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Writings and Readings Blog

Madhu Bazaz Wangu

10 Reasons Why I Love Pittsburgh

Posted on April 19, 2016
in Being in Nature
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Pittsburgh, Tri-River State Pittsburgh, where three rivers meet (thus a sacred city according to Hinduism) has been my home since 1974. My husband and I have lived here for more years than in India where we were born. Our daughters were brought up here; they went away to college from here (Boston and Los Angeles) and returned to marry at the magnificent Hall of Architecture, Carnegie Museum of Art. With its 446 bridges over the rivers and countless hills and ravines, Pittsburgh landscape looks as breath taking as Srinagar, the capital of the Valley of Kashmir. I love Pittsburgh for its natural beauty, four distinct seasons, theatres, universities, museums, international restaurants, and numerous other sites. Let me begin with Phipps Conservatory. Each time I visit the green building I feel the thrill that...

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Gaurav, The brother Shanti Adores

Posted on April 4, 2016
in Being in Nature
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Satyavan wants to immigrate to America. Shanti’s mother and sister are frantic. “Do you want to go to a foreign land and leave your family?” Her mother asks. “Why did he have to move seven seas away?” Ganga says. But Gaurav, Shanti’s brother—who happens to like Satyavan, declares this to be a great career opportunity. What does Shanti think? To find out, read The Immigrant Wife: Her Spiritual Journey, now available in print.    ...

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Sister of Shanti’s Heart – Ganga

Posted on March 29, 2016
in Being in Nature
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Ganga was sister of Shanti’s heart! Seven years older, Shanti admired everything about her. And Ganga loved her as much, if not more. A few months before her own wedding, Ganga purchased semi-precious jewelry sets, for herself and for Shanti. But there was a problem: Ganga did not like Satyavan. “What do you see in him?” She would say, “I tell you, something is not right with him!” Shanti was in love with Satyavan. What was she to do? Some of the jewelry pieces from Ganga's collection: [gallery columns="1" size="large" ids="41061,41062,41064,41059,41063,41058,41060"]...

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Introducing Shanti and Satyavan

Posted on March 22, 2016
in Writing
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Introducing Shanti and Satyavan Shanti Bamzai, the protagonist of The Immigrant Wife: Her Spiritual Journey, was born in the Valley of Kashmir. The valley is framed by the mountain ranges of Karakoram, Pir Panjal and Zanskar. The Jhelum River runs through it. Kalhana, the renowned eighth century historian writes, “Kailasha, the divine abode is the best place in the three worlds; Himalaya is the best part of Kailasha, and the valley of Kashmir the best part of Himalayas. . . . The valley’s saffron, iced water and grapes are rare even in heaven.” Shanti’s family often picnics at the garden Nishat Bagh meaning ‘Garden of Bliss.’ One Sunday, Satyavan, a houseguest accompanies them. The morning sun has colored the landscape gold. Luxurious mountains form the backdrop to the garden and the shimmering Dul...

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PRE-ORDER ON AMAZON BOOKS

Posted on March 7, 2016
in Being in Nature
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The Immigrant Wife: Her Spiritual Journey is available on Amazon for pre-order. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CKCLD74 I am overjoyed, with a touch of nervousness, for the pre-sale release of The Immigrant Wife: Her Spiritual Journey. The novel is about a labyrinthine journey of Shanti, an artist, wife and mother towards her Self. It is filled with the struggles, the trials and the ordeals she faces. Each step stretches her as she hopes and feels renewed. The Immigrant Wife: A Spiritual Journey is beautifully written. I loved it! The story weaves many small strands into an intriguing tapestry, much like the paintings of our heroine, Shanti. And it paints a picture of life in two places--the beautiful valley of Kashmir and the beautiful hills of Western Pennsylvania. Shanti’s quiet determination to stay true to herself, her...

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Conversations on LinkedIn

Posted on March 3, 2016
in Being in Nature
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Good Morning Readers! Last month I shared more information about the novel. Now I have created a group on LinkedIn to share passages from various chapters of the book. It is also a place for you to share your input and start a conversation about topics such as art, spirituality, cooking, travel or any other topic that would come to your mind as you read the novel. The Immigrant Wife: Her Spiritual Journey will be released in April. To begin, Login on LinkedIn Home Page Click on “Interests” Click on “Groups” Click on “My Groups” and search for "The Immigrant Wife: Her Spiritual Journey" “Join” OR Join the conversation by cutting and pasting this link in your browser: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8478377 Thank you!...

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Novel is Completed in Reader’s Mind

Posted on February 25, 2016
in Being in Nature
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During the early 70s in art school, I learned an adage that goes something like this: A painting is “done” when an artist signs and declares it finished but it is “completed” in the imagination of its onlookers. Since my passion for arts shifted from painting to writing I have often contemplated on this adage. I believe what is true of painting is also true of novel. The process of reading is as pleasurable as the process of writing. When readers read they let their fertile imagination and creative flow stream with that of the writer’s. In other words, in their imagination they coauthor the novel. A novel’s setting, scenes and narrative capture reader’s creative power. Each reader’s version is unique depending on her or his social, political, religious and cultural background....

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Watching Sunset

The Immigrant Wife and the Mindful Writers Group

Posted on February 15, 2016
in Being in Nature
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I wrote my first collection, Chance Meetings: Stories about Cross Cultural Karmic Collisions and Compassion and the final drafts of the novel, The Immigrant Wife: Her Spiritual Journey during the Mindful Writers Group weekly meetings. What a fine fellowship of writers! For almost thirty years I have begun my day with meditation and journaling. These two practices have dramatically improved my attention, deepened my insights, revealed ideas and enriched my imagination. Until 2010, I wrote alone in my study. I loved the room’s silence and solitude. Occasionally, I wrote in libraries, coffee shops or bookstores. There were days when writing in isolation was lonesome. But life of a writer is a lonely affair. I craved to write with fellow writers. Almost all writers groups available were critique groups. In absence of such...

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Why Behind THE IMMIGRANT WIFE

Posted on February 8, 2016
in Being in Nature
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Why Behind The Immigrant Wife: Her Spiritual Journey The beginnings of The Immigrant Wife came from two sources: first, the two journals I kept in 1997 on Semester-at-Sea, University of Pittsburgh. I voyaged around the world with undergraduates sailing to Bahamas, Venezuela, Brazil, South America, Kenya, India, China, Japan, Vietnam and Philippines. I taught history of Indian, Chinese and Japanese Art and Architecture. The second source was the story of a woman I met in Toronto, Canada. I had gone to attend the cremation of my young nephew who died a tragic death. At the last family meal in his apartment I met a newly married woman. When she discovered that I was an artist she said she was an artist too and talked passionately about her paintings. So much so,...

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The Immigrant Wife: Her Spiritual Journey

Posted on February 1, 2016
in Being in Nature
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Its my pleasure to share with you the cover of my novel, The Immigrant Wife: Her Spiritual Journey. Forthcoming in April 2016, the book is about Shanti, an artist from the Valley of Kashmir. Her fervor for art and nature. Her constant battle between the pressures of social expectations and her own burning desire to be an artist. Her encounter with deaths in India and America. And finally, her spiritual renewal....

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