Skip to main content

A few blogs that caught my attention


Reviewing another person’s writing is not an easy job especially in a society that promotes the mutual back-scratching policy.  That’s perhaps the reason why the latest Indispire theme [#BlogReview] has not got any takers so far with a singular exception (until this post is being written). I wonder why the theme got the most votes if Indibloggers didn’t want to review blogs.  The answer may lie in the writer’s subconscious longing for adulation from others.  Every writer is a thoroughgoing egoist as George Orwell said.  I’m no exception. However, I have to write this since I’m the one who suggested the Indispire theme.  If I let down my own suggestion, I wouldn’t be egoistic enough to be a writer!

Rajesh Prabhu’s blog carries the charm of India through delightful photographs.  What’s best about the blog is that it is diametrically opposed to mine: it is full of beauty and optimism, elegance and grace.  Rajesh helps me bounce back from the cynicism that overtakes me against my will.  He adds necessary description to the pictures too.

Some of the best photo blogs are:
Indrani Ghose’s Isharethese
Rupam Sharma’s blog

Vinay Nagaraju does with words what Rajesh does with pics.  His inspiring blog is a well-deserved cynosure at Indiblogger because of the sprightliness it carries unfailingly.

Similarly inspiring bloggers:
Sreedhar Bhattaram’s Reflections on Life are sustained by maturity of vision and experience. 

 Vish’s Wisdom Times: Very practical and useful tips on happy living.  The blog site also provides a free e-book of such tips and counsels.

Shweta’s Sunshine and Zephyr lives up to what the title promises.  It’s the sunshine of passions and the zephyr of sensitivity that she carries. 

For books and authors:

Shreesha Divakaran’s Rain and a Book

Archana Singh: the only problem with this blog is that it bombards you with pop-ups.


The best of poetry:

Amit Agarwal’s crisp poems.  I’m sorry that my knowledge of Hindi is insufficient to appreciate the depth of his terse verse.  But he hits the bull’s eye.  Minimum words, maximum effect.

Saru Singhal’s Words.  Saru possesses a unique skill with words.  Her poems carry the elegance of rhythm and the poignancy of drama.

Maniparna Sengupta’s Scattered Thoughts


Two versatile bloggers who are notable for their commitment to blogging:

Shrinidhi Hande is a voluminous blogger who deals mainly with vehicles and travel.

Leena Walawalkar’s Blah-blah which is much more than what it claims to be. It deals with everything from the movies to festivals, politics to travel, and anything under the sun.

Let me also welcome back Kokila Gupta with her haikus and other verses of sunshine and blue clouds.

And there’s one whom I miss these days.  Hope she will be back soon.  And that’s Roohi Bhatnagar who was a source of inspiration for me in more ways than she might understand.

This is by no means an exhaustive list.  It is impossible to make any such list.  Every selection like this is determined by various factors some of which are related to personal likes. 



Comments

  1. Good Morning. Fantastic. Most of the blogs , you have reviewed are my favorites.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's a really good list to look upon Mr. Matheikal :) I too follow, most among the listed ones, there are a few left and am going to have a look in their zone of blogging. We connect so much on the selective reading part and I am glad to know that. It's hard to find people falling into almost similar taste. Thanks a lot for the prep. :)
    http://www.crimsonapril.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I feel honoured to be in your esteemed list, Tom sir:) Thank you:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. So humbled Sir to be in your list !! Thank you in Tons for the mention as well as the Welcome :) It IS wonderful to be back :) :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Even I was taken aback by the absence of any posts until yesterday. But I thought people were working on their posts and that it takes time to review a blog. In my own view, to review a blog requires much concentration and since I had been busy for the past three days, I was unable to post anything for the prompt. The way you have put up the list of blogs that you have admired is good though, as you have been able to highlight your likes for the specific blog. I guess I will attempt it on similar lines. You have mentioned many bloggers that I like too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you so much sir...I feel really nice and humbled to be a part of the list... Also motivated to do better :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Though it is you who is a source of inspiration to me, still thank you for including me in the list. I am not sure if I really deserve this place among all these wonderful bloggers whom I too admire. Regarding my absence, umm can't say much right now except that I am going through an important phase in this life once again which is keeping me in a kind of trance. Hope to bounce back again soon with renewed energy and vigor. Till then I am trying to keep my blog alive through contests and assignments! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I follow all the other bloggers you've mentioned here, and they are wonderful in every way. Glad to find myself in the list....honoured and humbled...
    Thank you so much.. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you for the post and listing a good collection of blog. I have been following mos of them, all are brilliant and informative. Also, thanks for including my blog there.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I realized I am not following any of these bloggers in this list. So have added them to my feed list :) Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  12. That is a thorough list and most of them are my favorites too. A great list of favorites :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow! I find myself here!
    A great honor from you Sir!
    Thank you very much! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks Matheikal for honoring me by appreciating my Blog as inspiring.. I love the good Comment!

