Collegedunia.com - database of Indian colleges - Website Review

Stumbled upon this site Collegedunia.com recently and found it very useful to every student in India who wants to get information on admission process, fee, eligibility, facilities in the college, college rating etc., before selecting a suitable college to apply for admission for graduation/ Post graduation in any specific stream. We see very scattered information in internet and there is no consolidated data about all colleges in India at a single place until the launch of this website.

Collegedunia.com is an on-line portal owned by 3.14 Digital in New Delhi which lists 15000 colleges from different streams like Management, Engineering, medicine, commerce, arts, science and law. A simple search for a specific stream will list all colleges with information like different courses offered (full time/ part time/ distance/ on campus), contact details, address, website, photos, rating of the college, placement history and amenities.

 I was amazed to see the details about each college listed in the site!

Features of the website:

1. Search bar

User can search by college name, university, exam results etc.,

2   2.  Filtering of search results

Filtering can be done to a detail level by stream/ field of study, type of course (Part time/ Full time/ distance/ on campus), location etc.,

3    3. Detailed information on each college listed

Students can get detailed information on each college and courses offered by them.

4    4. Extra non-academic information

Non-academic information like facilities in the college (labs, library, auditorium etc.,), placement history and alumni details are useful for students to choose right college.

5. Latest updates on colleges

There is a separate section in website to cover latest admission notifications from different colleges. Exam results are also notified in this section.

Conclusion:

This website gives detail level information about each college listed.  Huge database of content collected and shown in the website is very useful for students. It would be easy to compare different colleges with the rating that site provides.  This website has a dedicated team to add high quality content periodically on cut offs, placements, admission, festivals and minute details like course intake fee and reservations. Though it basically caters to the needs of students, it is also beneficial for parents to compare colleges based on rating, fee and cut offs.

My Overall rating: 4/5

 Until next time,

Ri Homeland of Uncertainty - [Book Review]

Book Details:
Title: Ri Homeland of Uncertainty
Author: Paulami Duttagupta
Genre: Fiction, Thriller
Publishers: Fablery Publications

Story: This is a completely different book from all the books I have read so far. Book is the adaptation of national award winning Khasi film. 
Story is about a terrorist Manbha, who calls himself as a freedom fighter. His goal is to free Meghalaya from India as a separate state so that people in their state get basic necessities like water, food, good education and jobs. He is very deeply disappointed by the step motherly treatment of Indian government to the people from their state. He leads a strategic terror outfit with the aid of his boss 'Steve' in Bangladesh which aims to kill police and CRPF to bring terror in Shillong. 

He gets betrayed by a team member who is also a police informer 'George', loses his other team members in firing and escapes alone to hide in a journalist's house 'Emika'. Main part of the story is about the conversations between Emika and Manbha, how Manbha's ideologies and thoughts change after Emika let him understand the essence of humanity. I don't want to reveal the climax, but story ends in an unexpected way. Story gives a moral that guns will not solve problems. They bring more terror and uncertainty in society. Terror can never bring peace.

What i liked?
 I surely liked the message. Story is small, but brings the message straight forward  into our heart. Characterization is good. S P Kyndiah's character, his commitment and his feeling when he loses his loyal colleagues in firing operation is depicted very well. Emika, who is a journalist wins our heart for her bravery by handling the situation well when she knows that a terrorist is hiding in his home.  Manbha's character is the best as it shows varied emotions throughout. Even though he is a terrorist, he is a man with heart and he doesn't want to kill innocent people. Writing style is good and flow is smooth between different incidents in different places.

What I didn't like?
There is no specific point that i disliked. Basically, this story covers a serious concept and book handled this well. Might get boring for a normal book reader who enjoys fiction, twists and turns in the story. This is very realistic and straight to the point.

My rating:
4/5

Overall: A serious book with a message. You can purchase book at Rs 150 here. 

Until next time,

Growing saplings #Flash Fiction

7 year old Pragya daily waters the seeds

Planted in beautiful pots three in a row

To capture different stages of growing saplings for a school project

Excited she is!  One day, when she zoomed in her camera lens

Alas, found the washed out saplings due to previous day’s rain.

Linking this to the Fiction Challenge ‘From 15 to 50′ hosted here.

