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With almost 200 month-long events and hundreds of additional holidays and occasions, you’re going to be spoiled for choice Images: (From L to R) Tamara Bellis | Unsplash, Bruna Branco | Unsplash, Amazon October is truly a Diwali for every brand and content creator. Its 31-day span packs in way more holidays, events, and occasions than one can possibly think of. But are you sure you’ve got the full list of these celebratory dates in one place, beyond the usual bank holidays in October 2021? Leave this hard work to me. Because I’ve put together just the calendar you need. Use this mega list to create a kick-ass content plan that packs in all the trending festivals, “food days,” health observances, and more. Because that is how you shine apart from your competition. Bookmark this October 2021 content calendar immediately to get started. And then see how you can rise above the rest this festive season. Month-long events ADHD Awareness Month Adopt a Dog Month Adopt a Shelter Dog Month Aesthetician Month American Cheese Month American Pharmacists Month (World) Animal Month Animal Safety and Protection Month Antidepressant Death Awareness Month Apple Month Applejack Month Arts & Humanities Month Audiology Awareness Month (International) Augmentative & Alternative Communication Awareness Month Auto Battery Safety Month Bake and Decorate Month Bat Appreciation Month Black Cat Awareness Month Black Speculative Fiction Month Blindness Awareness Month Book Month (Just the time to get your copy of my book PiKu & ViRu! Buy/download, read, and review it here; it’s FREE on Kindle Unlimited) Breast Cancer Awareness Month Bullying Prevention Month Caffeine Addiction Recovery Month Campaign for Healthier Babies Month Caramel Month Celebrating the Bilingual Child Month Children’s Health Month Chili Month Chiropractic Health Month (World) Chocolate Awareness Month Christian Higher Education Month Church Library Month Church Safety and Security Month Clergy Appreciation Month Clock Month Communicate with Your Kid Month Computer Learning Month Consumer Information Month Contact Lens Safety Month Cookbook Month Cookie Month Co-op Month Cosmetology Month (Eat) Country Ham Month Country Music Month Cranberry Month Crime Prevention Month Critical Illness Awareness Month Cut out Dissection Month Cyber Security Awareness Month Dental Hygiene Month Depression Education & Awareness Month Dessert Month ​(International) Dinosaur Month Disability Employment Awareness Month (Global) Diversity Awareness Month Domestic Violence Awareness Month Down Syndrome Awareness Month Dropout Prevention Month Dwarfism Awareness Month Dysautonomia Awareness Month Dyslexia Awareness Month Eat Better, Eat Together Month Economic Education Month Eczema Awareness Month Emotional Intelligence Awareness Month Emotional Wellness Month (Also read: How I completed #500DaysOfJournaling, despite the pandemic) Employee Ownership Month Energy Action Month Energy Awareness Month Energy Management is a Family Affair—Improve Your Home Month (Global) Ergonomics Month Eye Injury Prevention Month Fair Trade Month Family Health Month Family History Month Family Sexuality Education Month Fantasy Month Farm to School Month Financial Planning Month Fire Prevention Month (Month of) Free Thought German American Heritage Month Go on a Field Trip Month Gourmet Adventures Month Halloween Safety Month Head Start Awareness Month Health Literacy Month Healthy Lung Month Higher Education Month Hog out Month Home Eye Safety Month I’m Just Me Because Month Italian American Heritage Month Kitchen & Bath Month Learning and Development Month Learning Disabilities Awareness Month Learn to Bowl Month LGBTQ+ History Month Liver Awareness Month Liver Cancer Awareness Month Long-Term Care Planning Month Medical Librarians Month Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month Medicine Abuse Awareness Month (World) Menopause Awareness Month Non-GMO Month Organize Your Medical Information Month Orthodontic Health Month Pasta Month Patient-Centered Care Awareness Month Persimmon Month Pescatarian Month Pet CBD Month Pet Wellness Month Photographer Appreciation Month Physical Therapy Month Pickled Peppers Month Pineapple Month Pit Bull Awareness Month Pizza Month Polish American Heritage Month Popcorn Poppin’ Month Pork Month Positive Attitude Month Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month Pretzel Month Principals Month Protect Your Hearing Month Pumpkin Month Quality Month (USA) Raptor Month Reading Group Month Retirement Security Month Rett Syndrome Awareness Month Rhubarb Month Roller Skating Month RSV Awareness Month Sarcastic Awareness Month Sausage Month Seafood Month Self-Promotion Month Sensory Awareness Month Sex Education Month Spina Bifida Awareness Month Spinal Health Month Spinach Lovers Month Squirrel Awareness Month Stamp Collecting Month (International) Strategic Planning Month Substance Abuse Prevention Month Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy) Action Month Tackling Hunger Month Talk About Your Medicines Month Toilet Tank Repair Month (World) Vegetarian Month, a.k.a. Vegetarian Awareness Month (International) Walk to School Month Window Covering Safety Month Women’s Small Business Month Women Walking in Their Own Shoes Month Work and Family Month Workplace Politics Awareness Month Multiple-day events Wed, 15 Sep–Fri, 15 Oct – Hispanic Heritage Month Thu, Sep 23–Fri, 22 Oct – Libra month Sat, 25 Sep–Sun, 3 Oct – Drive Electric Week Sun, 26 Sep–Sat, 2 Oct – Banned Books Week Sun, 26 Sep–Sat, 2 Oct – Chimney Safety Week Sun, 26 Sep–Sat, 2 Oct – Fall Foliage Week (the week from the last Sunday of September) Fri, 1–Thu, 7 – BFRB (Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors) Week Fri, 1–Thu, 7 – Walk Your Dog Week Sat, 2–Sun, 3 – Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend Sun, 3–Sat, 9 – Carry a Tune Week (the week including 7 Oct) Sun, 3–Sat, 9 – Fire Prevention Week (first Sun–Sat week of Oct) Sun, 3–Sat, 9 – Get Organized Week (first Sun–Sat week of Oct) Sun, 3–Sat, 9 – Great Books Week (first Sun–Sat week of Oct) Sun, 3–Sat, 9 – Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week Sun, 3–Sat, 9 – Health Care Supply Chain Week Sun, 3–Sat, 9 – Mental Illness Awareness Week (first Sun–Sat week of Oct) Sun, 3–Sat, 9 – Midwifery Week (first Sun–Sat week of Oct) Sun, 3–Sat, 9 – Mystery Series Week (first Sun–Sat week of Oct) Sun, 3–Sat, 9 – National Newspaper Week (USA) Sun, 3–Sat, 9 – Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Week Sun, 3–Sat, 9 – (International) Postcard Week (first Sun–Sat week of Oct) Sun, 3–Sat, 9 – Public Power Week (first Sun–Sat week of Oct) Sun, 3–Sat, 9 – School Yearbook Week (first Sun–Sat week of Oct) Mon, 4–Fri, 8 – Back Care Awareness Week Mon, 4–Fri, 8 – “Choose To Be G.R.E.A.T.” Week (first Mon–Fri week in Oct) Mon, 4–Fri, 8 – Customer Service Week (first Mon–Fri week in Oct) Mon, 4–Fri, 8 – Drive Safely Work Week (first Mon–Fri week in Oct) Mon, 4–Fri, 8 – Malnutrition Awareness Week Mon, 4–Fri, 8 – Pediatric Nurses Week Mon, 4–Fri, 8 – Primary Care Week Mon, 4–Sun, 10 – Active Aging Week Mon, 4–Sun, 10 – Dyslexia Week Mon, 4–Sun, 10 – (World) Space Week Mon, 4–Sun, 10 – Spinning and Weaving Week Tue, 5–Thu, 7 – Pchum Ben Tue, 5–Mon, 11 – Dyslexia Awareness Week Wed, 6–Tue, 12 – Physician Assistant Week Thu, 7–Fri, 15 – Mysore Dasara Thu, 7–Fri, 15 – Navratri Fri, 8–Tue, 12 – International Cephalopod Awareness Days Sat, 9–Fri, 15 – Baby Loss Awareness Week Sun, 10–Sat, 16 – Case Management Week Sun, 10–Sat, 16 – Earth Science Week Sun, 10–Sat, 16 – Emergency Nurses Week Sun, 10–Sat, 16 – Love Your Body Week Sun, 10–Sat, 16 – Teen Read Week Mon, 11–Fri, 15 – Durga Puja Mon, 11–Fri, 15 – School Lunch Week Mon, 11–Sun, 17 – Financial Planning Week Tue, 12–Wed, 20 – Bone and Joint Health Action Week Fri, 15 Oct–Tue, 30 Nov – Wishbones for Pets Month Sun, 17–Sat, 23 – Character Counts Week (third full week of Oct) Sun, 17–Sat, 23 – Chemistry Week Sun, 17–Sat, 23 – Forest Products Week (third full week of Oct) Sun, 17–Sat, 23 – Freedom from Workplace Bullies Week (apparently, third full week of Oct) Sun, 17–Sat, 23 – Healthcare Quality Week Sun, 17–Sat, 23 – (International) Infection Prevention Week Sun, 17–Sat, 23 – Pharmacy Week (third full week of Oct) Sun, 17–Sat, 23 – Rodent Awareness Week Sun, 17–Sat, 23 – Teen Driver Safety Week Sun, 17–Sat, 23 – Veterinary Technician Week Sun, 17–Sat, 23 – Wolf Awareness Week (third full week of Oct) Sun, 17–Sun, 31 – Friends of Libraries Week Mon, 18–Fri, 22 – Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week (third full week of Oct) Mon, 18–Fri, 22 – Health Education Week (during the third week of Oct) Mon, 18–Fri, 22 – Medical Assistants Recognition Week Mon, 18–Fri, 22 – Nuclear Science Week (during the third week of Oct) Mon, 18–Fri, 22 – School Bus Safety Week (during the third week of Oct) Mon, 18–Sat, 23 – YWCA Week without Violence Mon, 18–Sun, 24 – Free Speech Week (third full week of Oct) Sat, 23 Oct–Sun, 31 – Red Ribbon Week Sat, 23 Oct–Sun, 21 Nov – Scorpio month Sun, 24–Sat, 30 – Ace Week Sun, 24–Sat, 30 – Disarmament Week Sun, 24–Sat, 30 – (International) Lead Poisoning Prevention Week Sun, 24–Sat, 30 – Massage Therapy Awareness Week Sun, 24–Sat, 30 – Pastoral Care Week Sun, 24–Sat, 30 – Respiratory Care Week Sun, 24 Oct–Thu, 11 Nov – World Origami Days Mon, 25–Fri, 29 – Global Health Equity Week Mon, 25–Sun, 31 – International Magic Week Fri, 29–Sun, 31 – Sherlock Holmes Weekend Single-day events Fri, 1 Black Dog Day Body Language Day (first Fri of Oct) CD Player Day China’s National Day (International) Coffee Day Fire Pup Day Hair Day Homemade Cookies Day Kids Music Day (first Fri of Oct) Lace Day Lee National Denim Day (first Fri of Oct) Less than Perfect Day Lincolnshire Day Manufacturing Day (first Fri of Oct) Model T Day (International Day of) Older Persons, a.k.a. International Day for the Elderly Plaidurday (World) Postcard Day Pudding Season starts Pumpkin Spice Day (International) Raccoon Appreciation Day (World) Smile Day (first Fri of Oct) Vegan Baking Day (World) Vegetarian Day (International) Willy Wonka Day Sat, 2 (World) Cardmaking Day (first Sat/Sun of October) (International) Chole Bhature Day Custodial Worker Day Digital Scrapbooking Day (first Sat of Oct) (World) Farm Animals Day Fried Scallops Day (International) Frugal Fun Day (first Sat of Oct) Gandhi Jayanti Guardian Angels Day Name Your Car Day (World) No Alcohol Day (International Day of) Non-Violence Peanuts (Comic Strip) Day Phileas Fogg’s Wager Day Produce Misting Day Research Maniacs Food Day (don’t ask me what this is!) Sun, 3 Boyfriend Day Butterfly and Hummingbird Day Change a Light Day (first Sun of October) Caramel Custard Day (World) Communion Sunday (first Sun of October) Country Inn Bed & Breakfast Day (first Sun of October) Family TV Show Day G.O.E. (Growth, Overcome, Empower) Day (the Sun of the first full weekend in Oct) Look at the Leaves Day Mean Girls Day (Global) Smoothie Day Techies Day (World) Temperance Day Virus Appreciation Day (!!!) Mon, 4 (World) Animal Day (World) Architecture Day (first Mon of Oct) (World Day of) Bullying Prevention, a.k.a. Blue Shirt Day (first Mon of Oct) Child Health Day (first Mon of Oct) Cinnamon Bun Day, a.k.a. Cinnamon Roll Day Consignment Day (first Mon of Oct) Feast of St Francis of Assisi Golf Lover’s Day (World) Habitat Day Improve Your Office Day Ship in a Bottle Day Taco Day (International) Toot Your Flute Day Vodka Day Tue, 5 Apple Betty Day Be Nice Day Chic Spy Day Do Something Nice Day Fruit at Work Day (first Tue of Oct) Get Funky Day (Global) James Bond Day Kiss a Wrestler Day (!!!) (International Day of) No Prostitution (World) Teachers’ Day Wed, 6 Badger Day Canadian Beer Day (World) Cerebral Palsy Day Coaches Day (USA) Coffee with a Cop Day (first Wed of Oct) (World) Financial Planning Day Garlic Lovers Day German–American Day Kale Day (first Wed of Oct) Mad Hatter Day New Moon Noodle Day Orange Wine Day Plus Size Appreciation Day Pumpkin Seed Day (first Wed of Oct) Random Acts of Poetry Day (first Wed of Oct) Transfer Money to Your Daughter Day (International) Walk to School Day (first Wed of Oct) Thu, 7 Bathtub Day Bring Your Bible to School Day Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Day Depression Screening Day Frappe Day Ghatasthapana Inner Beauty Day LED Light Day Poetry Day (UK—first Thu of Oct) Team Margot Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Registration Day Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day You Matter to Me Day Fri, 8 American Touch Tag Day Children’s Day (USA) (World) Egg Day (second Fri of Oct) Fluffernutter Day Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day Indian Air Force Day (International) Lesbian Day (World) Octopus Day Pierogi Day (International) Podiatry Day Salmon Day Vet Nurse Day (second Fri of Oct) Sat, 9 (International) Beer and Pizza Day Chess Day (USA—second Sat of Oct) Costume Swap Day (second Sat of Oct) Curious Events Day (World) Hospice and Palliative Care Day (second Sat of Oct) I Love Yarn Day (second Sat of Oct) (World) Migratory Bird Day (second Sat of Oct) Moldy Cheese Day Motorcycle Ride Day (second Sat of Oct) (Universal) Music Day (second Sat of Oct) Nanotechnology Day (on or around 9 Oct) Nautilus Night (International) Newspaper Carrier Day (the Sat of the first full week in Oct) (International) Pinotage Day (second Sat of Oct) (World) Post Day Scrubs Day Submarine Hoagie Hero Grinder Day Sun, 10 (World Day) against the Death Penalty Angel Food Cake Day Bonza Bottler Day Cake Decorating Day Father–Daughter Day (second Sun of Oct) Handbag Day (World) Homeless Day Hug a Drummer Day Hug a Kevin Day (WHAT?!) Love