Mumbai has been pouring with rain and it has been very difficult for me to commute as I have been taking auto’s to do the rounds of production houses and studios. I have gotten used to not having a car and use only Ola and Uber in Delhi their services are like clockwork intact in Delhi Ola and Uber are even quicker than the Auro services, very three minutes there is a ride available the response time is excellent.

But since I have been trying to get back to acting in Mumbai, I have realized Uber and Ola are useless in these cities it takes ages more than 20 min to get a cab and most of the time they are not available. Even from locations like royal palms and array colony, it is difficult to get these taxi services. In Mumbai, one has no choice but to use auto as the fastest mode of transportation. I have been navigating the rain and the cities water-filled roads by auto’s and even managed to lose my laptop doing that. I decided to venture too Pune to be with a dear friend and her family just so that I could get some change of waterer and recharge my batteries. I took a two-hour taxi ride from Dadar to Nigdi in Pune and stayed in a local hotel to spend the weekend with my friends.

Saturday was lunch at Caffe Good-luck restaurant a very famous Irani restaurant near Ferguson College. This area is a famous college area with lots of young student type of crowd, the restaurant is packed all the time with people and we had to wait for ages. I managed to sneak in and convinced the owner that I am a travel blogger and wished to cover his restaurant. We got the table in no time.

The meal was Keema, roti, chicken biryani and Maska Pau which is a sort of delicacy here. I took some snaps and ventured into the kitchen area of the restaurant, we ate to our heart’s content.    I have noticed as time has gone by my palate has become less and less accustomed to spicy food and I can’t take spicy food as much as I could when I was young. Things change as one grows old, my hair has turned grey and my appetite for spicy food has diminished too.

After the excursion at the Good luck cafe, we decided to venture to a place called Kunda Mala which is in Talegaon. This is a place full of flowing and gushing water with a small temple in the middle. It has a thin bridge which can be used to cross to the other side, families come here for a picnic or just for a weekend excursion. I snapped away with my friends and enjoyed the cool spray of water that fell on my face. It was heaven and a nice retreat one can find from the rough and tumble of Pune city.

The next day was film time and we managed to catch a film Dream Girl which starred Ayushmann Khurana. It was a laugh riot and I laughed and laughed throughout the film. After a long time, I enjoyed the film and watched it right to the end. It was funny and also had a social message to give which was great.

Tomorrow it is back to Mumbai again doing the rounds of studios, maybe I can get lucky and bag some good roles. Let’s see what awaits me now as I try and make a re-entry into Bollywood.

Well, the work on the theme song is on and it cost me Rs 25,000 or so for the song with Manish and his girl the awesome twosome. I call his girl Runa Lela, she reminds of the legendary singer herself, who sang the song “ Dama Dum Mast Kalader .” A song that was a rage especially in Bengal. It was received with thunderous applause and an instant hit, I can see the images of this babe singing on stage as the song was promoted heavily on TV.

Yes, Sujata our very own Runa Lela has given her best shot, as she tore the decibels and sang her heart out “ Mein hun Rashmi Verma, yeh! Hai Mera Karma .”

I feel like I am back in Bollywood, again with a spate of meetings, I even managed to lose my laptop, but feasting in Calcutta club is another joy of my day. I love the mutton Kasa and the luchi with chicken.

I just got a call from my music director the first cut of the song is ready .and I have to go to hear it. Purchased a new laptop, lost the old one in an auto. The song looks fabulous typical Bollywood Chartbuster kind of stuff and Sujata the lead singer has also done a good job, she did full Riaz for a week and then sung it with full gusto. Manish feels that some fine-tuning still needs to be done but I like the title song “ Mein hun Rashmi Verma “ it’s catchy and very pacy it establishes Rashmi  Verma as a bindas character, the way we want to project her, the sweetheart of the campus, the entire web series revolves around her.

I was hearing the song on my phone and got so engrossed listening to it that I lost my way many times while trying to find the office of Vishesh Films. Yes I am truly back in Mumbai and they have caught the pulse of the City, all I need is some work and some hope that my web series project will move forward. Next week we will record the MAMA MOLESTER theme song which will be sung by yours truly, till then sit back and enjoy the webbing of the web series.

