"November Rain"

Copyright @ 2014 by Anuj Sabharwal

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author. For permissions, write to author at anujsabharwal3@gmail.com 

Author's Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author's imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people is completely coincidental. 

Ashley Coleman, protagonist of the story is a British girl, settled in India and living a happy life with her fiancé Sammy; till an awful night of sexual assault by an unknown person in her home changed her life. It’s a journey where she was miraculously healed by God as her new found faith in Jesus and Bhagavad Gita lifted the guilt and shame off her shoulders. She bore the child of her tormentor and named her Amy. The next step in her journey with Jesus was to forgive her tormentor who stole so much from her. But she needed some answers to find the solace to set her free from emotional and physical damage. The question still follows her after six years, ‘Why me?’ Was I punished for my dreaded sin? Was it the result of some Karma? Did she forgive the man who assaulted her? Did she find him? Be the part of her journey in ‘November Rain’, to find all the answers.  


  

Fabulous Wedding Dresses Online

The most important question pops up as you wed, ‘Should I wed in white or be bold in black?’ Styles come and go, and you are never quite sure what interesting trend is around the corner. Roman women wore long white tunics and a belt was tied around the waist in a ‘knot of Hercules’ that only the husband could untie, which is where the phrase ‘typing the knot’ came. But this is twenty first century. This is the decade of minis, crochet as waistlines disappeared and wedding dresses became fun and are made to reflect the bride’s personality. Glamour is the order of the day and dresses are feminine and lace replaced satin.

Brides today are choosing elegant wedding dresses that allow their personality to shine. Strapless gowns are by far the most common option for wedding attire. Although they are in less demand, matching dresses are somewhat outdated now. The benefit of choosing a contrasting color to the wedding dress is that is can carry a color theme throughout the wedding. Even while buying wedding dress online, you should always check the quality and workmanship of the dress. You do not want to buy a dress with burst seams, hems that are falling apart and loose beading on your wedding day. Do not go for ego boost while purchasing wedding dress online but go for honest opinion. Trust your most trusted people for an honest advice.

For the full-figured bride, choose simple lines that skim rather than hug the figure as they are more slimming. Tall, thin brides should stay clear from straight, tight dresses as they are not helpful to reveal feminine curves. Though floor-length gowns will never faze but it may not always be an appropriate choice. On a summer day, you may wish you had opted for something shorter and cooler. Less formal your wedding ceremony, the shorter your wedding dress can afford to be. Red is considered to be a very lucky color in the Chinese culture, so brides often wear red wedding dresses. If white does not appeal to you, why not choose red and spice up your wedding day? Make sure that you are comfortable in your wedding dress. With hundreds eyes on you, you don’t want to be constantly caught pulling, smoothing and readjusting your dress

Margaretha Geertruda : Exotic Dancer, Seductress, Spy or a victim of War

Since my childhood the unusual name Mata Hari mesmerized me. I had heard lot of interesting stories regarding her fearless life. What I found that there was a certain Asian connectivity to her look with black hair, black eyes and tanned complexion. Though there was none. She was a Dutch and her real name was Margaretha Geertruda Zelle Maclead. Margaretha was an extraordinary life who had chosen the name Mata Hari for herself when she became Europe’s queen of eroticism, lies, seduction and founder of pole dance in 1905. But she was considered as a double agent who worked as a spy for France and Germany and was shot by firing squad in 1917 in France. The irony in her execution lies in the fact that she was a Dutch national, the country which never participated in World War. She was born to the affluent Hat maker and lived a good life till the age of thirteen. She was accused of bedding Headmaster when she was sixteen and later married a Dutch colonial captain Rudolf MacLeod. She bore him two children but her married life remained a disappointment. She said, “I want to live like a colorful butterfly in the sun.” Young men in uniform adored her and Rudolf remained jealous to the extent of raping her. She learned dancing moves from East Indies which helped her later in Europe. After leaving Rudolf, she recreated as exotic dancer, actress, and Cosmo woman. For ten years she remained the most talked public figure in Europe.   

Once on a visit to Berlin, her fur coats and money was seized. She charmed a Dutch businessman to pay her train fare to Amsterdam. There she was visited by Karl Kroemer, German counsel who gave her 20000 Francs to work as a spy. She took his money but did not take his proposal seriously. She told herself that cash was the compensation for the furs and threw the invisible ink away. Later, French placed the same ink in her hotel room to accuse her as a spy.

The hotel Elysee Palace, from where Margaretha was arrested now has an office of HSBC and many people claimed sighting her. In fact, for some strange reasons, the house Kelders 33, where she was born survived a big fire which demolished three houses next to her. She was accused of handing over French secrets to Germans and was taken to forest to be shot by firing squad on October 15, 1917. She was considered as the reason for deaths of tens of thousands of French soldiers. She was regarded as a master of seduction and treachery. But indeed she was the one who was betrayed by the men and the uniform, she loved the most. Nevertheless she was a brave woman who refused blindfold and looked directly into the eyes of firing squad. Very few men and women have braved the adversity of situation to live a life on their own terms.

Mata Hari’s prosecutor conceded the truth after thirty years. He said, ”There was not enough evidence to flog a cat.” The extraordinary story of a woman whose mere existence scared a regime who fought for hundred years with British.