First of all I must apologize to Svetlana for being so late in thanking her for nominating me for the ‘Very Inspiring Blogger Award’. But then I had a plan to come up with this acknowledgement post on the last day of this year, 2014 which has helped me concentrate on blogging, take blogging seriously. It was an overwhelming moment to find ‘Maverickbird’ Svetlana’s comment that she has nominated me for this award – a very pleasant surprise – a great honour for me. Most importantly, it feels great to be chosen by one of my most favorite bloggers, the ‘maverickbird’, Svetlana.

Thanks to IndiBlogger that I found her blog maverickbird.com and instantly started following it. Actually the name ‘maverick bird’ caught my eyes – an unusual but self-explanatory (as you read the tagline “Flights of a flight attendant”) blog name which attracted me initially. I explored her blog to find that Svetlana is a wonderful blogger. I believe very passionate, enthusiastic and dedicated to blogging, rather sharing her amazing travel experiences through words and amazing pictures. I often wonder how she manages to write frequently after having a busy professional schedule and mothering a child. This is also an inspiration for lazy bloggers like me. The unique facet of Svetlana’s blog is the way she organizes her posts blog posts. First comes the story – uninterrupted, then a series of vivid images with interesting captions. Once you visit her blog you’ll no way but keep visiting maverickbird.com.

Thank you Svetlana for nominating me for this award. It’s an honour and inspiration for me.

My second  ‘Very Inspiring Blogger Award’ came from a very young and enthusiastic blogger Teny who celebrates his love for tea in his wonderful blog The Tea Celebrations. Teny has mastered the art of blogging and I think he is successful in his “attempt to find something out of anything”. 🙂 I wish I had the dedication as you have for blogging.

Thank you Teny for choosing me for this award. I feel honoured!

7 Things About Myself

Now the next part – stating seven things about myself, which I find a difficult task. 😛

1. I was not a serious blogger until recently. I started blogging way back in 2009. When Tweitter Festival took place in Saltlake, Kolkata followed by a bloggers’ meet. One of my friends, Deblina insisted me to create a blog to take part in the meet as she created hers. That’s how it started. But I rarely updated my blog until recently when I upgraded it with a custom domain name. Now I think blogging is good for (mental) health. 🙂
2. I am lazy like a cat. I can spend a whole day watching the world go by sitting in a beach resort. Thank God that I don’t get that chance often … 😉
3. I am very emotional person and can easily get hurt. But the good thing is that I have realized this (in the beginning of 2014) and practicing control over my emotions.
4. I am introvert but friendly by nature. I do not open up to people quickly and mingle with them. For me, it is a matter of time. Give me time and I can become a very good friend.
5. I am an avid reader. I have an eternal attraction towards detective, mysteries and suspense thrillers. Dan Brown and Frederick Forsyth are my favorite in this genre. But I also like to read short stories and novels on human nature and relationships. When it comes to literature can’t think of anyone before Tagore (may be because I am a Bong). Wuthering Height is my favorite English novel.
6. I love watching movies. It could be Hollywood or Bollywood or Bengali or Irani or Spanish or Indonesian. In short, I watch any good movie that touches my heart. Language is not a barrier, but English subtitles always helps. J My sister and I download movies all through the week and watch them together every weekend. Kevin Costner, Tom Hanks, Leonardo Dicaprio and Sharon Stone are some of my favorite actors. And Sound of Music, Dances with Wolves, The Untouchables and The Book Thief are some of my all time favorite movies.
7. My New Year resolution is to exercise regularly. Well, I am not fat or flabby kind. But I want to indulge in fitness activities to ensure a healthy body and mind which I think is most important for a traveler.

15 Blogs I Follow

1. Travel Tales from India – Mridula Dwivedi is an iconic travel blogger and an inspiration for me.
2. My Yatra Diary – Arti, a wonderful writer, an experienced blogger and a spiritual traveller, blogs about her spiritual journeys and travel destinations in India and other countries.
3. Voyager For Life – Renuka, a smart, enthusiastic young girl – a solo woman traveller and blogger who is always an inspiration.
4. i Share – Ms Indrani Ghose has an eye to see simple things differently. Her wonderful blog can be the inspiration for any blogger. She shares her travel stories combined with beautiful pictures. I love her ‘Faces of India’ series.
5. Inspire99 – Vinay and Vidyashree come up with a range of topics on social issues, and well being. As the name reveals the blog inspires you to think and think better.
6. INewsIndia – SEO and digital marketing specialist Alok Vats shares his views and useful tips on blogging and online promotion of websites. 
7. A Traveller’s Odysseys – My favorite blogger ‘wandering Jatin’ an IT guy but a traveler at heart blogs on his travel experiences, sometimes in a humorous note which I like very much.
8. Rangan Dutta – Mr. Rangan Dutta is passionate traveler, photographer and writer. His blog is full of photos of historical architecture and edifices from around the world.
9. Jan Jansen Networks – A wonderful blog specializing in macro-photography.
10. Nature & Travel Photography – I found this blog from wordpress suggestions. Being a nature lover I am fascinated by the beautiful landscape photographs in Mr. Anil C. Mandal’s blog.
11. Murali Aithal Photography Blog – Murali is a wonderful Nature Photographer. I follow his blog for beautiful landscape and nature photos and photography tips and tricks.
12. Sunshine and Zephyr by Shweta – Shweta Dave is a management consultant and a wonderful poet and short story writer. Her blog is a refreshing read.
13. Travel Defined – Ms. Vasudha Aggarwal loves exploring new places and shares her adventure stories and beautiful pictures in her blog.
14. Eat Sleep Shoot Travel Blog – The founder of this blog Ms. Natasha is a photographer, writer and a globetrotter who already have travelled 99 cities across the world.
15. No Where to Go But Everywhere – Miss Tessa is a globetrotter who have travelled the world at a very young age and shares her wonderful stores in her blog.

The rules for Very inspiring Blogger Award

• Display the award on your blog
• Link back to the blogger who nominated you
• State 7 things about yourself
• Nominate 15 bloggers, link to their blog and notify them about the nomination

Keep travelling. Keep blogging. Happy New Year 2015 !!