My heart sank I had just finished taking the autorickshaw ride to my motel in four bungalows, it was pouring I was drenched my clothes soaked in rainwater. I am mostly in a zapped state with nothing but my web series on my mind and in such an absentminded state I managed to lose my laptop at the back seat of the auto. The driver large Muslim gentlemen with a skull cap and listening to music on his headphone, you guessed it smartphones everybody has smartphones now. I have been hearing auto drivers gossiping so much they are busy yapping all the time .” wo kamala meri purani girlfriend, wo jo lambi choti wali thin, wo na salla Suresh ke Saath bhaag Gayi, purani yaari thi dono ki .” the auto driver chatted  away on the phone, I was in deep paranoia with thoughts of an email I had sent to Sunil Shetty regarding the e-book and screenplays of I also slept with Rashmi Verma. I wanted a meeting badly with the great man, so much so that me a Tiwari ji had planned it that I would also take  a selfie with him with my book cover a piece of cardboard with a printed cover on top, so what if I was not carrying a real book . “ life mien Thoda cheating chalta hei Rajan .” Tiwari always calls me Rajan. “ I will also come with you Rajan, to take your selfie with the great man.

I was now awaiting the final call from his office. yes, the final call, my first real presentation of my story to a big Bollywood name, a legend in his own right, the balwan. the final call to be able to share my books and thoughts. I had tapped him firmly on the shoulder at his aram Nagar office. “ Sunil sir, sir my name is Anuj tikku, I have written in your film EMI, I have written a book which is selling very well online, I want to make a web series out of it, need 15 min of your time .” the great man looked around to hear me , he must have like the name of my book and instantly recognized me .” yes yes I know you , my office will call you,” he asked his assistants more then 7 of them large burly men with black beards . looked at me with peering eyes. a connection was instantly formed and he nodded to me. bang I had his email the next day and my book and proposal were sent to him instantly. I love the guy, then I waited for the final call. my energies are height and I did some yoga today after a long time.

Well let my mind stop meandering I lost my laptop at the back seat of the auto and realized late the auto had left by then and I was left high and dry , the entire night was spent in conversation with Tiwari Ji as to will the auto driver ever give it back .” you know I lost my camera bag in Italy on the way to Antarctica , but I got it back right to my doorstep , it had a lot more equipment .” I realized there was a book cover also in the bag, it had my name on it and the logo of my blog tikkustravelthon.in. the laptop is locked and no one has the passwords, so no one can openly. it is useless that way but he could pon it was 20 k or so. let’s see how pure the man is and honest, I mused to myself .” maybe he is dishonest then he will sell it for scraps, we had to wait and see. here to I waiting for a final call, a call that the driver would return it and that it has been found.

The call form sunils office came he wants to meet me. he must have read the book and the synopsis, he likes the book and the story it seems .the call came within a day. some achievement, some progress as I crisscross Mumbai with my dreams of making an erotic web series .i also slept with Rashmi Verma, I am back in Mumbai and loving it now. thinking why wasn’t I here earlier, but then things only happen when they have to happen and this is an adventure I wish to take.  the vibes are good and I know I have done my homework . of course the music will be ready the theme song of Rashmi Verma, he would love to hear that .so here it goes as I sooth in the surroundings of palm court and swims in the wondrous lake of arry colony.

My luck was great I managed to get a free lunch worth 700 bucks at the Calcutta club restaurant. I told the owner I had covered his food in my blog and also showed him the pictures of his outlet in my book travel bawarchi, selling on amazon.com  so you see how effective barter strategy is when you want to monetize your blog. free lunch is the best in exchange for publicity. remember all bloggers, the best way to get value from your blog is to get free lunches and dinners from hotels and restaurants. a strategy to be used by bloggers .this is the strategy I will use with kakke da dhaba wala free food on a shoot in exchange for publicity and a ribbon-cutting at the dhaba. I am sure Sunil would love the idea and jump at it. but let my mind not run so fast first things first stay positive and flow with the energies. it is weeding the web series, the web has been thrown now let’s see how many catch the web.

