Humans love humans. Humans love things as well. Other humans may not love you back, or worst, hurt you. But things, they don't do that. Despite of being life-less, they remain with you until they exist. That's the irony! Is it a bit too philosophical? Well, it's Friday evening, and I am not drunk! Then why am I acting all Socrates? That's because I realized how much I love my stuff, my precious life-less things that always stand by my side, no matter what. They mean the 'world' to me.

Now, won't you carry your 'world' with you wherever you go, more specifically on a road-trip? What if you were going to the trip in a Renault Lodgy? Well, I assumed I am, and hence came up with a list of following lovely things that I would carry along with me:

Audio books and music

Many of you might be unaware, but I am very fond of books. Though I haven't done any book reviews so far, I would love to do some. (Sorry to Abhijeeth Hiliyana, the author of Age of Apostasy, for not reviewing your book yet. I had my home robbed, and your book was gone with it. Sorry bro.)

"There is no friend as loyal as a book." - Ernest Hemingway

Now, reading a book while driving might not be a good idea, for obvious reasons. Thanks to technology, I can now listen to them! So, first thing I would carry are the audio versions of books/novels of my favorite writers. The loud speakers in the Lodgy will make sure that I hear the words correctly! That way, I will be in full control of the wheel, seemingly enjoying my favorite pastime at the same time. Same goes for music too.

Food

Every time I log into my Facebook account (it's deactivated now), I only have one answer to the infamous question, "What's on your mind?" That's food! But it would be lame to post it as Zuck is not the only one reading it. *I know I'm bad at jokes*.

But seriously, food is something I crave for. If I were to go on a road trip, I would carry lots-and-lots of food packets to last during the journey. After all, offering food makes you friends with fellow travellers too ;) The cup holders and flight tray available in the Lodgy will make storing and consuming food and beverages comfortable.

Having said that, I would like you to know that I attended a food event last week, and the review is coming soon. So stay tuned.

Gadgets

After food, I can only think of my freaky gadgets. They are a part of my daily routine. And the teacher says that missing habits isn't a good thing!

Just in case you are wondering, the list includes my two smartphones, a tablet and a laptop. I will definitely carry chargers for all of these devices, since Lodgy already has 12 V charging sockets for all the three rows.

Sports equipment and board games

I may not sound like an athlete kinda-guy, but I do enjoy playing games if people join me. Cricket and badminton are the ones I like playing outdoors, and cards and board games are my thing if we talk indoors.

To carry all this stuff, Lodgy has ample boot space. Talking about figures, the trunk has a dynamic storage of 207 litres, which is expandable up to 1861 litres.

First aid kit

Last but not the least, I will make sure to take my first aid kit along-with. The Lodgy has a smartly positioned storage area in the center of the dashboard. This place is ideal for carrying such necessary items.

I think I will forget my cushions and pillows at home. Renault Lodgy already has cushion pillows and belt cushions, increasing the comfort and convenience during the trip.

I’m participating in the #LiveLodgycal contest with Renault in association with BlogAdda to get a chance to be a part of the #LiveLodgycal Drive in Goa.

After winning the #BlogForZovi contest held by Zovi, I got this opportunity to guest blog for the brand. This post is the second guest post I am writing for them. You can read the first one here. In case you are unaware of what I'm talking about, read the winning post.
This blogpost is part of #BlogForZovi held by zovi.com.

In my country, cricket is a religion, with the number of followers far more greater than many other religions prevailing in the land. Having said that, the Cricket World Cup tournament, the biggest international event in the world of cricket, is the most watched and celebrated sports tournament in India. The fact that the 1987 Cricket World Cup was held in India and Pakistan (jointly), and it was the first time hosted outside England (the place where the game began), is enough to prove my point.

How are the hosts for this prestigious event selected?

Quoting Wikipedia,

The International Cricket Council's executive committee votes for the hosts of the tournament after examining the bids made by the nations keen to hold a Cricket World Cup.

