Book Review - Young Blood

Book Name      - Young Blood

Author               - Chandrima Das

Publisher          - Harper Collins

Genre                 - Horror

Format              - Paperback

No. of pages    - 316

Amazon Link  -https://www.amazon.in/Young-Blood-Terrifying-College-Tales/dp/9354227538/

Blurb :

From strange sightings to urban legends, from haunted buildings to not-so-friendly ghosts, colleges in India have their fair share of spine-tingling tales, be it Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, St. Bede's College in Shimla or Delhi University. Young Blood is a collection of ten tales that reimagine college urban legends and true first-person accounts, that promises to terrify even die-hard fans of horror.

Why did I read this book :

I am a big fan of drama and fiction but I've never read horror. The blurb of this book seemed very interesting. Growing up, I've heard many horror stories about ghosts in various schools and colleges in India. The blurb intrigued me and I wanted to read the book.

My Review :

This is the first book that I've read by Chandrima Das and I must say that I quite like her writing. It is a collection of ten horror stories happened at some of the most prestigious colleges of India. Some of the stories did give an adrenaline rush and I was scared but in some ways it was fun to read. During one of my visits to Shimla, I had visited St. bede's College in the evening and it looked spooky to me at that time. While reading about the ghost story at that college I was remembering my visit to the college. The writing is very lucid and clear. The author has described the scenes in detail which helps the readers to imagine each scene as they read along. 

Another interesting thing which I liked about the book is that there are different characters, like friends, lovers, hostel wardens and college security and those abandoned eerie buildings.

All in all it was a gripping read and it is evident that Chandrima Das did a lot of research before writing the book.  I read the book in two days. It was unputdownable.  I enjoyed reading all the stories but my favourite were Pen for your thoughts and Who the Fuck is Alice?

I strongly recommend this book. It will definitely be a delight for everyone, even for those who do not like to read horror books. 

About the Author:

Chandrima has a B. Tech in Computer Science from NIT Durgapur and an MBA from IIM Calcutta, where she was awarded the Aditya Birla and OPJEMS scholarships. She was born in Shillong, brought up in Guwahati, and currently lives in Mumbai.

Chandrima Das tells stories that explore the no-man's-land between truth and fear. Her digital debut The Talking Dead (Kindle, Audible) was a bestseller in the horror category. Young Blood (HarperCollins India) is her debut short story collection in paperback. She is presently working on her first novel, a blend of horror and fantasy set in North-East India, with the SouthAsia Speaks mentorship program.

After a decade-long career in management consulting that spanned from Wall Street to rural Bihar, Chandrima began writing full-time in 2020. Her web-comics and articles have featured in Quartz, Alliance magazine, Scroll, India Development Review, and Open Democracy. Chandrima has performed at live storytelling events with Tall Tales and Kommune, and was published in The Best of Tall Tales (Rupa, 2018). 

Rating : 5/5

This book review is a part of  Blogchatter's book review program. - https://www.theblogchatter.com/user/book_review programe

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How to give access to education to the masses?

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As per Wikipedia, " Universal access to education is the ability of all people to have equal opportunity in education, regardless of their social  class, race, gender, sexuality, ethnic  background or physical and mental disabilities.

Education helps to eradicate poverty and give people a better chance to lead their lives.

Our Indian Constitution states The Right to Education for all but still there are lakhs of people who are uneducated. Most of the states in India offer free education till 12th standard but still there are many villages and remote areas where people remain uneducated. 

How to get access to education:

• Access means availability. In order to educate people, it is very important to ensure availability. This can be done by increasing capacity via investments in infrastructure and resources.
• More schools and colleges,more and better teachers, libraries and laboratories will certainly help in better access to education.
• There are many remote villages in India which do not have electricity. Providing electricity and internet facilities will be a step forward in access to education.
• Right to girl child to education. There are many parts of India which even today do not believe in educating the girl child. Volunteers need to be sent to areas villages where people still do not send their girls to school and those families need to be educated regarding the importance of education to girls.
• Wheel chair facilities should be provided for the physically disabled students.
• Basic sanitation facilities , like toilets should be in every school.
• Train teachers regularly to help them to educate students.
• Mid day meals was started by the Government a few years ago but it's not been implemented fully. If the Government makes it compulsory then this can also be one of the attractions for  parents to send their children to school.

One needs to understand that these are basic principles which every educational institution must ensure to provide. If our country achieves in providing access to education for all, it will benefit the country as a whole. There will be less crime rates, better overall health and civic involvement.

“This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter.”

#accesstoeducation #CauseAChatter #education 

Journaling and Mental Wellness

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I remember as a teenager, I bought a diary with a lock. I started penning down my feelings without being judged. It felt good to put all my thoughts on paper but I stopped using it after a few months.

Recently, I've started journaling again and am feeling all the benefits again.  In simple words, journaling means writing down your thoughts and feelings on a piece of paper. This helps in understanding your feelings clearly. If anyone struggles with depression or anxiety then journaling is a wonderful idea. 

Benefits of Journaling for Mental Health :

Reduces Stress :

One of the most significant advantage of journaling is that it helps to reduce stress. Writing on a piece of paper helps you to put down  your feelings clearly on  a piece of paper. No one can judge what we are writing. Sometimes writing gives a clarity to our thoughts and we are able to look at the same situation from a different perspective. 

Boost Mood :

All of us have days when we feel very low and depressed. Penning down what we feel will definitely brighten up our mood. Once we write about how we feel , we are definitely letting go of many sad emotions which will help us to feel better. It gives an opportunity of positive self talk and identifying negative thoughts and triggers. 

Reduces anxiety:

Journaling provides a great sense  of confidence and self identity. It gives a platform to an individual to express freely which reduces anxiety.It helps in clearing your mind and releasing pent up feelings. 

How To start Journaling:

You can start journaling now! 

1.  You only need a pen and a diary/notebook or you can have  digital journal on your phone or a laptop too. It's that simple.

2. Write in your journal everyday to get most benefits. It might take time in the beginning for what to write. But within a few days you will get a clarity of thoughts and you will be able to write effortlessly.

3. Set aside a particular time of the day when you are alone. For most benefits, try writing the first thing in the morning or the last thing before you go to sleep. 

4. Don't worry of any grammatical errors. Your journal is only for you. 

5. Get creative. Draw pictures or write a poem whatever makes you feel good. 

6. Express whatever is on your mind. It doesn't have to be good all the time. If you are feeling sad or angry, write about it. Express your emotions on paper. Write what is bothering you.

7. Release all the negative emotions in your journal, like anger, sadness, frustration, irritation. 

8. Write in a place which is relaxing and soothing. Take a cup of tea or coffee. Try to relax when you write.

Happy Journaling !

This article is a part of Blogchatter's cause a chatter

#mentalhealth #causeachatter #journal