First trip to Mumbai from Vadodara by road

 Start around 9.30 am from home. 45 minutes later, near Karjan, a biker veers into our lane, we brake, hit the bike, bike in splits, biker on the road, traffic halts. Our car's smashed and I still can't get over the fact that the biker walked, unscathed. Toddler wonders why car is not moving. He has never heard the word accident, until this moment. Mob gathers but dissipates after news of a huge explosion in Vadodara trickles in. We wait for another car, while the toddler runs to the swings in a foodcourt. A dosa brekkie, a late lunch at Burger King in Valsad and Christmas Eve traffic jams from Dahisar to Powai, it has been an 11-hour journey to home after 2 years. The toddler squeals with excitement when he sees his Dida 😘

60 Years of the Liberation of Goa from the Portuguese after 451 years of colonial rule

It's Christmas around the corner and as tourists make a beeline to Goa for some susegad, let's not forget the freedom struggle that makes it possible. When we think of freedom struggle in India, we almost only think of the freedom movement against the British. Gandhi, Sardar, Netaji, Nehru, Bhagat Singh, Savarkar, etc, are our heroes but we have scarcely heard of those Goans who fought against 451-years of Portuguese rule in Goa. Today's Goa Liberation Day, it's 60th year of Independence. This year, I launched a fiction series called The Goa Saga which showcased different aspects of Goa and some of the conflicts in the state - the struggle to emerge from its colonial past, the influx of north Indians and migrants from other states as labourers, tourists and settlers and how it's changing the socio-cultural fabric of the state, the role of the Church, environmental degradation because of mining, drugs and human trafficking, foreigner-run establishments, etc. The idea was to look beyond beaches, beers and babes into a culture that is so diverse and multi-ethnic. For me, Goa's less about the beaches, more about the river, the Mandovi,  that needs to be cherished, protected and loved. People (including publishers) asked me, why Goa? Why not? Why did I write the books? Well, to live in the place I love when I couldn't be there because of the pandemic. I write for many reasons. The Goa Saga opened my doors to many authors, historians, freedom fighters, Portuguese colonialists from Goa and Lisbon after it was published. While promoting my books at The Goa Book Club, I discovered writings on the much feared Agente Casimiro Monteiro who carried out state-sanctioned assassinations in Portugal, Mozambique and Goa. That's the thing about writing and reading books. They open doors to worlds and people you never knew existed. 

#goaliberationday #thegoasaga #goa #booksongoa #portuguese

http://www.amazon.com/The-Goa-Saga-3-book-series/dp/B09H7S82P5?ref=dbs_m_mng_awm_0000_ext

More praise for The Goa Saga

The Write Creed E35: Eisha reads out the rhyme How to Hug a Cloud by Jacqueline Vollat

While browsing through an Indie author forum on Facebook, Eisha finds Cincinnati-based Jacqueline Vollat's post about her children's book, How to Hug a Cloud, which is available for free on Kindle that day. Who doesn't like a freebie? She downloads it and reads the 36-pages from cover to cover, illustrated beautifully by Noor Alshalabi, a freelance illustrator based in Jordan (https://www.noorillustrates.com/). Will the dreamy rhyme about chasing a cloud and not giving up work for her almost-four-year-old toddler?

#jacquelinevollat #childrensbook #selfpublishing #kindlebooks #nooralshalabi #illustrator #jordan #cincinnati #cloudycastlebooks #indieauthors #indiepublishing #podcast #books #thewritecreed #rhymesfortoddlers #agesfourtoeight #rhyme

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3DaXOJP1YMG5BDIb0U6KFz?si=ZGtta0KsQPW1kc0RWm71gA&utm_source=copy-link

Knight

The Write Creed E34: Eisha talks about Spammers, Scammers and Cyberbullies

Eisha religiously empties her Spam and cleans her Inbox to reduce load on the servers. It's one of the tiny things you can do for the environment and save power, she says. Before she hits "Empty Spam Now", she glances through the subject lines, some humourous, some not. From eggplant emojis in mails about penis-elongation to Russian women trying to sell her sex, to lottery and casino wins to blocked PR to hate mail from people she knew or didn't know, she finds them all. Then she talks about the spammers and scammers in Facebook writers' and podcasting groups and cyberbullies who can or cannot be blocked and how she deals with them. Amusing and informative, this episode of The Write Creed is dedicated to the pages of mails we never read or want to ever read.

#thewritecreed #spam #junkmail #inbox #gmail #mailaccounts #spammail #scammers #spammers #facebook #podcasting #writing #sex #lottery #casino #hatemail #cyberbullies #trolls #bots #selfpublishing #ebooks #publishingscams #traditionalpublishing #digitalbooks #thegoasaga #books #writersforum #betareaders #eggplantemojis #spambots #bots #phishing #fraud

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3WclIFhi04nChFOQ3n6YIV?si=hjO0k9lwTs6nNFiOamTZRQ&utm_source=copy-link

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/ZTBkNjkyOTctNjk5Zi00ZjcxLThjNDItNTJhNTU1ZmM1MjA5?ep=14

My talk about The Goa Saga, The Write Creed, storytelling and human rights at FJC

A 40-minute session about #thegoasaga books, #thewritecreed podcast and human rights turned into a 1.5 hour talk at Faculty of Journalism and Communication (#fjc) at #msuniversity weaving in personal stories, human interest stories and fiction on the occasion of Human Rights Day. Answered questions in English to journalists from Gujarati and Hindi media because I realised that's the language I am most comfortable with while talking about my talk. Discussions about writing, ideas, chapterization and podcasting with my former students and faculty members followed for another hour. Exchanged notes with a teacher who has just published a book of short stories in Gujarati about partner-publishing and self-publishing. 3.5 hours, one cup of coffee, a sip of water and lots of catching up. Tiring, yes, but if you have a passion for writing and telling stories, this is what makes it worth your time.

https://gujarati.news18.com/news/madhya-gujarat/vadodara-exhibition-of-infographic-posters-was-organized-by-journalism-students-on-the-occasion-of-international-kb-local18-1159573.html

The Write Creed E33: Eisha reads out a chapter from Mad & Moonly (Book 3 of The Goa Saga)

In this episode of The Write Creed, Eisha reads out a chapter from Mad & Moonly, the third and final book of her new romantic thriller series, The Goa Saga.

James, Aeram and Saysha are lying on the bed. Aeram recalls the time Danny belted him in the room and James gave him a hiding. He tells James that he loves him more than anyone in the world and he will take Oleg down. Only he can, because Oleg and Svetlana like him. Why?