The final call tomorrow is d day with Sunil and my first real presentation of my story.

Beach Holiday – Check what you must carry for a memorable beach holiday

Salt in the air and sand in your hair. Yes, this is what it feels like to be at a beach destination. Proper packing will be the differentiator between having a blast and struggling because of things like sunburns, bad weather, etc. While you certainly do not need every product out there for having fun, you do require some beach essentials and get the most out of the “Vitamin-Sea”.

Swimsuit

It is pure common sense. Get any swimsuit that is trendy but serves the purpose. Try it before wearing it at the beach, to ensure it fits well.

Sunscreen

It is a must-have item for going on a beach holiday. It will protect you from the harmful radiation of the sun which is a major source for skin-related cancer. Do ensure that you are carrying lotion with a suitable SPF level to counter the radiation. You can visit your dermatologist to recommend you the best sunscreen with adequate SPF level. Apply a generous amount of sunscreen to the exposed skin including your feet.

Sunglasses and Hat

Harsh sun rays can damage your eyes as well as the skin. Don’t forget to carry UV protective sunglasses. Moreover, if you are planning to enjoy water or adventure sports, then do take polarized sunglasses with you. The hat will make for a fashionable beach accessory while protecting you from the sun.

Water Bottle

The hot and humid climate at the beach will make you sweat heavily which can easily cause dehydration. It is advisable to carry a water bottle with you to keep yourself hydrated and prevent yourself from getting sick. (Also let’s be smart and reduce plastic waste)

Flip-Flops

A good pair of flip-flops or sandals will protect you from items that may cut your toes. If you have children with you, make sure they wear it too.

Waterproof Digital Camera

Take a waterproof digital camera and capture the moments you want to relive. Everyone carries a smartphone these days, which can also achieve the objective. However, it is recommended to carry a waterproof digital camera to record your beach memories. If not, then google for the waterproof mobile covers, so some interesting photographs.

Essential Medicines

It is strongly recommended to carry some over the counter drugs to treat common conditions like a headache, flu or cold (maybe an insect or. Pack a first aid box as well for any emergency. Moreover, you can also carry mosquito and insect repellent bands to protect from bites on the beach. (Bonus Tip: You may also carry an additional cream for stings by aquatic animals like jellyfish.)

Toys and Bucket

Kids love to dig holes and play with sand. Make it fun for them by carrying a toy and buckets. So parents, shouldn’t forget these items while packing for the family.

Beach Towel

It is a must-have item if you are planning to visit the beach. Not only it will help you keep yourself dry but you can also use it to lie down on the beach.

Beach Inflatable

If you want to get some cool snaps to post on social media, you must not forget to carry inflatables with you. Funny floatables will make your pictures look funny, and you will immensely enjoy floating using them.

Dry Bag

It is another common-sense item. You will be getting wet all the time while you are at the beach. A dry bag will help you protect your electronic belongings from getting wet and you can use them to carry your dry clothes for a change.

Planning travel can be hectic and time-consuming. It is pretty common to feel overwhelmed considering there is a lot to take into account to ensure that the trip is memorable. We have compiled an efficient checklist that will help you plan your trip effectively and cover all the aspects of planning a trip.

DECIDE YOUR DESTINATION

You can only start planning once you have decided where to go. This critical information will influence every aspect of travel planning like the duration of travel, budget, accommodation, etc. Take into account the interests of people traveling and finalize a destination, this way you will ensure a memorable and enjoyable trip.

DURATION OF TRIP

How much time do you have? You do not want to spend a major part of your holidays in commuting which will make it exhausting and unworthy. This will also help you plan your budget.

BOOK YOUR TRANSPORT

How do you reach your destination? Book tickets in advance if you are traveling by Flight or Train. If you prefer car rentals, arrange well in advance. To ensure that the option of cancellation is available.

BOOK ACCOMMODATION

A major travel expense, choose the accommodation with relevant facilities at the best price. Efficiently planned accommodation will free up money to spend on other activities.

