THE INDIAN COMMENTATOR

  Courtesy: Adoration of the Shepherds by Dutch painter  Matthias Stomer , 1632 He was wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger. This is what the Gospels say about the birth scene of Jesus Christ. “ The word “manger” comes from the Latin word manducare which means “to eat.” A manger or crib is a wooden or stone feeding trough or food box that holds hay for larger farm animals like cattle, horses, and donkeys. ” The food box used by the Jews during the first century AD was made of stone. “ The stone trough was a manger. Of course, it wasn’t made of wood. Wood was precious and expensive in an arid land where few trees grew straight and tall. That’s why the legendary cedars of Lebanon were so prized. There weren’t many trees, but there was plenty of rock. ” Not a comfortable place for the King of the Jews.  The newborn was a special child, yet the only place they could find was this stone manger. It was rough, it was meant for animals to eat from. Just imagine the thoughts...

  Wow! This was a fascinating first-time live session from the Writers' Kalam family.  Special thanks to @_neharora12 and @ankush.bharti11 for being part of this live session. You guys are awesome! I'd also like to thank all our #Instagram family for encouraging us and for giving us that motivation! You are awesome!!! Here are a few lessons that we learnt in this live session!  I hope this will be useful for anyone trying to use Instagram live for success in their ventures.  1. We learned that we should announce the live sessions beforehand using a poster for a video message. 2. We understood that there is a growing demand among the young generation of India for Authentic, Brief yet Clear information that is the motto of The Holistic Pine - authenticity brevity and clarity.  3. We realised that we should keep the time of the live sessions limited so that we can work on the next issue of our journal and also on the many projects of writerskalam.com ! The demand ...

When you are the owner of a sole proprietorship even Sundays are no off days. you have to work hard to make your visions a reality. Of course, it is important to have a vision. When writers Kalam was starting I had a vision of Helping India Write.  My friends, who took part in this journey along with me also realised the importance of the vision. Many people are crippled by the fact that they do not have control over their written language. When you do not know how to write properly or how to write efficiently you could be losing out on many opportunities. It is the mission of WritersKalam.com to go into schools, colleges, and other educational institutions to help students and teachers find a balance between their language and writing skills. With this purpose in mind, we started a journal, the first independent online journal in India, The Holistic Pine. When I see the massive reception the journal is receiving I feel proud about the decision of starting this journal. The Januar...

Dear readers and friends, On this mid-October day, I sat down to do what I love more than a lot of other things in life-writing. Although what I was penning down presently was “just” a sales copy, I still enjoyed the music of keys being pressed following the strings of thought in my head. I felt like I was back in an old art gallery where every painting was once familiar in all its beautiful subtlety. Sorry, I just had the realization that this was not how a sales copy should begin. So here is the truth: I have lost some of the techniques of my craft to time. Unused, every craft, every tool, and every intellectual muscle would wear away, sag, and finally rot. It was too painful to acknowledge the fact that I had lost some of my skills to time. That meant I was ageing. It wouldn’t do if I stood where I was. So I decided to move on. Here goes, dragging his feet, a new man with his old soul in a gunny sack on his shoulders. Pain, everywhere I see pain. A hurt ego aches m...

Tomorrow, on 8 March and day after, on 9 March my new book, Those Tales Called Blue will be available for readers across the world for free download from Amazon. The eBook is presently available in Kindle format as well as print. Follow the link for a FREE Kindle EBook. http://amzn.to/2G5BmJ6 Please leave a review once you read the book.  The eBook revolution caught on as the prices of eBooks dropped to an unimaginably low point. Those Tales Called Blue is available in print format at a price that is almost that of a kindle eBook. Check it out here: http://a.co/iv3awcx Yours lovingly, Anu Lal         Review from Amazon "The stories of Anu Lal remind me of Jorge Luis Borges," Prof. C. Tharanathan Author, Literary Critic, Thinker. "Anu Lal's stories have the breath of ancient storytellers, the wisdom of old days, and the immediacy of our contemporary age. The intricacies of the human nature are delicatel...