Mad & Moonly is available on Kindle, Amazon, Notion Press and Flipkart

#thegoasaga #authorreads #readings #madandmoonly #booksongoa #contemporaryfiction #romanticthriller #russian #russiansingoa #miningingoa #podcast #thewritecreed #author #eishasarkar #spotify #googlepodcasts #audible #amazonmusic #applepodcasts #goa #goatourism #youngadults #fiction #childabuse #mentalhealth #trauma

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0QQMhS3HiEpOZ6iYgXmPnf?si=_c1JGjm6TZC_vJCyoCkd3w&utm_source=copy-link

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/NDZhOTVmNDQtMzQ3Ni00MTE2LWFiMTktYmJmNDJlYWFhY2I5?ep=14

The Write Creed E32: Eisha reviews Earthy Sapo's Reetha shampoo bar and its usage manual

In her bid to reduce the number of plastic bottles in the bathroom, Eisha has ordered a couple of Earthy Sapo's Reetha Shampoo bars on Amazon. This is a product review after her first use. You might wonder why Eisha's reviewing a vegan shampoo bar on The Write Creed podcast. Well, it comes with a lot of literature, that's why. There are instructions on the brown box, an instruction manual about how to use the Earthy Sapo Reetha Shampoo Bar, another instruction manual about how to store or care for Earthy Sapo's soaps, another set about how to convert the soap bars into liquid and then, a couple of notes from the founder,  Sheetal, about how you tailor your expectations to get the maximum benefits from the product. Eisha reads them all out. Enjoy this one.

#earthysapo #shampoobars #ayurveda #ayurvedicproducts #reetha #coconutmilk #aloevera #bhringraj #rosemary #amla #hibiscus #methi #brahmi #shampoos #ecofriendly #sustainabililty #instructionmanuals #hairwash #hairproducts #vegan #noanimaltesting #kalartcreations #environment

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/MTYyYzcyMjQtZGYzNy00NGIzLThmNmEtODc3Y2IxYTA2NTU4?ep=14

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1vXFAVnhwnAyb4Irx4OK3w?si=SRRB5aRvSLqWn5s_OYXmRg&utm_source=copy-link

The Write Creed E31: Eisha reads out a chapter from Gone Goa Gone (Book 2 of The Goa Saga)

Eisha has just launched her first fiction series, The Goa Saga. In this episode of The Write Creed, she reads out from the second book, Gone Goa Gone.

Archbishop Patrick announces a press conference to refute all claims of child abuse made by James and other former students of the boarding school in Mapusa. Saysha is a bunch of nerves. James is cool. He has nothing more to lose, he says. At a crucial moment of the televised press conference, there is a commotion in the audience. Archbishop Patrick leaves in a hurry. Aeram tells her that he has released a video that has gone viral. She's proud of how intelligent her husband is. Then Aeram tells her it was James's idea, not his. How!

Gone Goa Gone is now available on Amazon, Flipkart and Notion Press.

#gonegoagone #bookreading #authorreads #thegoasaga #thewritecreed #podcast #booksongoa #childabuse #christianity #contemporaryfiction

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/NDNhNjU3MmEtNjMwZi00NzQ1LTgxN2MtZmI5Mzg2MWY2YTk5?ep=14

Read the chapter on Wattpad

Mad & Moonly (Book 3 of The Goa Saga) now available in paperback format on Amazon, Notion Press and Flipkart

In the third and final installment of The Goa Saga, Saysha discovers that she has inherited a $25 million trust fund and a 2% shareholding in Lebedinsky Mining Company. That empowers her to vote and decide the fate of the $780 million company. One man is out there to stop her, her mother's old classmate from Delhi and the largest shareholder in Lebedinsky Mining, Oleg Oblonsky. And only one man can fight Oleg, the twisted genius of her husband, Aeram. She teams up with him and goes to New York to vote in a critical board meeting that will decide the fate of their property and river in Goa.

Aeram's demons take over his mind and he forcibly kisses Saysha in a park and tells her to remain his wife. Repulsed by his insanity, he then talks of ending his acting career and also his life. James tells Saysha that he cannot leave his brother ever and should she consider marriage to him, she will have to also live with her ex-husband under the same roof. Saysha has the difficult choice of whether she should marry a courageous man like James but remain second on his list of priorities after his brother or should she find a cause of her own and devote her lifetime and funds to it?

#divorce #mentalillness #mentalhealth #youngadults #youngadultfiction #romanticthriller #goa #inquisition #portuguese #portuguesecolony #albuquerque #newyork #russian #mining #environment #mandovi #river #delhi #childabuse #bullying #therapy #christianity #goanculture #indianfiction #indianwriters #newadults #romance #sagas #goatrilogy #tourism #travel #goatourism #mumbai #bollywood #portugal #drugs #trafficking #madandmoonly #thegoasaga #eishasarkar #miningingoa #contemporaryromance #writingongoa #commercialfiction

Mad & Moonly: The Goa Saga Book 3 https://www.amazon.in/dp/B09M7JPZDY/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_D16EXW2V0JQ11E2C5NNR

In spite of the rain and flood situation in Chennai, Notion Press has managed to deliver Mad & Moonly (Book 3 of The Goa Saga). Kudos to Asia's largest self-publishing firm! Now available in paperback on Amazon, Flipkart, Notion Press and their partner bookstores in India for Rs 350 and $12.09.

Discussing Books at the Symbiosis Lit Fest

I have been introduced in many ways at universities and institutions around the world but when Dr Anita Patankar, Director, Symbiosis International University School of Liberal Arts, introduced me as the author of The Goa Saga and Founder of The Write Creed, the pride I felt was incomparable.

https://youtu.be/cANmqC-mr-0

Proud to be the author of The Goa Saga and founder of The Write Creed

The Write Creed E30: Wildlife photography, birding and conservation with Dr Rahul Bhagwat on Spotify

Dr Rahul Bhagwat is Gujarat's ace bird photographer. His is a visiting lecturer at Gujarat Forest Rangers College and his photographs have been published and used in wildlife sanctuaries across India. He also holds a doctorate in Indian Classical Music and is a tabla player. In this episode of The Write Creed, Eisha and Dr Bhagwat talk about birds, photography, eco-tourism and conservation. Dr Bhagwat tells Eisha that he's comfortable in Hindi only. Eisha tells him she can't talk about birds in anything other than English. She asks her questions in English, he answers in Hindi. The words flow without the need to translate them. This encapsulates the beauty of conversation in India, multilingual and boundless.

