Call me Soma, because that is the name I got at my birthday. Back in 1990s and early 2000s, I had read several books on this very interesting area – ‘Body Language’ by different foreign authors and learnt ‘what is body language’ and ‘how it should be used for effective face-to-face communication’ from those foreign authors’ perspective.

It was only in the recent years that I came across a series of books on body language conceptualized and written purely from the Indian perspective. These books are authored by India’s 1st Body language Expert – Prof (Dr) Shalini Verma – a seasoned communication professor.

During Navratri 2021, I received a YouTube link from a friend in which Dr. Shalini Verma, the author herself had posed herself as the Nine Avatars of Nava Durga.

I watched it intently because she had artfully expressed the Nava Rasa or the nine emotions of the Mother Goddess. A friend of mine, who had also watched had the opinion, “It could have been better done with a young-aged model”. I had refuted saying “I bet that it could not have been better done”. I know, for sure, the Divine Expressions could not have come from someone who is lesser erudite and understands less the holistic aspects of life.

This drew my interest in the knowledge of body language that is present with Dr. Shalini, and I purchased her book “Face Express”. I was not only astonished at the wonderful work done but gained much in knowledge and awareness that my words will never suffice to express.

I have kept in my mail message the Nava Durga expressions of the author. I read the book “Face Express” at least 5 times.

Each time, I better understood the different expressions that are hidden in the Human Face.

By profession, I am a Human Resource practitioner and an aspiring author who has burnt her fingers in a bit of content creation and promotion etc. But I take only those projects which has prospects and interests me from within and aligns with my inner calling. Solely because if I do not feel the kick from inside, I do not work.

Every time I read the book; I gained something better than the last time. Dr. Verma has established brilliantly that there are four emotions that one can read on the face.

  • Macro expressions
  • Micro expressions
  • False Expressions
  • Masked expressions

She handholds her readers to go through and understand each of these expressions in a impeccable engrossed manner.

Experiences that we get day in and day out, teach us those real expressions come out with real events and when the face goes along with the inner emotions to express the nine different moods such as:

  1. Happiness (Hasya Rasa)
  2. Velour (Veera Rasa)
  3. Disgust (Bibhatsa Rasa)
  4. Anger (Raudra Rasa)
  5. Surprise (Adbutha Rasa)
  6. Love/Beauty (Shringara Rasa)
  7. Compassion (Karuna Rasa)
  8. Peace (Shantha Rasa)
  9. Fear (Bhayanaka Rasa)

For example, check for example the past photograph of the first Indian Miss Universe Sushmita Sen on the moment she got her crown on her head. Remember the expression?

Jaw wide with surprise and tears of happiness trickling down the cheeks. That was an expression that was too real. Now what type among the four, please read “Face Express” to learn. No pigeon food for all goodness’s sake.

When I wrote that the Author was right in depicting the nine forms of emotions through the Nava Durga Rupa on the Navaratri wish, I was bang on the point.

Please check for yourself how beautifully she expressed the different emotions without saying much about the different expressions but acting those out with the fullest potentials.

Look at Brahmacharini – the Mother Goddess happily engrossed in absorbing, learning and assimilating. She is a peace-loving creative force.

brahmcharini

Maa Brahmacharini

Now look at Skandamata – the Mother God who nurtures and brings life on Earth. She is so blissful with her child. The child may be the one she gives birth to or may be any creation of a mother force irrespective of what it is if it has a creative purpose and pursuit.

skandmata

Maa Skandamata

As ‘Life’ is not only about Creation but destruction too. Destruction of the evil forces. Evil forces are more within us rather than at outside.

The Mother Shakti destroys too and knows the true balance of life. The destructive force which tames the demons inside and outside has angry expressions or rather stern expressions which seriously does the work to destroy so that new creation can begin. She decks herself as Mahisasurmardini

mahishasurmardini

Maa Mahisasurmardini

Mahisasurmardini is surprised at the audacious power of the demons and expresses her anger while she conquers.

The depictions are of the Divine Mother who is present in the Mother Nature as well as every woman. So, what happens when the imbalance and impurities play havoc, there is call for immediate attention to destroy, subjugate, consolidate and recreate.
So, who is best suited to play the part of that role when Mother Nature is in Fury and Disgust?

