Leibster Blog Awards

Well I never! I've received a blogging award - "The Leibster Award" to be exact! I'm lost for words. Best to let the person who gave me the award do the talking

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Thank you lady, for those kind words. I now have the honour of choosing five fellow bloggers for the same award. But first, a little about Perspectives and prejudices (PP) - the wonderful lady who gave me the award. Her articles are based on real life experiences that have had a profound impact on her. When I read them, I always feel the emotions she felt at the time. Take the article she wrote for "Violence Against Women" (an organisation we've both written for and where I first came across PP). The incident she described disturbed her enough to want to share it. It stayed with me too. How best do we balance our desire not to interfere with our concern for a fellow human being who might be in trouble. Is it such a difficult dilemma that we would rather not front it head on? Simply circumvent it with a sigh and a "Never Mind Yaar"? Take the one she wrote recently titled, "Are People Born Evil?" It made me feel helpless, worried, even scared for our vulnerable young. And the callous indifference of our institutions made me angry. It again boils down to lack of funds and since last year we all know where tax payer money goes.

Pp is the one who brings many and varied issues to our attention - all with the power of her pen.So I feel especially honoured that she singled me out for the award.

Before I mention the five blogs I've found consistently interesting, here's a little info about the award - say something about the blogger who awarded you and link back to his or her blog (I needed no prompting for that. Click on any of the 3 links above to go to PP's blog); choose your top 5 favourite blogs and award them by linking back to their blogs; post the award on your blog. And last but not least, enjoy the love and appreciation you’ve got and share the blogging karma!

There's only one rule - your chosen blogs should have less than two hundred followers. If you get more than one award, simply name five more favourites. And believe me, it isn't easy to single out just five from so many. There are many bloggers I continue discovering and enjoying. Or to put it more accurately, I enjoy their posts. The posts I love I put up on my blogroll, just below the "about" section in the right hand column of my blog. It is an ongoing project. 


Here are my five LEIBSTER AWARDEES. Just to make things interesting, I've shared a post or two from each that I've especially enjoyed.

Freebird - Mostly contemplative, sometimes reflective but always tongue-in-cheek. That's her very apt tag line for herself. Add to that - "always thought provoking and a pleasure to read. English must be her first language", and you've got mine for her. All her posts are interesting. Here's an open letter by google. Her latest touched a chord too - another must read for (grown) kids to realise their mums and dads are not to be underestimated. Besides, if you are dispersed in far-flung places, this can help stay in touch.

Look out, for here comes Zephyr, the cybernag. Zephyr talks about issues that strike a chord with many. Take Shooting Down Stereotypes. Again, there are many posts on this topic by many in blogosphere. It seems to be of particular interest to young adults in India right now. But Zephyr has gone one step further. Read the post for its unusual angle. Also, don't miss her views on real education versus degrees. Ouch!

Secular Right India How do I inform this person of his award? He doesn't have an email address for me to write to. His was the first blog I subscribed to. And I haven't stopped reading him since. I'll just leave a comment in one of his posts - the one on what a difference it would make if people discussed things from one of three layers of communication. Secular Right feels we don't. And we end up talking at, instead of with, each other. Here's the post.

PK (Parashar Krishnamachari), the Grumpy Atheist, counters religious viewpoints with logic. I am sure PK's posts will interest many and even if you disagree his heartfelt viewpoints deserve to be heard. "The History Channel Must Change its Name to Comedy Central " is one of many posts I hugely enjoyed. It isn't only PK who feels that recently, it (the History channel) has unfortunately gone from being fascinating to sensationalist. And PK's written to tell us exactly why he thinks so. His latest on dogma in religion focuses on people who are inventive and who try to give their beliefs credibility by linking them to difficult-to-understand scientific knowledge.

Finally, Shreeji Ka Kheda: After living in the US for a few years a young couple went to Bhilwara for a few months. Their aim? To empower the community there, especially the women. This very interesting blog tells you of the young couple's journey, the problems they faced and some of their ingenious solutions. One thing is clear. It ain't easy but in the end, it is so worth it. They've devoted one section to how people can get involved and help. Here's the post that really touched me and I've read at least two on the same topic by other bloggers since. Their last post was last year - 2010. But, I still feel this blog is worth visiting for its insights and suggestions. (Another similar venture is the Jagriti Journal mentioned in a respected Indian newspaper, the Hindu.)

So congrats Leibster winners. It will be interesting to read about your five awardees. Hope your membership grows. This blogger believes you certainly are worth reading.



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A letter from PP :-)

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