Your Hair Day (World) Mental Health Day Metric Day Motorsports Memorial Day Pastor Appreciation Day, a.k.a. Clergy Appreciation Day (second Sun of Oct) (World) Porridge Day (National) Post Day (India) SHIFT10 Day Squid Day, a.k.a. Cuttlefish Day, a.k.a. Squittleday (International) Stage Management Day Mon, 11 Columbus Day (second Mon of Oct) Coming out Day Discoverers’ Day (Hawaii— second Mon of Oct) (World) Dulce de Leche Day (International Day of the) Girl Child It's My Party Day Kick Butt Day (second Mon of Oct) Kimberly Day Kraken Day Online Banking Day (second Mon of Oct) Sausage Pizza Day Thanksgiving (Canada— second Mon of Oct) Tue, 12 Ada Lovelace Day (World) Arthritis Day Cookbook Launch Day Face Your Fears Day (second Tue of Oct) Farmer’s Day (USA) National Freethought Day Gumbo Day (International) Moment of Frustration Scream Day Own Business Day (second Tue of Oct) Pulled Pork Day Savings Day (USA) (Day of) Six Billion Wed, 13 Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work/School Day (second Wed of Oct) Curves Day (second Wed of Oct) (International Day for) Disaster Reduction Emergency Nurses Day (second Wed of Oct) (International Day for) Failure Fossil Day (Wed of Earth Science Week) Herpes Awareness Day M&M Day Metastatic Breast Cancer Day No Bra Day Pet Obesity Awareness Day (International) Plain Language Day Silly Sayings Day International Skeptics Day (13 Jan, 13 Oct, or first Fri the 13th of the year) Stem Cell Awareness Day (second Wed of Oct) (International) Suit up Day Take Your Parents to Lunch Day (the Wed of the second full week in Oct) (World) Thrombosis Day (International) Top Spinning Day (second Wed of Oct) Train Your Brain Day Transfer Money to Your Son Day Treat Yo’ Self Day Yorkshire Pudding Day (USA) Thu, 14 Be Bald and Be Free Day Chocolate-Covered Insect Day Dessert Day (International) Prokupac Day (World) Sight Day (second Thu of Oct) (World) Standards Day Fri, 15 Aesthetician Day Boss Day (16 Oct or, if it falls on a weekend, the weekday closest to it) Breast Health Day Cheese Curd Day Chicken Cacciatore Day Developmental Language Disorder Awareness Day (usually, third Fri of Oct) Dussehra Grouch Day (Global) Handwashing Day I Love Lucy Day Latino AIDS Awareness Day Mammography Day (third Fri of Oct) Mushroom Day (USA) Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day Pug Day Roast Pheasant Day (International Day of) Rural Women Shawarma Day (World) Students’ Day White Cane Safety Day Fri, 15 OR Fri, 22: Champagne Day Sat, 16 (World) Anesthesia Day (World) Bread Day Bridge Day (third Sat of Oct) Department Store Day Dictionary Day Feral Cat Day Fetch Day (third Sat of Oct) (World) Food Day (International) Independent Video Store Day (third Sat of Oct) Learn a Word Day Liqueur Day (International) Repair Day (third Sat of Oct) (World) Spine Day Sports Day (USA) Steve Jobs Day Sweetest Day (mostly, third Sat of Oct) Sat, 16 OR Sun 17: (World) Toy Camera Day (third Sat or Sun of Oct) Sun, 17 Black Poetry Day Edge Day (International Day for the) Eradication of Poverty Forgive an Ex Day (Also read: How to use your writing skills to bring yourself closure) Four Prunes Day Mulligan Day Pasta Day (USA) Pay Back a Friend Day Playing Card Collection Day Spreadsheet Day Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day (third Sun of Oct) (World) Trauma Day Wear Something Gaudy Day Mon, 18 Alaska Day Chocolate Cupcake Day Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day (third Mon of Oct) Exascale Day Health Care Aide Day Kati Bihu (International) Legging Day Meatloaf Appreciation Day (World) Menopause Awareness Day (International) Necktie Day Newspaper Comic Strip Appreciation Day No Beard Day Tue, 19 (World) Ballet Day Dress like a Dork Day Evaluate Your Life Day (International) Gin & Tonic Day Id-e-Milad LGBT Center Awareness Day (World) Pediatric Bone and Joint Day Pharmacy Technician Day (mostly, third Tue of Oct) Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity (third Tue of Oct) Seafood Bisque Day Tue, 19 OR Wed, 20: Sharad Purnima Wed, 20 (International Day of the) Air Traffic Controller Brandied Fruit Day Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day (mostly, third Wed of Oct) (International) Chefs Day Community Media Day (Global) Dignity Day (third Wed of Oct) Full Moon Hagfish Day (third Wed of Oct) Information Overload Awareness Day Medical Assistants Recognition Day (third Wed of Oct) Office Chocolate Day (World) Osteoporosis Day (International) Print Day (International) Sloth Day Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day (third Wed of Oct) Suspenders Day Thank Your Cleaner Day Unity Day (against bullying) (National Day on) Writing (USA) Youth Confidence Day Thu, 21 Apple Day (USA) Babbling Day Back to the Future Day Celebration of the Mind Day Check Your Meds Day Conflict Resolution Day (third Thu of Oct) Count Your Buttons Day (International) Credit Union Day (third Thu of Oct) Garbanzo Bean Day Get Smart About Credit Day (third Thu of Oct) Get to Know Your Customer Day (third Thu of Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct) (Global) Iodine Deficiency Disorder Prevention Day, a.k.a. (World) Iodine Deficiency Day Latina Equal Pay Day (apparently, third Thu of Oct) Mezcal Day (International Day of the) Nacho Pets for Veterans Day Pumpkin Cheesecake Day Reptile Awareness Day (International) ShakeOut Day (third Thu of Oct) Spirit Day (third Thu of Oct) Wear Purple for Domestic Violence Awareness Day, a.k.a. #PurpleThursday (Thu of the third full week in Oct) Fri, 22 (International) Caps Lock Day (also on 28 Jun) Color Day Eat a Pretzel Day Knee Day Kof Awareness Day Make a Dog’s Day Nut Day Smart is Cool Day (International) Stuttering Awareness Day Sat, 23 Boston Cream Pie Day Canning Day Croc Day (related to Crocs, the footwear) Event Organizers Day Hungary’s Republic Day iPod Day Kiwanis One Day (fourth Sat of Oct) Make a Difference Day (fourth Sat of Oct) Mole Day (related to Avogadro’s number in chemistry) Pit Bull Awareness Day (last Sat of Oct; else, the fourth Sat if it’s Halloween on the last weekend of Oct) Slap Your Irritating Co-Worker Day (!!!) (International) Snow Leopard Day SUDEP Action Day TV Talk Show Host Day Sat, 23 OR Tue, 26: Paralegal Day Sun, 24 Black Thursday (of 1929) Bologna Day Crazy Day (World) Development Information Day Food Day (USA) Good & Plenty Day Karak Chaturthi Mother-in-Law Day (fourth Sun of Oct) (World) Polio Day Recycle Your Mercury Thermostat Day Take Back Your Time Day (World) Tripe Day United Nations Day Mon, 25 (International) Artist’s Day (Also read: 10 epic quotes on creativity that are also easy to apply) Chucky, The Notorious Killer Doll Day Greasy Foods Day I Care About You Day MDS World Awareness Day (World) Opera Day (World) Pasta Day (World) Pizza Makers Day Postural Tachycardia Syndrome Awareness Day Punk for a Day Day Saint Crispin’s Day Sourest Day Tue, 26 Austria’s National Day Chicken Fried Steak Day Day of the Deployed Financial Crime Fighter Day Howl at the Moon Day Intersex Awareness Day Microneedling Day Mincemeat Day Mule Day Pumpkin Day Wed, 27 American Beer Day (World Day for) Audiovisual Heritage Black Cat Day Boxer Shorts Day Cranky Co-Worker Day Mentoring Day (UK) (World) Occupational Therapy Day Sylvia Plath Day Thu, 28 Ahoi Ashtami (International) Animation Day Carignan Day (last Thu of Oct) Chocolate Day (USA) First Responders Day Internal Medicine Day Ohi Day Plush Animal Lover’s Day St. Jude’s Feast Day Statue of Liberty Dedication Day Wild Foods Day Fri, 29 Bandana Day (last Fri of Oct) Breadstick Day (last Fri of Oct) Cat Day (USA) Frankenstein Friday (last Fri of Oct) Hermit Day (International) Internet Day (World) Lemur Day Oatmeal Day Pharmacy Buyer Day (Fri of the last full week in Oct) (World) Psoriasis Day (World) Stroke Day Sat, 30 (World) Audio Drama Day Candy Corn Day Checklists Day Create a Great Funeral Day Devil’s Night Haunted Refrigerator Night Hug a Sheep Day (last Sat of Oct) Mischief Night Prescription Drug Take-Back Day (last Sat of Apr and Oct) Publicist Day Speak up for Service Day Sugar Addiction Awareness Day Text Your Ex Day (no, thanks) (World) Thrift Day, a.k.a. World Savings Day Sun, 31 Books for Treats Day Caramel Apple Day (World) Cities Day Doorbell Day Girl Scout Founder’s Day Halloween Increase Your Psychic Powers Day Indira Gandhi Commemoration Day Knock-Knock Joke Day (International) Magic Day National Unity Day (India) Reformation Day (Day of) Seven Billion Sources: Bank Bazaar, Days of the Year, Holidays and Observances, Holiday Insights, National Day Calendar, National Today

Whenever you hit a wall in your writing, just look these up and give them a shot Image: Achim Thiemermann | Pixabay It can happen when you least expect it, but it can happen nevertheless. No writer on Earth is immune to it, not even me. Writer’s block is a common affliction that grips every practising writer worth their salt. Despite all the careful and meticulous planning on Earth, no amount of discipline or willpower can be enough to chase away the blues that hit us when we find ourselves unable to write a word. It could be due to fear of criticism or “trolling”. It could be due to an excessive obsession with perfection. It could be because your last couple of posts haven’t garnered the page views as expected. Whatever the reason, even if it’s none of these and something else, writer’s block is a real phenomenon that can keep you stuck and render you ineffective for days, if not weeks or months. Is there a cure for this condition? Thankfully, writer’s block is usually temporary, so it’s only a matter of time before the words come pouring out of you. But considering it isn’t a good thing to hit us when we have a deadline looming over us, we need some quick fixes to get our creative juices flowing. Here are 26 things you could do whenever you feel you’ve reached this dead end. These are based on my personal experiences, so they should be effective enough for you to overcome your writer’s block, too. If you have a tip, hack, or technique that has worked for you, do share it in the comments so everyone can apply and benefit from it. Stick to your routine and show up on the dot, even if you end up staring at your laptop or a blank page, doing nothing. If you don’t follow your schedule, you will allow yourself to break a well-formed habit and the mind will find more ways to squander away that valuable time you need to spend writing and working. Keep the file you’re supposed to be working on open at all times. Tell yourself to focus on your assignment for no more than five minutes. See how you end up breaking your own instruction by continuing the task for a longer duration. Order yourself to jot down just one word and leave. I bet nobody can stop at that! Read something—a book, an article, a blog post, a Twitter thread, anything. Take notes of whatever pops up in your head in the process. For the book, may I recommend my own? It’s a great read if you like inspirational narratives. Buy/download, read, and review PiKu & ViRu here; it’s FREE on Kindle Unlimited. Yes, take notes. They could pertain to your thoughts, a movie you decide to watch, an article or story you feel you can do more justice to than its actual writer… For movies and TV shows, you could do a scene-by-scene breakdown like how I have for the Bollywood blockbuster Jab We Met in this blog post, besides reviewing them. Trawl through your old stories, articles, blog posts, and journal entries. You are likely to find something in there. In most cases, you may simply want to end up improving or rewriting them. Make lists. Simple and easy. Of the books you want to read, the movies and TV shows you want to watch, the skills you aim to build, the places you yearn to visit, the things you have to buy, the foods you have to try, the life and work lessons you have learned, and so on. Write about your writer’s block, like how I’m doing in this blog post. Practise mindfulness. I got idea #9 when I centred myself in the present moment and allowed my thoughts to stabilise. Go on a screenshotting spree, and observe what patterns bind your finds. Collect recipes. Choose any random image and see what thoughts or ideas come up. Look up writing prompts. I have a bunch of them here! Better: create your writing prompts. Just write or scribble random things. Tell the world this is what you did during your writer’s block. Document a tutorial or workshop you attended, even if it was years ago. Talk to yourself, and record your self-talk. Are you sure you’ve netted enough sleep? Rest it out with a nap if the lack of slumber is what’s slowing you down. Or are you bored? In which case you could step out for a walk. Do something else. I was kneading dough out of flour when I got the brainwave to practise mindfulness, which led me to this blog post. Research images for your article or blog post. Bang out another story, blog post, article, book, or screenplay instead of the current one and schedule it in advance. If you’re stuck because you cannot think of what word to use or how to structure a sentence or in case something needs to be researched or fact-checked, simply insert “XXX” to mark out that point or put in a comment accordingly. It isn’t necessary to nail the headline or intro first. Start writing from wherever you feel comfortable. Write your long-form work in bullet points or use chits or sticky notes. You can always collate and edit everything later. Don’t be afraid to seek a little inspiration whenever you experience writer’s block. Can’t think of the perfect beginning to your article? Better to pull out a few references from other stories and see how you can give them your own spin without plagiarising than letting your head stew in indecision.