Of course, none better than Kalratri because she works in a furious and aggressive manner to reinstate the balance, peace and creation in the Nature.

kaalratri

Maa Kaalratri

Destruction of greater magnitude is only the hibernating period for immense and blissful creations. Look at the picture of Kalratri acted out and articulated by Dr. Shalini Verma and understand and appreciate yourself. Sure, with some amount of wisdom, faith and belief in the Divine powers, you will be able to get there sooner.

I took one year to fully read the book and understand and assimilate it. But I promise myself to revisit it again. You take your own time. I know you are fast and better informed than I am.

Happy Learning and understanding of Human Emotions with the aid of “Face Express”. Kudos and my Salute to the Lifoholic Author.

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Stories are the best way to come closer to children and Dr Monica Khanna is doing fabulous work in that sense. It’s always mesmerizing to read the stories she creates. Not only the kids, but even parents enjoy every bit of them.

Little Chimpu’s adventure through the jungle wherein she discovers the truth about ferocious Sher Dadu, is a beautiful story about finding friends in the most unlikely of people.

This picture book is such a delight to read. The book is beautifully illustrated with a good story line and strong vocabulary. I liked in this book is using the relations like ‘chachu’, ‘mamu’ and others which the kids are missing due to nuclear family... I must say the author has touched the chord of the heart with the sweet language used in the book..It’s a must read book for all the young kids.

A Wormy Tale is a delightful picture story book that offers the curious mind of a child the perfect blend of fun and relatable characters, vibrant illustrations and significant learnings that seep in with simplicity and are finally sealed with the array of activities it offers. This is a book with a wholesome experience, so read on!

This lovely book teaches you to think smart and not get carried away by appearances. Best wishes to Dr Monica Khanna for her amazing creation.

Dr. Monica Khanna has come out with one more offering for you all. Such a wonderful and endearing story! It takes us to that time of our lives when we believed that everything around us is black or white. Childhood is so much fun and so full of innocence. The characters in this story are so believable, with human-like qualities. Kind, gentle, witty, intelligent, sharp, sly and so on... Each young reader will enjoy reading this story because it is so relatable. You can find people with such qualities all around you.

The well-crafted, colourful illustrations of the enthusiastic musicians among insects – grasshoppers, katydids and hawkmoths, the frogs with their crafty expressions and the thoughtful busy bee, make it a lively read. Woven into the story are the fun facts of each insect, making it educative and inspiring too, thus inculcating the love of nature to early readers.

Katie Bagli’s new book promises to bring back the concert we have missed ever since the pandemic hit us. She beautifully weaves science and fiction, urging her young readers to learn about the techniques used by the wetland musicians - the grasshoppers, the katydids and the hawkmoths. Then there are the subtle values and undertones that make for great learning for children the vacation in nature, the loving aunt, the dutiful bee, or even the love for the garden insects.

Katie Bagli’s stories are filled with wild imagination yet grounded in facts.She brings to life the mundane and often overlooked facts with wit and humour, in her stories, as also in ‘The Insect Concert’. Her characters are driven by a moral so subtle that children may hardly realize the important life values they are imbibing just by reading her books. Her stories are lessons in science and art as each panel bursts into vivacious colours and tickles the imagination of the young reader. Truly delightful and a must read for all.

This book ‘Insect Concert’ by Katie Bagli is another gem from her treasure trove of stories about nature. Through a simple yet novel story, she manages to develop an interest in the animal kingdom and also provide a new learning. There are some activities too which children will enjoy. The illustrations add to the storyline and make the book more interesting for the young reader. I wish Katie more power to her pen.

Sunny Side Up’ is a book of joy for every child. With colourful illustrations and child friendly language this book opens up a world of different kinds of food to the young minds.

An instant hit - With colorful illustrations and an engaging narrative, this playful nature book is perfect for curious toddlers. A Wormy Tale..an engaging, simple yet extraordinary new story from Katie Bagli, number one bestseller and fastest growing children’s author in the country

Through this story, A Wormy Tale, the author Katie Bagli highlights earthworms as a part of the ecosystem. Educators can use this story for crossdisciplinary and interdisciplinary thinking within the national curriculum. Katie’s love for nature is evident in all her books.