#birdsofgujarat #rahulbhagwat #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #cameras #instagram #facebook #tourism #pandemic #tadoba #gir #ranthambore #vadhwana #conservation #ecology #wildlife #tiger #jimcorbettnationalpark #nationalparks #india #gujarat 

Birdsong: Orange-headed thrush recorded by Dr Rahul Bhagwat

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6MRf9kTH8z55iB7ffcaxRU?si=LEhvRI1aRzq1pLTJ-VY-5w&utm_source=copy-link

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/MTFhMjRiZTEtOTg1NC00OGI3LWFkY2EtZTdmNmYzNWM1YTE3?ep=14

Check out E30: Wildlife photography, birding and conservation with Dr Rahul Bhagwat from The Write Creed on Amazon Music.

https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/1c69c37b-86fc-4bbb-ac1f-e637eafabc70/episodes/69c15753-0696-48ca-9e39-eb424f396535/THE-WRITE-CREEDE30-WILDLIFE-PHOTOGRAPHY-BIRDING-AND-CONSERVATION-WITH-DR-RAHUL-BHAGWAT?ref=dm_sh_ghGhOz8qI6iEuMUNp5xfqZdmv

https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/e30-wildlife-photography-birding-and-conservation-with/id1580744636?i=1000542616989

The Write Creed E29: Eisha reads out a chapter from her debut novel, Shadow & Soul of The Goa Saga

Eisha has just released her first fiction book series, The Goa Saga, which is a Romantic Thriller trilogy. In this episode of The Write Creed, she reads out a chapter from her first novel in the series, Shadow & Soul.

When Aeram and James both have a shoot, Saysha waits in the vanity van. Once James finishes his part, she asks him to drop her at a boutique. While she is browsing through discount clothes, a couple of photographers take her pictures. James and Saysha run from the paparazzi. They hide in a decrepit building, where Saysha finds that she can't resist being attracted towards James, though he's gay and in love with her husband.

Shadow & Soul is available on Amazon Kindle and in paperback formats at Amazon and Amazon-partnered bookstores, Notion Press and its partner bookstores and Flipkart

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Q0bppZnrCzmWu3kf5vu6K?si=-C7dVgP8QQKwMZizv8jeYg&utm_source=copy-link

Reviews about The Goa Saga

Shadow & Soul (The Goa Saga Book 1 by Eisha Sarkar) is now available as paperback

As much as I love Kindle, there's something about seeing my book in print that makes me not want to stop smiling. On #Amazon and #Flipkart, Shadow & Soul is now available as paperback for Rs 350 in India and $12.92 worldwide #thegoasaga

With this, The Write Creed launches into book publishing as well.

Shadow & Soul: The Goa Saga Book 1 https://www.amazon.in/dp/1684872774/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_PKG0P1FD9R3YXYYWJ2BC

https://www.flipkart.com/shadow-amp-soul/p/itma8c81dd0f1fc4

https://notionpress.com/read/shadow-soul

Pencil

The Write Creed E28: On writing about Parsis in India with Armeen Kapadia Basavaraju

A graduate of Sophia College, Mumbai, and post-graduate from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Armeen Kapadia Basavaraju thinks that words and design are not that different, after all. A few years back she returned to her old love — writing — and hasn’t looked back since. Her stories have been published in literary magazines such as Amarillo Bay and The Louisville Review and she self-published her novel, Crossroads, in 2020. Crossroads is a delightful window into the Parsi community. The collection explores the day-to-day conversations, emotions and events that alter and shape the lives of different Parsis in modern India and reveal the issues that a vanishing community faces. In this episode of The Write Creed, Eisha chats with her old friend, Armeen, who is now working in Microsoft, about Parsis, the orthodox and liberal voices, Parsi publications and writers and the pros and cons of self-publishing in India.

#armeenkapadiabasavaraju #microsoft #ux #design #nationalinstituteofdesign #nid #nidahmedabad #writer #author #crossroads #parsi #parsis #parsicommunity #parsisinIndia #India #parsiana #jamejamshed #bombay #ahmedabad #mumbai #communities #iran #firetemples #agiary #parsitimes #kdp #kindledirectpublishing #selfpublishing #bangalore #notionpress #amazon #rohintonmistry

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Xt8YwGyrLQUjrOOBTFwvO?si=XYcf7iT_RdqaAflbIG6sgg&utm_source=copy-link

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/NmM5NjhmZDgtNTZmZi00ZWEyLTk2NjAtODJkMzhkZWMxY2Ri?ep=14

Check out E28: On writing about Parsis in India with Armeen Kapadia Basavaraju from The Write Creed on Amazon Music.

https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/1c69c37b-86fc-4bbb-ac1f-e637eafabc70/episodes/b86b4bd8-ca02-4e8e-b1aa-5536be109492/the-write-creed-e28-on-writing-about-parsis-in-india-with-armeen-kapadia-basavaraju?ref=dm_sh_GNFKBNDT0orpgluZx6bOB0JLy

https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-write-creed/id1580744636

The Write Creed E27: Eisha talks about how and why she used KDP and Wattpad for publishing The Goa Saga trilogy

Eisha has just launched her first Romantic Thriller trilogy on Amazon Kindle this October. The three books of The Goa Saga are Shadow & Soul, Gone Goa Gone and Mad & Moonly. The first is the story of Identity, the second about the fight for Inheritance and the third is the path to Interdependence. The series is targeted at a global audience of 18-40 years who are English-speaking, urbane, social media savvy, OTT platform binge-watchers and travellers and features places and characters from India, Europe and the US. It took her five-and-a-half years to create the series. In this episode of The Write Creed, Eisha talks about the two self-publishing platforms she used to publish, promote and distribute her books, Kindle Direct Publishing or KDP and Wattpad, the challenges of traditional publishing and self-publishing, royalties, data-gathering and marketing.

#thegoasaga #kindledirectpublishing #amazon #amazonkindle #thewritecreed #paperbacks #wattpad #kissingbooth #shadowandsoul #gonegoagone #madandmoonly #eishasarkar #kindlebooks #wattys2021 #selfpublishingplatforms #readingapps #kindleapp #googledocs #lockdownwriting #lockdowndepression #traditionalpublishing #traditionalpubishingversusselfpublishing #writing #goatrilogy #writingseries #portuguesegoa #romanticthriller #youngadults #youngadultfiction #netflix #travel #goa #goatourism #royalties #booksongoa #indianfiction #indianwriters

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7EHp9tkRnPKDq6RIOOIcRM?si=yJ6US4mJQ4al77rbwh7AOA&utm_source=copy-link

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/ZTI5MDkwODYtZDg2ZS00NDM5LTkxMjItYWFmNzEyYjY3NGQw?ep=14

The Write Creed E26: Celebrating a pandemic Navratri with a Fine Arts' garba baithak in Vadodara

Vadodara's famed public garbas have had to be cancelled because of the ongoing Covid19 pandemic. However, that has not dampened the Navratri spirit this year as much as it had in 2020. Smaller gatherings, baithaks and dances in societies, homes and smaller halls are common. Eisha was invited to one such baithak and she shares a few recordings of that in this episode of The Write Creed.