SIGHTSEEING & GETTING AROUND

Research about your destinations and make a list of places and activities you wish to cover. Check the maps and accordingly prepare the itinerary. Make advance reservations for must-visit tourist attractions. Research and organize your tickets to any theme parks, zoos, and concerts, etc.

PLACES TO EAT & DRINK

Research about the food offered at the destinations. Would you be open to experimenting with the food offered at the destination? If you are conservative about your food, identify in advance the restaurants serving the food according to your taste.

Check about the must-eat places and popular food joints, restaurants, bars near your location.

PACK LIGHT

It is advisable to travel light. Pack only what is necessary. Clothes should be packed according to the weather conditions of the destinations, don’t carry too many clothes; instead, use the laundry services of the hotels and recycle the clothes. Believe us that you will end up buying during your travel. So, SAVE THE SPACE.

BONUS TIP FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS

Decide on how you will reach, stay, move around and what places to check. If traveling with family, we recommend you book an advance pick and drop service from the airport to avoid hassles.

CHECK FOR PASSPORT

What kind of documents do you need to travel to your destination? If you are traveling overseas you will need a passport.  If you don’t have one please apply well in advance and if you have a passport, check for the expiration date. Most countries ask for a passport to be valid for six months beyond your date of stay and have enough empty pages for stamps/visas. It is also advisable to carry some other valid ID, just in case you need them.

CHECK FOR VISA REQUIREMENTS

Find out the visa entry requirements for your destination. Every country will have different requirement and timelines to issue Visa, so don’t leave this for the end.

IMMUNIZATION

If you are traveling overseas, it is recommended to speak to a health care professional and get required vaccinations done. Nothing is more important than ones’ safety and health. Sometimes, you may also get asked to show proof of having been vaccinated.

COPIES OF IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS

For peace of mind, keep copies of important documents (separately)

Passports and Visas
Flight tickets
Itineraries
Hotel reservations
Rental car reservations
Tour bookings

ACCESSING YOUR MONEY

Well, you can’t travel anywhere without money. However, you need to remember some extra points when you are traveling overseas. Like, check for the limit of cash that you can carry with you. Check for money exchange facilities at the destinations. It is recommended to take a travel card, which will help you avoid charges on credit or debit cards. Also, find out about your daily withdrawal limit and any charges you may incur for using the card overseas. (Grandma’s smart tip: Never keep all your money in one pocket.)

PURCHASE TRAVEL INSURANCE

It is always advisable to insure yourself when traveling. It will protect you from unforeseen situations and related financial losses. Travel insurance is designed to cover events such as trip cancellation, stolen or damaged luggage by an airline, and other related losses incurred while traveling.

RECONFIRM FLIGHTS & CHECK-IN ONLINE

Check-In online to avoid the rush at the airport and always reconfirm the flight departure. You do not want to miss your flights after all the preparations. With this compact To-Do-List, we are sure you will never miss a thing and enjoy a memorable holiday. Keep this handy with you all the time for a trouble-free holiday plan. Or even better, take a print and keep it along with your other travel document. This way you will never miss it. Happy Holidaying!!

Week One Mumbai: Four Bungalow 

I came to Mumbai determined to start work on my Campus Erotica Web-series called I also slept with Rashmi Verma. Armed with bookselling online and a five-episode screenplay. It was my first job to start work on the Theme Song of the Web-series, I had scratched around and come up with the lyrics of the song Titled Mein Hun Rashmi Verma. The work has begun and the tempo and rhythm of the song are being composed, my friend Manish is doing the Music. To me, the song sounds a lot like an 80’s Qurbani tune. It is really like webbing a web series, so many permutation and combinations, who to cast, who does the music and at what price. Should I take a partner or not. So many questions spin in my mind and I am unsure of all of them, but I know somehow the pieces of all the jig saw’s will stick and something beautiful will happen.