Phrase prompt: Three in a row

Word count: 50

Until next time,

Image courtesy: http://shailajav.wordpress.com/2014/09/09/from-15-to-50-fiction-link-up-september-2014/

Book bucket challenge - My top 10 favourite books

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This book bucket challenge is doing rounds on Facebook for a long time and I can't be away from this challenge being a book worm. What say?

Here goes the challenge:
Write the list of top 10 favorite books you read.
Post on the internet with hashtag #BookBucketChallenge and ask/ tag/ challenge your friends.


Pin it for later!

My top 10 favorite books:

1. Davinci Code by Dan Brown:

A fantastic read! I loved reading the puzzles, mysteries, myths, legends and a compelling storyline. My thirst for a thriller with a mix of history is satisfied. Became Dan Brown's fan from then and loved his other books like "Angels and demons" and "Digital Fortress". Read my review here and purchase from flipkart here. 





2. Angel of the dark by Sidney Sheldon

Another on the edge thriller which I couldn't keep away until I finished it. There are millions of fans to Sidney Sheldon and we all know each of his books is a gem. The writing style,  gripping narration, and character building are best in his novels. Read so many books later from the same author and it is really very difficult to choose the best one from his novels. Read my review here and purchase a book from Flipkart here. 




3. The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan

I love to read history, especially to know about the customs and traditions followed in those times. This book describes the Mughal period at a very detailed level and also about the role of women in those times. The narration is very good. Read other novels too which are part of the Taj trilogy and loved them all. Read my review here and purchase a book from Flipkart here.




4. Wise and Otherwise by Sudha Murthy

Real-life stories and experiences of people interest me a lot. This is one of the books which gives a message at the end of each story. Each story emphasizes on the importance of moral values and how people's behavior changes with circumstances. Other books of Sudha Murthy like Dollar Bahu and Mahaswetha are worthy to read. Read my review here and purchase a book from Flipkart here.





5. The Seventh Secret by Irving Wallace

I don't have any words to explain how much I loved this book. This is about the story of Hitler in his last days, his strategies to escape enemy, a secret about the bunker he stayed at the end of his life, etc.,I like Irving Wallace's other novels too like 'The Fan club', 'The Second Woman' etc., His novels show that he does a lot of research on each topic that he writes. Read my review here and purchase a book from Flipkart here.




6. The complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

I am a big fan of Sherlock Holmes from childhood. I liked the climax of each short story and the way deductions are explained which are very easy to understand and apply in our day to day lives. After reading these detective stories, you will feel like you can deduct something from every small observation that we overlook. Read my review here and purchase a book from Flipkart here. 




7. The Best Laid Plans by Sidney Sheldon

Another entry from Sidney Sheldon novels. There are many good novels from this author which are a pure delight to read. It is difficult to choose one or 2 best novels out of many on the edge thrillers with gripping storylines. This is a story of love and betrayal with the power of politics. A gripping narration with lots of twists and turns. Purchase book from Flipkart here. 




8. Doctors by Erich Segal

Erich Segal's characters are very realistic and after reading the novel you cannot easily forget them. This novel gives so much information on the doctor's day to day lives, their challenges with a fantastic story in the backdrop. I loved each and every character in this book. This is one of the high volume books that I read (600+ pages) and completed quick. Other novels from the author like 'The Love story' and 'Man Woman and Child' are also fantastic reads. Purchase book from Flipkart here. 






9. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

Another book from my favorite author. I like mystery, mythology, and history. This is the perfect combination you get from this book. You can understand about religion, historic places, events, and more about Rome and the Pope. The story is engaging throughout and book is a page-turner for sure. The argument between religion and science is also dealt with well in this book. Purchase book from Flipkart here.





10. A calendar too crowded by Sagarika Chakraborthy

This is a collection of short stories, mostly woman-oriented. All are heart touching and realistic. Each story explains the plights of women from different perspectives. Stories cover the most common problems of women like dowry deaths, female foeticide, gender discrimination, etc., the Writing style is simple, yet interesting. Read my review here and purchase a book from Flipkart here. 