Since the advent of the event, there have been 11 tournaments so far (including the one currently going on). Following is the breakdown of the events and their respective venues (including the proposed ones):

1.      1975    England
2.      1979    England
3.      1983    England & Wales
4.      1987    India & Pakistan
5.      1992    Australia & New Zealand
6.      1996    India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka
7.      1999    England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland & Netherlands
8.      2003    South Africa, Zimbabwe & Kenya
9.      2007    West Indies
10.    2011    India, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh
11.    2015    Australia & New Zealand
12.    2019    England & Wales
13.    2023    India (Source)

Including that of 2023, India will become the second nation to host the event 4 times, first one being England. This again proves the importance of the game in an average Indian's life. Being an international event, it covers almost all the continents of the world.

From the country of the fathers of the game, the Cricket World Cup is spreading its reach to more nations who participate as Associate Teams. Best example being Sri Lanka, who hosted the event for the first time in 1996 (and also won it)! Other good examples are Zimbabwe, Kenya, Bangladesh - to name a few. If the trend continues, we may see countries like Bermuda, UAE and Afghanistan hosting the Cup one day.

Given the vast presence of the tournament, it is like a heaven for travel enthusiasts - lets them cover most of the world if they just follow this event. Below I list down a few must-visit cricket destinations in the history of Cricket World Cup:

1. London, England

The city of London is home to two of the oldest grounds in the history of cricket - The Kia Oval (aka The Oval) and Lord's (aka the Mecca of Cricket). If you are a cricket lover, you get to visit the MCC Museum (the oldest sports museum in the world) and the MCC Library.

Apart from cricket, you have numerous places to visit while you are in London. London Eye, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern, Madame Tussads, Tower Bridge and Big Ben are the not-to-be-missed attractions. Well, given the fact that I haven't visited London (yet), you must visit the top ten attractions of the city. Also, if experts are to be believed, you must avoid these eight places!

2. Mumbai, India

Being a cricket-loving nation, India has a lot of grounds which host all kinds of cricket games, viz. first-class, List A, Test, ODI and Twenty20. All these pitches are spread all around the country. But, I prefer Mumbai as the cricket travel destination. Firstly, it is home to the God of cricket (aka The Legend aka Master Blaster). Secondly, the city boasts three international ODI grounds - Wankhede Stadium (hosted 1987 Cricket World cup semi-final, and 2011 Cricket World Cup final), Brabourne Stadium, and DY Patil Stadium (This venue has not conducted any international ODI matches so far. The 7th India vs Australia ODI during Australia's 2009 tour of India was supposed to be the first international cricket match to take place here but was cancelled due to heavy rain). Thirdly, Mumbai has Bollywood (one of the largest centres of film production in the world).

Mumbai has a lot to offer to its tourists. Gateway of India, Siddhivinayak Temple, Essel World, Chowpatty, Haji Ali Dargah, Elephanta Caves, Aksa Beach - the city has something for all age groups. Nothing can beat the Vada Pav you get there. Here is a list of the ten places you must visit while you are there.

3. Melbourne, Australia

The city of Melbourne is the second most populous city in the country. It has been ranked the most livable city in the world since 2011. Travelers beware, it is also the fourth most expensive city in the world. The legendary Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is part of this city itself. It is the thirteenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia. It also has the highest light towers at any sporting venue! It is also one of the world's most famous cricket venues. Do you still wonder why I chose Melbourne to be in this list?

On the tourism front, Melbourne is not back at all! Eureka Tower, Royal Botanic Gardens, Yarra Valley, Shrine of Remembrance, National Sports Museum, one can just go on-and-on-and-on. If you are in Melbourne, do these ten things.

4. Colombo, Sri Lanka

Colombo is home to the three best grounds of the country - the R. Premadasa Stadium, the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground (aka the Lord's of Sri Lanka), and the P. Sara Oval (aka the Colombo Oval). It is also the capital city, and the largest city of Sri Lanka.

Cricket legend Ian Botham shares his travel experience in Sri Lanka. Mount Lavinia, Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple, Viharamahadevi Park, National Museum, and St. Thomas Chapel are a few places worth seeing. If you plan to visit, do these twelve things.

5. Johannesburg, South Africa

The city of Johannesburg boasts three international cricket grounds - the Ellis Park Stadium, Old Wanderers, and the New Wanderers Stadium. It is the largest city in South Africa. It is also one of the  fifty largest agglomerations in the world. It is also the world's largest city not situated on the banks of a river body! Did you know? I bet you didn't ;)

Apartheid Museum, Cradle of Humankind, Lion Park, and Hector Pieterson Museum are the must visit places in the city. Go there and do these things.