To be hired in today’s global marketplace, employers demand more than basic ‘hard’ skills. The difference between a frustrated candidate and a sought-after recruit, the long-term worker and a compelling leader, or the stagnant professional and the rising manager can be the ‘soft’ skills each exercises in the workplace. This highly researched book analyses the job environment of today and for the future where ‘soft’ skills become a more critical attribute. The reader gleans valuable guidance on how to acquire and improve these ‘soft’ skills for a more enriching career.

Alpha Zone book – ‘Sunny Side Up’ - shows the variety of food that is present round the world. All of us know the common pizza or burger but there are many delicious dishes out there that many have not experienced. This book encourages us to be curious and to learn, enjoy and experience the art of the culinary skill.

I’ve absolutely no hesitation in saying that even after working for 30+ years in Manufacturing and Education sectors, I was not able to correlate nonverbal communication skills of a person with his personality and credibility. But after getting in touch with Prof (Dr) Shalini Verma and going through her first book, ‘BODY LANGUAGE: YOUR SUCCESS MANTRA, (2005)’ I immediately fell in love with this beautiful subject and understood that body language is an important personality trait of any person. I am delighted to know that Dr Verma is bringing out a multi-title series of that inspiring book after 15 years, which is surely going to be another ‘hit’ and beneficial for the readers, especially the Gen Z youth, who gravely need the maturity to understand and cope with complex personal & professional relationships to move forward in life.

Children’s literature largely trivialises and glosses over such issues such as gender or colour biases. But this book deals with the sensitive issue of our proclivity or preference for fair skin colour. In the context of the Indian subcontinent, such debates and discussions should be encouraged so that children grow up with a healthy self-image and grow up with the right attitudes that skin colour is secondary to inner beauty. Dr Monica’s sensitive handling of this subject deserves to be applauded. Kudos!

This book talks about the fact that beauty has no standards - it’s the way one looks at one own self. I am sure this book will surely attract young readers. I wish all the best for the book.

Kudos to Books33 for coming up with a separate segment of Children Books under its imprint Alpha Zone. Your initiative will definitely make parents and teachers understand the importance of inculcating reading habits in your kids right from their young age. I appreciate Dr Monica Khanna for her bookSunny Side Up’ and love its ‘kahani mein twist’ which made it all the more exciting.

A lovely rhyming style and delightful words make this book effortlessly readable. Dr Khanna addresses a vital issue of our times in this allegorical tale of female crow.

One may speak good English, bad English, good Hindi, bad Hindi, a mix of Hindi-English or 'Hinglish', Spanglish, Pig-Latin, Gibberish, Mumbling or Double-speak, the sub-text that one's body speaks is just ONE -- CREDIBLE or NOT CREDIBLE! Be aware of your body language. You can lie in your words, but the body never lies. We communicate through our Body all the time, even when we don't realize it. However, there are very few expertswho can deeply understand, analyse and decode Body Language. Dr Shalini Verma is one of them.

Kyra’s Return Flight conveys through a delightful story the very important message that there is great joy and power in accepting ourselves as we are,and not falling prey to harmful social prejudices about what is attractive or good. I greatly recommend this wonderful book about loving oneself!

‘Sunny Side Up’ authored by Dr Monica Khanna is a slice of delight with just the right bite.

‘Sunny Side Up’ is a delightfully wicked book! A complete treat for kids of all shapes, sizes and taste; those who fuss around their meals and those who devour their food. A visual treat for the eyes that moistened my curiosity palate, as I turned each page to follow Sunny’s exciting culinary adventures. An astonishing finale, that enhanced some beautiful childhood memories.

Katie Bagli has two interests, nature and children. She has two talents, writing and drawing. As a story teller, she engages children with her colourful puppets and other visual aids, bringing to life the characters in her books.

Dr Monica Khanna’s new book ‘Kyra’s Return Flight’ dwells deeper into the age-old societal challenges of colour differentiation amongst humans. Through a simple life story of a crow, she brings to the front the problem that we have of self-pity and self-doubt that dark coloured people face through the generations. As a school principal, I definitely recommend Monica’s books in all school libraries and encourage parents to share a copy with their kids.

My compliments to the author for developing rich and novel content in an area that still lies underexplored. With so little information available on body language in the Indian context, I can imagine how much hard work
would have gone into creating a book like this. This book is beautifully crafted in terms of quality content and relevance in the current context.

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