I also wanted to give you a little head up – today (04/04/21) my short story ( < 4000 words) eBook entitled Draupadi’s Shame: The Mahabharata Reimagined will be is NOW available for free download on Amazon for a period of 24 hrs beginning 1.00 pm IST. Currently it is free on Kindle Unlimited. I am including the India store link below but it will be free on all Amazon stores across the globe. Hope you will read and share it with your friends and family.
The scene is of the Hastinapur’s royal court, where the Pandavas have lost everything in the infamous game of dice. Draupadi has been dragged into court, deshabille by her hair, to be humiliated and molested in full public view with the tacit consent of the venerated leaders of the kuru clan. What if Draupadi took matters into her own hands and redirected the course of the timeless classic, the Mahabharata? Would it have been better or worse?
Short on inspiration and high on distancing dare I believe we are still together 😛
Ergo – let us all go ego-less 😀
Too much gyan kya? Let’s see what I else I can find…
Did you do that? Not me – I was a very good girl!
Not me… at least not then. But have been in similar situations while going into the boss’ room 😀
Yes! I will admit to this – you?
Heheh
I have to confess, the cat is cuter! Moving on
Flexibility is key to survival.
Hmm I hope he didnt really die for then she would have had the last laugh – just kidding 😀
What’s your excuse? Mine is that it’s all those sweets I have been just drooling about 😉
Seriously!
Extremely seriously!!!!
So how many you identify with Aunty Acid? Oh that reminds of a joke where this guy was moaning to his friend, “I dont think my wife is ever going to die. She has nothing but clothes, she wouldnt be caught dead in.”
That’s all folks – have a great week and as usual none of this brilliant stuff is mine, I am just trying to keep the laughter going 🙂
On the occasion of this International Women’s Day, there’s free book for all of you! Draupadi’s Shame: The Mahabharata Reimagined, a short story (< 4000 words), is available for free download from the Amazon’s Kindle store only for today. Hurry! Download your copy now!
Below are the Amazon links to the ebook in countries from where there are maximum visitors to my blog. Others may search for the book in the Amazon Kindle store of your region to download it before the offer period runs out.
Hope you will be kind enough to share your thoughts. And share the message with your friends and family.
And by the way, you don’t need a Kindle device to read the eBook. When you click on the book link, it will take you to the Amazon page, click on the Buy Now (for 0.00 ₹, $, or £ or € or, oh well, you get the gist, right?) once you ‘purchase for free‘ it will be delivered to your kindle account. You can either read it in your Kindle cloud reader, or download the free Kindle app.
As promised, the ebook is now free! What? Are you still here? Go download your copy now, before the offer period runs out. Go on, it’s just a short story (< 4000 words)
Please visit the Amazon store in your region to avail the offer which is available for a limited period only.
Helloooo! How’s the New Year been treating you people? Stressful and worrying times for sure. And the fictional world is my go to place for escape. So here I am with a short story (< 4000 words) written for Amazon’s ebook contest, pentopublish4.
The scene is of the Hastinapur’s royal court, where the Pandavas have lost everything in the infamous game of dice. Draupadi has been dragged into court, deshabille by her hair, to be humiliated and molested in full public view with the tacit consent of the venerated leaders of the Kuru clan. What if Draupadi took matters into her own hands and redirected the course of the timeless classic, the Mahabharata?
If you would like to know, please visit the Amazon Kindle store of your region, where Draupadi’s Shame: The Mahabharata Reimaginedis available as an eBook only. I have scheduled the eBook to be available for free download for the 28th of February 2021. I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to download it and also read it! Perhaps also do your good deed of the day (and make my day!) by leaving a rating and a line or two conveying your thoughts and emotions on the story. Reader ratings and comments also contribute to the selection process.
Author: Mohua Malik |Genre:Short Stories |Pages: 264 |Publisher: Buuks
Breaking Free: A Novella & Other Stories is a collection of forty micro-fiction and short stories, portraying different aspects of life crafted from everyday happenings. Breaking Free dives into the depths of a patriarchal society that turns a blind eye to sexism that is all pervasive. A disillusioned and embittered protagonist meets a determined suitor. Can he accept her reality? Can she break free and come into her own?