Can we improve our fiction-writing skills by dissecting and analysing this Imtiaz Ali blockbuster? Let’s find out It’s true that you can only become a better fiction writer by analysing various novels, movies, and TV shows, regardless of whether they’re good or bad, within your writing genre or outside of it, and then applying those learnings in your WIPs. A technique I learned last year for studying films and TV episodes this way is by doing scene-by-scene breakdowns. Not only does it help me easily identify plot points. I also learn how to write scenes better. I’m already benefiting from this technique for the detective mystery series I’m developing, and I’m sure it’ll also translate into brilliant results for PiKu & ViRu 2. (Buy/download, read, and review the first PiKu & ViRu book here—it’s FREE on Kindle Unlimited). The first movie I chose for this exercise also turned out to be one of my favourites—Jab We Met. I must have seen this Imtiaz Ali blockbuster a thousand times for sure! Almost to the point of knowing every dialogue by heart. Maybe that’s why I dissected this film first. It’s true that loving a film makes the process even more enjoyable :) So, here’s a scene-by-scene breakdown of Jab We Met. I suggest you watch the full movie as well—it’s available for streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Zee5. If you need the script, too, to study the film better, you can download it from this link. And if you’d like me to dissect and analyse a movie of your choice, drop the title in the comments below. ** 1 – Young man, somewhere in his 20s. Noise all around. Boardroom. Arguments. He’s silent, brooding. Someone addresses him by the name ‘Addy’. Talk of a lawsuit. Addy looks as if he’s in the dumps. He can’t take it anymore. He gets up, leaves. Stares at a bathroom mirror. Looks at the chaos in the boardroom once again. Sad. Leaves. Goes out of the office. (1.00–2.22; 1 min 22 sec) 2 – Addy drives away in a BMW. Wedding reception. Awkward eye exchanges with the bride. The groom greets him. All pose for a pic, Addy sombre all along. He leaves. (2.22–3.11; 49 sec) 3 – Outside, Addy ditches his belongings—BMW, phone. Wanders around the city listlessly, aimlessly. CREDITS BEGIN. He leaves more belongings—tie, cufflinks—as if renouncing the world, conceding defeat. Surrounded by a crowd moving in the opposite direction as him; he then moves with them. They’re boarding a BEST bus; so does he. Mumbai CST. (3.12–5.20; 2 min 8 sec) 4 – Inside CST. Outstation train leaving. Entrance beckoning to Addy. He gets in. CREDITS END. (5.21–5.58; 37 sec) 5 – Young woman (YW), early-to-mid-20s, tries to board a moving train. Porter, passengers help load her luggage. She makes it! Chats loudly with passengers. Brags about never missing a train in her life. Chatterbox keeps going. Reaches the same seat as Addy. Turns out he’s occupying her seat. He moves across. She keeps chattering with him. Life story, opinions. (“Mujhe kasam hai aaj ke baad main kabhi hostel mein nahin rahoongi.”) (Translation: “I swear I’ll never stay in a hostel again.”) Irritated, Addy gets up. (5.59–8.47; 2 min 48 sec) 6 – Addy opens the train door to attempt suicide. YW calls out from behind. He turns around, startled, frightened. TC arrives. Gets Addy in, closes the door. Assuming he’s mute, YW signals to Addy that the man with them is a TC asking for his ticket. Addy speaks for the first time: “Mere paas ticket nahin hai.” (Translation: “I don’t have a ticket.”) (8.48–10.07; 1 min 19 sec) 7 – Back to the train seat. YW convinces the TC to book Addy a ticket for the last station, Delhi. Addy seems hopelessly lost throughout. YW intrigued by Addy: “Drugs-shugs li hai kya?” (Translation: “Are you on drugs or something?”) She pesters him to open up to her. She gets to him. He blows up. She doesn’t mind his outburst, though. More chattering. She reveals she’s getting married to a non-Sikh guy her family may not approve of. Addy’s weirded out. (10.08–12.41; 2 min 33 sec) 8 – YW sleeping in her berth. Nightclothes with Mughal-e-Azam poster. Murmuring. She wakes up. Addy’s missing from his berth. She gets down. (12.42–13.14; 32 sec) 9 – YW sees Addy walking on the platform of a nondescript station. Night. She calls out to him. When he doesn’t hear her, she gets out of the moving train, despite a fellow passenger’s protestations. She runs to Addy. “Train’s leaving, let’s go.” He doesn’t care. She goes after the train. Bumps into a tomato seller; slips. Seller pulls her for reparations. YW misses her train. She’s worried. Angry. Storms out at Addy, who tells her to mind her own business. She orders him to take her home to Bhatinda, complete with her luggage. Addy runs. Because it’s the first out-of-the-ordinary action by him in the film, which he wouldn’t have taken under normal circumstances, its preceding stimulus, i.e. YW missing her train and ordering him to take her home, is the film’s INCITING INCIDENT. YW chases Addy. He climbs a set of stairs; she follows. FOB. Cop intervenes. Addy pushes him aside. YW rebukes the cop: “Nalayak, vardi utaarke phek de.” (Translation: “You useless man, throw your uniform away.”) (13.15–16.03; 2 min 48 sec) 10 – Addy and YW get into a taxi. The ride is too slow. “Aise train pakdenge hum?” YW asks. (Translation: “How are we supposed to catch the train at this speed?”) CAB DRIVER: “You won’t be able to reach the train anyway. Next station, Ratlam, is 100 km away.” Addy asks him to stop the taxi and gets into the driving seat. He races the car. Driver panics, cribs, cries at his taxi being hijacked and raced like this. YW, enthralled, tries to assuage the driver in her signature style. Cab soon level with the train. (16.04–18.08; 2 min 4 sec) 11 – Cab reaches Ratlam station. Addy and YW dash towards the platform; driver chases them for the fare. Male onlookers. (18.09–18.27; 18 sec) 12 – Addy and YW arrive at the platform. Panting. The train’s standing right there. Addy tells YW to not help him anymore; she agrees. He begins to pay the cab driver. YW asks for money to buy water. Addy hands her some cash before returning to the driver. (18.28–19.03; 35 sec) 13 – YW at a railway canteen. Buys water. Argues with the CANTEEN VENDOR about the overpriced bottle. Pays MRP. She doesn’t realise that, in the course of the argument, train started moving. She only realises while downing water from the bottle. She turns around, shocked. Runs after the train, leaves her change at the canteen itself. YW misses the train for the second time! Worried. Afraid. Vulnerable. (19.04–20.49; 1 min 45 sec) 14 – Male onlookers from #11. Lecherous, “thrilled”. They know YW’s alone. She walks around the station for help. (20.50–21.00; 10 sec) 15 – STATION MASTER’s (SM) office. He tells YW he’ll call the SM of the next station, Kota, and ask him to remove her luggage from the train and keep it. YW wonders how she’ll reach Kota. SM chides her for leaving the train. Spews sexist, graphic “life advice”—including “Akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai.” (Translation: “A lone woman is like an open safe.”) After acting all curious and intrigued at the SM’s “muft ka gyan” (Translation: “free advice”), YW loses her cool. “CALL KOTA ASAP!” He gives in. All this while, lecherous goons are outside SM’s office, overhearing. Goons disperse as YW emerges from SM’s office. VO: SM calling the Kota SM. (21.01–22.48; 1 min 47 sec) 16 – YW sits on a bench. Canteen vendor and one of the goons harass her. Use the “akeli ladki” line. YW retorts while panicking from within. Leaves after a point. (22.49–24.27; 1 min 38 sec) 17 – YW emerges at Ratlam station’s entrance. Little over 12.30 AM on the clock. She calls for the cab driver, who’s parked outside the entrance. He drives away, reluctant to ride her again. She stands with a group of women outside. A man arrives on a motorcycle and propositions her. YW realises those women are sex workers and that the man has mistaken her for one. She tells him she’s isn’t one. Afraid, she starts to walk away. The biker comes after her. She can’t go to the station—there are goons at the entrance. And there are sex workers behind. Where to go? Just then, she spots a silhouette. A man wandering ahead. It’s Addy. YW runs after him. Biker chases her. She reaches Addy. Hugs him tightly. Prayer of thanks to “Babaji”. Addy, stunned, incredulously asks her while letting go of her, “Tumne phir train miss kar di?” (Translation: “You missed your train again?”) Biker goes away. YW and Addy introduce themselves to each other: she’s GEET, he’s ADITYA. Geet talks again. Reveals she’s seen Aditya’s loaded wallet. Suggests staying the night at a hotel, leaving for Kota the next day, picking up her bags, then “all the way to Bhatinda”. Aditya makes a WTF face. ACT 1 ENDS—Aditya realises he has no choice but to help Geet reach home. (24.28–27.14; 2 min 46 sec) 18 – ACT 2 BEGINS: Aditya has now commenced on his life-changing journey with Geet and has entered her world. The two walk along a deserted Ratlam lane at night. Geet blabbers; he’s annoyed. Aditya wonders how she’s so cheerful and talkative, despite the gravity of their situation. (27.15–28.35; 1 min 20 sec) 19 – Hotel Decent. Shady lodge. They enter. (28.36–28.48; 12 sec) 20 – HOTEL MANAGER. Smirks. Aditya wants to book a room on a per-night basis. But a frugal Geet chooses the “per-hour” plan, unaware of its implication, and books a room for 3 hours. Aditya, after unsuccessfully trying to explain the connotation to her, gives up. He pays the tariff. The manager and Aditya whisper about Geet; the former thinks she’s a “call girl”. Aditya plays along. (28.49–30.35; 1 min 46 sec) 21 – Really tacky hotel room. More banter b/w Geet and Aditya. Geet is suspicious about his “khusar-pusar” (Translation: “whispering”) with the hotel manager. Aditya dismisses her safety-related fears. In the process, she reveals her boyfriend’s name: Anshuman. Aditya shows his girlfriend’s photo. By his expression, she guesses he’s been “dumped”. He burns the photo and flushes it down the toilet at her behest, after dismissing the idea as “childish”. He feels better and beams for the first time. More conversation. (Geet remarks that it’s difficult for Aditya to become like her.) Knock on the door interrupts. (30.36–35.24; 4 min 48 min) 22 – Hotel manager frantic; running along the passage knocking on room doors. Raid. Everyone hurries out. All dodgy men with sex workers. Geet and Aditya run along with them. Geet has no clue why they’re running, though Aditya very well does. (35.24–36.29; 1 min 5 sec) 23 – State bus. Geet prays for a normal night. Aditya enters with the tickets. Banter continues. Geet fantasises aloud about hitching Aditya with her cousin Roop. (36.29–38.54; 2 min 25 sec) 24 – The bus starts. Aditya begins humming. Geet’s surprised; happy, too. Road trip. A new day dawns. SONG: Hum Jo Chalne Lage. The two enjoy the bus ride. Reach Kota. Withdraw cash from an ATM. Get their luggage. Change clothes. Hire a car. Car tyre punctures, so they walk, then hitch ride on a vegetable truck. Fall asleep in a restaurant after ordering. Aditya steals a local’s cycle, rides it with Geet, and, along with her, returns it to the owner w/ chocolates as an apology and token of thanks. Another car. SONG ENDS with G&A sitting on an elevation above a pond. (38.55–42.53; 3 min 58 sec) 25 – Pond. Geet compliments Aditya for his singing. Aditya confesses music was his passion at one point of time, not anymore. Geet wonders why; he doesn’t reply. Geet: “Insaan jo kuch really chahta hai, actual mein, use hamesha wohi milta hai.” (Translation: “Whatever a human truly wants is what they always get.”) She invites him to jump into the water with her. Aditya thinks she’s bonkers to suggest that. She jumps and drags him into the water anyway. Frolic. “You need a psychiatrist,” he teasingly tells her when out of the water. (42.54–44.55; 2 min 1 sec) 26 – Dhaba/Garage. Geet, Aditya changing. He reveals his true identity; he’s Aditya Kashyap, the son of a rich deceased industrialist. Geet’s stunned; she’s heard about him. She blurts out his mother’s infamous affair; apologises. Aditya doesn’t mind; he hates his mother for doing that. Geet encourages him to understand and empathise with his mother. He takes offence. She backs off, calls for peace, cracks a joke on his affluence. He lightens up. (44.56–47.11; 2 min 15 sec) 27 – Geet and Aditya reach the former’s palatial bungalow. Her cousin, AMRIK, sees her; goes into the house announcing her arrival. While still in the car, Geet asks Aditya about his plan. His reserved response alarms her; she concernedly drags him into her house. Her family greets them both. (47.11–48.17; 1 min 6 sec) 28 – Geet, Aditya, the family meet DAARJI, the eldest member of the house. He wonders if Aditya is Geet’s boyfriend. Geet replies that Aditya was a passenger who brought her home after she missed her train on a station at night. Daarji enquires about Aditya’s profession; Aditya says, “Music ka kaam.” (Translation: “Music work.”) Daarji welcomes him to stay with them for a few days so the family can “return the favour”. (48.18–50.01; 1 min 43 sec) 29 – Aditya is being overfed by Geet’s family. Geet joins the fun, too. GEET’S MOTHER whisks her away for a private conversation. (50.01–50.36; 35 sec) 30 – Aditya’s room is being readied. He’s stuffed to the gills. Geet takes him under the stairs for a hushed conversation. A girl enters the scene. Geet introduces Aditya to her—it’s ROOP, her cousin. Roop suspects Geet and Aditya of an affair. Esp. when Geet tells her to turn away and whispers Aditya to meet her in the field early morning. (50.36–52.12; 1 min 36 sec) 31 – Geet and Aditya convene at the field. There’s a problem. Geet is being betrothed to her childhood friend, Manjeet Maan. He’s arriving with his family to see her that day. G&A discuss solutions. Geet suggests running away; Aditya says it’s a “ghatiya”, risky thing to do. (52.12–55.11; 2 min 59 sec) 32 – Big party at Geet’s house. MANJEET MAAN and his family arrive. Geet acts all clingy with Aditya to disrupt the betrothal; he tells her to stay away. Roop becomes even more suspicious. Geet and Manjeet catch up. Aditya is introduced to all. Geet mentions his “singing talent”. Everyone, incl. Daarji, asks him to sing. He cannot refuse, but he’s nervous. Geet’s encouragement emboldens him. SONG: Nagada Nagada. Everyone’s dancing and celebrating while Aditya sings. In the antara, he hints at Geet’s relationship with Anshuman without mentioning him. Roop thinks he’s referring to himself, gets all the more suspicious. Celebration continues. SONG ENDS. (55.12–1.02.09; 6 min 57 sec) 33 – Geet and Manjeet are strolling along a path. Geet suddenly excuses herself and hugs Aditya, right in front of Manjeet, then denies having any “relationship” with Aditya, as if she’s been caught red-handed. Manjeet doesn’t buy Aditya’s explanation that Geet is bluffing, esp. because Aditya cannot mention Anshuman. (1.02.09–1.04.05; 1 min 56 sec) 34 – Aditya walking inside the house. Geet winks at him. He shakes his head, smiling. (1.04.06–1.04.14; 8 sec) 35 – Night. Geet sneaks into Aditya’s room; wakes him up. She’s running away. She has no other option left, as Manjeet still wants to give her another chance. Aditya tells her she cannot afford to leave him behind, lest the family should butcher him. She suggests he run along with her. How does it matter what the family thinks of them if they run away together? He gets ready to leave with her. (1.04.14–1.05.36; 1 min 22 sec) 36 – G&A begin to sneak out. Roop sees them; goes snitching, despite Geet’s exhortation. Geet is about to hit the road when Aditya drags her inside the house and they hide on the terrace, biding their time until it’s safe to get out. Geet’s family searches for her. Rage, tears, tension. (1.05.37–1.08.45; 3 min 8 sec) 37 – Aditya learns that Anshuman is in Manali and that he’s unaware about Geet running away from home for him. Aditya doesn’t like this. Geet assures him she’s willing to take the risk and assume full responsibility for it—that she’s simply following her heart. Aditya reflects on her philosophy. (1.08.45–1.11.30; 2 min 45 sec) 38 – Geet and Aditya leave. Last look at the house. Geet promises him she’ll be back the next day after her wedding and beg for her family’s forgiveness. Aditya admits to being able to understand his mother now, thanks to Geet and her love for Anshuman. (1.11.31–1.12.43; 1 min 12 sec) 39 – SONG: Yeh Ishq Hai. G&A in Manali. Geet is ecstatic about her impending union with Anshuman. She’s singing, dancing, rejoicing with the locals. Lots of colourful costumes around. Initially, Aditya is happy. But soon, he’s gripped by a sombre realisation: it’s the last time he’s seeing Geet. SONG ENDS. Geet spots Anshuman. She asks Aditya to come along. But Aditya cannot—he’s in love with her. He bids adieu and goes in the opposite direction as her. (1.12.44–1.18.07; 5 min 23 sec) 40 – Aditya as if conversing with the mountains around, understands what he has to do next. (1.18.08–1.18.47; 39 sec) INTERMISSION 41 – Corporate conference. Aditya, in formals, takes the podium. He addresses his company’s angry associates and stakeholders in the audience, but not as his old, usual self. He talks to them exactly like Geet. Enthusiastic, passionate, optimistic, lively, energetic. Adds Geet’s line about getting what one truly wants. Everyone applauds at his comeback. (1.18.47–1.20.56; 2 min 9 sec) 42 – Aditya patches up with his mother, agrees to sign on her claims, reinstates her prior position in the company. She’s stunned at this change in him. Aditya also takes the lawyer’s case, Geet-style. (1.20.56–1.22.53; 1 min 57 sec) 43 – Aditya dictates next steps to his secretary, Meher, incl. a new “product idea”. Aditya’s friend, RAGHAV, wonders how he has changed so much. Aditya leaves for a “very important work”. (1.22.53–1.23.48; 55 sec) 44 – Aditya heads to his cabin. Pulls out a guitar. Plays it. (1.23.49–1.24.14; 25 sec) 45 – SONG: Tumse Hi. Aditya keeps Geet alive in his heart. Sees her everywhere. Credits her for his success and newfound attitude. Consults her imaginary version for his problems. Everything is going great! Happy employees, happy him. (1.24.14–1.28.23; 4 min 9 sec) 46 – SONG ENDS w/ Aditya launches a long-distance calling card in Geet’s name. (1.28.23–1.28.39; 15 sec) 47 – Amrik chances upon the news of Aditya’s product launch on TV. (1.28.40–1.28.51; 11 sec) 48 – Geet’s family at Aditya’s office; rough him up. Aditya is shocked to learn that Geet hasn’t contacted them in 9 months. He promises to get her to them in 10 days, despite being unsure about where or how she is—or whether she’s even alive. This is the film’s MIDPOINT, as it introduces stakes and urgency for Aditya, places a ticking time bomb of 10 days, and makes the viewer go “WTF!” (1.28.51–1.31.48; 2 min 57 sec) 49 – Aditya informs a puzzled Raghav that he’s going to Manali. (1.31.48–1.32.06; 18 sec) 50 – Manali. Aditya arrives at ANSHUMAN’s travel-agency office. He’s shocked to learn that Anshuman has rejected Geet. Anshuman explains he turned down Geet because he couldn’t stand her dreamy, childish nature. He blurts out that Geet is in Shimla. Aditya chides him, esp. because she hasn’t been to her house in 9 months out of disgrace. (1.32.06–1.36.35; 4 min 29 sec) 51 – SONG: Aaoge Jab Tum. FLASHBACK (FB): Geet is rejected by Anshuman immediately after Aditya leaves. Heartbroken. Pleads with him again at his home the next day but is shown the door. Bus. Shimla. Nun from Geet’s boarding school sees her, takes her back to the hostel. Geet teaches at the school. Is now depressed, melancholic. Keeps calling Anshuman; keeps getting rejected. FB ENDS. Aditya finally spots her on a road. Follows her around. He’s pained to see her as a gaunt ghost of her former bubbly, cheerful, vivacious self. SONG ENDS with him sitting at her hostel steps while she approaches them from the gate. (1.36.36–1.41.23; 4 min 47 sec) 52 – Aditya tells Geet to come with him. Geet refuses; even gets aggressive. “Can’t take another favour from you,” she tearfully adds. Aditya rebukingly reminds her he’s alive and successful because of her. Touched, she agrees to go with him. (1.41.24–1.44.23; 2 min 59 sec) 53 – Geet and Aditya drive to the hotel. (1.44.23–1.44.40; 17 sec) 54 – Hotel suite. G&A reminisce the night they first met. Aditya informs her about her goof-up at Hotel Decent. She breaks down over her heartbreak and blames her naïveté for it. Aditya exhorts her to forget Anshuman. Reminded of what Geet made him do to his ex-GF’s photo, he urges