#navratri #fineartsgarba #vadodara #baroda #msuniversity #dandiya #raas #durga #ambaji #durgapuja #unitedwaygarba #covid19 #pandemic #pandemicnavratri

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Dtwm4vdn8AKQnDpCcESGN?si=CJibKN0CQweAfntKayLVcw&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1

Check out E26: Celebrating a pandemic Navratri with a Fine Arts' garba baithak in Vadodara from The Write Creed on Amazon Music.

https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/1c69c37b-86fc-4bbb-ac1f-e637eafabc70/episodes/966c9339-6c9f-44e3-870d-f87c00ddfcd9/the-write-creed-e26-celebrating-a-pandemic-navratri-with-a-fine-arts'-garba-baithak-in-vadodara?ref=dm_sh_1rQv9TM493Adyr8Bk4dKYv7xz

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/NGU3YjUyZWQtYTdhMy00OThjLWI4MTYtZmEyYjgzMDA5MWEy?ep=14

The Write Creed E25: Freelancing in India? How much should you charge for your creatives?

Over the last decade of teaching students in the fields of communication, media, journalism, etc, Eisha has had the same queries year after year from students, peers and friends who wish to spread their work far and wide but don't know how much to charge. To those of you who wish to get writers (all kinds, fiction/non-fiction, journalists) photographers, artists and designers to submit their work to you or "offer help" or "support you", you should PAY them for their help/support/job. They may be your best friends but they need a livelihood. As for how much should you pay or how should they charge you, here's a rough guide. Every organisation is different and will have their own budgets and goals but Eisha is putting it down in this episode of The Write Creed because she knows people, even the most seasoned journalists, exploited by companies/NGOs and made to work for almost free because they found it "too awkward" to ask for money. Don't be. If you don't know how much you should charge, let this be a guide.

https://eishasarkar.blogspot.com/2021/03/paid-internships-please-for-arts.html

https://eishasarkar.blogspot.com/2021/03/how-much-to-charge-for-transcription.html

https://eishasarkar.blogspot.com/2021/03/how-much-to-charge-for-your-creative.html

#freelancers #freelancewriters #journalists #journalism #writing #editing #design #photopgraphy #indianfreelancers #creatives #careers #freelancinginIndia #freelancephotography #freelanceeditor #transcription #languages #finearts #liberalarts #needpaidinternships #interns #communications #media #books #NGOs #corporates #events #branding #livelihoods #paycreativepeople #thewritecreed #academics #institutions #projects

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/YjNjYzI4OGItYTE5MC00YWVmLWExNGQtNmIyOWRlMTUyYzJm?ep=14

Mad & Moonly: Book 3 of The Goa Saga by Eisha now available on Amazon

In the third and final installment of The Goa Saga, Saysha discovers that she has inherited a $25 million trust fund and a 2% shareholding in Lebedinsky Mining Company. That empowers her to vote and decide the fate of the $780 million company. One man is out there to stop her, her mother's old classmate from Delhi and the largest shareholder in Lebedinsky Mining, Oleg Oblonsky. And only one man can fight Oleg, the twisted genius of her husband, Aeram. She teams up with him and goes to New York to vote in a critical board meeting that will decide the fate of their property and river in Goa.

Aeram's demons take over his mind and he forcibly kisses Saysha in a park and tells her to remain his wife. Repulsed by his insanity, he then talks of ending his acting career and also his life. James tells Saysha that he cannot leave his brother ever and should she consider marriage to him, she will have to also live with her ex-husband under the same roof. Saysha has the difficult choice of whether she should marry a courageous man like James but remain second on his list of priorities after his brother or should she find a cause of her own and devote her lifetime and funds to it?

#divorce #mentalillness #mentalhealth #youngadults #youngadultfiction #romanticthriller #goa #inquisition #portuguese #newyork #russian #mining #bullying #christianity #goanculture #indianfiction #indianwriters #newadults #romance #sagas #goatrilogy #tourism #travel #goatourism #drugs #trafficking #madandmoonly #thegoasaga #eishasarkar #miningingoa

Mad & Moonly https://www.amazon.in/dp/B09J2L2VVY/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_H5620JRBAN3CKE92TWYN

The Write Creed E24: Slow journalism, mental health, adoption and grief in The Good Story Project with Prerna Shah

Prerna Shah is a Dublin-based writer, blogger and journalist. In July 2020, right in the middle of the Covid19 pandemic, she and her friend Swati Subhedar started The Good Story Project which is a storytelling platform that allows ordinary people to write about their lives. "A safe space where interviews, personal narratives and features could be conducted with balance and empathy." In this episode of The Write Creed, Prerna and Eisha talk about the need and scope of slow journalism and then meander through topics of mental health, loss, adoption, grief and guilt, while weaving their own stories into the conversation. 

Suggested reads: Jerry Pinto's piece and Amandeep Sandhu's interview

#thegoodstoryproject #prernashah #thewritecreed #mentalhealth #loss #grief #death #adoption #covid19 #pandemic #swatisubhedar #narratives #journalism #slowjournalism #guilt #bipolardisorder #virginiawoolf #empathy #balance #support #writingheals #dublin #mumbai #vadodara #lucknow #mumbai #gujarati #ordinarypeople #everydaylives #sushantsinghrajput

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0g5smuThNkXkOwG331Pubh?si=7r7dAkMtT1eqkl6aNctF6A&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1

Check out E24: Slow journalism, mental health, adoption and grief in The Good Story Project with Prerna Shah from The Write Creed on Amazon Music.

https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/1c69c37b-86fc-4bbb-ac1f-e637eafabc70/episodes/c41e3cff-59c8-4cbb-9a11-5313f79e8298/the-write-creed-e24-slow-journalism-mental-health-adoption-and-grief-in-the-good-story-project-with-prerna-shah?ref=dm_sh_6WSKj7ZXJC6pjSHnWbxFL5cpr

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/ZGY1MzNmZDAtZjNkOS00ZDQ2LTkwZWUtMjZhMzE0YzFhN2U2?ep=14

Check out this podcast on Breaker:  https://www.breaker.audio/the-write-creed

The Goa Saga Book 2, Gone Goa Gone is now on Amazon

In the Age of Discovery, there were three identical crosses. Portugal’s King Manuel I had bestowed one on Vasco da Gama, who discovered the sea route to India. The second he had bestowed on Pedro Álvares Cabral, who discovered Brazil, and the third on Afonso de Albuquerque who established the Portuguese hegemony in the Indian Ocean. Over the centuries two of the crosses have disappeared. Probably they’re hidden away in some antique collectors’ vaults. The third hangs around James’s neck.