Vacations are on everyone’s bucket list but they often don’t turn out quite as one expects. This theme is explored in a few shorts – Holidays! The Perfect Getaway, The Last Fling and The Vacation. Other shorts – The Murderer, Yesterday Once More, Of Men and Monsters, Brothers in Arms – explore the theme of love and betrayal, be it lovers, parents or siblings. My…
Life, as we knew it, changed forever in 2020 with millions suffering personal loss and suffering. Yet I, at least, have much to be grateful for and send out a big thank you to the Universe for being able to bid adieu to 2020 with equanimity. A quick look at the little lessons and happenings from a year that the entire world (including yours truly) is fed up of.
Be careful of what you ask for!
I began 2020 with resignation from my day job. Why? Well because I wanted to – work from home. Honest! I am not kidding. My request and resignation were both denied. You’ll never guess what happened soon afterwards! 😀
I have to confess, I enjoy WFH (just not the means I got my wish) and quite dread the thought of going back to traffic battles and regular office schedules. But then again, at home, there is no off office hours. And that’s another take home message – can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Shedding baggage
After decades of vacillating, I had just set in motion a workout plan and intermittent fasting schedule when lock down was imposed. With no distractions or excuses, in a first, I lost 5 kg. Close encounters with the coronavirus helped me lose another 2.5 kg which, I have since re-appropriated. I just hope I don’t catch the virus again for although the first one was a mild infection, the post-covid phase weakness, fatigue and muscle pain took over four months to resolve. Makes me wonder how the other survivors are faring – get well soon!
I broke free of the self-imposed shackles of anonymity and apprehensions of being a pretentious story teller and took the plunge. I self-published a collection of my short stories and despite misgivings and dropped the pseudonym too. I learned that I had needlessly worried the fall out of coming out as a fiction writer. Nobody even blinked! Ah well such is life.
I am grateful that despite everything, friends and family have bought the book (and waited endlessly for the paperback). I am particularly grateful to all those who took the pains to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads. I was very touched with their kindness and generosity, particularly from my little ones (when did they grow up so much!!!) and couldn’t help creating a little slideshow. Thank you for making me believe, keeping my spirits up and not regret breaking free.
Yep, that’s moi – Mohua aka Dahlia 😀 If you would also like to also see the face behind the ramblings click here
Que sera sera
As an indie author, there have been phases where I felt stuck and boxed in as I struggled to showcase Breaking Free and was met with high flying assurances but no action. It is interesting that the negative reinforcements were more powerful and overwhelming than the positive ones. But I have since made my peace with it and have no resentment, only gratefulness. Whatever will be, will be. As the Bhagwad Gita says, “You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of actions.” Released, I have found a new (well, actually the original) obsession – watch this space!
Predictions do come true!
According to ancient Maya predictions dated more than 2,200 years ago that the world, as we know it would end on December 21, 2012. According to this vision (and/or imaginings), there would be fires and floods, planetary collisions, extreme global warming and mass extinction, and explosions large and small. But, of course, the world didn’t end then, did it? Yet now, I can’t help think that perhaps that prediction did have some basis to it as the world as we know it has ended and there is now a buzz of the new normal. Besides, it was probably a miscalculation (or misinterpretation) of just 8 years. Interestingly, a friend accurately predicted I would break free this year, right down to the month!
Frippery apart, I am keenly aware and deeply grateful that I am among the blessed ones in these pandemic times with its uncountable deaths and immeasurable misery and suffering. For those who have suffered and lost, allow me to offer you my heartfelt condolences and hope that we all find peace and have a healthy 2021.
Here’s hoping for a happy, healthy, safe, enjoyable, productive and happening 2021 🙂
Hello! Hope you had a wonderful festive season 🙂 Although, it’s been less than a month since my book (ahem) was published, I thought of sharing the few early reviews. To be honest, nobody wants to read an unrated book. I am hoping these, albeit few, reviews, will help to nudge you in that direction.
A self-published author, especially so late in life, relies heavily on word of mouth to spread the word. So, if you have ever enjoyed reading my work, or just want to do a good deed, please do read Breaking Free: A Novella and Other Stories by Mohua Maulik (whom you know as Dahlia) and leave a review – even a single line or word with a rating would do! By the way the book is free on Kindle Unlimited (at least in India).
Stories and more 