Geet to swear at Anshuman on the phone. Initially hesitant, Geet blows off full steam at Anshuman over the phone. Anshuman’s stunned. Intimate moment between G&A, but they recover in time. Aditya very cheerful, positive and upbeat, despite the awkwardness. He amusingly chides Geet for having a boring dinner instead of “paneer-shaneer de tikke”, “chole de bhature” and orders her to show him around Shimla. (1.44.41–1.51.30; 6 min 49 sec) (Also read: How to use your writing skills to bring yourself closure) 55 – Next morning. G&A playfully ditch the car to board a moving toy train. Aditya admits to liking Geet but is okay being platonic with her. He’s fun & cheery here, too. Geet begins to smile again. (1.51.31–1.53.13; 1 min 42 sec) 56 – Anshuman at the hotel. G&A arrive; see him. Anshuman wants Geet to take him back. Geet seeks Aditya’s counsel. Aditya advises her to give Anshuman another chance—he, thus, decides to “lose the battle”. Geet reluctantly agrees, esp. because she knows about Aditya’s feelings for her. Aditya anyway takes her to Anshuman and “loses the battle”. (1.53.14–1.58.17; 5 min 3 sec) 57 – Aditya weeps beside a stream. This is Aditya at his SADDEST, mourning after losing the battle and giving up his fight for his love, so this scene is his BLACKEST MOMENT and kick-starts the end of ACT 2. Steeling himself, he dials a number on his phone. (1.58.18–1.58.35; 17 sec) 58 – Geet’s father on the phone with Aditya. Geet and Aditya are returning home that evening. (1.58.36–1.58.50; 14 sec) 59 – Geet, Aditya, Anshuman drive from Shimla towards her home in Punjab. (1.58.51–1.59.03; 12 sec) 60 – Geet’s home is decked up. Hugs, welcomes. Aditya is garlanded by Roop. The reason: the family thinks Geet is married to Aditya! He’s shocked. The two are now treated as a couple. Anshuman, who’s mistaken as Aditya’s friend, looks as if someone’s slapped him. G&A try to tell the truth to the family, but in vain. Because this misunderstanding is an opportunity sent by the Universe to Aditya to win over Geet’s love, it constitutes a REWARD and, thus, marks the end of ACT 2 and the beginning of ACT 3 and the CLIMAX. (1.59.03–2.02.12; 3 min 9 sec) 61 – Daarji welcomes G&A. (2.02.12–2.03.26; 1 min 14 sec) 62 – Geet, Aditya, Anshuman convene outside. Amrik and other kids interrupt their discussion and turn Anshuman into a family photographer. Photo done. Geet’s father takes Aditya with him. Geet drags her mother along. Geet’s mother, midway, arranges for Anshuman’s accommodation. (2.03.27–2.04.33; 1 min 6 sec) 63 – Geet tries to tell her mother about Anshuman but ends up unwittingly praising Aditya. (2.04.34–2.05.12; 38 sec) 64 – Roop and a bunch of other girls tease Aditya. He hints at Geet, sitting across him, to tell someone; she takes her mother inside. Geet’s father and uncle excuse the girls to ask Aditya about his readiness for a traditional wedding ceremony. Aditya diplomatically replies to ask Geet first. The men take his response as his go-ahead. (2.05.12–2.06.35; 1 min 23 sec) 65 – Anshuman furious with being sidelined. “Geet should have told her family about us at the outset.” Aditya tries to calm him down. Anshuman expresses his anger over the boys dragging him to see “ganne ke khet”; Aditya assuages him further. (2.06.35–2.07.59; 1 min 24 sec) 66 – Geet in her room. Tries to tell her mother but fails. (2.08.00–2.09.14; 1 min 14 sec) 67 – Wedding ceremony fixed for 2 days later. Celebratory family dance. Aditya happily participates; Anshuman grumpy and moody while being dragged by two lads with sugarcane sticks. Geet observes this difference b/w the two men from a window. Because this is Aditya’s way of addressing the problem using the “growth” and lessons he has received, it marks the RESURRECTION part of the climax. (2.09.15–2.10.14; 59 sec) 68 – Corridor, night. Geet walking. Reaches Aditya and Anshuman’s room. Informs him about her inability to tell her family, despite several opportunities. She feels something’s off—“Jaise koi train chhoot rahi hai”. (Translation: “As if a train’s leaving.") Aditya cheers her up; continues with the RESURRECTION. Geet remarks he’s become just like her. Roop and the girls arrive. Tease. Take Geet away. Anshuman wakes up and wonders what the matter is. Aditya tells him Geet had come to see him. Anshuman goes back to sleep. Geet worried by the window. (2.10.15–2.12.58; 2 min 43 sec) 69 – Morning. Same field where Geet told Aditya about Manjeet. Geet heads to where Aditya and Anshuman are waiting. Aditya takes their leave. Sorrowed. Anshuman explains to Geet how to go about the revelation. Train passes, hoots. Drowns out Anshuman’s voice. Geet gets flashes of Aditya and her. Geet’s VO: “Jaise koi train chhoot rahi hai,” w/ Geet running after the train at Ratlam station. Geet races across the field, as if catching a metaphorical train. Anshuman runs after her. She hugs Aditya in the same way as she did in front of Manjeet. They kiss—their union is Universe’s ULTIMATE REWARD to Aditya for his courage to do the right thing. He, thus, wins the war after losing the battle. Anshuman deflated. (2.12.58–2.18.36; 5 min 38 sec) 70 – SONG: Mauja Hi Mauja. Marks the film’s RESOLUTION / RETURN WITH ELIXIR. Wedding preparations. Aditya’s mother, Raghav, and Meher arrive, bless Geet, pitch in for the preps. G&A duet dance. EPILOGUE: Few years later, G&A before a bedridden Daarji with their two little daughters. Daarji boasts about his impressions reg. G&A proving to be true. G&A simply nod while grinning. They’re the only two on Earth who know what happened on the night they met. END CREDITS. (2.18.36–2.23.38; 5 min 2 sec)

Plus, creativity examples and exercises Image: Mick Haupt | Unsplash There are hundreds of quotes on creativity out there to inspire and motivate you. But the truth is you are looking for creativity quotes that actually work and give you the results you seek. You don’t just want to gawk at those awe-inspiring words and admire how they’re strung together. You want them to make you a more creative person. Considering there are reams and pages of such quotes to browse through, I’m simplifying the process by cherry-picking 10 of them, based on personal mantras that have worked for me in the 11 years of my writing career. I’ll explain each quote with my interpretation of it, coupled with anecdotes and examples wherever possible. I’ll end each quote with an easy-to-do exercise that is sure to boost your creativity levels. So, let’s dive into these creativity quotes and exercises and see how we can easily apply them in our lives and careers. Do share your feedback, suggestions, and experiences in the comments below. “Everything I know, see or hear, every part of my life is transformed into dresses. They are my daydreams, but they have passed from dreamland into the world of everyday items to wear.”—Christian Dior Want to know the quickest way to reach the pinnacles of creativity? Indulge in some absent-minded dreaming during your waking hours. I’d even say that daydreaming is a must for every creative aspirant, without exceptions! If I’d have never allowed myself to daydream as a habit, my book PiKu & ViRu would never have come to fruition (buy/download, read, and review it here; it’s FREE on Kindle Unlimited). Parts of my WIP, too, have been a product of daydreaming. The Dutch lifestyle of niksen, which involves taking time off to do nothing, includes purposeless daydreaming and mind-wandering as part of the package. The benefits of niksen on health and stress levels are all well documented. It isn’t any surprise that the Netherlands is among the happiest and most prosperous nations on Earth. And it’s because so many people there harness their innate creativity by allowing their minds to take off on a journey of their own. Exercise: Schedule between 10 and 30 minutes a day to look out of your window and let your mind wander. Also do this when you’re on the road, in a train, or in a flight, regardless of whether or not you get a window seat. Keep your phone aside. Remember you need to do this exercise for your health, if not creativity. In any case, the impacts of this activity on your creativity are more far-reaching than you can imagine. “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”—Albert Einstein If you want to be more creative, you have to strengthen your imagination. And for that, you have to be bold enough to visualise whatever you want. Many of us are afraid that imagining and coming up with unusual scenarios and ideas would upset our families, make our friends ridicule us, and get the people we love to ostracise us if they find out. We even feel guilty about harbouring such imagery. The truth is that you’re only doing yourself a major disservice by not being yourself. The same people you think would be offended at your uniqueness won’t just come around but also support you with all their hearts. Those who don’t, never really loved you anyway. So, go ahead, and get your imagination going. Your inner child is going to love you for it! Exercise: Build a playlist of your favourite music numbers. Don’t worry about what your social group would think about your choices. Visualise your interpretation of these songs. Do you see yourself in a love ballad, romancing the hero or heroine? Or do you see two different people in there? Have your personal take on the songs’ settings, choreography, and costumes. Jot down or paint your imageries. Keep doing this visualisation exercise religiously at a set time daily, preferably at night. “When you tune your guitar in a different way, it lends itself to a new way of looking at your songwriting.”—Sheryl Crow Inspired by David Foster Wallace’s speech, This is Water, I now view traffic jams in another light (pun unintended). Earlier, a red sign on the road would see me frustrated and annoyed. Only after it turned green would I get to normal. But after reading this essay, I began asking myself, “What does the Universe want me to do while I await this red light?” Sometimes, I’d use that time for visualisation. Or indulge in people-watching and observing my surroundings. If I was on a bus, I’d whip out a book and start reading. I also realised the temporary halt was a great opportunity to find out which car and bike models were in vogue at the time and wonder where their occupants were headed and why. And if it was my favourite music playing, I didn’t mind the delay at all. I’d want it to last as much as possible so I could squeeze in some more daydreaming! I’m yet to apply this tenet of seeing things differently in other areas of my life. It’s hard to let go of conditioning, after all. Also, the story is a bit different when a traffic snarl happens while I’m in a hurry to go somewhere, although I’m learning to surrender even in this case. But once I overcome my default beliefs, I know I’d have unleashed a treasure-trove of dormant creativity lying within me. It’s all about treating the so-called negatives as opportunities. Exercise: While you can apply this practice to traffic jams, see whether you can also spot opportunities in other “annoying” situations. For example, a credit-card issue, although a nuisance, can be a good chance to work out your interpersonal-communication muscles when you talk to your bank about it, especially if you’re the shy type. Not receiving that promised call from a friend, while hurtful, can free up time to read a long-pending book, watch a movie on your list, paint something, pursue a hobby, or ring another friend who may coincidentally need your advice or guidance. Tell yourself, “This is the perfect opportunity for me to…” and then observe yourself filling in the rest. “The great thing about this thing we call art is that it has no rules.”—Kim Weston It’s heartbreaking when a child paints the sky in her artwork red and an adult comes and tells her that the sky should only be blue. Little does the adult realise that they’re stunting the child’s creative growth and stamping out her creative buds before they even get a chance to blossom. By insisting on conformation to conventions, the adult is robbing the child of the ability to come up with groundbreaking ideas. Indeed, art should have no rules, as this brilliant quote on creativity rightly says. It becomes quite an effort to unlearn all this conditioning in one’s adult years, but we’re also mature enough to catch ourselves in instances of conformity. That’s when we should ask ourselves: how we can undo this damage. Exercise: Get printouts of circular mandalas or multiple copies of any other unpainted picture of your choice. Fill in any colour you like, without questioning or wondering about what would go best in what part. The hair doesn’t have to be black, brown, or blonde, the lips don’t always have to sport red, and the grass need not be the lushest shade of green. Don’t worry about symmetry either—just use any colour anywhere! The purpose of this exercise is to silence the convention-conforming inner critic in you, which was probably born in your childhood. Do this regularly, and you’d have found your true creative self in no time! “A home cook who relies too much on a recipe is sort of like a pilot who reads the plane’s instruction manual while flying.”—Alton Brown Considering we’re practising creativity in all spheres of life, why not follow it for a life skill as crucial as cooking? Creativity in cooking is a powerful remedy for those hunger pangs (and a delicious one at that). Once you have a hang of basic techniques and flavour combinations, you should allow yourself to trust your instincts to come up with your own dish. Even if you prefer using a recipe, the key is to treat it as a guide, not a rulebook. The creativity you glean from cooking can then be applied to improving other areas of your life. Exercise: Taking a cue from the creativity quote above, enter your kitchen and check what ingredients you have in stock. See what you can put together out of whatever you have without the need to buy anything extra. Try using your own judgment and creativity here instead of following a recipe. Then, document how the recipe turned out, jot down your notes and feedback, and later, fine-tune your recipe on another occasion in the same week or month. “Try to find if something out there is similar. If it’s already being done, now you need to find out if you can do it better or cheaper. If you have a good product and no one’s buying, improve it and tweak it.”— Cameron Johnson Why wait for a fresh idea to knock on your door? Why not come up with your own version of an existing piece of creation? In fact, that’s how I landed my first international byline. I didn’t have to brainstorm or rack my head for it. All I needed to do was go through my previous clips, choose one, and adapt it for a different audience. The two pieces are as dissimilar as chalk and cheese. And it made me richer by a few thousand bucks, too :) Exercise: Take your favourite movie and see how you can improve it. Would you like to change the ending, like how I’ve shown for The Great Indian Kitchen in this blog post? Or would you prefer tweaking the climax, the way I’ve suggested for Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!? Would you remake the movie in another language or with a different lot of actors? How would the film pan out then? How would you turn the film into a miniseries? Or write a sequel, prequel, or spinoff? Let your imagination run wild in this exercise. Ditto for any articles you’re looking to pitch to publications. And remember, no plagiarism. “I do recall how I got the ideas for some of my books. Many of them are a result of doodling.”—Bill Peet My late cousin was a huge fan of doodling, and so am I. The proof lies in the reams of paper with pen-made figures that majorly happened during the course of lengthy phone calls. There are several people out there who sell their doodles as art. Even if you don’t harbour commercial interests, doodling is highly recommended to unlock your subconscious mind without your inner critic jumping in because, hey, we don’t really critique our doodles, do we? The health benefits are awesome, too. Exercise: Just doodle. You can easily do that if you get to turn off your video during those interminable Zoom calls. Who knows, you may land yourself your next bestseller in the process, like how it happened in this quote about creativity above! “It takes humility to seek feedback. It takes wisdom to understand it, analyze it and appropriately act on it.”—Stephen Covey There was a time I dreaded feedback. I still do. But the moment I begin to address it, something interesting happens. A new solution carves itself out of nowhere, like magic. And then I find my work much better than before and at another level altogether. This is exactly what happened when P&V was being beta-read and professionally edited (buy/download, read, and review it here; it’s FREE on Kindle Unlimited). This effect is also the reason I welcome word limits, tedious keyword research, and additional plug-ins suggested by clients that I may not initially agree with—because they all take the original text someplace better. I occasionally play a ruthless critic myself and punctuate my text with comments in red everywhere! It’s a fun way to silence my ego (which doesn’t even mind the comments after the initial hit, BTW). Exercise: The next time the subject line of an incoming email says “feedback,” take a few deep breaths. Open the document and go through the comments. Initially, you may find yourself offended—to the extent that you may want to throw something at the sender. But you need to remind yourself that this emotional wave is temporary. Reread the comments at least a day later, and the effect won’t be the same. The anger and fear would have long gone, and you’d be able to work on the critique with a calm, reasonable mind. You’ll find yourself stunned on seeing creative and innovative ideas flow out of you while addressing the comments. As I mentioned, treat the entire thing as a game—tackling criticism becomes fun when you believe it will improve the quality of your work and polish it. “Your emotions make you human. Even the unpleasant ones have a purpose. Don’t lock them away. If you ignore them, they just get louder and angrier.”—Sabaa Tahir Our culture recommends disregarding the boredom or any other emotion that shows up during the course of your work and ploughing ahead anyway. I’ve heeded this advice to regretful results, though. Not only does boredom affect the quality of your work. I’ve also seen how the boredom that showed up while I was finishing an assignment for a publication was telling me to work on another one that would have coincided with Valentine’s Day, which was just around the corner, and given the article more traction! So, yes, your emotions do try to tell you something—pay attention. I’m also learning to channel my other emotions such as anger into my writing so it acquires a greater degree of depth and stands out from everything else. Exercise: The next time you feel any emotion, notice it. See what it’s trying to communicate to you. Either it needs channeling somewhere or it’s asking you to change track. The journey you’ll consequently end up on will be an enthralling place all the way, and the emotion will bow out after its job is done. Of course, you can work with a therapist here for better guidance. “There are two fatal errors that keep great projects from coming to life: 1) Not finishing 2) Not starting.”—Buddha Too often, we wait for inspiration to strike us before we begin a creative project. But the truth is our personal muses show up at unexpected timings of their own, not necessarily adhering to our schedule. So, instead of waiting for them, we need to go ahead anyway, as Buddha recommended us to do through this timeless quote on creativity by him. Of course, it pays to note down your ideas whenever your muses drop them in your laps. It only means you’re supposed to start working on them now! Procrastination is another devil we need to be wary of. The key is to build a routine and stick to it. Here’s an article that will supply you with all the ammunition you need to stop dilly-dallying and get your s**t done. Exercise: That book you’ve been wanting to write but don’t know what to write on? Just start penning it down anyway. It doesn’t necessarily have to be fiction. Nor do you have to be an expert or authority on something. Your daily life is full of ideas—here’s a guide I’ve compiled so you can mine content from your routine activities. If nothing else, document your family recipes, life lessons, or trading secrets. Your life has more stories than you think.