    ReplyDelete
  15. You are right about the mutual admiration society. I wrote about it twice, sadly without any effect. I read majority of blogs you've mentioned here. And, I agree with your observation. Thank you so much for the mention, coming from you it means a lot Sir.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I like your intro, blunt and straightforward as always :)
    If I find myself mentioned by a writer such as yourself, it just gives me the confidence that I must be doing something right!
    Truly honoured Sir.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Have been through many of these Blogs & appreciate their effort. Yet to visit some in your list :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks for the list. Some of them I already follow. Others, I will check out.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you so much for including Rain and a Book :) I am honored!

    ReplyDelete
  20. This article is really fantastic and thanks for sharing the valuable post.
    Trollface Quest 2|Dr Driving|Square Quick

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ayodhya: Kingdom of Sorrows

T he Sarayu carried more tears than water. Ayodhya was a sad kingdom. Dasaratha was a good king. He upheld dharma – justice and morality – as best as he could. The citizens were apparently happy. Then, one day, it all changed. One person is enough to change the destiny of a whole kingdom. Who was that one person? Some say it was Kaikeyi, one of the three official wives of Dasaratha. Some others say it was Manthara, Kaikeyi’s chief maid. Manthara was a hunchback. She was the caretaker of Kaikeyi right from the latter’s childhood; foster mother, so to say, because Kaikeyi had no mother. The absence of maternal influence can distort a girl child’s personality. With a foster mother like Manthara, the distortion can be really bad. Manthara was cunning, selfish, and morally ambiguous. A severe physical deformity can make one worse than all that. Manthara was as devious and manipulative as a woman could be in a men’s world. Add to that all the jealousy and ambition that insecure peo...

Abdullah’s Religion

O Abdulla Renowned Malayalam movie actor Mohanlal recently offered special prayers for Mammootty, another equally renowned actor of Kerala. The ritual was performed at Sabarimala temple, one of the supreme Hindu pilgrimage centres in Kerala. No one in Kerala found anything wrong in Mohanlal, a Hindu, praying for Mammootty, a Muslim, to a Hindu deity. Malayalis were concerned about Mammootty’s wellbeing and were relieved to know that the actor wasn’t suffering from anything as serious as it appeared. Except O Abdulla. Who is this Abdulla? I had never heard of him until he created an unsavoury controversy about a Hindu praying for a Muslim. This man’s Facebook profile describes him as: “Former Professor Islahiaya, Media Critic, Ex-Interpreter of Indian Ambassador, Founder Member MADHYAMAM.” He has 108K followers on FB. As I was reading Malayalam weekly this morning, I came to know that this Abdulla is a former member of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Kerala , a fundamentalist organisation. ...

Lucifer and some reflections

Let me start with a disclaimer: this is not a review of the Malayalam movie, Lucifer . These are some thoughts that came to my mind as I watched the movie today. However, just to give an idea about the movie: it’s a good entertainer with an engaging plot, Bollywood style settings, superman type violence in which the hero decimates the villains with pomp and show, and a spicy dance that is neatly tucked into the terribly orgasmic climax of the plot. The theme is highly relevant and that is what engaged me more. The role of certain mafia gangs in political governance is a theme that deserves to be examined in a good movie. In the movie, the mafia-politician nexus is busted and, like in our great myths, virtue triumphs over vice. Such a triumph is an artistic requirement. Real life, however, follows the principle of entropy: chaos flourishes with vengeance. Lucifer is the real winner in real life. The title of the movie as well as a final dialogue from the eponymous hero sugg...

Empuraan and Ramayana

Maggie and I will be watching the Malayalam movie Empuraan tomorrow. The tickets are booked. The movie has created a lot of controversy in Kerala and the director has decided to impose no less than 17 censors on it himself. I want to watch it before the jingoistic scissors find its way to the movie. It is surprising that the people of Kerala took such exception to this movie when the same people had no problem with the utterly malicious and mendacious movie The Kerala Story (2023). [My post on that movie, which I didn’t watch, is here .] Empuraan is based partly on the Gujarat riots of 2002. The riots were real and the BJP’s role in it (Mr Modi’s, in fact) is well-known. So, Empuraan isn’t giving the audience any falsehood as The Kerala Story did. Moreover, The Kerala Story maligned the people of Kerala while Empuraan is about something that happened in the faraway Gujarat quite long ago. Why are the people of Kerala then upset with Empuraan ? Because it tells the truth, M...

Empuraan – Review

Revenge is an ancient theme in human narratives. Give a moral rationale for the revenge and make the antagonist look monstrously evil, then you have the material for a good work of art. Add to that some spices from contemporary politics and the recipe is quite right for a hit movie. This is what you get in the Malayalam movie, Empuraan , which is running full houses now despite the trenchant opposition to it from the emergent Hindutva forces in the state. First of all, I fail to understand why so much brouhaha was hollered by the Hindutvans [let me coin that word for sheer convenience] who managed to get some 3 minutes censored from the 3-hour movie. The movie doesn’t make any explicit mention of any of the existing Hindutva political parties or other organisations. On the other hand, Allahu Akbar is shouted menacingly by Islamic terrorists, albeit towards the end. True, the movie begins with an implicit reference to what happened in Gujarat in 2002 after the Godhra train burnin...