Things have not been the same for me ever since my 34th birthday. On my 34th birthday, my wife, Dhanya gifted me with 34 books. Thirty-four print books, a backpack, and a brand new smartphone with facilities one could only imagine in a sci-fi story. Today, on 4 February 2018, I must acknowledge how differently my life has changed. Although I cannot bring my complete feelings into words, I could at least node my head at the change of scenario. It’s difficult sometimes, to give words to deepest thoughts. That was one of the reasons why I always shied away from reviewing author Paulo Coelho’s books; also Richard Back, Brian Weiss, and many others. I could not bring myself to the point where I could talk about these people’s works objectively. There was not even the case of subjective bias. I was just spellbound after reading these authors. Same is the case with that wonderful moment when Dhanya gave a big box weighing a ton. I remember myself thinking how would I be able to expre...

I am reflecting on the woman. I am inspired by the celebratory nature of 8 March. I do not want to argue if only one day should be celebrated as Women’s Day. I am not even sure if it should be “woman’s day” or “women’s day”. I feel petrified at the responsibility of speaking something about women. However, I must speak. I am a writer. The world listens to me. It wants me to speak. That is why the world gave me the attribute and the honour of the writer. Author Anu Lal is not an individual. He is the personification of the archetype of the seer . I am not humbled by this thought. Neither am I honoured. Instead, I am in fear. I do not think I can speak in depth about the conceptual side of a woman. From what I read at the University, every word I utter about the woman and the feminine would be used against me. I am not afraid of being criticised. On the other hand, I find it mortifying to be the cause of any damage to the women I love. I cannot think of hurting...

Today, I was fortunate enough to share a stage with these legends: Prof. Tharanathan sir, Prof. Abdulla, Sri. PV Gangadharan sir, and Mrs. Linu. M K, and give a talk on blogging and writing. The best part was when Prof. Tharanathan sir introduced me. He said that my stories remind him of the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. I was sitting with the others on stage and my eyes were full, overwhelmed. At the end of my talk, I took the time to thank him and tell the whole gathering how I felt about his wonderful comment on my book Prabuddha .    The ambiance of the hall was phenomenal with academic exuberance and energy. What bowled me over was the enthusiasm the students showed from the very beginning. They were all ears. Every word was nodded at and discussed among them. I believe, these are the moments that pay off every effort you make as a teacher. It makes you think about sticking around a few more years, doing the same job. I am very impressed by the participat...

I never really enjoyed reading Hemingway, forgive me guys for I have erred. I dislike the dry dialogue sessions when he, the author could easily have told me what the characters said and took me to the real fun, the journey into the depth of their psyche, rather than leaving the whole trip to the reader’s whim. The point is not that everyone has the right to read a story and take the journey into a character’s psyche in one’s own terms but it is the difficulty involved in convincing the reader of doing so. Perhaps, it was OK with Hemingway, not with me. I mean, the reader’s right to interpret a story in whatever way one wants it, will remain unquestioned until the reader chooses to be otherwise. The times that I live in, demand a different narrative sensibility. One that is short, fast, and to the point. People have no time for subtle analogies. I don’t know if I achieved that in my latest short story; saying is one thing, doing another. I would like to get your feedba...

Read the poem that I wrote for my recently published anthology: "I write these words, my dear, for the time when wordless passion overrules the days of our togetherness. Saving what I wished I could tell you in detail in the pages of my memories. I write these words, my dear, for the days that make our tomorrow, so no one forgets what it was like to have met you and felt the need for you. I write these words, my dear, for those who wander in search of love; to tell them what they seek is in the depths of the bottomless ocean in the eyes of the beloved. I write these words, my dear, of the gift you are, my love. " Buy: Better Than All Happy Ever Afters