Think 34 month-long events in a span of 30 days! Plus, hundreds of interesting single-day occasions Images (from L to R): Kabir Cheema, Nafeez Rahman, Joshua J. Cotten for Unsplash It’s that time of the month again! The time when you get all your blogging, content-marketing, meme, and social media calendar ideas for the upcoming few weeks in one place. So, without much preamble, let’s dive into this big list of exciting events, cool holidays, lively festivals, significant occasions, and quirky days coming up in September 2021 you can use for planning and timing your posts. (A note: I’m excluding popular birthdays and death anniversaries from the list. I’ve realised it’s quite an exclusionary approach to spotlight just a few people for these. Besides, it’s very easy to miss out on a LOT of these dates. I’m also skipping movie anniversaries this time. You have to admit that researching these dates for films across ALL languages in India and abroad is a labour-intensive effort for a time-starved solo blogger. At the same time, it’s difficult to verify these release dates if they vary across countries. Ditto for sporting events, which are subject to unexpected cancellations and rescheduling these days, so it becomes very cumbersome to update the calendar as and when. Still, there’s quite a lot happening this month, so you have plenty to work with! Save and bookmark this September 2021 content calendar to make the most of it.) Month-long events Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – (World) Alzheimer’s Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Baby Safety Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Better Breakfast Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Biscuit Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Blueberry Popsicle Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Chiari Awareness Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Chicken Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Classical Music Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Courtesy Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Fall Hay Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Friendship Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Guide Dog Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Happy Cat Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Honey Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Hunger Action Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Library Card Sign-up Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Mushroom Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Piano Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Potato Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Preparedness Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Recovery Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Responsible Dog Ownership Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Rice Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Self-Improvement Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Sepsis Awareness Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Sewing Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Shake Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Sourdough September Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – (International) Square Dancing Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Suicide Prevention Month Wed, 1–Thu, 30 – Whole Grains Month Multiple-day events Mon, 9 OR Tue, 10 August–Tue, 7 September – Muharram month Mon, 23 August–Mon, 20 September – Bhadrapada month Mon, 23 August–Wed, 22 September – Virgo month Wed, 1–Tue, 7 – National Nutrition Week Sun, 5–Sat, 11 – Suicide Prevention Week Mon, 6–Wed, 8 – Rosh Hashanah Wed, 8 September–Wed, 6 October – Safar month Sun, 12–Sat, 18 – International Housekeepers & Environmental Services Week (second week of September) Mon, 13–Sun, 19 – Māori Language Week Mon, 13–Sun, 19 – Neonatal Nurses Week Sat, 18–Sun, 19 – European Heritage Days (third weekend of September) Mon, 20–Sun, 26 – International Week of the Deaf (last full week of September) Mon, 20–Sun, 26 – International Week of Happiness at Work (last full week of September) Mon, 20–Sun, 26 – Indoor Plant Week (third week of September) Mon, 20–Mon, 27 – Sukkot Mon, 20 September–Wed, 6 October – Pitru Paksha Wed, 15–Thu 16 – Yom Kippur Wed, 15 September–Fri, 15 October – Hispanic Heritage Month Tue, 21 September–Wed, 20 October – Ashwin month Thu, 23 September–Fri, 22 October – Libra month Single-day events Wed, 1 – Acne Positivity Day Wed, 1 – Building and Code Staff Appreciation Day Wed, 1 – Cap Classique Day Wed, 1 – Cherry Popover Day Wed, 1 – Ginger Cat Appreciation Day Wed, 1 – Global Talent Acquisition Day (first Wednesday of September) Wed, 1 – Gyro Day Wed, 1 – (World) Letter Writing Day (read: How to use your writing skills to bring yourself closure) Wed, 1 – Meteorological autumn starts Wed, 1 – No Rhyme or Reason Day Wed, 1 – Slovakia Constitution Day Wed, 1 – Tofu Day Wed, 1 – Wattle Day (Australia) Thu, 2 – Blueberry Popsicle Day Thu, 2 – Cabernet Day (the Thursday before US Labor Day) Thu, 2 – Calendar Adjustment Day Thu, 2 – (World) Coconut Day Thu, 2 – Grits for Breakfast Day Thu, 2 – Vietnam Independence Day, a.k.a. Vietnam National Day Fri, 3 – Australian National Flag Day Fri, 3 – Bring Your Manners to Work Day (first Friday of September) Fri, 3 – Chianti Day (first Friday of September) Fri, 3 – College Colors Day (the Friday before US Labor Day) Fri, 3 – Food Bank Day (first Friday of September) Fri, 3 – Lazy Mom’s Day (first Friday of September) Fri, 3 – Merchant Navy Day Fri, 3 – Skyscraper Day Fri, 3 – Welsh Rarebit Day Sat, 4 – Bacon Day (the Saturday before US Labor Day) Sat, 4 – (World) Beard Day (first Saturday of September) Sat, 4 – Eat an Extra Dessert Day Sat, 4 – Google’s birthday Sat, 4 – Macadamia Nut Day Sat, 4 – Newspaper Carrier Day (USA) Sat, 4 – Tailgating Day (first Saturday of September) Sat, 4 – (International) Vulture Awareness Day (first Saturday of September) Sat, 4 – Wildlife Day (USA) Sun, 5 – Belarusian Written Language Day (first Sunday of September) Sun, 5 – Be Late for Something Day Sun, 5 – Brazilian Day Sun, 5 – (International Day of) Charity Sun, 5 – Cheese Pizza Day Sun, 5 – European Day(s) of Jewish Culture Sun, 5 – Pet Rock Day (first Sunday of September) Sun, 5 – (World) Samosa Day (see image) Sun, 5 – Teachers’ Day (India) Mon, 6 – Bulgaria Unification Day Mon, 6 – Coffee Ice Cream Day Mon, 6 – Fight Procrastination Day Mon, 6 – Mouthguard Day (first Monday of September) Mon, 6 – New Moon Mon, 6 – Pola Mon, 6 – Read a Book Day (recommending my book, PiKu & ViRu, for the occasion! Buy/download, read, and review it here; it’s FREE on Kindle Unlimited) Mon, 6 – US Labor Day (first Monday of September) Tue, 7 – Acorn Squash Day Tue, 7 – Another Look Unlimited Day (the day after US Labor Day) Tue, 7 – Beer Lovers Day Tue, 7 – Buy a Book Day (plugging in P&V here again! Buy/download, read, and review it here; it’s FREE on Kindle Unlimited) Tue, 7 – (International Day of) Clean Air for Blue Skies Tue, 7 – (World) Duchenne Awareness Day Tue, 7 – Google Commemoration Day Tue, 7 – Grateful Patient Day Tue, 7 – Salami Day Tue, 7 – Superhuman Day Tue, 7 – Telephone Tuesday (the day after US Labor Day) Wed, 8 – Actors’ Day Wed, 8 – Ampersand Day Wed, 8 – Iguana Awareness Day Wed, 8 – (International) Literacy Day Wed, 8 – Macedonia Independence Day Wed, 8 – Nativity of Mary Wed, 8 – Pardon Day Wed, 8 – Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses’ Day Wed, 8 – (World) Physical Therapy Day Wed, 8 – Quiet Day (second Wednesday of September) Wed, 8 – Star Trek Day Thu, 9 – Care Bears Share Your Care Day Thu, 9 – I Love Food Day Thu, 9 – Jeûne Genevois (Genevan Fast—variable Thursday in September) Thu, 9 – Komuz Day Thu, 9 – School Picture Day (second Thursday of September) Thu, 9 – Steak Au Poivre Day Thu, 9 – (International) Sudoku Day Thu, 9 – Teddy Bear Day Thu, 9 – Wiener Schnitzel Day Thu, 9 – Wonderful Weirdos Day Fri, 10 – Ganesh Chaturthi Fri, 10 – Gibraltar National Day Fri, 10 – (World) Suicide Prevention Day Fri, 10 – Swap Ideas Day Fri, 10 – TV Dinner Day Sat, 11 – Catalonia National Day Sat, 11 – (International) Drive Your Studebaker Day (second Saturday of September) Sat, 11 – Enkutatash, a.k.a. Ethiopian New Year Sat, 11 – (World) First-Aid Day (second Saturday of September) Sat, 11 – Hot Cross Bun Day Sat, 11 – Make Your Bed Day Sat, 11 – No News is Good News Day Sat, 11 – Patriot Day Sat, 11 – 20 Years of 9/11 Sat, 11 OR Sun, 12 – German Language Day Sun, 12 – Chocolate Milkshake Day Sun, 12 – Grandparents’ Day Sun, 12 – Hug and High 5 Day Sun, 12 – Hug Your Hound Day (second Sunday of September) Sun, 12 – Just One Human Family Day Sun, 12 – National Day of Encouragement (USA) Sun, 12 – Pet Memorial Day (second Sunday of September) Sun, 12 – Report Medicare Fraud Day Sun, 12 – United Nations Day for South–South Cooperation Sun, 12 – Video Games Day Mon, 13 – Bald is Beautiful Day Mon, 13 – Boss/Employee Exchange Day (the Monday after US Labor Day) Mon, 13 – Celiac Awareness Day Mon, 13 – Defy Superstition Day Mon, 13 – Hug Your Boss Day Mon, 13 – Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day Mon, 13 – Peanut Day Mon, 13 – Positive Thinking Day Mon, 13 – Programmers’ Day Mon, 13 – Roald Dahl Day Mon, 13 – Supernatural Day Mon, 13 – Uncle Sam Day Tue, 14 – Ants on a Log Day (second Tuesday of September) Tue, 14 – Coloring Day Tue, 14 – (International) Crab Fest Day Tue, 14 – Cream-Filled Donut Day Tue, 14 – Eat a Hoagie Day Tue, 14 – Feast of the Cross Tue, 14 – Gobstopper Day Tue, 14 – Hindi Diwas Tue, 14 – Live Creative Day Tue, 14 – Sober Day Wed, 15 – (World) Afro Day Wed, 15 – Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie Day Wed, 15 – Cheese Toast Day Wed, 15 – Crème de Menthe Day Wed, 15 – (International Day of) Democracy Wed, 15 – (International) Dot Day Wed, 15 – Double Cheeseburger Day Wed, 15 – Engineers’ Day (India) Wed, 15 – Felt Hat Day Wed, 15 – Greenpeace Day Wed, 15 – Linguine Day Wed, 15 – Make a Hat Day Wed, 15 – Online Learning Day Wed, 15 – Serbian Unity, Freedom and National Flag Day Wed, 15 – Tackle Kids Cancer Day Thu, 16 – Choose Your Chocolate Day Thu, 16 – Cinnamon–Raisin Bread Day Thu, 16 – Collect Rocks Day Thu, 16 – Guacamole Day Thu, 16 – Malaysia Day Thu, 16 – Mexico Independence Day Thu, 16 – (World) Ozone Day Thu, 16 – Pawpaw Day (third Thursday of September) Thu, 16 – Play-Doh Day Thu, 16 – Stepfamily Day Thu, 16 – Teenager Workout Day Thu, 16 – Working Parents Day Fri, 17 – Apple Dumpling Day Fri, 17 – Australian Citizenship Day Fri, 17 – Concussion Awareness Day Fri, 17 – (International) Country Music Day Fri, 17 – Grenache Day (third Friday of September) Fri, 17 – Hunger Action Day Fri, 17 – Monte Cristo Sandwich Day Fri, 17 – (World) Patient Safety Day Fri, 17 – Pet Bird Day Fri, 17 – Professional House Cleaners Day Fri, 17 – Table Shuffleboard Day Fri, 17 – Tradesmen Day (third Friday of September) Sat, 18 – Batman Day (third Saturday of September) Sat, 18 – Big Whopper Liar Day (third Saturday of September) Sat, 18 – (World) Cleanup Day (third Saturday of September) Sat, 18 – Coastal Cleanup Day (third Saturday of September) Sat, 18 – Cheeseburger Day Sat, 18 – Dance Day (USA—third Saturday of September) Sat, 18 – Eat an Apple Day (third Saturday of September) Sat, 18 – First Love Day Sat, 18 – Gymnastics Day (third Saturday of September) Sat, 18 – HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day Sat, 18 – Hug a Greeting Card Writer Day Sat, 18 – Locate an Old Friend Day (third Saturday of September) Sat, 18 – Puppy Mill Awareness Day (third Saturday of September) Sat, 18 – Read an Ebook Day (another excuse for me to plug in P&V, hehe; buy/download, read, and review it here; it’s FREE on Kindle Unlimited) Sat, 18 – (International) Red Panda Day (third Saturday of September) (see image) Sat, 18 – Respect Day Sat, 18 – Rice Krispie Treat Day Sat, 18 – Software Freedom Day (third Saturday of September) Sat, 18 – (World) Water Monitoring Day Sun, 19 – Anant Chaturdashi Sun, 19 – Butterscotch Pudding Day Sun, 19 – Meow Like a Pirate Day Sun, 19 – Talk Like a Pirate Day Sun, 19 – Wife Appreciation Day (third Sunday of September) Sun, 19 – Women’s Friendship Day (third Sunday of September) Mon, 20 – Fried Rice Day Mon, 20 – Full Moon Mon, 20 – Pepperoni Pizza Day Mon, 20 – Punch Day Mon, 20 – Queso Day Mon, 20 – Respect for the Aged Day (third Monday of September) Mon, 20 – String Cheese Day Mon, 20 – (International Day of) University Sport Tue, 21 – (World) Alzheimer’s Day Tue, 21 – Chai Day Tue, 21 – Escapology Day Tue, 21 – Get Ready Day (third Tuesday of September) Tue, 21 – (World) Gratitude Day Tue, 21 – IT Professionals Day (third Tuesday of September) Tue, 21 – Mid-Autumn Festival (Chinese) Tue, 21 – Miniature Golf Day Tue, 21 – (National) New York Day (USA) Tue, 21 – (International Day of) Peace (& Non-Violence—UN) Tue, 21 – Pecan Cookie Day Wed, 22 – (World) Car-Free Day Wed, 22 – Centenarian’s Day Wed, 22 – Chainmail Day Wed, 22 – Dear Diary Day (read: How I completed #500DaysOfJournaling, despite the pandemic) Wed, 22 – Elephant Appreciation Day Wed, 22 – Equinox Wed, 22 – (National) Girls’ Night in Day (USA) Wed, 22 – Hobbit Day Wed, 22 – Ice Cream Cone Day Wed, 22 – Legwear Day Wed, 22 – Mabon Wed, 22 – OneWebDay Wed, 22 – Online Recovery Day Wed, 22 – (International Day of) Radiant Peace Wed, 22 – (World) Rhino Day Wed, 22 – Rose Day (Welfare of Cancer Patients) Wed, 22 – Temperature Control Day Wed, 22 – White Chocolate Day Wed, 22 OR Thu, 23 – Falls Prevention Awareness Day Thu, 23 – Celebrate Bisexuality Day Thu, 23 – Checkers Day, a.k.a. Dogs in Politics Day Thu, 23 – Great American Pot Pie Day Thu, 23 – Innergize Day (the day after the September Equinox) Thu, 23 – Remember Me Thursday (third Thursday of September) Thu, 23 – Restless Leg Awareness Day Thu, 23 – (International Day of) Sign Languages Thu, 23 – Snack Stick Day Thu, 23 – Teal Talk Day Thu, 23 – Za’atar Day Fri, 24 – (World) Bollywood Day Fri, 24 – Brave Day (fourth Friday of September) Fri, 24 – Cherries Jubilee Day Fri, 24 – German Butterbrot Day, a.k.a. German Sandwich Day (last Friday of September) Fri, 24 – Hug a Vegetarian Day (fourth Friday of September) Fri, 24 – Lash Stylists’ Day Fri, 24 – Love Note Day (fourth Friday of September—read: 8 writing exercises for the truly romantic) Fri, 24 – Punctuation Day Sat, 25 – Binge Day Sat, 25 – Comic Book Day Sat, 25 – Cooking Day Sat, 25 – (World) Dream Day Sat, 25 – Hunting and Fishing Day (fourth Saturday of September) Sat, 25 – Lobster Day Sat, 25 – Math Storytelling Day Sat, 25 – One-Hit Wonder Day Sat, 25 – (World) Pharmacists Day Sat, 25 – Psychotherapy Day Sat, 25 – Quesadilla Day Sat, 25 – (International) Rabbit Day (fourth Saturday of September) Sat, 25 – Research Administrator Day Sat, 25 – Save Your Photos Day (last Saturday of September) Sat, 25 – Tune-up Day Sat, 25 – World’s Biggest Coffee Morning Sun, 26 – Better Breakfast Day Sun, 26 – Chimichanga Day Sun, 26 – Compliance Officer Day Sun, 26 – (World) Contraception Day Sun, 26 – Daughters’ Day (fourth Sunday of September) Sun, 26 – (World) Deaf Day (last Sunday of September) Sun, 26 – Dumpling Day Sun, 26 – European Day of Languages Sun, 26 – Human Resource Professional Day Sun, 26 – Johnny Appleseed Day Sun, 26 – Lumberjack Day Sun, 26 – Mesothelioma Awareness Day Sun, 26 – Pancake Day Sun, 26 – (World) Rivers Day (fourth Sunday of September) (see image) Sun, 26 – Situational Awareness Day Sun, 26 – (International Day for the) Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons Mon, 27 – Ancestor Appreciation Day Mon, 27 – Chocolate Milk Day Mon, 27 – Corned Beef Hash Day Mon, 27 – Crush a Can Day Mon, 27 – Family Day (USA—fourth Monday of September) Mon, 27 – French Community Day Mon, 27 – Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Mon, 27 – No Excuses Day Mon, 27 – Scarf Day Mon, 27 – Morning Show Hosts Day Mon, 27 – (World) Tourism Day Tue, 28 – Drink Beer Day Tue, 28 – Good Neighbor Day Tue, 28 – (International) Poke Day Tue, 28 – (World) Rabies Day Tue, 28 – Strawberry Cream Pie Day Tue, 28 – (International Day for) Universal Access to Information Tue, 28 OR Wed, 29 – Confucius Day Tue, 28 OR Thu, 30 – Ask a Stupid Question Day Wed, 29 – Attend Your Grandchild’s Birthday Day Wed, 29 – (International Day of) Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction Wed, 29 – Biscotti Day Wed, 29 – Coffee Day (USA) Wed, 29 – (World) Heart Day Wed, 29 – Michaelmas Wed, 29 – Starbucks Day Wed, 29 – Women’s Health and Fitness Day (last Wednesday of September) Thu, 30 – Blasphemy Day Thu, 30 – Chewing Gum Day Thu, 30 – Extra Virgin Olive Oil Day Thu, 30 – Hot Mulled Cider Day Thu, 30 – Love People Day Thu, 30 – (World) Maritime Day Thu, 30 – Mud Pack Day Thu, 30 – Orange Shirt Day (Canada) Thu, 30 – (International) Podcast Day Thu, 30 – Rumi Day Thu, 30 – Thunderbirds Day Thu, 30 – (International) Translation Day Sources: Bank Bazaar, Cute-Calendar, Days of the Year, Happy Days 365, Holiday Insights, National Day Calendar, There is a Day for That

