Month: December 2021

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#BookReview: Young Blood by Chandrima Das

December 31 , 2021 Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma
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Blurb: Bored roommates use a planchette to contact a legendary ghost that haunts Pune University. Will she answer?

Is the abandoned Khairatabad Science College in Hyderabad really haunted? A gang of students break inside to investigate.

Nirav and Pavi love each other . . . most of the time. Will exploring a forbidden place inside IIT Kharagpur bring them closer?

From strange sightings to urban legends, from haunted buildings to not-so-friendly ghosts, colleges in India have their fair share of spine-tingling tales, be it Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, St. Bede’s College in Shimla or Delhi University. Young Blood is a collection of ten tales that reimagine college urban legends and true first-person accounts, that promises to terrify even die-hard fans of horror.

Buy the book here:

My Impression Of The Book:

I don’t read a lot of spooky stories, but do enjoy some once in a while. Having read some of the tales Chandrima Das shared on her twitter feed, I knew I wanted to read her book right from the time she’d shared that she is writing a book. So when Blogchatter shared that they are putting YOUNG BLOOD up for review, of course I signed up.
With 10 blood curdling (I am not exaggerating) stories in 10 chapters, Young Blood reimagines urban legends from colleges as well as true-first person accounts. For someone like me who has had experiences which exist in a realm between the now and the unexplainable, it was exciting to read these stories.
Chandrima’s style of storytelling is natural and relatable, and she manages to make the reader feel a part of the story, one of the characters, right in there having that experience. Just in themselves, some of the stories might not scare the daylights out of someone, but Chandrima has spun the web in a manner that is engaging and quite frankly, scary.
If you slow down and read in between the lines, there is a lot to observe in the stories – from how human minds can manifest, to how the positivity (and, negativity) of our minds, how bullying affects one’s mental health, and more. Spook is not the only emotion that will be triggered in your mind when reading these stories, you’ll also relate closely to the characters and sense the other emotions they are going through.
These 10 fast-paced stories from college campuses are perfect for book clubs or as travel companions. Just don’t fall asleep right after reading one of these stories. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
This review is powered by Blogchatter Book Review Program.
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What Every Entrepreneur Must Know Before Starting On Her Own

December 14 , 2021 Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma
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In the last decade or so and especially over the last two years since the world got thrown off its course due to the pandemic, there has been a visible surge in people turning to entrepreneurship.
I have been an entrepreneur since 2010, and throughout my journey, I have seen a lot of amazing women start brilliant businesses. While a lot of these businesses flourish, many perish somewhere along the way.
One of the most common reasons is – there is a dearth of knowledge on the dos and don’ts of entrepreneurship amongst a lot of us. In addition to that, we do not know what platforms and opportunities are out there when it comes to the basics of running a business. And as is quite natural, many of us have not planned to be entrepreneurs – entrepreneurship happened to us somewhere in our lives.
Looking at the broader picture, India is home to over 60 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), who contribute around 29 percent to the country’s GDP, according to industry estimates. These figures are encouraging. Take into consideration the fact that the digital age has opened up a new growth avenue for these MSMEs, in the form of e-commerce.
For an entrepreneur, this is an exciting time and if you are thinking of taking the plunge, here are a few things you should consider.

1. Solve problems: The idea behind your product or service should not stem from ‘What new can I give to the buyers?’, rather, it should be an answer to ‘Is it solving a problem?’ Only something that has a demand (which will come from need) will need a supply.
For this, you need data-driven insights and being on a seller platform like Flipkart helps immensely. You have real-time data on search trends as well as customer feedback. This helps identify market gaps and new business opportunities for sellers. You would be able to tailor your products to better suit customer needs and in turn make your business more effective.

2. Look for a level playing field: As an entrant in the market, you would take years to build a brand and compete with other established players. Again, e-commerce helps here.
By being a part of a seller platform, where your USP is the value you provide the customer, you would be able to compete in a truly democratic way.

3. Market access and expansion: Look for a platform that helps you reach a pan-India customer base. Quick market expansion will help you scale your business, getting in enough profits to keep your venture running.

4. Cost-effective selling solutions: Early on, look for solutions that help you start and run your business without it being very capital intensive. Warehousing is one large expense that you can avoid by opting to sell through an e-commerce platform like Flipkart. You don’t need to invest in storage space or even set up your supply chain.
The entire cycle from order to delivery to return and exchanges are taken care of by the platform. The entire process is backed by technology, which businesses can manage easily through one facility.

5. Ease of Payments: Online marketplaces provide the perfect solution when it comes to getting payments from customers. The entire process is automated and reliable, with clear redressal mechanisms. This also aligns your business with the government’s initiatives to make India a more digital and cashless economy.
With the rise in #ECommerceInnovation, it has become supremely easy for new entrepreneurs to put their products out there for buyers, reducing the gap between buyers and sellers, and thus increasing sales.

Having a business offline is always great, but in the time, and age we are in when lifestyle is fast and social distancing is still a requirement, a lot of shopping happens online and the number will only keep increasing. Business hours are flexible and one can do it from the comfort of one's own home without compromising on other things in life. The future of women entrepreneurs is bright as a shining sun and the world better put on its sunglasses because #ECommerceInnovation is going to take every small business to unimaginable heights.

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