And now the Liebster

Anupam Patra is another of my dear friends from Blogosphere who has found me worthy of an award – the Liebster award. Since this one is to be awarded to a blogger with less than 200 followers, among other qualifications like doing a good job of blogging, I found that I satisfied at least one criterion – having only 35 followers. When I mentioned this on Anupam’s post, he calls me ‘humble and detached’!

Humble? Someone is reputed to have said “That man has much to be humble about!” about a man with a reputation for humility. That description suits me like it was made-to-order. As for my detachment, Anupam would have had to revise his opinion in a hurry if he had seen me doing cartwheels and go singing all over the house after reading his mail conferring the award on me.

RULES

If you are tagged/nominated, you have to post 11 facts about yourself.
Then you answer the 11 questions the tagger has given you & make 11 questions for the people you are going to tag.
Tag 11 more Bloggers.
Tell the people you tagged that you did.
No tagging back.

This one has one more layer of complexity. I have also to post eleven facts about myself. Mmm! Leading a totally uninteresting life makes it difficult for one to talk of himself and expect to hold the reader’s attention. But then, when have I ever held it that I should worry about doing it now? So, here goes.

1.      Brought up in Neyveli as a kid.

2.      Chemical Engineer and IIM-B post-graduate (Gotta say that, Dude, else even I’ll forget)

3.      Worked in Delhi for IFFCO in the area of fertilizer subsidies.

4.      Bachelor.

5.      Retired early because of congenital inability to stand working.

6.      Trekker – desultorily these days.

7.      Love Indian movie music (old) and carnatic music (can’t say the same of those who listen to me ‘singing’ )

8.      Hate shopping

9.      Love books – fantasy and science fiction mainly, these days

10.  Like solitude

11.  Like writing – as if you did not know J

Always knew that writing CVs would come in handy one day! Giving me a job anyone? One with lots of pay and no work!

On to Anupam’s questions.

1] 'Checkered blue n white' or 'black'?

Whatever my sis gets for me (Note I hate shopping!)

2] Curtains or no curtains?

Blinds – well that is what my sis chose

3] Hardcover, paperback or ebooks?

Paperback

4] What's your ambiance while writing?

Music

5] Do you plan to publish a novel?

I dream of it, all right! Get me an interested Publisher and I shall plan on it as well.

6] Do you like to make a gift for your loved one or do you rather buy?

If loved one means ‘significant other’, I do not have one to gift to. If it is just someone I love, then I’d rather have my sis buy the present. If I make it or buy it myself, I am certain to have one lesser person to love after that.

7] Which is the most beautiful color according to you?

Sky blue

8] What’s your mantra in life?

There is always something to enjoy in life – no matter the circumstances.

9] Have you ever thought of becoming a soldier in your life?

Never! I hear that they get up at unearthly hours and they have to be disciplined. My worst nightmares, both of them!

10] Do you have stage fear?

I am never afraid of the stage as long as I do not have to get up on it. When I do, it is more like stage panic.

11] ‘Mickey mouse/ Aladin/Duck Tales’ or ‘ Shin Chan/ Doraemon/ Kitretsu’?

What about Tom and Jerry?


Now for the unfortunates, who are expected to tell 11 facts about themselves, nominate 11 bloggers, inform them of the peril to come and ask them 11 questions – all because they had the misfortune to impress me and did not get 200 followers so that they could escape the ordeal.

Kirisute Gomen

Laxmi Todiwan

Kirti

Apala Sengupta

Shashiprakash Saini

Amruta Marwah

Killer

Soham Roy

Rajrupa Gupta

Sandeep Nair

Jayashree Srivatsan

Here come the eleven questions. Since I have taken great care to select 11 people who are not in the list of those I tagged, I might as well ask them the same questions.

1. What do you think is your best post?

2. Which of your posts do you think was most under-appreciated?

3. What genre are you unable to attempt and wish to?

4. What is the one unachieved dream that you look forward to achieving?

5. What is the aspiration that you think you can never achieve?

6. What is most important to you - Values, Relationships or Money & Fame?

7. Which do you prefer - a peaceful life or a life of passion and turbulence?

8. Which place in India do you most desire to visit?

9. Which place in the World do you most desire to visit?

10. What is it that you like the most about India?

11. What is it that you dislike the most about India?

I take specific pleasure in bouncing this back to Jayashree - who tagged me - since she cannot bounce it back to me again given the rule that she cannot tag back :) I can't be said to have tagged her back - she did not give me the Liebster :) :)

Have fun!