you.........Should T&F have a house of spirits, I wonder? Now don't start ranting the names of spirits - Johnny Walker is a no, no..........

B

This soldier doesn't move from 9 in the morning till 6 in the evening, even if he has to go to the loo!! That's what the guide told me.......In this heat, he stands still because he's guarding the King's palace......

C

The Emerald Buddha; the largest Buddha in the world....400 metres. They say that if you can look at him in the eye and say what you want, Buddha will grant your wish.....

 D

They say that feeding Macaws will liberate your deepest wishes and make you happy!!!

E

I still can't believe that there are formal companies that check your CV and offer you dates!!

F

We have two bins; here in India, while they have three. quite colourful, I must say!

G
Handsome young Thai Models.....

  H
Siam Niramit; the Thai cultural show, featuring in the Guiness Book of world Records.....

I

Thai Snack grilled on banana leaves...

J

This one was very amusing.....

__________________________________________________________________________________

The tiger cub was really scary......looking at it is one thing, holding it in your hands is another!!

IF YOU THOUGHT THE ABOVE PICTURE WAS EXCITING, LOOK AT THE ONE BELOW:

Swadee Ka!!

Shafina