Have you already visited any (or more) of these places? If yes, do care to share your experiences via comments below. If not, when are you packing your bags?

This post is part of Blogger Dream Team (#BloggerDreamTeam).

After winning the #BlogForZovi contest held by Zovi, I got this opportunity to guest blog for the brand. This post is the first guest post I am writing for them. In case you are unaware of what I'm talking about, read the winning post.

As a part of the prize, I was asked to blog on a specific theme. The theme I  received was "The Spring/Summer look". Since, I am no expert in fashion, I might not meet the expectations you would have made after reading the title. However, I am trying my best, and would love any kind of feedback.

As the title of this post reflects, I had been to Ooty the past weekend. What better place than such a beautiful hill-station to spend time with friends, and also flaunt the new summer look (courtesy Zovi)? (If you are interested in the complete trip details, hop over to my friend's blogpost where he has shared his experience.)

This time, I selected the following items (Thanks Hemanth for helping me choose them) -

Evening Cricket White Graphic T-shirt
Slim Fit Casual Blue And White Checkered Shirt With Welt pocket
Slim Stretch Fit Black Solid Trousers

This time, too, I was happy with their delivery service. Due to my late activity, I placed my order on 17th Feb. But I had to leave for Ooty on 21st Feb, so the max I could afford was to get it delivered by 20th Feb. This is when I tweeted them this:

@zovi Placed an order ( # ZRB9EU) for #BlogForZovi guest-blogging. Can you deliver it by 20th (Friday) of this month ?
— Garg Ankit (@graciousgarg) February 17, 2015

To my surprise,  I received the order the very next day! It was awesome. In this context, I would like to mention that there are tons of brands existing to sell their stuff to you. But, successful are the ones who delight their customer. Zovi does that - delights me every time. Are you aware of the bad experience the guys at Emirates gave me? Read here.

On my way back from Ooty, I got the following pictures clicked (Thanks Bhaskar for clicking them for me) -

If you feel like, go ahead and buy some of the cool stuff that the team at Zovi has to offer, and flaunt in style.

This blogpost is part of #BlogForZovi held by zovi.com.

UPDATE: This blogpost won the third prize in the contest.

We have two bloggers as our 3rd winner @graciousgarg & @amolwagh. Congratulations to both of you :-) Will mail you the details!
— ZOVI (@zovi) February 2, 2015

Other results include:

First prize: @Phantom_Delight (Winning post)
Second prize: @thekopargaonkar (Winning post)
Third prize: Yours truly and @amolwagh (Winning post)


In this modern world of technology, comfort is something one looks up to. The joy of ordering something at the click of a button is immense. One doesn't need to go window shopping in the scorching heat of the sun. Instead, everything can be sought and bought from the chilling air-conditioned room, or from a poolside lawn. And what can be more comfortable than to be able to order the latest fashion trends online. Zovi is one such web service. It offers a wide range of fashion apparels for men and women.

Recently, I got a chance to buy stuff from this website. It's not that I was using their service for the first time. I had once bought a pair of polo t-shirts for office use. This time, I have gone a step ahead, and ordered a few more items.

Let me take you through my shopping experience with them. I selected the following items (Thanks Hemanth and Gaurav for helping me in choosing them) -

Masked Spiderman Graphic T-shirt
Grey Zippered Sweatshirt With Red And Blue Stripes And Hood
Black Canvas Mid Top Sneakers With Contrast Grey And Green

After I was done choosing, the checkout page appeared like this:



As can be seen in the pic above, they were expected to deliver the products by 21st Jan. (Note that I placed the order on 12th Jan.)

I didn't bother much, and proceeded to the order confirmation page, which looked like this:



As you can see, the delivery time was now reduced to 20th Jan (one less day). I was happy to notice the reduction in the delivery time, but was still upset since it was going to take so long. I decided to contact them, and see if it would help. This is when I tweeted this:

@zovi I felt the delivery time is quite large. I just placed an order, and it says it will deliver by 20th! #BlogForZovi
— Garg Ankit (@graciousgarg) January 12, 2015

To my surprise, I didn't get any response! I thought that Zovi, like many others, have a shitty customer support. But, too my surprise, I received my shipment on 16th Jan. This was awesome, because it took them only 3 working days (note that 15th Jan was a holiday) to deliver. I was highly impressed by their service.