Meet Sunil Shetty today, he was passing out of his office surrounded by his team of five and six assistants .” Sir, Sunil sir, I am Anuj Tikku need 15 min of your time, I have written bookselling online want to make a web series out of it .” I was glad he recognized me, after all, I had acted in his Film EMI a decade back with Sanjay Dutt and Urmila. He remembers me all right who can forget that face of mine. I remember he had asked his team to search me out and especially asked them to give me the role, he was also kind enough to put my scene in the promotions of the film. I like Sunil and his daughter will be perfect casting for the role of Rashmi Verma. The email has been sent and the results are awaited. What will be the ideal budget that as the main discussion with Manish today as Sujata his girl sang the song? We came up with a figure of 50 lakhs ideal. 10lakhs per episode, there were discussions and arguments and it was decided Sunil Shetty will put some of the mollah! More sandcastles in the air more dreams within dreams. I had to ask Mannish to slow down and stop dreaming so big.

But I like the pace of Mumbai and the thrill and purpose of it all. I am dreaming and my energy is good. I am enjoying the thrill of being in Bollywood again something I had been missing for a year. Life in Delhi is boring no friends to talk to no job to do except blog writing. Life in Dehra Doon is even drabber with my Grandmother their almost in her 90’s. I have friends there but still I am tied to the house all the time, the action I so much miss has begun and I like the pace of it all.

Let us first understand what creativity, creation or the creative process means are these just lingo’s used by writers, poets, and filmmakers. What does being creative or a creative person actually means and what and how does one unleash their inner creativity. Being creative is about seeing things differently, sculptors and painters play with forms and paint to make extraordinary things. The musician played his flute and guitar a painter uses his brush and paint to make fabulous images on canvas. An actor learns his line and performs to a packed hall or in front of a camera crew. A poet searches for inspiration deep into the night to write lyrical prose that converts into sonnets and symphonies. So creativity has certain aspects of the thesis that can be explained thus.

Its Play: Creativity is about the play, it’s about expressing your inner moods and your inner feeling of any kind joy, sadness, despair and sorrow whatever you feel, you express with the instruments in your hands. Your breath your mind your thoughts all are part of the creative process.

Relax: For the creative process to function one needs to be in a total state of let go and relaxation. Only when you are in peace with yourself and the body and mind is loose can the creative process function.

Observation: The power of observation is significant, the creative person needs to be aware of what he is experiencing through the five senses. He uses these images and sounds as part of his creation. The writer uses his observations and so does the painter.

Inquisitiveness; The creative being is inquisitive to new experiences and to new dimensions of life. He is a knowledge seeker and always in a lookout for new ways to do a thing and challenge old ways and ideas. He also makes constant enquires about the nature and structure of things. He knows that he knows not. He is a seeker of sorts knowing well that he only knows too little at is why he is hungry for new experiences.

Lateral Thinking: He finds solutions to problems in a tangential way, he thinks laterally. In a manner that is unique because he can see the same problem in many different ways and then come up with an out of the box solution.

High EQ: Creative people have a high EQ or emotional quotient and they are more sensitive than others. They can feel more and thus express more, actors, dancers and musicians all have a high EQ.

Intuitive: They have long antennas that can tap into many hidden frequencies, they have a strong intuition this is true for poets and writers. Many of them get their inspirations to write or create through a heightened sate go intuition.

Easily Bored; They get bored with things easily and often start things and projects that they do not finish. They may also be doing 5 to 6 different things at the same time and jump from one activity to another, back and forth in a non-linear fashion.

I have been doing the self-publishing game for well over a year and here is what I learned about selling content through e-books. Don’t listen to anyone, just take my experience as you leading light into the dark and dingy alleys of E -Bookselling. The best, biggest and most efficient way of selling ebooks is through amazon.com it’s pure and simple. The figures show it more than 70% of e-books sales happen on amazon.comperiod it is by far the most powerful and customer-friendly platform to sell e-books. Forget selz.com, kobo.com, and iTunes if you want to make money selling e-books and you are a new unread author the only way is going to amazon.com and that too you must go exclusively with amazon.com by enrolling in their KDP sect program. If you enroll in KDP elect you to get a whole host of benefits, amazon.com will distribute your ebooks for free as give away, that saves the cost you incur while buying your ebooks from the platform and distributing it to book bloggers for free, this was amazon.com is doing the marketing for you.