So, how did you like my list of books.. Please let me know if you too love them :)

Until next time,

Image courtesy: All book images from goodreads.com

Thank you Teacher

India celebrates Teacher's day on September 5th, which is the birth date of a great teacher and second president of our country 'Dr. Sarvepalli RadhaKrishnan'. As a student, we used to participate in different activities and perform before our teacher in schools on that day to entertain them and to let them relax and enjoy in a happy mood. Our Principal used to recognize best teachers by awards and prizes. It used to be a fun event organized by students.

Teachers play a very important role in our lives. They mould us to be a great human beings. As per Indian mythology, we give great respect to them only to be next to our parents. On this day, I remember many wonderful teachers who impacted my life and want to tell them a big thank you.

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. - Albert Einstein

My first teacher/ Guru is my dance teacher 'A Parvathi Ramachandran'. She is an excellent teacher guiding her students to be more creative on their own. Instead of giving traditional education, she encouraged us to experiment and set our own dancing style without imitating any one else's. What more can a student expect from a teacher?

Another teacher who i considered as inspiration was 'Mrs. Radhamani', she was my Telugu teacher in school. Her teaching style is excellent, whatever she teaches, it sticks to your heart and she knows how to impress us :) Being an introvert in school, I was hesitant in participating in debates/ elocution / any public facing performances. With her support, I gave a speech before whole school and earned accolades. She encouraged me to participate in Junior red cross camp to Shimla which made me self reliant and confident. 

There are many teachers from our college who encouraged students to think innovative or to think beyond our books. There are many teachers who made me realize that bookish knowledge alone is not enough in this world and learning is a continuous process. There are many mentors in my professional life who guided in my successful career. 

Even though I couldn't name each and everyone here, I am indebted for their guidance and suggestions and would like to say my heart-felt Thanks.

Thank you teacher. I wish you a very happy Teacher's day :)

Until next time,

Image courtesy: www.glavo.net

Private India - [Book review]

Book details:
Title: Private India
Author: Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson
Publisher: Random house
No. of pages: 480
Genre: Crime thriller

My Expectation: I like murder mysteries, had been an ardent fan of Sherlock Holmes from childhood :) I also like Ashwin Sanghi's novels, which are thrillers with a mix of mythology. Haven't read any novels of James Petterson, but knew that he is an expert in thrillers. After reading the blurb at the backside of the book, i was expecting an on the edge thriller.

Story: A series of murders come into light in Mumbai and a private detective agency 'Private India' with intelligent staff takes up the case. All victims are women and murderer leaves clues by placing some objects near the victim. It is very clear that murderer enjoys the art of killing. He takes care by not leaving any prints/ clues to trace him back although he leaves a strand of hair at every victim. Can 'Private India' team tackle the problem and stop the murders at right time? This forms the remaining story.

My Take:
Guys.. what is new in this story? we have heard of many stories of pschyo killers with series of murders and detectives finding clues to atlast find him to stop in the last murder. Sometimes, eventhough story is not interesting, the way it is written might impress to read you the book. I see a lot of confusion in the book, with many characters being simply added as masala mix. A connection to the murders with ISI, Indian mujahuddin, Nimboo baba, match fixing and drug dealer Munna, an Attorney General etc. doesn't seem very relavant.

Yes, story becomes interesting in the middle, but i lost interest at the end and i was waiting for the story to end soon. There are many things which i felt were unnecessary and illogical.

1. How Indian government can give a case like this (series of murders) to a private agency even though the agency is very famous and capable. Since Private India cannot deduce much until 6th murder and cannot stop the massacre till 8th one, at least Government would have included CBI logically. What say?
2. I don't understand the importance of a few characters like Munna and Nimboo baba. Good to read about some realistic characters, but how good it is when they are not directly relevant to the story or doesn't contribute much.
3. Epilogue and last few pages are very boring.
4. Too many cooks spoiled the broth. You heard the saying right? It is a disappointment for Ashwin Sanghi's fans, as they expect some mythology touch and something new to learn. Readers of James Patterson might feel better as it is a thriller, but the plot might not impress them.

My Rating: 3/5
I wouldn't recommend this to die hard thriller fans. Good for a time pass read in a train / bus journey. Forgot to tell you! the big font is a savior for eyes. No stress in reading 450+ pages, hope other publishers also concentrate on font too along with story line.

In case, you want to purchase book from flipkart at Rs.193, here is the link.

Until next time,

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