The Vivekean Times

                   - By Vivek Pereira India is my nation As much as it’s yours; Should a difference in ideologies Lead to rioting and wars? Having opposing views Is certainly not sedition; Too much of brainwashing Has led to this condition. All should come together: The left and the right; For the glory of India We must all fight. For our enemies desire To see our country divided; And this is being accomplished By citizens who are misguided. Never fear or envy Folks different from you; All colours are wonderful, especially saffron, green and blue. Don’t fall for political rhetoric That’s intolerant and cheap; Just for the sake of power, A divisive agenda they’ll keep. So let’s take a pledge to counter such seeds of hate; And strive for peace and unity; That’ll make India ever so great.

 (A Parody on X'mas written at the start of the Millennium) 'Twas the night after Christmas, when partying was done, The world had got drained of all the laughter and fun, Empty booze bottles lay scattered around, Ambitious Christmas dreams had crashed on the ground . The feelings of peace, love and goodwill had gone, Men fought and quarrelled till the break of the dawn, Sorrow and depression were replacing happiness and cheer, This would be the trend until Christmas next year. The shopping spree was over, the money had vanished, The spirit of Christmas had been altogether banished, The decorations so beautiful, no one admired them any more, This joyous, merry season had become a bore. I sat on the sofa, a frown on my face, My world was in tatters, I was losing the race, My wife had been crying, her eyes were quite red, She cursed me so fiercely, I wished I was dead. The children were sad, no smile did they give, ...

O, pretty little lizard Sitting on my wall, Sometimes in my bedroom, Sometimes in  my hall. We don't require any pesticides With you loitering about, 'Cause you kill all the cockroaches, And make the ants move out. People always admire cats and dogs And neglect you the entire day, But this doesn't bother you at all As you crawl in search of prey.

( I present before you once again that lovely poem I wrote for Valentine's Day. I had composed it literally overnight for the Bandra Buzz, our local newspaper. ) Tears streamed down his face again As Valentine’s Day approached; For on that day a year ago David’s heart had been crushed. His Valentine had ditched him then And mated with his foe; It had taken him a really long time To recover from this blow. So, David vowed to shun this day But Fate had other plans, For he consented to a Blind Date theme: A dinner and a dance. And there she was in front of him A damsel blessed with grace; ‘Twas her smile our hero loved the best It beautified her face. They strolled out together  arm in arm, Two strangers so in love; He whispered sweet nothings to her Then presented a clay dove. “Take this bird and remember me,”  David told his Valentine; “For I shall be forever yours, And, my dear, you shall be mine.”

O, pretty little lizard Sitting on my wall, Sometimes in my bedroom, Sometimes in  my hall. We don't require any pesticides With you loitering about, 'Cause you kill all the cockroaches, And make the ants move out. People always admire cats and dogs And neglect you the entire day, But this doesn't bother you at all As you crawl in search of prey.

Merely ten days have elapsed since Modi's swearing-in ceremony on 26 May, 2014 but the signs are ominous - Modi Sarkar is heading for disaster and may well drag India down with it. Many of us who did not vote in Modi and the BJP should ideally have the right to relax and not spend sleepless nights as our conscience is clear, but the fear of the future of our beloved nation is what haunts us - and the following actions, stances and declarations by the Modi Sarkar and its symbiotic supporters have only added fuel to the fire: (1) The Hindu Rashtra Sena, reportedly a sister organisation of the BJP, brutally murdered a Muslim techie in Pune because of a derogatory Facebook post against Bal Thackeray and Shivaji. Many more people may have been injured in the riots in Pune and the rest of Maharashtra. The FB post seems to be the handiwork of Pakistan's ISI and seems to be working well for them as Indian fascists are both morally and intellectually bankrupt. Meanwhile, Narendra Mod...

THE DREAM FUTURE OF INDIA (An Excerpt from my book, Rose Gardens and Minefields ) When all the world weeps in sorrow India can wake up to a new tomorrow She can rise steadily from the dumps Travelling to prosperity without any bumps. Her people can struggle to attain their goals All of them excelling in their specific roles Then from a period of almost certain doom Her economy will attain an everlasting bloom Unemployment and poverty will be forgotten terms Success will be familiar with her companies and firms Mechanisation and industry will scale new peaks Thus India shall begin her winning streaks Her army will be the most feared force Although it shall pursue a peaceful course The conceited nations she shall humble From their mighty pedestals they shall tumble Let us drink to that joyous day When Indian policies the world shall obey Her designs for humanity will then unfold Even mud will shine as bright as gold The earth shall represent a beaut...

My book "Rose Gardens and Minefields" had received critical acclaim from a top book review site, Indian Book Reviews. I had submitted my book for the review over a year ago and hundreds of books were reviewed in that period. Didn't know what it would turn out like, but I was thoroughly pleased with the outcome. Check out this fabulous review at http://www.indianbookreviews.com/2012/07/16/a-little-bit-of-this-and-that/ For the uninitiated, "Rose Gardens and Minefields" is a compilation of poems, short stories and essays that cover a plethora of topics. It was published by Leadstart Publishers under their Frogbooks/Virgin Leaf imprint a couple of years ago. This book can be purchased at a sum below Rs 100 or $2 at various book stores across India including some Landmark outlets, Happy Book Store (Bandra) and Granth (Juhu). You can even purchase it online at Amazon and Flipkart.com. Happy Reading!!!

Hi, I just thought of composing an ode to a lizard. Here it is: An Ode to a Lizard    -   Vivek Pereira O, pretty little lizard Sitting on my wall, Sometimes in my bedroom, Sometimes in  my hall. We don't require any pesticides With you loitering about, 'Cause you kill all the cockroaches, And make the ants move out. People always admire cats and dogs And neglect you the entire day, But this doesn't bother you at all As you crawl in search of prey.

The Husband is the family head The brains are his wife, He is the one who earns the bread Which she ruins with her knife. The husband works hard all day And when he returns home, His wife will look up and say "Here comes the dirty Gnome". Taking the Hint, he has his bath And sits down for some leisure, From nowhere her naggings suddenly start Then they vanish with his pleasure. He wears his clothes with wounded sulks As they go on a shopping spree, She keeps on purchasing objects in bulks Till they finally run out of money. His wallet empty, he inserts the key And dumps the cargo in Then they settle for a cup of tea She expresses her satisfaction with a grin. He switches on the idiot box While she prepares their dinner, She changes the channel with defensive talks Without a struggle, she emerges winner. The husband slumps to sleep at last Till the dawn eventually breaks, He encounters her once more at breakfast Funny looking faces she mak...

List of Book Stores Bangalore Gangaram's Book Bureau 72, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Bangalore - 560 001. Contact Person: Mr. Prakash Gangaram Tel.2558-1617, 2558-1618, 25586189. Puliani Book House No.7, First Floor, 3rd Main, Hotel Street, Below Bangalore Residency Gandhinagar, Bangalore - 560 009. Tel. No.42515151/22342121 Contact Person: Mr. Vinayak Sairam Book Paradise Sri Venktabri Arcade, 26,Gandhi Market, Main Road, Between Vidyarati Bhavan, & Rotiaghar, Basavanugdi, Bangalore - 56000 Contact Person: Mr Venkatesh Babu Tel: 09341973854 Axis Books 330/9, 2nd Main, Intermediate Ring Road, Ring Road, Domlur Layout, Bangalore - 560 071. Tel. No: +91 80 41526657/40383838 Mumbai Book Lovers 'SNEHA' ,Shop No. 5, Lokhandwala Shopping Opp. Sasural Restaurant, Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 058. Tel : 26324594 Contact Person: Mr. Rudramuni R. Biradar Durai Book House Shop No. 1, Patel Mahal, Plot No. 373, King Cir...

You can purchase Rose Gardens and Minefields online (at a reasonable price) by visiting the following sites: http://www.bookvook.com/book/details/rose-gardens-and-minefields-23-99314.html#3 http://www.a1books.co.in/rose-gardens-minefields/itemdetail/9380154798/ http://www.flipkart.com/rose-gardens-minefields-vivek-pereira-book-9380154794 http://books.rediff.com/book/rose-gardens-and-minefields/vivek-pereira/ISBN:9789380154794/96796185 http://www.infibeam.com/Books/rose-gardens-minefields-vivek-pereira/9789380154794.html http://www.simplybooks.in/rose-gardens-minefields-vivek-pereira-book-isbn-9789380154794-98916 http://www.africanwriter.com/store/100-10313-9380154798-Rose_Gardens_and_Minefields.html http://www.amazon.com/Rose-Gardens-Minefields-Vivek-Pereira/dp/9380154798/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295517055&sr=1-4