A clause put in by an ancestor during the Inquisition in Goa prevents Aeram, a practising Muslim, from inheriting Richard Albuquerque's estates. Only his Christian son, James, can claim the title even though he was born out of wedlock. When Aeram presents Richard's will in court, Daniel Albuquerque aka Danny (Richard's cousin) contests the claim. James and Aeram battle the demons of their past to take on Danny and the very powerful Archbishop Patrick to save their estates.

When Aeram and Saysha go to New York, they accidentally meet Igor Lebedinsky, a young intern at Aeram's agent's office. Saysha discovers that he's the son of Alexandre Lebedinsky, the mining tycoon from Moscow and brother of her deceased birth-mother.

Saysha realizes that James is not an ordinary stuntman. Even her very rich and powerful husband is scared of him. In the forests around the Albuquerque villa on the banks of the Mandovi river, James finally shows her why the property means much more than mere inheritance.

#goa #youngadultfiction #thegoasaga #gonegoagone #eishasarkar #mandovi #mining #christianity #inquisition #goainquisition #portugueseinquisition #afonsodealbuquerque #albuquerque #catholic #catholicchurch #childabuse #childsexualabuse #mentalhealth #marriage #love #longing #lust  #inheritance #identity #sex #homosexuality #travel #newyork #russian #moscow #tourism #paris #alhandra #portugal #mumbai #delhi

Book 2 of #thegoasaga is now available on Amazon Kindle

Gone Goa Gone (The Goa Saga Book 2) https://www.amazon.in/dp/B09HNVVKQK/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_9M6007YK93VAWR5WYGWA

The Write Creed E23: Afrobeats, African Music Reviews and 'pandemic podcasting' in Nigeria with Hafeestonova

Hafeestonova is a digital strategist, photographer and the host of Cha Cha Music Review podcast in Lagos, Nigeria. In this episode of The Write Creed, Eisha tells him that when someone tells her about African music, she thinks about the African-American sounds of rap, reggae, hip-hop, blues, jazz and soul but not about music from the African continent. Hafeestonova tells us about how Afrobeats are trending everywhere and how Grammy Award-winning Burna Boy and Wizkid's Essence have introduced Afrobeats to the West. Originally created by Fela Kuti of Africa 70 in the early 1980s, the Afrobeat (without the 's') mixed West African and black American sounds. This generation of Afropop artistes fuse more Ghanaian and Nigerian sounds into reggae, rap, soul, blues and jazz. Eisha and Hafeestonova then go on to discuss the different music in Africa and how, in spite of different languages, it transcends boundaries. "In Africa, it's more about the sound than the lyrics," Hafeestonova says. Eisha tells him when she first heard Master KG's Jerusalema, she thought it was a Nigerian singer and later, much later, she realised he was South African. Hafeestonova laughs but then adds that Burna Boy has also done a remix version of the song so Eisha's not completely wrong. Bollywood music is popular in Nigeria on and off, but right now, Hafeestonova says, K-Pop is ruling the charts. Then then go on to discuss podcasting and why he started a music review podcast. Growing up with music on the 'streets' of Lagos, music was the best form of escape from difficulties. His home was full of music and so when Hafeestonova decided to get into podcasting in 2019, the only thing he wanted to talk about was music. They then discuss the hot podcasting scene in Nigeria, corporate support for podcasters and podcasting groups in Lagos. Learning and laughs in this episode!

#nigeria #hafeestonova #chachamusicreviewpodcast #lagos #abuja #ghana #southafrica #burnaboy #wizkid #essence #afrobeats #afrobeat #felakuti #africa70 #music #nigerianmusic #westafricanmusic #eastafricanmusic #southafricanmusic #masterkg #jerusalema #pandemic #covid19 #pandemicpodcasting #podcasts #africanpodcasts #africanmusic #bollywood #kpop #koreandramas #bts #blackpink #nairobi #mombasa #adisababa #amapiano

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/N2FmODA5ZjgtNGVhMi00YTc4LTk1ZGUtNDUzZTJiNmMxZGVi?ep=14

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5dXdytkhWLsfw8OaIvxO1P?si=3AhGvTb8TJadceQi-fW4hg&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1

Check out E23: Afrobeats, African music reviews and 'pandemic podcasting' in Nigeria with Hafeestonova from The Write Creed on Amazon Music.

https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/1c69c37b-86fc-4bbb-ac1f-e637eafabc70/episodes/71363acd-18ab-4ae2-9eb3-72a2496057d5/the-write-creed-e23-afrobeats-african-music-reviews-and-'pandemic-podcasting'-in-nigeria-with-hafeestonova?ref=dm_sh_iT0jiHdoNMsGYppzDb2UEXEUD

The Write Creed E22: Anita Sinha recites her poem, Untamed Thoughts

Untamed Thoughts 

by 

Anita Sinha

Notion, caprice or stretch of imagination.

Leave behind the nitty gritty of life.

Take a circuitous path.

Trudge along labyrinth.

Scale the heights of a summit.

Watch the snow-clad mountains

Rays of the sun in several hues.

Close my eyes and feel the blues

Shout at the top of my voice, echoes resonate the valleys

Gleefully I stand in ecstasy.

Strutting I spot valley of flowers

Enchanted and captivated

Stood mesmerised, drinking their beauty and healing my soul.

Butterflies fluttering, birds humming and bees buzzing around.

Transcending in bliss, singing and trilling , no scale no rhythm.

No desire of applause, no fear of disdain.

Behold! I see brook.

Streaming clear and placid.

Pace towards it , tempted to feel the chill.

Bending to touch, oh no I hear a beep.

Beep of the timer , brought me back to my present.

I found myself in the park, for morning walk

Now time to go for a bath

Cover art: Picture of the Pir Panjals by Rachit Mankad

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/ZGU2YjM2ZGUtNGFhNS00MDljLTgwOWUtMWM4ZjVlMTlkZTBk?ep=14

Check out E22: Anita Sinha recites her poem, Untamed Thoughts from The Write Creed on Amazon Music.

https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/1c69c37b-86fc-4bbb-ac1f-e637eafabc70/episodes/4c737f5c-6e25-4a26-bd19-d41722e157ee/the-write-creed-e22-anita-sinha-recites-her-poem-untamed-thoughts?ref=dm_sh_XmTok962JoH0oDUADpnK5vfjp

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6QhP2VYYTlRerYib2N0CUg?si=AARYRs1MSTOHE0jdjAlApA&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1

https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/e22-anita-sinha-recites-her-poem-untamed-thoughts/id1580744636?i=1000536692645

The first book of The Goa Saga, Shadow & Soul, is out on Amazon Kindle

#ShadowAndSoul of #TheGoaSaga is now available on #Kindle #amazon

Saysha Singh, a beautiful, multiracial young woman from Delhi, meets Aeram Khan, a gorgeous model-actor in college and they fall madly in love with each other. Aeram is the only legal heir of the Albuquerques, a family descended from Afonso de Albuquerque, the sixteenth-century Portuguese statesman and conquistador of Goa. After a few weeks of passionate romance, Saysha gets wary of committing her life to a controlling boyfriend. She leaves him and moves to Shimla. He moves to Mumbai and becomes a very successful actor and entrepreneur.

Three years later, when he is in Shimla for a shoot, Saysha meets him again and they rekindle their romance in secret until he goes as her date to a masquerade ball where he unexpectedly reveals his identity. Saysha becomes fodder for primetime TV news. Aeram brings her back to Delhi with the help of his gay half-brother and stunt-double, James Albuquerque. After persuading her father, an army officer, Aeram and Saysha marry in court. Aeram and James strive to protect her privacy and dignity at all cost. However, living under the shadow of her famous husband makes a dent in Saysha's self-esteem and she tries to carve her own identity.

When Saysha finds out that James loves Aeram, she initially is shocked but gradually realises that of the two, James is the better man. She is attracted towards him in spite of his sexual orientation. Aeram gets jealous of their friendship but cannot get rid of James. In a graveyard in Goa, Saysha discovers there is more to Aeram and James's bond than what they show.

#romance #thriller #fiction #sex #identity #goa #travel #tourism #delhi #mumbai #film #bollywood #eishasarkar #indianwriting #portuguese #goanportuguese #russian #shimla #thegoasaga #shadowandsoul #albuquerque #sex #homosexuality #gay #indianfimindustry #artdirection #christianity #media

Shadow & Soul (The Goa Saga Book 1) https://www.amazon.in/dp/B09H7Q9T7W/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_0N493D3MTQ0Y75G9EATE

The Write Creed E21: Quizzes, quiz-setting and television quiz shows with Kushan Patel

Eisha's former student, Kushan Patel  is now a sought-after quizmaster who now conducts quizzes for IITs, IIMs and other top institutes and quiz clubs in India. He has been quizzing for 25 years and been a quizmaster for over a decade. In this episode of The Write Creed, Kushan talks about how he got interested in quizzing at an early age, the shift of format of quizzes from information gathering and quick recollection to puzzle-solving thanks to the democratization of the internet, how Covid has flattened geographies and allowed people to quiz together, the challenges a quizmaster has to make a quiz both entertaining and competitive, how game shows on television have evolved and why there has been no popular music quiz show on Indian television after Annu Kapoor's Antakshari. Eisha wonders if quizzing dates back to ancient Greece. Kushan thinks it had to come up after the advent of the Gutenberg printing press in 1440. They end the conversation with a mention of the patron saint of the internet, a certain John Paul II or Saint Isidore of Seville circa 600 AD, who came up with an etymological encyclopedia and also invented the period (full stop), comma and colon.

#quizzes #quizmaster #bqc #bournvitaquizcontest #kbc #kaunbanegacrorepati #antakshari #quizzesinindia #quizshows #iit #iim #pubquizes #karnataka #pune #bombay #ahmedabad #seville #annukapoor #amitabhbachchan #zeetv #popularculture #travel #food #socialmedia #contests #internet #media #covid #zoom 

Link in bio #thewritecreed

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/MmJmMzBlM2UtMDkzOS00ZTQzLTk0YzEtOWVhYjcyMWIzNWFk?ep=14

https://open.spotify.com/episode/00gBsLNFLPoswjqlUcgo5H?si=R4vEMzxjTi6J2r3Zo3Zfcw&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1

https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/e21-quizzes-quiz-setting-and-television-quiz-shows/id1580744636?i=1000536571448

Check out E21: Quizzes, quiz-setting and television quiz shows with Kushan Patel from The Write Creed on Amazon Music.

https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/1c69c37b-86fc-4bbb-ac1f-e637eafabc70/episodes/1f706c09-35c9-4637-806f-9cd16e651227/the-write-creed-e21-quizzes-quiz-setting-and-television-quiz-shows-with-kushan-patel?ref=dm_sh_corSHoWmzU4mv31p33jPWUvaR

The first book of The Goa Saga titled Shadow & Soul is out on Wattpad

Yay! I have been itching to try Wattpad for a while and finally, after a process of five years and ten months, my first novel is published. The Goa Saga is a Romantic Thriller trilogy. Shadow & Soul is the first book in the series. The blurb goes as follows:

Saysha Singh, a beautiful, multiracial young woman from Delhi, meets Aeram Khan, a gorgeous model-actor in college and they fall madly in love with each other. Aeram is the only legal heir of the Albuquerques, a family descended from Afonso de Albuquerque, the sixteenth-century Portuguese statesman and conquistador of Goa. After a few weeks of passionate romance, Saysha gets wary of committing her life to a controlling boyfriend. She leaves him and moves to Shimla. He moves to Mumbai and becomes a very successful actor and entrepreneur.

Three years later, when he is in Shimla for a shoot, Saysha meets him again and they rekindle their romance in secret until he goes as her date to a masquerade ball where he unexpectedly reveals his identity. Saysha becomes fodder for primetime TV news. Aeram brings her back to Delhi with the help of his gay half-brother and stunt-double, James Albuquerque. After persuading her father, an army officer, Aeram and Saysha marry in court. Aeram and James strive to protect her privacy and dignity at all cost. However, living under the shadow of her famous husband makes a dent in Saysha's self-esteem and she tries to carve her own identity.