Plus, a sample closure letter for your benefit Closure (n): a feeling that an emotional or traumatic experience has been resolved (Lexico) Your workplace has laid you off, citing performance issues, which is rubbish. The editor you’ve pitched your article ideas to hasn’t responded to even one of your numerous emails to them, despite their activeness online. The person you’ve been seeing has ghosted on you, without bothering to say goodbye, just like how ViRu does to PiKu in my book PiKu & ViRu. (Buy/download, read, and review it here; it’s FREE on Kindle Unlimited!) What’s common between these three scenarios? All of these have the potential to leave questions in our heads. Questions for which answers are hard to come by. We then make it our life’s mission to get these answers. After all, how can the mind possibly rest when there are gaps in its repository of information? It pushes and pesters us to get these answers so it can go back to its normal peaceful mode. But no matter how hard we try, these answers elude us. We then seek them from various quarters, sometimes even from those who caused this stalemate situation in our lives, despite our negative emotions for them. And when these people are unable to deliver anything concrete, we go back to square one. What if there’s a way for us to regain our peace and happiness without relying on these answers to come to us? What if we can forgive someone without waiting for their apology? What if we can bring closure to ourselves on our own without relying on another person to do so? And there is a powerful way to do all this: through writing. Words, when cleverly strung together, can shift and reorganise the information in our minds. And the matter of closure is no exception—when we can’t get it from another person, we can change the story in our heads by leveraging the power of writing. How? There are several writing exercises that can help us here, and you can work in tandem with a therapist to figure out which of them works best for you, according to the situation you’re in. One of them that seems to have clicked for me is writing a carefully and strategically worded letter by hand to the person you’re seeking closure from. You pour out all our thoughts and feelings in this missive. The key is to write it in the present tense, focus on what you want, and keep things optimistic, constructive, and peaceful. There’s no need to send this letter to that person. You can seal the letter in an envelope with that person’s name written on it and drop the lot somewhere random, leaving it to Nature to decide whether that person receives the letter or not. While there is a possibility of phrasing the letter in such a way that it works from the get-go, it’s always better to let it go somewhere outside. Image: Xavier Turpain | Pixabay By writing this letter, you aren’t pardoning that person for their actions. You aren’t letting them get away for what they’ve done. But you’re surely taking a step in getting rid of all the unpleasant emotions that linger for long and wreck your mental and even physical health. Forgiveness and closure are very, very selfish acts. You’re doing this exercise strictly for yourself rather than for another person. You’re stopping this person from dictating and governing your emotions, and you’re taking your power back from them. You stop obsessing over them and lose all desire to get back at them. Here’s a sample closure letter I’ve come up with. Do let me know in the comments how it turns out for you. As I said, run it by your therapist to see whether this format suits you. If there’s another writing exercise you need me to touch upon, do tell me. I’d be happy to devote a blog post or more to it. Dear (the person’s name), Hope you’re safe and well. By writing this letter addressed to you, I’m getting over all the unpleasant feelings I’ve had for you (insert names of these specific feelings), ever since (describe the incident that caused these feelings). By writing this letter addressed to you, I’m forgiving you and we’re becoming better friends than before. I’m realising that whatever has happened, is happening, and will happen between us is PERFECT, and so, I’m losing all my fears and regrets. There’s only peace, security, and positivity between us—a win-win equation. I’m resuming being happier for you and prouder of you. I’m adopting the right mindset and attitude, taking the right actions, and having the right responses in any situations related to us. This letter has also opened the gates for (an event or person you’re looking forward to). All of the above is happening, regardless of whether this letter is reaching you or not, whether you’re being able to read this letter or not, whether you’re reading this letter or not. I’m leaving it to Nature and the Universe to decide our fate. Meanwhile, if you need someone to talk to, I’m always a phone call away. Thank you, and take care. Good luck, (Your name)

Use these to warm up your confidence and speaking-up muscles Image: Brooke Lark | Unsplash For the past few weeks, I have been surprisingly receiving one query in particular from various quarters. “How do I build confidence? How do I gather the strength and courage to tell my boss/ clients/coworkers/family members/partners that their behaviour is problematic and I don’t like it? Could you recommend some tips, suggestions, books, or videos that I can use immediately?” These people are well aware that speaking up is the best and only solution for their issues. The one thing they need is the courage and confidence to do so. Firstly, you have to remember that you can speak your mind respectfully, politely, gracefully, and elegantly. I’ve written a blog post in the past on the various tips you can use for exercising your assertiveness muscles. TBH, there was a time when I’d ask the same questions to others. As someone from a formerly troubled family, I know the importance of speaking up fearlessly. Yet, over the years, I have been in that place where I’d simply swallow whatever others would throw at me. Be it in my career or love lives, I have endured them all. Not anymore, though. I now remind myself that I’ve come a long way from that life, thanks in large part to my book (buy/download, read, and review it here; it’s FREE on Kindle Unlimited), freelancing business, blogging, screenwriting, therapy, and overall journey. I’m still in the process of building my confidence muscles, but the work is very much on. What I’ve now done is identified a few resources that are helping mould me into a more confident, more courageous self. Here they are for your anytime reference. A New Mode Although this blog cum YouTube and Instagram channel revolves around dating and relationships, the core advice across all its content is the same: self-love and raising your standards. It seems as if New York-based dating coach Sabrina Alexis instinctively manages to understand my issues and dish out the root cause of them all. Although the truths she reveals are hard to digest, I still take down plenty of notes and highlight the relevant bits. As a result, I can feel my preprogrammed notions give way to something better and more empowering. Here’s the link to A New Mode’s YouTube channel, Instagram page, and blog. If there’s only one video you can watch, let this one on confident women’s mindsets be it. It’s equally applicable for all genders, so do check it out. The best part about this video is that even if you replace the romance element with work and career, the advice still holds. Update as of Wed, 8 Dec 2021: Sabrina has been expressing anti-vaxxing views in her recent Instagram stories. While this development should not affect the overall quality of her usual content, I leave it to you to exercise your discretion and take a call on following her channels. Auntie Ayesha I’m so grateful for that momentous day my friend Ayesha Aleem sent me a DM on Twitter, asking me to subscribe to her newsletter. Themed on women empowerment and achievements, Auntie Ayesha is a must-read for everyone, irrespective of their gender. The amount of painstaking research Ayesha puts into compiling it is spellbinding. I impatiently wait for it every week or so to arrive in my inbox so I can read it in one go. It’s from Ayesha’s newsletter that I’ve learned about such gems as “At every moment, you are EXACTLY where you are meant to be and this is no accident,” and how PMS is such a widely ignored and highly misunderstood issue, made worse by all those insensitive jokes around. Each word shifts something in my head, and I can feel my life change as a result. Do subscribe to Ayesha’s newsletter here; your confidence levels will soar to different heights, I can guarantee you. Kitchen Confidential I thank my stars that I stumbled upon this bestselling memoir by Anthony Bourdain and have done a blog post around its business lessons. Whenever I need guidance, I turn to this post and then refer to the larger book. Doing this helps me see how the late chef would have responded to the situation I’m in. Most of the time, it works like magic and I get all the clarity and confidence I need. You can buy the book here. Bonus: Singham I know what you’re thinking. How is a Rohit Shetty masala movie, infamous for its predominantly male gaze, a “confidence builder”? Well, here’s the thing: Despite its issues and ludicrous moments, it somehow miraculously works in upping my confidence levels. Singham’s plot revolves around a cop facing harassment from a powerful gangster-turned-politician and how the tables eventually turn. The one thing I took away from the film is this—your bosses/clients/coworkers can either get the work done or get their whims and fancies fulfilled. They can’t have it both ways. It’s surprisingly a very powerful message from an over-the-top film that doesn’t claim to take itself too seriously. I’d highly recommend it if you need a quick confidence boost, Bollywood-style. You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video. Do let me know whether these suggestions work for you. I’m also on the lookout for more confidence-building resources. If you have any recommendations of your own, do drop them down in the comments below. I’ll check them out and post my thoughts about them.

What I learned from my vaccination experience Image: Freepik Saturday, 24 July 2021, has been special to me for 3 reasons. Firstly, it was my paternal aunt’s birthday. Secondly, my childhood hero made his acting debut on this day 23 years ago. (No, it’s not ViRu from my book PiKu & ViRu, hehe—buy/download, read, and review it here.) And thirdly, my sister and I got our jabs. Yep, both of us received our first doses of Covishield at a vaccination centre near us that day. The only thought we’ve had since then has been, “Why we didn’t do it sooner?” The process was incredibly easy, lightning-fast, and hassle-free, contrary to what we’ve been told all along. (We still feel door-to-door vaccination and neighbourhood drives without the need for an app-based registration are a better idea, but anyway…) While we had the expert advice of our vaccinated friends that prepared us for this day, we also learned a few life lessons of our own. I decided to dedicate a blog post to these lessons so that it benefits those who are set to get their first Covid-19 vaccination dose. Hopefully, it will also motivate those who are in two minds about getting vaxxed, as well as those who are dreading its side effects. Here are my 8 nuggets of learning in no particular order. Always carry cash and a pen Remember what our parents would forever tell us about carrying a pen or two whenever we stepped out of the house? A year and four months of staying at home meant we had completely forgotten this advice. As a result, we had to flit around at the vaccination centre near us in search of a pen to write our CoWin India app registration details with. Only one person turned out to have a pen in a group of around 10 or 20! That’s why it’s better to have more than one properly functioning pen in your bag or pocket. Also, despite the alleged hygiene issues involving cash payments, cash still rules. Always keep a sufficient amount of banknotes, along with some spare change, in your bag or pocket, whether your jab is free or paid, or even if you’re stepping out of the house for non-vaccine work that isn’t expected to take long. Besides, not all vaccination centres accept card or digital payments. Most of the time, things aren’t as scary as we make them out to be The actual vaccination process barely lasted a few seconds. I couldn’t even furnish my registration document to the vaccinator before she told me I was jabbed! It was 100% painless. It was as if someone had clicked open one of those ‘pen pencils’ on my arm—nothing more! If the piece of cotton placed on the vaccination point of my arm wouldn’t have shown the usual bit of blood when I took it out, it’d have been hard to believe I’d gotten vaxxed. It was so quick, there was no time to even ask for a photograph, forget taking one! We are usually stronger than we think we are After our vaccination, we were asked to sit in a waiting room for 10 minutes so we could be placed under observation for any signs or sensations of vertigo, nausea, etc. Nothing happened to anyone sitting there. I got further proof of my normal strength levels when I climbed the stairs of my building effortlessly, contrary to my fear of experiencing some sort of panting due to being out of practice. I have to thank my yoga sessions for that. We tend to underestimate ourselves As I mentioned, the vaccination appointment required me to get out of the house after over a year and four months. I thought I’d feel some sort of disorientation after all that staying at home. I almost believed I had forgotten all the routes. But it simply felt as if my last outdoor trip had happened only yesterday. Nothing appeared different, except for the shuttered shops, which were almost everywhere we looked. The masks around did stun me, but after a while, I got used to them. The shuttered shops broke our hearts, though. Our immune systems are a mystery Although my sister and I got similar side effects, the way they manifested was wildly different. While my fever consistently subsided from the moment it kicked in, my sister saw fluctuations in her temperature, which took some time to normalise. Also, contrary to all the warnings, my arm pained only for the first hour and then nothing. On the other hand, my sister’s arm was in pain for two days before it got alright. And the fever only seemed external; I felt perfectly healthy from the inside and was even humming and singing at times! Indeed, not everyone’s immune system behaves in the same manner. Take plenty of rest, use some humour, spend the time with your favourite movies and games and TV shows, and you’d be fine sooner than you think. Plan and prepare well in advance It’s inadvisable for all members of a family to get vaccinated simultaneously. Else, none of them will have ample time to rest amid the need to take care of the chores. Also, stock up on Crocins, Dolos, and Electral powders in the house before the day of your vaccination appointment. Electral can especially keep you energised if the jab’s side effects affect your appetite. A cool, airy room is ideal Ensure ample ventilation of your room by keeping the windows open and, preferably, the fan switched on. I had to switch off the fan in my room due to the chills I got from the vaccine’s side effects, but after a while, my heartbeat shot up. It was scary—as if a heart attack was imminent. Thankfully, I soon felt hot and sticky, so I had to power on the fan. My heartbeat was immediately back to normal. Since then, I’d keep the fan on whenever I was in the room. It also helped that we stuck to wearing light clothing. Talk to your friends during your recovery Especially the vaccinated ones—if they could make it through the side effects, you will, too. On that note, do not log onto social media or read or watch any negative-sounding health-related news or content, no matter what. You know why. An exception could be the CDC and SII websites, which could prove useful when dealing with the side effects. Also, if there are one-crore fully vaccinated people in your state, it only alludes to the power of our inner strength. Believe in that force, and you’ll get all the hope and motivation you need. Here’s hoping my experience has been helpful to you in some way. Now, get your jabs as soon as you can at a vaccination centre near you. They’re our best protection from the virus at present. Disclaimer: No health or health-related article can be a substitute for professional medical guidance or advice. Request you to contact and/or consult your family physician or primary care provider for more on this.

It’s just the thing your August 2021 content strategy needs Images (from L to R): Julissa Capdevilla | Unsplash; Milada Vigerova | Unsplash; Penguinuhh | Unsplash Are your August topical posts only about Independence Day, Friendship Day, and Janmashtami? Or is it that you want to compile all the fun food days and international observances in one place but don’t have the time or bandwidth to do so? In that case, leave this work to me. Let me help you with this August 2021 calendar I’ve put together. It encompasses every possible occasion observed on each day of this vibrant month. Get smart and strategic, and use this calendar to make the most of trending hashtags. Whether or not your social ranking improves—which, honestly, isn’t in your hands—you’ll surely come across as a clever, shrewd creator. And the best part: it’s all yours for FREE! So, without further ado, here’s the content calendar you seek. Save, bookmark, and share it with all those in need of it! Month-long events and occasions Sun, 1–Tue, 31 Aug 2021 – Anti-Frizz Month Sun, 1–Tue, 31 Aug 2021 – Catfish Month Sun, 1–Tue, 31 Aug 2021 – Eye Exam Month Sun, 1–Tue, 31 Aug 2021 – Family Fun Month Sun, 1–Tue, 31 Aug 2021 – Golf Month Sun, 1–Tue, 31 Aug 2021 – Happiness Happens Month Sun, 1–Tue, 31 Aug 2021 – Immunization Awareness Month Sun, 1–Tue, 31 Aug 2021 – International Pirate Month Sun, 1–Tue, 31 Aug 2021 – Peach Month Sun, 1–Tue, 31 Aug 2021 – Psoriasis Awareness Month Sun, 1–Tue, 31 Aug 2021 – Romance Awareness Month Sun, 1–Tue, 31 Aug 2021 – Water Quality Month Multiple-day events Sat, 3 Jul–11 Aug 2021 – Dog Days of Summer Thu, 22 Jul–Sun, 22 Aug 2021 – Leo month Fri, 23 Jul–Sun, 8 Aug 2021 – Tokyo Olympics Sat, 24 Jul–Sun, 22 Aug 2021 – Shravan Month (North India) Sun, 24 Jul–Tue, 31 Aug 2021– Fishing Month Sun, 1–Sat, 7 Aug 2021 – International Assistance Dog Week Sun, 1–Sat, 7 OR Sun, 8 Aug 2021 – International Clown Week Sun, 1–Sat, 7 Aug 2021 – Simplify Your Life Week Sun, 1–Sat, 7 Aug 2021 – World Breastfeeding Week Wed, 4–Sat, 14 Aug 2021 – Locarno Film Festival Thu, 5–Sun, 22 Aug 2021 – Melbourne International Film Festival Mon, 9 OR Tue, 10–Sun, 15 Aug 2021 – Afternoon Tea Week Fri, 13–Fri, 20 Aug 2021 – Sarajevo Film Festival Wed, 18–Wed, 25 Aug 2021 – Edinburgh International Film Festival Wed, 18–Sun, 29 Aug 2021 – Sydney Film Festival Wed, 25–Tue, 31 Aug 2021 – Be Kind to Humankind Week Sat, 28–Sun, 29 Aug 2021 – International Bat Night Mon, 9 Aug–Tue, 7 Sep 2021 – Shravan Month (Maharashtra) Mon, 23 Aug–Wed, 22 Sep 2021 – Virgo month Tue, 24 Aug – Sun, 5 Sep 2021 – Summer Paralympics Tue, 24 Aug–Thu, 9 Sep 2021 – Jerusalem Film Festival Sun, 29 Aug–Mon, 6 Sep 2021 – Burning Man Single-day events and occasions Sun, 1 – Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s death anniversary Sun, 1 – Calamity Jane’s death anniversary Sun, 1 – Doll Day (USA) Sun, 1 – Friendship Day (India—first Sunday of August) Sun, 1 – Girl Friends Day Sun, 1 – Herman Melville’s birthday Sun, 1 – Homemade Pie Day Sun, 1 – International Childfree Day Sun, 1 – International Forgiveness Day Sun, 1 – Lughnasadh Sun, 1 – Mahjong Day Sun, 1 – Minority Donor Awareness Day Sun, 1 – Mountain Climbing Day Sun, 1 – Mrunal Thakur’s birthday Sun, 1 – Psychic Day Sun, 1 – Raspberry Cream Pie Day Sun, 1 – Respect for Parents Day Sun, 1 – Rounds Resounding Day Sun, 1 – Sisters Day (first Sunday of August) Sun, 1 – Spider-Man Day Sun, 1 – Taapsee Pannu’s birthday Sun, 1 – World Lung Cancer Day Sun, 1 – World Scout Scarf Day Sun, 1 – World Wide Web Day Sun, 1 – Yorkshire Day Sun, 1 – Yves Saint Laurent’s birthday Mon, 2 – Colouring Book Day Mon, 2 – Ice Cream Sandwich Day Tue, 3 – Clean Your Floors Day Tue, 3 – CLOVES Syndrome Awareness Day Tue, 3 – Grab Some Nuts Day Tue, 3 – Niger Independence Day Tue, 3 – Sunil Chhetri’s birthday Tue, 3 – #20YearsOfRushHour2 Tue, 3 – Watermelon Day Tue, 3 – White Wine Day Wed, 4 – Arbaaz Khan’s birthday Wed, 4 – Barack Obama’s birthday Wed, 4 – Chocolate Chip Cookie Day Wed, 4 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 1 of 5 Day 1 Wed, 4 – International Clouded Leopard Day Wed, 4 – International Owl Awareness Day Wed, 4 – Kishore Kumar’s birthday Wed, 4 – Single Working Women’s Day Wed, 4 – US Coast Guard Day Thu, 5 – Croatia Victory Day Thu, 5 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 1 of 5 Day 2 Thu, 5 – #5YearsOfSuicideSquad Thu, 5 – Genelia D’Souza’s birthday Thu, 5 – India Pale Ale Day (first Thursday of August) Thu, 5 – Kajol’s birthday Thu, 5 – Lala Amarnath’s death anniversary Thu, 5 – Oyster Day Thu, 5 – #10YearsOfRiseOfThePlanetOfTheApes Thu, 5 – Underwear Day Thu, 5 – Work Like a Dog Day Fri, 6 – Balloons to Heaven Day Fri, 6 – Cycle to Work Day Fri, 6 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 1 of 5 Day 3 Fri, 6 – Farm Worker Appreciation Day Fri, 6 – Fresh Breath Day Fri, 6 – Hiroshima Day Fri, 6 – International Beer Day (first Friday of August) Fri, 6 – M Night Shyamalan’s birthday Fri, 6 – Root Beer Float Day Fri, 6 – Water Balloon Day (first Friday of August) Fri, 6 – Wiggle Your Toes Day Sat, 7 – Aged Care Employee Day Sat, 7 – Campfire Day (first Saturday of August) Sat, 7 – Disc Golf Day (first Saturday of August) Sat, 7 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 1 of 5 Day 4 Sat, 7 – International Hangover Day (the day after International Beer Day) Sat, 7 – Jamaican Patty Day (first Saturday of August) Sat, 7 – Lighthouse Day Sat, 7 – Mead Day (first Saturday of August) Sat, 7 – Mustard Day (first Saturday of August) Sat, 7 – National Handloom Day (India) Sat, 7 – Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day (yep) Sat, 7 – Play Outside Day (first Saturday of every month) Sat, 7 – Professional Speakers Day Sat, 7 – Rabindranath Tagore’s death anniversary Sat, 7 – Raspberries N’ Cream Day Sat, 7 – Sea Serpent Day Sun, 8 – CBD Day Sun, 8 – Dollar Day Sun, 8 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 1 of 5 Day 5 Sun, 8 – Fahadh Faasil’s birthday Sun, 8 – Frozen Custard Day Sun, 8 – Global Sleep Under the Stars Night Sun, 8 – Happiness Happens Day Sun, 8 – Infinity Day Sun, 8 – International Cat Day Sun, 8 – Kane Williamson’s birthday Sun, 8 – Melon Day (second Sunday of August) Sun, 8 – Mirabai Chanu’s birthday Sun, 8 – New Moon Night Sun, 8 – Odie Day Sun, 8 – Roger Federer’s birthday Sun, 8 – Quit India Movement Day Sun, 8 – Scottish Wildcat Day Sun, 8 – #7YearsOfEntertainment (the movie) Sun, 8 – #7YearsOfTheHundredFootJourney Sun, 8 – Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbour’s Porch Day (apparently, it’s a thing!) Sun, 8 – Top 8 Challenge Day Mon, 9 – Book Lovers Day (A good time to buy/download, read, review, and show your love to PiKu & ViRu! Do it here! It’s FREE on Kindle Unlimited!) Mon, 9 – International Coworking Day Mon, 9 – International Day of the World’s Indigenous People Mon, 9 – Mahesh Babu’s birthday Mon, 9 – Nagasaki Day Mon, 9 – Rice Pudding Day Mon, 9 – Singapore National Day Tue, 10 – Duran Duran Appreciation Day Tue, 10 – International Vlogging Day Tue, 10 – Lazy Day Tue, 10 – Shapewear Day Tue, 10 – Skyscraper Appreciation Day Tue, 10 – S’mores Day Tue, 10 – #20YearsOfDilChahtaHai (or #20YearsOfDCH) Tue, 10 – World Biofuel Day Tue, 10 – World Lion Day Wed, 11 – Chris Hemsworth’s birthday Wed, 11 – Enid Blyton’s birthday Wed, 11 – #15YearsOfKabhiAlvidaNaaKehna (or #15YearsOfKANK) Wed, 11 – Hariyali Teej Wed, 11 – Hulk Hogan’s birthday Wed, 11 – Jacqueline Fernandez’s birthday Wed, 11 – Play in the Sand Day Wed, 11 – Presidential Joke Day Wed, 11 – Raspberry Bombe Day Wed, 11 – Son and Daughter Day Wed, 11 – Steve Wozniak’s birthday Wed, 11 – Suniel Shetty’s birthday Wed, 11 – World Calligraphy Day (second Wednesday of August) Thu, 12 – Cara Delevingne’s birthday Thu, 12 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 2 of 5 Day 1 Thu, 12 – #5YearsOfMohenjoDaro Thu, 12 – #5YearsOfRustom (not to be mistaken with my novel’s character Vian Rustom :)) Thu, 12 – Gulshan Kumar’s death anniversary Thu, 12 – International Youth Day Thu, 12 – Julienne Fries Day Thu, 12 – Middle Child Day Thu, 12 – Sara Ali Khan’s birthday Thu, 12 – Sayyeshaa’s birthday Thu, 12 – Shershaah release on Amazon Prime Video Thu, 12 – #10YearsOfAarakshan Thu, 12 – Vinyl Record Day Thu, 12 – World Elephant Day Fri, 13 – Alfred Hitchcock’s birthday Fri, 13 – Bhikaiji Cama’s death anniversary Fri, 13 – Bhuj: The Pride of India release on Hotstar Fri, 13 – Blame Someone Else Day (first Friday the 13th of the year) Fri, 13 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 2 of 5 Day 2 Fri, 13 – Fidel Castro’s birthday Fri, 13 – Filet Mignon Day Fri, 13 – Friday the Thirteenth Fri, 13 – International Lefthanders Day Fri, 13 – Julia Child’s death anniversary Fri, 13 – Modern Love new season premiere on Amazon Prime Video Fri, 13 – Nag Panchami Fri, 13 – Organ Donation Day Fri, 13 – Prosecco Day Fri, 13 – Sridevi’s birthday Sat, 14 – Bowling Day (second Saturday of August) Sat, 14 – Creamsicle Day Sat, 14 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 2 of 5 Day 3 Sat, 14 – Garage Sale Day (second Saturday of August) Sat, 14 – Halle Berry’s birthday Sat, 14 – Johnny Lever’s birthday Sat, 14 – Mila Kunis’ birthday Sat, 14 – Pakistan Independence Day Sat, 14 – Qixi Festival (China—seventh day of the seventh lunar month) Sat, 14 – Shammi Kapoor’s death anniversary Sat, 14 – Social Security Day Sat, 14 – Steve Martin’s birthday Sat, 14 – Tattoo Removal Day Sat, 14 – Vilasrao Deshmukh’s death anniversary Sat, 14 – World Lizard Day Sun, 15 – Ben Affleck’s birthday Sun, 15 – Check the Chip Day Sun, 15 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 2 of 5 Day 4 Sun, 15 – Feast of the Assumption Sun, 15 – Gwangbokjeol (National Liberation Day of Korea) Sun, 15 – India Independence Day Sun, 15 – Jennifer Lawrence’s birthday Sun, 15 – Joe Jonas’ birthday Sun, 15 – Julia Child’s birthday Sun, 15 – Leathercraft Day Sun, 15 – Lemon Meringue Pie Day Sun, 15 – Napoleon Bonaparte’s birthday Sun, 15 – Relaxation Day Sun, 15 – #7YearsOfSinghamReturns Mon, 16 – Airborne Day Mon, 16 – Bratwurst Day Mon, 16 – Elvis Presley’s death anniversary (a.k.a. Elvis Presley Day) Mon, 16 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 2 of 5 Day 5 Mon, 16 – James Cameron’s birthday Mon, 16 – Madonna’s birthday Mon, 16 – Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s death anniversary Mon, 16 – Parsi New Year Mon, 16 – Renu Saluja’s death anniversary Mon, 16 – Rollercoaster Day Mon, 16 – Rum Day (USA) Mon, 16 – Saif Ali Khan’s birthday Mon, 16 – Steve Carell’s birthday Mon, 16 – Tell a Joke Day Tue, 17 – Black Cat Appreciation Day Tue, 17 – I Love My Feet Day Tue, 17 – Indonesia Independence Day Tue, 17 – Robert De Niro’s birthday Tue, 17 – Sean Penn’s birthday Tue, 17 – Thrift Shop Day Tue, 17 – Vanilla Custard Day Tue, 17 OR Wed, 18 – #15YearsOfSnakesOnAPlane Wed, 18 – Bad Poetry Day Wed, 18 – Edward Norton’s birthday Wed, 18 – Fajita Day Wed, 18 – Ice Cream Pie Day Wed, 18 – Mail Order Catalogue Day Wed, 18 – Never Give Up Day Wed, 18 – Persis Khambatta’s death anniversary Wed, 18 – Pinot Noir Day Wed, 18 – Protima Bedi’s death anniversary Wed, 18 – Serendipity Day Thu, 19 – Bill Clinton’s birthday Thu, 19 – Coco Chanel’s birthday Thu, 19 – #5YearsOfHappyBhagJayegi Thu, 19 – International Bow Day Thu, 19 – International Orangutan Day Thu, 19 – John Stamos’s birthday Thu, 19 – Matthew Perry’s birthday Thu, 19 – Muharram Thu, 19 – Orville Wright’s birthday (a.k.a. USA Aviation Day) Thu, 19 – Potato Day Thu, 19 – Satya Nadella’s birthday Thu, 19 – Soft Serve Ice Cream Day Thu, 19 – Utpal Dutt’s death anniversary Thu, 19 – World Humanitarian Day Thu, 19 – World Photography Day Fri, 20 – Amy Adams’ birthday Fri, 20 – Andrew Garfield’s birthday Fri, 20 – Chocolate Pecan Pie Day Fri, 20 – Demi Lovato’s birthday Fri, 20 – George Adamson’s death anniversary Fri, 20 – International Day of Medical Transporters Fri, 20 – Men’s Grooming Day (third Friday of August) Fri, 20 – Radio Day Fri, 20 – Rajiv Gandhi’s birthday Fri, 20 – World Mosquito Day Sat, 21 – Brazilian Blowout Day Sat, 21 – Break the Monotony Day (third Saturday of August) Sat, 21 – Honey Bee Day (USA—third Saturday of August) Sat, 21 – International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism Sat, 21 – International Geocaching Day (third Saturday of August) Sat, 21 – International Homeless Animals’ Day (third Saturday of August) Sat, 21 – Onam (Thiru Onam) Sat, 21 – Poet’s Day Sat, 21 – Senior Citizens Day Sat, 21 – Spumoni Day Sat, 21 – Ustad Bismillah Khan’s death anniversary Sun, 22 – Bao Day Sun, 22 – Be an Angel Day Sun, 22 – Chiranjeevi’s birthday Sun, 22 – Dua Lipa’s birthday Sun, 22 – Eat a Peach Day Sun, 22 – Full Moon Night Sun, 22 – International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief Sun, 22 – Madras Day Sun, 22 – Narali Purnima Sun, 22 – Never Bean Better Day Sun, 22 – Pecan Torte Day Sun, 22 – Raksha Bandhan Sun, 22 – Sanskrit Day (full moon day of Shravan month) Sun, 22 – #7YearsOfMardaani Sun, 22 – Surgical Oncologist Day Sun, 22 – Take Your Cat to the Vet Day Sun, 22 – Tooth Fairy Day Sun, 22 – World Plant Milk Day Mon, 23 – Cuban Sandwich Day Mon, 23 – European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism (a.k.a. Black Ribbon Day) Mon, 23 – KK’s birthday Mon, 23 – International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition Mon, 23 – Internaut Day Mon, 23 – Ride the Wind Day Mon, 23 – Rudolph Valentino’s death anniversary (a.k.a. Valentino Day) Mon, 23 – Sponge Cake Day Mon, 23 – Vaani Kapoor’s birthday Tue, 24 – Alan Walker’s birthday Tue, 24 – International Strange Music Day Tue, 24 – Knife Day Tue, 24 – Peach Pie Day Tue, 24 – Pluto Demoted Day Tue, 24 – Rupert Grint’s birthday Tue, 24 – Stephen Fry’s birthday Tue, 24 – Ukraine Independence Day Tue, 24 – Vesuvius Day Tue, 24 – Waffle Day (USA) Wed, 25 – Banana Split Day Wed, 25 – Blake Lively’s birthday Wed, 25 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 3 of 5 Day 1 Wed, 25 – #15YearsOfSandwich (the movie) Wed, 25 – #5YearsOfAFlyingJatt Wed, 25 – Kiss and Make up Day Wed, 25 – La Tomatina (Spain) Wed, 25 – Sean Connery’s birthday Wed, 25 – Secondhand Wardrobe Day Wed, 25 – Tim Burton’s birthday Wed, 25 – Whisky Sour Day Thu, 26 – AK Hangal’s death anniversary Thu, 26 – Cherry Popsicle Day Thu, 26 – Chris Pine’s birthday Thu, 26 – Dog Day Thu, 26 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 3 of 5 Day 2 Thu, 26 – Heroes’ Day (Namibia) Thu, 26 – Macaulay Culkin’s birthday Thu, 26 – Mother Teresa’s birthday Thu, 26 – WebMistress Day Thu, 26 – Women’s Equality Day Fri, 27 – Banana Lovers Day Fri, 27 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 3 of 5 Day 3 Fri, 27 – Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s death anniversary Fri, 27 – Just Because Day Fri, 27 – Moldova Independence Day Fri, 27 – Mukesh the singer’s death anniversary Fri, 27 – Petroleum Day (USA) Fri, 27 – Pots de Crème Day Fri, 27 – The Duchess Who Wasn’t Day Fri, 27 – The Great Khali’s birthday Sat, 28 – Bonderam Festival (Goa—fourth Saturday of August) Sat, 28 – Bow Tie Day Sat, 28 – Cherry Turnover Day Sat, 28 – Crackers over the Keyboard Day (yes, you read that right!) Sat, 28 – Daffodil Day Sat, 28 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 3 of 5 Day 4 Sat, 28 – Franchise Appreciation Day (last Saturday of August) Sat, 28 – Jack Black’s birthday Sat, 28 – Power Rangers Day Sat, 28 – Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day (!!!) Sat, 28 – Radio Commercials Day Sat, 28 – Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day Sat, 28 – Red Wine Day Sat, 28 – Shania Twain’s birthday Sat, 28 – Stuffed Green Bell Peppers Day Sat, 28 – Thoughtful Day Sun, 29 – Akkineni Nagarjuna’s birthday Sun, 29 – Chop Suey Day Sun, 29 – Dhyan Chand’s birthday Sun, 29 – England vs India men’s cricket Test 3 of 5 Day 5 Sun, 29 – Individual Rights Day Sun, 29 – International Day against Nuclear Tests Sun, 29 – Lemon Juice Day Sun, 29 – Michael Jackson’s birthday Sun, 29 – More Herbs, Less Salt Day Sun, 29 – National Sports Day (India) Sun, 29 – Potteries Bottle Oven Day Mon, 30 – Amagwinya Day Mon, 30 – Beach Day Mon, 30 – Bebe Rexha’s birthday Mon, 30 – Cameron Diaz’s birthday Mon, 30 – Frankenstein Day Mon, 30 – Grief Awareness Day Mon, 30 – Holistic Pet Day Mon, 30 – International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances Mon, 30 – International Whale Shark Day Mon, 30 – Janmashtami Mon, 30 – Lindsay Anderson’s death anniversary Mon, 30 – Slinky Day Mon, 30 – Small Industry Day (India) Mon, 30 – Toasted Marshmallow Day Mon, 30 – #20YearsOfMonsoonWedding Mon, 30 – Warren Buffett’s birthday Tue, 31 – Chris Tucker’s birthday Tue, 31 – Diatomaceous Earth Day Tue, 31 – Eat Outside Day Tue, 31 – International Day for People of African Descent Tue, 31 – Jahangir the emperor’s birthday Tue, 31 – Love Litigating Lawyers Day Tue, 31 – Malaysia Independence Day Tue, 31 – Matchmaker Day Tue, 31 – Overdose Awareness Day Tue, 31 – Princess Diana’s death anniversary Tue, 31 – Richard Gere’s birthday Tue, 31 – #10YearsOfBodyguard (the movie) Tue, 31 – Trail Mix Day Tue, 31 – We Love Memoirs Day Do leave a comment below if this August 2021 content calendar proves helpful to you in any way. Feedback, suggestions, observations are all welcome! Sources: ABP Live, BCCI, Born Glorious, CDC, Cute Calendar, Day Finders, Days of the Year, Event Guide, Google, Holiday Insights, India Today, National Today, Prokerala, Screen Daily Updated on Sat, 14 Aug 2021 at 10.28 a.m.

It’s turned out to be the best decision for me and my mental health Image: antharosa | Pixabay I’m not sure when or how it happened. Probably it was a blog post that did it. Or it was encountering the hashtag #FreelancerMondays somewhere. However, ever since that unknown moment, I’ve been religiously taking my Mondays off. Neither Sunday nor Saturday, not even Friday, but Monday. The day a good percentage of the world returns to work is when I chill and do nothing. Not even professional writing, not even working on PiKu & ViRu 2. (Buy/download, read, and review PiKu & ViRu 1 here.) Let me confess: it was tough initially. The guilt of taking a workday off and going against the grain can unleash your inner critic in full force. There was always that feeling of not being productive or focused enough. As a result, I’d end up taking professional calls and sending out work-related emails on my designated holiday. Gradually, though, things began to change. The guilt within me started to subside. And now, I don’t let anything come in the way of my Monday relaxation and unwinding. Why do I take my Mondays off? How has this move benefited me? TBH, I never really gave these questions too much thought. I only knew that it felt good to do this. With some reflection, however, I’ve been able to gain some perspective on this. Here are the reasons for this unusual decision of mine and how it has paid off for me, my productivity, and my overall well-being. No more Monday blues Here’s the most surprising bit. Earlier, when I’d have my Saturdays and/or Sundays off, the blues would always creep in on Sunday afternoons. After embarking on my new routine, I thought I’d experience the same on Monday evenings or so. But now, with my Mondays off, I somehow feel no blues at all, not even on Tuesday mornings. I no longer dread entering a new work week. My only priority is to live my Mondays to the fullest and ensure I simply chill on those days, without touching any work, not even professional writing. No checking emails either. I don’t know what’s the reason or psychological aspect behind this, but considering it’s a welcome development, I don’t see myself changing this routine soon enough. Silencing my inner critic and inner taskmaster As I mentioned, the initial weeks of my Monday off saw my inner critic spring in full force to arm-twist me into reversing my decision. However, with time, this nagging voice began to cool off. I don’t get to hear any of that shit now. The result: a peaceful Monday when nobody pulls me up for doing nothing, plus less noise in my head. Happy hours! An obvious one. Once it’s safer to go out, I’m sure we’re still going to see crowded Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays everywhere. Mondays, on the other hand, are likely to retain the same level of peace and solitude. And that usually translates into discounts, sales, offers, freebies—anything my favourite mall would reward me with for bringing in a lean-day footfall. Ditto for travel—the fewer the people out on the road, the more blissful the trip. Best time for chores No more waiting for the first and third Saturdays to go to the bank when I can use my Mondays off for the task. Doctors and therapists are more than happy to dole out Monday appointments in a welcome change from entertaining Saturday queues. As for salons, stylists tend to express eagerness at the mere idea of Monday visits, the time they’re at the peak of their weekly energy and refreshed enough to try new things for my look! Embracing incomplete work Anything that remains to be done after Sunday evening is carried forward to Tuesdays. Unlike my Sunday-blues self, I’m no longer uncomfortable with pending tasks. It’s my choice of holiday Think about it—are you taking Saturdays and/or Sundays off because you want to or because your workplace wants you to? In my case, Monday is my chosen weekly holiday. Choosing my own holiday has very different energy compared to that resulting from letting others decide. I understand that not everyone may be able to adopt this lifestyle, especially if you’re a salaried professional. I wasn’t able to either at one point in time. But if you reach that stage of life where you can make this choice, I’d strongly encourage you to use your right. It’ll make a difference like no other. I’m extremely grateful for being able to exercise my choice in this manner. Have you tried taking a Monday off? How does it feel? Do share your experiences in the comments below.

This Ice Cream Day, use these writing prompts and exercises to give life to your next novel or blockbuster Image: Hannah Morgan | Unsplash Do you know July is Ice Cream Month? And that the third Sunday of this creamy, dreamy month is Ice Cream Day? (If no, here’s the July 2021 calendar you need in life!) Apart from licking away from your favourite softie ice-cream cone (or letting those velvety waves melt in your mouth and engulf it with a flavourful chill), there are other ways of expressing your love for ice cream on this sweet occasion, which was born from a 1984 decree passed by the then US president Ronald Reagan. One of them is writing about it. But what can I possibly write about ice cream, you may wonder. And how can I turn it into a bestselling novel, blockbuster screenplay, or the next award-winning food story? That’s where these 25 ideas and writing prompts will serve you well. Make the most of these—mix and match if you want—and you’ll have a power-packed plot or piece in a matter of time, perhaps even before your next Ice Cream Day. I, too, hope to gain from this list—after all, I have PiKu & ViRu 2 to write :) (Buy/download, read, and review P&V1 here.) For now, here come the prompts. Invent a new ice cream flavour as a creativity exercise. Build a scene or story around your new ice cream flavour. It could be a celebrity character endorsing an ice-cream brand, who is asked to take over the menu revamp. Create an ice-cream billionaire—hero or villain, I leave it to you. Turn ice cream into a savoury food item. (Ice cream samosas, anyone?) Try coining another term for ice cream. Maybe your story travels to a place that has never heard of ice cream and the denizens come up with their own term for it. Capture their reactions when they savour ice cream for the first time. Pit an ice cream cone and an ice cream cup against each other in an epic battle. Create ice cream out of a savoury food item. Kraft has already done it with their mac and cheese. It could be chole–bhature for you or your character (#justsayin). Write about your favourite ice cream flavour. It could be your protagonist’s go-to choice. Write about your least favourite ice cream flavour. This could be an unsavoury character’s preference if you like. Why not eat ice cream for breakfast and share your first-hand experience with the world? You can even have a character do it and then map out the repercussions of this lifestyle on their storyline. Let your character test their first dates through their choice of ice cream flavours. Either the character forms an opinion depending on what their dates choose. Or the two “swap” their orders to find out each other’s tastes. Even better, a dating app that matches people based on their ice cream preferences! Show a house or city built entirely of ice cream. Do you remember your first ever ice cream? What was the experience like? Import this memory for your character’s backstory. What’s your favourite ice cream parlour? Make it the setting for an important scene or plot point in your story. Compile a bucket list of must-try ice creams from around the world—from gelato to faloodeh to our very own kulfi. A multi-location story can emerge from this. Write a kulfi vs ice cream faceoff or jugalbandi. What happens when a human character is turned into ice cream? How does it happen? What would their fate be like? Would they return to their human form or get scooped up like ice cream in the end? Show a political party with an ice cream cone as their symbol. Will they see the success they’re eyeing? There’s one ice cream between two or more people. How would you resolve this? How about a Sandman-like character made of ice cream instead of sand? What about an ice cream that never melts? This could be a sci-fi story idea. Aim to come up with 100 different chocolate ice cream varieties as a creativity exercise. Create your own signature version of this “which ice cream are you” personality quiz. It’s an interesting way to map out your characters and their arcs. Curate your own ice-cream experience list inspired by this. See which ones you’d like to use and incorporate in your stories. What happens when two characters’ ice cream orders are mixed up? Do we see a romance brewing here? Or is it a thriller in the making? Get your imagination going from this point. Here’s a list of some of the most iconic Hollywood scenes featuring ice cream. Nothing, however, tempts me more like these clips below, even though neither of these two films has aged well if you ask me.

The film’s leading ladies especially have quite a bit to teach I’ve been a huge fan of ‘double role’ movies all my life. I love those plots of twin siblings separated at birth or in a Kumbh Ka Mela, only to reunite years later in adulthood after a series of twists and turns. I’ve even taken the lookalike (not twin-sibling) route in PiKu & ViRu for one principal character. Buy/download, read, and review my book here to find out who it is :) This fascination of mine with dual-role films explains why I’ve watched Ram Aur Shyam so many times in the 34 years of my life. My last viewing, however, was easily a decade ago. That’s why I chose to revisit this blockbuster to pay my tribute to its lead actor, the legendary Dilip Kumar, who left for his heavenly abode on 7 July 2021. For the uninitiated, the film is about a pair of twin brothers separated by fate during childhood. The two men lead distinct lives oblivious to each other’s existence. Ram (Dilip Kumar #1) is the rightful owner of a prestigious estate. But it’s his evil brother-in-law Gajendra (Pran at one of his menacing bests) who calls the shots, citing Ram’s ‘mental weakness,’ which is actually crippling trauma caused by Gajendra’s atrocities that renders Ram subservient. Shyam (Dilip Kumar #2), on the other hand, is a village-based carefree lad who harbours ambitions of becoming a movie star. What happens when each of them flees from home and lands up in the other sibling’s world? That’s what the movie is all about. May I say how I found this film even better and more entertaining than before? The drama was so gripping that I didn’t even realise when the hour before the interval had elapsed. This 1967 superhit was also way ahead of its times in the depiction of its leading women. Mumtaz, as the village girl Shanta, was particularly badass, especially when she would beat up goons and shield her trauma-riddled man, Ram, from them. Then, there was the urbane Anjana (a very elegant Waheeda Rehman), who refuses to choose her life partner on the basis of merely their photograph. She decides on Shyam only after witnessing his proactiveness and decisiveness in moments of crisis. God knows what happened to Bollywood after this phase. Ram Aur Shyam’s screenplay did have some holes, and the numerous lengthy songs slowed down the pace. Nirupa Roy’s act as Sulakshana (Ram and Shyam’s elder sister and Gajendra’s wife) had always been too pativrata for my taste. This time, she also reminded me of Jane Bennet from the iconic Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice, due to her tendency to focus on the good in every person and situation, despite her husband’s cruelties. And I shook my head at the physician’s advice at the beginning of the film to get Ram married as a solution for his psychological distress. These issues, however, failed to ruin an otherwise highly engaging movie experience. Did I forget to mention how awesome Dilip Kumar was? Besides being a thoroughly entertaining flick, Ram Aur Shyam also turned out to be very enlightening. Here are a few life lessons I learned in its nearly three-hour runtime. Looks are never enough As I mentioned, one of my favourite scenes in Ram Aur Shyam is when Anjana firmly refuses to marry Ram, solely based on his photograph. “Khaali tasveer se aadmi ke swabhaav aur nature vagayra ka pata thodi chal sakta hai,” she tells her father (Nazir Hussain) in front of Gajendra. And when her meeting with Ram doesn’t fulfil her expectations, she refuses to bow down to the familial pressure on her to still accept the match. Indeed, it’s only during out-of-the-ordinary life events that we can gauge someone’s true nature. It’s this chivalrous and courageous side of Shyam during episodes of conflict, despite some mistakes by him (see the next point to know what they are), that makes Anjana choose him for her life partner. Love particularly blossoms in times of difficulty, when a couple braves all sorts of storms together, not when everything goes according to plan. Tell the truth as soon as possible Shyam should have revealed his true identity to Anjana and her father, both of whom believed him to be Ram, right at the outset. Gajendra would never have been able to frame him later for the real Ram’s fake murder. Shyam could have also prevented himself from becoming the source of humiliation and heartbreak in not one but two gatherings. Agreed, the film’s events had to lead to the brothers’ union in the climax. But imagine the amount of stress and inconvenience Shyam could have spared himself and many others if he’d have written the tell-all letter to Anjana early on. He should have heeded this logic before dilly-dallying out of fear and hesitation. Courage is contagious Shanta and Shyam’s courageous sides help Ram shed his fears of Gajendra and put up a fight. Shyam’s defiance of Gajendra’s tyranny also empowers the tormented Sulakshana to speak up and be unafraid herself. Yes, Ram did need professional help in resolving his issues. But it’s also good for him to have such brave and encouraging loved ones in his fold. You can watch Ram Aur Shyam on YouTube.