A couple of days later, I tweeted them this:

@zovi received my order #BlogForZovi pic.twitter.com/Nq9nvglONr
— Garg Ankit (@graciousgarg) January 19, 2015

And they replied with a retweet:

@graciousgarg Awesomeness, thanks for the update :)
— ZOVI (@zovi) January 19, 2015

After receiving the shipment, I decided to try it on. Below are a few images (Thanks Bhaskar for clicking them for me) -


Model: Yours truly ;)
Image credits: Bhaskar Trivedi Photography
Venue: Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Bengaluru

As you might have noticed, I have bought a cool Spidey t-shirt long with a zippered sweatshirt-cum-hoodie and a pair of sneakers. All this sum up to make a fashionable winter look that I have tried to create. Without the sweatshirt, the look is equivalent to a casual look that one can put on for office wear as well. But since it is the month of January, I decided to also put on a sweatshirt to keep up with the falling mercury.

I like the products. Hope you like them, too!

If you feel like, go ahead and buy some of the cool stuff that the team at Zovi has to offer, and flaunt in style.

This blogpost is part of #BlogForZovi held by zovi.com.

As many of you might be already aware, the title of this post is actually the title of a bestseller book by John Green, which is also adapted as a feature film. I got a chance to read this book during the last week (sincere thanks to Shweta for lending it to me). I totally loved it. Special thanks to Gaurav and Shweta (yeah, the same girl who lent me the book) for recommending it to me. And yes, it did make me cry, as you guys were claiming.


Although the IMDb list of the top 10 movies of 2014 (the movie came in 2014, but the book was published in 2012) ranks the 'movie' version of this book on the 10th spot, I believe that the book is a lot more than the movie. There are times which make you smile, and then there are times which definitely make you cry. "You laugh, you cry, and then you come back for more", said Markus Zusak (author of The Book Thief) about this book. In this book, the author brilliantly explores the funny, thrilling and tragic business of being alive and in love.

Quoting Wikipedia,

The story is narrated by a 16 year old cancer patient named Hazel Grace Lancaster, who is forced by her parents to attend a support group where she subsequently meets and falls in love with the 17 year old Augustus Waters.

Also, as a piece of information, the title of the book is inspired by Julius Caesar (a play by Shakespeare). In Act 1, Scene 2 of the play, Cassius says to Brutus, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars. But in ourselves, that we are underlings." Same is also used in the book.

Well, I want you to spend time reading the book. Hence, strictly NO spoiler alerts this time. It will be worth it, I assure you.

In the rest of the post, I am going to list down my favorite quotes (in no specific order or ranking) from the book. Sit back and enjoy the quotes and their neck-deep metaphorical meanings. ;)

Also, all the quotes below are the copyright property of the author, I am republishing them because I liked them. So, even if I don't mention his name after every quote, they still belong to John, no matter what.

That's the thing about pain. It demands to be felt.

The world is not a wish-granting factory.

You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices. I hope she likes hers.

What a slut time is. She screws everybody.

As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.

It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you.

That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway.

All your attempts to save yourself from me will fail.

Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.

The marks humans leave are too often scars.

Without pain, how could we know joy?

I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things.

I'm like a grenade, Mom, and at some point I'm going to blow up and I would like to minimize the casualties, okay?

You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful.

I'm on a roller coaster that only goes up, my friend.

It is the nature of stars to cross.

The world wasn't made for us, we were made for the world.

I really thought she was going to die before I could tell her that I was going to die, too.

Omnia Cellula e Cellula.

No matter how hard you kick, no matter how high you get, you can't go all the way round.

Did you read this book? If not, do it now. Buy it from Amazon US, Amazon India or Flipkart.

Did I miss any other interesting quote? Remind me via the comments. And yes, happy reading. :)

They say that the success mantra for any business to excel over its competitors is to treat its customers like a king. It is a metaphor, no doubt. But the management gurus at Emirates do not seem to believe in it. Not even a bit of it.

I traveled to Europe for a couple of months. Emirates was selected for the cause. I was quite excited to travel with them because I had heard quite a few positive reviews about them.

I will mention three incidents below which made me dislike their services. Individually they are more than three, but I have grouped them into three to save them some embarrassment.

Incident 1:

Incident 2:

Incident 3: