Remembrance

Warning: This is a very cynical post, do not read further if you don’t want to get offended Most of you did not pay heed to my warning. Human beings cannot stop themselves from doing things that they are asked not to do. They just can’t help it, but it is also not their fault. As per NLP, human mind cannot picture negative words like ‘no’ ‘not’ ‘do not’ and therefore if you ask a child ‘Don’t touch the vase’, what he pictures is he touching the vase, because there isn't an image that described the command given to him. Think that’s pretty much for any of our vices as well. We are asked ‘NOT’ to – Pollute the air, Build houses on river beds, Engage in constant mining of sands for construction, Be greedy, Be corrupt, et al. Do we listen to these ‘nots’, no we don’t. We constantly do what is negative, what is wrong, what should have never been done. Funnily, when things go out of our hands, and we start analyzing the consequences, we are back to the same statements of what one should ...

Most women are like phoenixes, they might get battered, soiled and destroyed, but like a true phoenix, they rise again, that too from their own ashes. What gives them such power? No one really knows. They might look vulnerable, emotional, clingy, weepy and demanding, but with all of these they are also confident, rational, independent, smiling and understanding. Yes, they are the great contradiction, and it is this contradiction that makes them unique, with each claiming a little bit of sunshine. When I see my women friends getting promoted at work, finding a new job, marrying the person they truly love, quitting their jobs to raise their newborns, juggling with project deadlines and school homework, raising their voice against injustice, standing up for their dignity, I feel a bit of a personal triumph myself, only because, I am a woman too...And, like every other woman, I also have a simple desire, to fight for my identity. 

Wonder why Indian consumers never ask these questions? Why these never cross the mind of any self-appointed tech-guru or auto-critic? Why the Government as usual remain inert towards these issues? Why as people of this country, we never question our own motives? Why not probe ourselves: Why am I paying double the amount of money for buying the same phone that my western counterparts can buy for dime-a-dozen? Plus, why am I also not complaining about half the features that do not run on my mobile, restricting access because of my country of residence? What makes us not blink an eye for shelling out half a lakh to buy a smartphone on EMI but turns us into stingy Scrooge and grumpy Grinch while buying vegetables from saabzi walas , haggling for auto fares, protesting against hike in school fees? Why are the auto majors dumping their outdated oil guzzling machines in India and the Indian consumers lapping them by willingly paying a premium? Why we never think of the next petrol price h...

I learnt something today. We tend to reflect our own self in others, we see what we want to see in them, often wanting them to become what we want to become for ourselves. It is never about what they are, it is always about what we are. Our dreams, ambitions, purposes or whatever shit there is in this world, we are just offloading into others, especially on people who are closest to us. Life does not really have a purpose, it is stupidity to go out seeking for one. All you need to do is just walk and the answers will appear, the path will show. That’s so true. And another truth is to be true to oneself, in so many things, we have forgotten who we truly are, what our identity is. We are just the reflection of the other person. It is this strangeness of life that one needs to recognise and once you do, you know exactly how to disassociate, disengage and detach. When you do that, you no longer remains you, you get a new high, you see ‘reality’ in a new way. You realize, there is no r...

Life is not what we make of it, and it is certainly not what we think it ought to be. It is a string of small moments, and every moment we do something, take certain decisions, which fortunately or unfortunately change the way we live our future few moments. But, that doesn't mean we can't change what we did before, we certainly can, all we have to do is to take some other decision in the next moment, and your path takes another route. And, if you don't like that one too, take another diversion and then another. The point, you see, is to keep taking the turns, till maybe, you find a familiar path or a path that looks comforting or crazy or dangerous, depending on what you want from that path and whether you want to walk through that one path only, never deviating. Does that happen? Hypothetically yes, real life, well that's another story, isn't it?

I searched for news on her at the wee hours, something told me that it would not be good, and yes, I was right, she had lost the battle finally. The brave young girl was finally no more. I don't know how to express myself, whether to cry, or to be angry, or to remain silent. I feel ashamed, helpless and sad. I am ashamed to be a part of such a barbaric society, a society full of hypocrites. I feel helpless that I cannot reach out to those thousands who like this brave girl also need our support. I am sad that whatever we do now, nothing will bring back that life. I am chocked today, I have tears in my eyes, I want to scream in anger and I want to hang my head in silence and shame. But, above all, I would want to continue this fight, this fight against the mindset, illiteracy, violence, ignorance, hatred... this God damn system. And, I fervently wish that someday we truly become human and give every living being on this planet due respect. 

Schindler's List  - To teach them kindness and importance of good deeds. The Pursuit of Happyness - To tell them that no matter how hard the situations are, with hard work and dedication they can turn them around. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge - To tell them that it is ok to fall in love, to hope for love. Romeo and Juliet (hopefully an old version) - To tell them falling in love is not easy and not all love stories are rosy. Tamanna - To tell them that bonds of love are what define a person more than money, status and even blood relations. lntroduce them to the world of social evils prevalent in our society. To tell them not to believe in stereotypes. Andaz Apna Apna - To teach them to be silly, mad and have a good laugh, even at their own expense. Superman - To tell them about my first love, to tell them that even superheroes are not invincible, and most importantly to tell them not to perform any of the tricks at home! Avatar - Simply to take them to a realm of imagination and cr...