When Saysha finds out that James loves Aeram, she initially is shocked but gradually realises that of the two, James is the better man. She is attracted towards him in spite of his sexual orientation. Aeram gets jealous of their friendship but cannot get rid of James. In a graveyard in Goa, Saysha discovers there is more to Aeram and James's bond than what they show.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/286172794?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=story_info&wp_page=story_details_button&wp_uname=EishaSarkar&wp_originator=wLNO3eEJSAMG2XO6yutIuN18hqeWB6%2B7XaKBMO2S00TBCQbPOgRXJy9zOrMkfHprsqkgdygWdg8em2aV4zh1WWX1aIomZHk5tkdiRFtT3KYjLGf7qggYVu69LPTEly8E

Haiku: Your Laughter

The Write Creed E20: HaikuJAM or Miraquill? Eisha reviews the two popular haiku apps for Android

Eisha started writing haiku a few years ago when she lived in Australia during poetry-jamming sessions with her friend from the US. When she bought her first Android phone, she downloaded the HaikuJAM app which was founded by Dhrupad Karwa and Andrew Leung. The poetic expression app allows for collaboration between three people to create haiku. She used it for a couple of years till motherhood put a break and she preferred binge-watching shows on Netflix instead of writing haikus. Then last year, when she got into a fight with a friend, they ping-ponged haikus at each other to de-stress themselves. Eisha started looking for other people to jam with and joined HaikuJAM again. This time, she was disappointed. There were too many haikus circulating with too many spelling mistakes. It put her off. She was looking for something else, when she stumbled upon Miraquill, which was earlier Mirakee, founded by Alankrita Sood. It's more serious, allows for longer poems as well and gives her copyright. Of the two, which one does she like more?

#haiku #writingapps #haikujam #miraquill #androidapps #alankritasood #indianwritingapps #mirakee #miraquill #poetry #poeticexpression #selfexpression #dhrupadkarwa #andrewleung #madeinindia #selfexpression #haikuwriting #thewritecreed #review #eishasarkar #ios

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6F6kPHCRq2Uv52izWk01yl?si=U3LhzXv9SNOl2sZCWeXCIw&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1

Check out E20: HaikuJAM or Miraquill? Eisha reviews the two popular haiku apps for Android from The Write Creed on Amazon Music.

https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/1c69c37b-86fc-4bbb-ac1f-e637eafabc70/episodes/f749e6ea-4e8d-40d4-8db3-87d6c8c8789f/THE-WRITE-CREEDE20-HAIKUJAM-OR-MIRAQUILL-EISHA-REVIEWS-THE-TWO-POPULAR-HAIKU-APPS-FOR-ANDROID?ref=dm_sh_Vkf4rBJwB8u391XbVH4Ie3f2k

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/NzE4OTdkZWYtYWE5My00MTJhLTg5N2UtZTUxZWI5ZTliNWIw?ep=14

https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/e20-haikujam-or-miraquill-eisha-reviews-the-two/id1580744636?i=1000536386170

The Write Creed E19: The Taj and the Electric Victoria

This episode of The Write Creed starts with Eisha sitting in the Crystal Room of The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai as she gets nostalgic about the events she covered at the hotel when she was an intern at Bombay Times. It has been over a decade that she has spent some time at the hotel and she savours each moment she is there. The Gateway of India and Colaba Causeway are crowded as people make their way to immersing their Ganesh idols into the sea on occasion of Ganesh Visarjan. This year, thanks to Covid19, the celebrations are low-key. The most memorable part of their staycation at the Taj was a gift from the hotel, a ride in a new electric carriage, that has replaced the old horse-drawn Victoria carriages. A pollution-free golf cart-like experience in a part of Bombay she adores. What more could she want!

#tajmahalpalacehotel #tajhotelmumbai #tatagroup #colaba #apollobunder #gatewayofindia #ganeshvisarjan #ganpati #victoria #horses #downtownplus #timesofindia #bombaytimes #covid19 #mumbai #nostalgia #experience #electricvictoria #golfcarts #historicallandmarks #tourism #journalism #travel #thewritecreed

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2DMvhjqKUlsrpaLwlE1PjX?si=uTT2K8xORPG6K2noXW02Mg&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/ZDA4ZGFmMDgtMTVmYy00ZWIzLWIyYzctZTczMDEzMWUyOTM2?ep=14

Check out E19: The Taj and the Electric Victoria from The Write Creed on Amazon Music.

https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/1c69c37b-86fc-4bbb-ac1f-e637eafabc70/episodes/6cccb88c-28d8-4b94-91ab-27405d30d3f4/the-write-creed-e19-the-taj-and-the-electric-victoria?ref=dm_sh_6PJkZkPOlYplhrGc4KduxZIm5

https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/e19-the-taj-and-the-electric-victoria/id1580744636?i=1000536249564

Last flight from Kabul in Free Press Journal

On August 15, Henaa Salehi, a commercial lawyer and the Director of Procurement Policy and Legal Directorate at the National Procurement Authority of Afghanistan, took the last commercial flight out of Kabul to New York where she is pursuing her Master’s degree. During her stopover in Turkey, she was horrified to find that the Taliban had taken over her beloved city. She talks to Eisha Sarkar about her last flight from Kabul, the future of education, women’s protests against the Taliban and her plea to the international community

Do you feel lucky to have escaped, because leaving can be as painful as being stuck?

Everybody has told me “Oh, you were so lucky,” but how can I even allow myself to be grateful when my family, colleagues and friends, who I met a few days ago, are left behind? I had the opportunity to move to New York for my Master’s, having earned the Fulbright Scholarship. Two weeks before the flight on August 15, I received my tickets. The day arrived and I was super emotional. It was normal at the airport. The flight from Kabul to Turkey was five-and-a-half-hour-long. When I landed in Turkey and connected to WiFi at the airport, I was bombarded by messages from family, friends and colleagues. My colleagues had gone to office, which is near the President’s Office. Some of them were crying, others panicking and walking home. It was a tough situation. They said, “We are glad you left. The airport is closed.” The messages kept coming. It was a huge shock. I did not know how to feel. Your country holds its own place in your heart. I'm not feeling lucky because every bit of my plan was that I would be studying in New York for the next two years and then returning to my country. I had plans for business and my life there. They’re all gone!

The Taliban are urging professors to take classes. There were images of a university in Kabul with gender-segregated classrooms. What’s going to become of education, particularly for girls? 

Our youths and kids are worried about their future. I have two brothers. One is 18 and the other is entering his teens and they are scared. Girls of the same age don’t know what they will be doing even if they finish their higher education. Sit at home? Get married early? Become either a teacher or a doctor, that too under a chadari? I have three cousin sisters who are in their first year of university majoring in tech. I sense their hopelessness.

The picture of the gender-segregated classroom was circulated by Afghan youths as an objection to how pathetically funny their lives are turning out under the Taliban. The university management came up with the idea of a curtain to separate girls and boys because they had to keep classes running. The majority of the universities have remained closed at this stage because they did not have enough resources, both human resources and facilities, to meet the requirements of the Taliban for opening educational institutions or their students were scared to attend class. The Ts (as urban Afghans call the Taliban) require girls’ classes to be taught only by women teachers/ professors. This means educational institutions, especially the private ones need more classrooms, more teachers/ professors and specialised women in each area on board. This automatically raises the costs for such institutions. How many women will you find specialised in tech or neurology in Afghanistan? The Ts don’t see the need for our girls to be educated in such fields, anyways. 

Unlike the last time, the Taliban came to power in 1994-95, this time, women have taken to the streets to protest against their oppression.

A generation born and raised with a lot of freedom — of going to schools, having private school and university education, shared classes for boys and girls, of choosing their own field, owning businesses, working with the government, working with private sector, travelling to many countries and not being questioned about any of them — is suddenly told by a group that they’re not allowed to go to their offices, universities, schools and have to stay inside until the next announcement. They are told no woman is going to be a minister or in a leadership position in the government. The women are going to react to that. I don't think the Taliban were ready for that. It's really tough for them.

There was a comment by one Taliban commander that they wanted women to stay at home because the fighters are not trained to face women. What would you say to that? 

The public is not the same as the public of 1995 who were already oppressed and lived without rights during the many years of Soviet occupation and internal wars. When you live in poverty for years and the economy's down, the first thing which comes to your mind is food. And that's it. It was a shift from one no-rights era to another no-rights era. But the public and citizens that the Taliban group is facing are citizens who have lived with freedom of speech for 20 years. There were no restrictions from the government. Now, journalists have been taken to police stations and beaten for hours. There was gunshot and firing at the site of the protest. The internet connection was restricted and banned in certain areas of Kabul. I couldn't reach my parents for more than 24 hours.

You’ve pleaded with the international community to not recognise the Taliban government... 

People are feeling suffocated under the Taliban regime, and they will raise their voices. Once the Taliban establish their government and it is recognised internationally, the fight for freedom and rights is going to be a longer fight. The international community is optimistic about the Ts. I urge them to be neutral, if not negative. The Taliban haven’t changed! 

The Write Creed E18: Eisha gets nostalgic about her watches and then reviews Crossbeats Ignite

Journalism is all about deadlines and Eisha loves keeping time. She is known for her fondness for unusual dials and wearing men's watches. Not a serious horologist, she did try to repair a few of her early watches during her teens with a set of screwdrivers. Then she outsourced it to old watchmakers in repair shops in Mumbai and Vadodara and took a step back in time. In this episode of The Write Creed, she talks about her favourite watches, journalism and advertising before reviewing her latest, the Crossbeats Ignite S2, made in India. Enjoy this journey through places, people, papers and time.

#mumbai #bombay #timesofindia #cst #vt #kolkata #orlando #disneyland #usa #america #citizen #titan #mickeymouse #disney #tagheuer #timex #gucci #cartier #seiko #crossbeats #bangalore #productreview #amazon #horology #time #watches #watchmaker #watchrepair #switzerland #fossil #fitbit #strava #applewatch #smartwatch #crossbeatsignite #swimming #pedometer #journalism #thestatesman #bombaytimes #robbreport #patekphilippe #omega #tissot #fasttrak #casiogshock

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7hb3wVyBXQMa3IVxevoqC5?si=3VIrS8G8TMeO37o9dSaZsg&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/YTViZGZhNTYtZmFiYy00NDY4LTg3YzAtMzEzOWJmYTdlNTk3?ep=14

Check out E18: Eisha gets nostalgic about her watches and then reviews Crossbeats Ignite from The Write Creed on Amazon Music.

https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/1c69c37b-86fc-4bbb-ac1f-e637eafabc70/episodes/81bd116c-5137-453f-82fa-a0cf6885a04c/the-write-creed-e18-eisha-gets-nostalgic-about-her-watches-and-then-reviews-crossbeats-ignite?ref=dm_sh_T2mCXehegIsSUwB2cIrZuiMWG

https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/e18-eisha-gets-nostalgic-about-her-watches-and-then/id1580744636?i=1000535511362

The Write Creed E17: Henaa Salehi's flight from Kabul and her plea to not recognise the Taliban government

Eisha was woken up at 3.40 am on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 by a torrential downpour in her city, Vadodara, India, and a buzz on her cell phone. It was a message from her friend Henaa Salehi from New York about scheduling this interview a couple of hours later. Henaa left Kabul on August 15 by the last commercial flight out of the capital of Afghanistan before the city was taken over by the Taliban. Henaa is the Director of Procurement Policy and Legal Directorate, at National Procurement Authority of Afghanistan. She has a bachelors in law from Kabul University and has been a practicing commercial lawyer for five years before joining Afghan government on 2019. She first joined Afghan government as legal expert for Legal Unit of the President where she was also serving as the Acting Director for Directorate of Regional & International Commitment’s Coordination at the Unit and served the positions for 1.5 years.

Henaa is also a Fulbright Scholar and is currently pursuing her masters in International Business & Trade Law at Fordham University, New York City. Besides being a lawyer, she has been a women and youth rights’ activist for nine years mainly focusing on gender equality and education.

In this episode of The Write Creed, Henaa talks about growing up as a refugee in Pakistan, the times of the first and current Taliban regimes, the women protestors on the streets of Kabul and her plea to the international community to not recognise the Taliban government.

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/3bW6AdtyHLMpPcCdZdiRz7?si=wICVW6OoTFSYRiGNZdQDig&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NjIwMjlkYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/YTgyMGExYzEtZDdmYS00NGY3LThmYjktNzYyMWE0MzQ0YTk5?ep=14

Check out E17: Henaa Salehi's flight from Kabul and her plea to not recognise the Taliban government from The Write Creed on Amazon Music.

https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/1c69c37b-86fc-4bbb-ac1f-e637eafabc70/episodes/d68d3ccd-0672-4bbd-82dd-496fda7b9d09/the-write-creed-e17-henaa-salehi's-flight-from-kabul-and-her-plea-to-not-recognise-the-taliban-government?ref=dm_sh_kw7BvBWXWdngeVamfHSBCCE7v

https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/e17-henaa-salehis-flight-from-kabul-and-her-plea-to/id1580744636?i=1000534998383