They will also run price cuts and promotions on the ebooks you enroll in KDP select. Remember you enroll in the program for 3 months and then you can log out if you wish. But while you are enrolled in the program you will have to remove all your ebooks from any other online platform where it is available.

I have decided to go all out for publishing on KDP select as the sales on other platforms have been single-digit all of them put together. In amazon.com I am selling 10 to 15 books a month across formats and categories.

I will watch and see where that gets improved slates for me in the near future three months is a good time to gauge results and see how the sales improve and behave. Till then watch out space if my throw of the dice putting all my books exclusively on KDP elect has worked or not

Budgeting for your web series is a very important thing to do without a budget you will be clueless and spend needlessly. Your team can go out of control with their creativity and the director can go for needlessly lavish sets and costume which will lead to higher production costs and make the films final price expensive. You may not get buyers for the film and might even have to sell it fora loss. The budget also is important as payments will have to be made on a regular basis, cost people in the web series space are a freelancer and it is important to pay them of time. The shooting can be stalled and things will get haywire if the budget is not kept in mind. After the screenplay and has been done and casting completed, you can freeze the location for the shoot. This comes under pre-production.

Pre-production: 

This is when you have zeroed in on the content, my web series is made on my book I also Slept with Rashmi Verma and is an erotic college campus love story. That is the theme of the content. After this the laugh of the web-series is decided, we choose five episodes of 20 min duration each. The web series will have three songs. The casting was done and 15 actors cast, 6 of them were primary cast and the rest 9 secondary cast. The shooting location is a college campus compound with classes block, canteen, hostel, and an open dance and party area there with a playing field.

Production: Here we decided we will finish the shoot in 14 days and wrap up one episode a day keeping a few days as rest days or extra days if need be. The Backend production team will be of a maximum of 10 people. Which Includes

1 Director

2 Assistant Director

3 Cameraman plus assistant

4 Makeup man

5 Costumes designer 

6 Sound recording

7 Lighting

8 Setting plus one assistant 

9 Continuity 

The arrangement for the actors to stay will be made in the campus college area on a twin sharing

basis.

Travel and Food: For two weeks people will have to be feed and their travel expenses will have to be paid. This is a major cost and is often ignored but needs to be factored into your budget.

Post Production: Editing, sound and background score, mixing of songs, recording, etc.

Launch and Promotion: This should be at least 25% of your total budget as without promotion and marketing no one will know your web-series is around.

If you have not got channel approval, you can launch on amazon prime and YouTube, but don’t bet on making any money, it’s a very long term strategy, do it if no one is buying your film. You can look to do private shows also and charge for tickets or maybe send the film for festivals to get more mileage. You may get more work in production and the movie can be like a showreel to get more production work. But unless your concept has not been bought you are on your own as to how to launch it. The current options will give you visibility but there is no money in it at least in the short term. Keep that in mind.

Grammarly is an online spell checking and grammar checking platform, which also detects plagiarism, its proofreading resources check against more than 250 grammar rules. Now that I am selling my ebooks online I have realized that this is a very important tool to use while writing. Errors in text and lack of proof-reading can really make the reading experience very shallow and cumbersome for the readers. In fact a lot of the book bloggers I had given my books to review the complaint of poor editing, as a random spell check was not able to remove errors from my -books. That when I instructed my team to start using Grammarly. This was to improve my writing and aim for a zero free error state so that people can enjoy my work and gain from it. A poorly edited book can be a disaster and the impact can negatively affect the sales of my other books.

It is available through an extension to google chrome and can be both as an App from the apple store with a subscription of $19.95 it’s a steal. One has to just plug your text into the software and it will start highlighting text, spelling, grammar and punctuation errors. The highlighted error will show basic replacements for the faulty text or words these you can choose to improve the quality of your writings and for better proofreading.

So use it for proofreading and you will definitely get better results.