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Shweta Brijpuria

~ Author of Dark White

Shweta Brijpuria

Monthly Archives: September 2014

Adding ‘’Author’’ before my name.

26 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by shwetabrijpuria in author, book, book reading, growth, novel, Uncategorized, work, Writing

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The biggest challenge to become an author is the first step, which no one can take for you. It is a decision you must make on your own.

I knew I had the passion to write and I wanted to become an Author and in 2012, I finally took the first step by quitting my job. After all, if you want to become something you have to try.

People and Reactions

There were a few skeptics who thought taking a sabbatical from a promising career was crazy but thankful my immediate family and close friends were extremely supportive.

Today, by God’s grace and well wishes of my dear ones I am able to manage both – a career as an author and a brand manager.

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 The biggest challenge to become an Author

My biggest challenge was convincing myself to take that first step, which transformed a brand manager and an introvert poet into an author capable of telling a captivating and dramatic tale. I learnt that to succeed, you have to be positive and believe in yourself because aspirations are WHITE, deep within the heart, but the path is difficult and often very DARK.

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The Book: Which was the most difficult to develop – plot or characters?

I had many ideas for my first storyline. Narrowing down to one plot was difficult. Once you are convinced of the plot, the characters fall in place.

The Title

Life is full of shade. Every person has aspirations. Aspirations are positive, constructive and very WHITE. The path to achieve aspirations is often difficult, full of sacrifices, compromises and very DARK. My book is a study of the shades of life and hence titled DARK WHITE.

The Cover

The cover is a black and white rendition of a pair of feet treading on a perilous path. This simple yet meaningful image was chosen to showcase the difficulties one faces to achieve their goals.

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What will a reader experience when he buys this book?

The book is about facets, the different sides of people – Dark and White. It will open your eyes, change your perspective and show you how even good friends change when chasing aspirations as the Dark has a lighter side while White has a dark side.

Advice to budding Authors

Believe in yourself.

 

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A Modern Woman

19 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by shwetabrijpuria in change, country, education, freedom, growth, India, life, mother, society, Uncategorized, women, women empowerment, work, Writing

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The fastest way to change a society is to mobilize the women of the world. ~ Charles Malik

The role of women in society is constantly changing. Each generation changes the next through their words, deeds, actions and inactions. 100 years ago it wasn’t acceptable for a woman to be anything but a daughter, wife and mother. Educating girls was often an afterthought. We lived in a male dominated society until one generation of women dared to dream. They learnt, they taught, they passed on their ideals and the next generation, grew up believing in equality. Each generation of educated woman since has slowly transformed our world to create today’s modern woman.

A great example of this change exists within my own family – my mother andmy sister.

My mother is a simple housewife. She lived her life through us – her children. Our achievements and successes were hers. Our failures and criticisms were hers. She loved us and encouraged us but her life was restricted to home and hearth. She wasn’t raised to want or dream of more.

My sister – studied hard, got married, had a child, took a break from work to see him through his infancy and then she plunged back into the corporate world knowing she had more, gifts and skills, to offer. She is not only a daughter, a wife and a mother but also a valued member of the work force. Her world expands beyond the four walls of her home.

One family, two generations, two very different lives. We are who we are because she ‘our mother’ encouraged us to dream.

I am a modern woman of today. I didn’t have to fight to be educated. I am surrounded by strong, independent women, who do not let gender define ‘who they are’. This positive environment makes it difficult to connect to the concept of women empowerment. Then you turn around and are confronted by instances of inequality, of chauvinism that still exists in many segments of society and realize the need for empowerment.

I do not believe, however, that empowering women is enough. We need to work for society to truly to change, to create a world where a daughter is no less valued than a son or a world where ‘rape’ does not exist. I believe we have reached a stage wherein enlightenment is as important as empowerment; for only when each and every individual believes in equality will equality prevail.

woman-EMPOWERMENT

We as woman have the power. We are the ones that shape the future by educating our children.  An enlightened woman raises a progressive child who ensures that our society continues to develop in the right direction.

Come let us become the change, we wish to see.

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Ghar Ka Khana

12 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by shwetabrijpuria in India, life, love, mother, Uncategorized, Writing

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Missing your parents, their love and concern when you move out of home is expected. You are aware you will be homesick and you brace yourself for those days, knowing nothing can eliminate the homesickness but a call or two will help.

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What you do not expect to miss are the little comforts of home such as ‘maa ke haath ka khana’. After all, part of the adventure and the pleasure of living away from home is the opportunity to eat out at restaurants like Dominos and KFC. The first few days or even the first few weeks, you enjoy exploring new cuisines but then, longing sets in for a home cooked meal. You begin dreaming of the meals your mother prepared.

If you are lucky and you know how to cook, you can satisfy your cravings. It might not be as good as the food your mother cooks but it will diminish the desire for a home cooked meal. If not, start crying because the craving for ‘ghar ka khana’ never stops.

So, if you are planning on moving out of your parent’s home – khana banana seekh lo warna akele rahoge tobhookha rehena padega.

It’s funny; my father was determined not to face the embarrassment of a daughter who couldn’t cook because my mother couldn’t cook when they got married. So, soon as I was old enough, I learnt how to chop onions and tomatoes and boil rice. Unfortunately, even today, the extent of my cooking skills remains at great knife skills. I can also make an excellent cup of coffee, which I only make if I want brownie points and compliments. My poor father 😦

My mother, on the other hand, went from having no cooking skills to being an excellent cook, whose rajma chawal and gaaram ghee rotis are famous in our family. She also makes delicious ‘upma’ that I often wake up dreaming about. In fact, my ghar ka khana deprivation sometimes gets so intense that I rather skip a meeting than lose the chance to eat ghar ka khana from my colleague’s lunch boxes. Despite the fact that I am lucky to have a very caring aunt who sends me home cooked meals, regularly.

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Most days, however, I eat a lot of take out – the result of these bad eating habits was ill-health and doing rounds of doctors. Here are their words of knowledge and caution, they bestowed upon me and I pass on to you:

Our body is 75% water and we need to drink 3 liters of water every day.

A balanced diet consists of 4 meals – breakfast, lunch, evening snack and dinner.

Breakfast is the heaviest meal and dinner the lightest. Breakfast is the heaviest because it is the first meal after an 8 hour fast. Lunch should contain all the essentials – rice, dal, vegetable, salad, curd, roti and sweet that the body needs to function.

We should avoid butter because our food traditionally contains a lot of oil and ghee. We really don’t need more fat in our diet.

A little exercise goes a long way to maintaining good health.

Ghar ke khana is saade but is much healthier than meals from restaurants. An uncomplicated diet leads to a healthier life.

So, if you are planning on moving out of your parent’s home and you wish to stay healthy – ‘khana banana seekh lo’.

Enthusiasm is Infectious

05 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by shwetabrijpuria in growth, life, Uncategorized, work, Writing

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Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.

~ Winston Churchill
Our attitude in life can take us far or get us nowhere fast. Unfortunately, this is not a concept that everyone understands. I seen and heard stories of work places that have been ruined or have been transformed positively based on employee and senior management attitudes.

Sounds like new age propaganda?

It isn’t!

As an employee or a manager, you should always be aware that your attitude is sending messages through the work force. These messages are capable of boosting moral or destroying the work environment.

Here are few examples, which opened my eyes to the importance of attitude:

Ritesh worked in the account department and was an excellent time manager but he was a bone of contention between the Account Head and his immediate supervisor.

 “How could he perform when half the time he is not at his desk? argued the Accounts Head.

“Sir, Ritesh deserves a good appraisal. He has achieved all the targets, I find no reason to complain if he still manages to find time for leisure,” replied Ritesh’s boss.

“Ritesh is affecting the company’s work culture. Not everybody is capable of understanding your argument,” said the Accounts Head and dismissed the matter.’

With this a capable employee was deprived of his deserving appraisal and the company lost one of its performing employees.

Time Management plays a big role in increasing productivity at work but as an employer it is not an easy to manage productivity versus perception. An employee not at his desk implies a lack of productivity even if the end results indicate differently. Unfortunately, the exceptions to the rule such as Ritesh demand close scrutiny as his overall conduct can affect mindset of the masses.

Ritesh might have been an ideal time manager but he ended up creating a bad example amongst his colleagues. The lesson – ‘Even if work can be done in one day, take three days to complete so that expectation reduces.’

Ritesh was the exception to the rule. Typically, employees or employee management styles can be divided into 3 categories – Performance, Productivity and Incentive Based.

The first category is based on employee performance.

For example, Pooja

Pooja used to stay in office after hours since her husband picked her up on his way back from work. Due to this behavior, people assumed that she worked hard and she encouraged the thought.

Pooja was an average performer but an excellent pretender. Her mistakes were often covered by blaming other employees who left on time. However, to the senior staff, she was the most deserving employee, who sat late to complete her work. They hoped to encourage other employees to take work as seriously as her.

Instead it spread a negative message among the employees – ‘Performance equals to number of hours spent at the offices.’

The next category recognizes potential which in turn reaps productivity and loyalty.

Such as, Karan

Karan was not a not an expert SAP professional, he was only skilled with the JD Edward software, but instead of rejecting this potential candidate he was absorbed and trained.

Karan’s job was dependent on the number of sales orders per day. The work structure demanded extra effort during the first ten days and the last five days of the month. His performance during this time slot proved his efficiency.

“When you know the work cycle, it is important to allow employees to relax and prepare themselves mentally for the peak pressure days,” said the employer. It spread a positive message amongst employees.

The message ‘We appreciate potential and productivity.’ It also had the bonus effect of developing a deeper loyalty between the employee, his work and the company.

The next category offers incentives to performing employees in order to generate results.

For example, a Managing Director gave his team a huge sales target while offering tempting incentives to performers. The targets were achieved but under the influence of wrong-selling practice which ultimately affected the reputation of the company.

The lesson – ‘Blind delegation is dangerous’. Achieving results irrespective of how the results are attained often leads to shortcuts and malpractices, if proper guidance or guidelines are not provided.

Lastly, there was Karishma.

Karishma was a receptionist and one of the oldest employees in the company. She was famous for bitching amongst her colleagues until the day the HR head learnt of her skill and he invited her for a cup of coffee.

No he didn’t yell at her or fire her.

He simply gave her a new assignment – ‘assist the HR executive on assessing the staff conduct in office on the basis of their positive and negative behavioral aspects’. A lesson was taught without a single word being spoken.

The lesson – ‘It’s important to influx positive energy in a work environment to get maximum output from the resource.’ Simply put, if you inject positively, you will create a more positive, a happier work environment because enthusiasm is infectious.

 

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