Moment(s) of Inertia August 29, 2011
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Of late I have begun to lose the ability to form sentences. For reasons unknown, I prefer to utter (incoherent) strings of words rather than put up with the trouble of trying to make everything sound syntactically appropriate. Which explains why I haven’t been writing (or rather haven’t been able to write) about the ‘my-kinda’ topics for quite some time now. (I mean, look at our country! A single man takes the initial step against the spectre – Corruption. People from all walks of life come forward. Make the protest such a huge and widespread movement. Many times the protest is shunned. But nothing encumbers when you have unity around. And finally, the seed that a single man called Anna Hazare sowed, develeped into a fruit when the Corrupt-ers agreed to look into it.) Believe me, it’s taking me alot of effort. And not just writing, the incapacity extends itself to speaking, eating, trying to sleep, waking up, blinking, breathing. It’s like some kind of an inertia has set in. I am losing sense of time, and of a sense of conduct, of propriety. Most of today has been spent with That’s why (you go away) blaring into my ears on repeat and episodes of Friends in front of my eyes. It’s not my usual whine routine. It’s a strange kind of sadness. Dry sadness. Literally and metaphorically. It’s no longer about me not thinking straight, more of me not being able to think at all. The voices in my head are all gone, leaving behind a calm spooky silence. A scary stillness, which instead of freaking me out, is actually making me warm up to it. No tears shed.
Numb. Comfortably, for once. And I am not craving for counselling, or comforting, for once.
***
Being attached to people to the extent of craziness is not always a great idea (in fact it never is). Because then they settle somewhere nice and comfy deep inside of you. Like Sheldon would say, they find Their Spot. And when you see their expressions in return, they are enough to fracture your spirit miserably, to completely disintegrate you from the inside. But you need to deconstruct before you can pull yourself together again, right? You need to die to be born again, right? And everything happens for the best, right? Right? But, what was the best in this, then?
***
Well, I follow the always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it canon, and so I exhort the same for you too. Hence, this is just a wimpering post, (tired himself by the excessive usage of the despondent words too) which you’d surely not wanna die in the middle of. But I promise for better works on worthwhile topics, in future. For now, just be happy with this.
***
I remember the days we spent together were not enough
And I used to feel like dreamin’ except we always woke up
Never thought not having you here now would hurt so much
Tonight I’ve fallen and I can’t get up
I need your loving hands to come and pick me up
And every night I miss you, I can just look up
And know the stars are Holding you, holding you, holding you Tonight.
Because there are No Ends. August 24, 2011
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He sat crouching by the window, waiting for daybreak. Moon-beams illuminated and seemed to discolour his already pale face, as the curtains rose and fell in the wind. Tiny drops of sweat had now begun to form at his brow, which couldn’t be entirely attributed to the Delhi heat. He stared at his fingers, now slightly trembling. They were her favourite part of his, coz that’s where the spark began. They are too pretty, she used to say, too dainty to adorn the hands of a man. She had been an able, and an equal companion. A bit too rebellious for her own good, but he knew how to tame her. There was something about her eyes, he could never forget, nor put in words. The casual contentedness, and yet a longing, of something she knew she had, and yet was hesitant to claim. On her lips always played the beginning of a smile, half-amused, half-mocking. In an absurd irony of sorts, she considered her hands to be an assembly of short, haggard fingers which had their own obsession of fiddling with her stubborn, unruly hair. Fingers which breathed easy only when interlocked with his. She believed he knew her, inside out. And he too had no reason to think otherwise. There was no code he hadn’t been able to crack, no crypt he hadn’t been able to decipher. He was the prodigy. She was the prodigal daughter. There was nothing he had, that she yearned for, nor did she possess anything, tangible or material, which could interest him. Yet, in their own strange way, they fitted, or like the mushier among us would risk saying, they completed each other. And no, it wasn’t perfect, as far from perfect as possible, if I may say so. Yet, it was the unsaid words that kept them together. The not-required-to-be-said belief that kept them hooked. Around them, she had managed to build a sheath which housed the universe as she saw it, or wanted to see. Her world was her definition, something he was into, something which was more than surety for her. And when the show was over, she couldn’t decide if she was angrier at him or herself. She looked at her hands. In shock, in awe, in anticipation. The time had come to honour her promise. Forever was inevitable, he had said. In this world or another, he had said.
***
Hot and cold. And in and out. Crash and burn. And more crash and burn.
Fix me. Be my wonderwall.
***
My parents think I might intentionally hurt myself. People I come across think I am into self-harm. And my matriarches think I am suicidal. Sometimes I feel everybody seems to show solicitude towards me only because they think I’ll jump out of the window when they are not looking. Sometimes I feel, I don’t have real people, just my imagination that keeps on piling up all the time. Sometimes I feel it’s not love, just sympathy, or worse, pity.
***
And now before I start going into my ‘night’-dreaming-with-open-eyes, I should better scotch it here. But, he’s beautiful. And I could ogle at him for years at a stretch. And he offered me a Crackle during a mid harangues break. And I confess, I was dropped dead then and was kind of born again after that.
***
When do you know it’s love?
Maybe when you are not afraid to say it.
Maybe.
***
And maybe, I’ll find out
The way to make it back someday
To watch you, to guide you
Through the darkest of your days
If a great wave should fall
It would fall upon us all
Well I hope there’s someone out there
Who can bring me back to you
Will you make Me number One on your Bucket List? August 21, 2011
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Do certain songs attach themselves to an event, and it becomes absolutely impossible for you to listen to them without having the entire film play in your head and refuse to stop? Does this happen to you? Does it become even more difficult when the memories associated aren’t exactly those which you wouldn’t want to remember? Because contrary to what you might expect, there are some special times too that I don’t want to recall. Reasons for which range from something not-so-nice happening right after, to feeling sad that things like those don’t happen anymore. What’s weirder is when some songs remind you of things they aren’t even remotely connected to. Like Escape, even though my huge obsession for Enrique still persists and I love the song (no offense) but, everytime I hear this song, it rewinds me back to the olden times of the year 2008 (yeah, I’d rather say antiquated even, coz abrupt-wrung-jammed-racked, years have been. But let’s not go there.) when I had this song as the ringtone of my very dear possession, MotoRokr (yeah I know, one of a suck up phone but memories don’t require you to be in paradise all the time, they can be made in grime too, right?). It’s strange how the ‘dead’-materialness comes into play and spreads it’s ‘dead’-ly cover of amore over the entire clan of ‘mortals’.
Anyway, not deviating from the point. Memories. (Or rather the cause of memories, good or bad. Good? So you keep pining for that ‘one’ thing that would beat the last one and this process of craving continues your entire life. Bad? So you never want anything more subaltern to happen ever again and here too, you keep shambling for gratification the entire longevity.) And in this unending search for that perfect happiness, do we fulfill our small appetites for complacency? I think we all are just a bunch of craving-perfectionists wrapped up in different clothes, anything less than than is not acceptable. Why so? We all (well, most of us) just keep missing out on the real thing in search for something peerless. It ain’t gonna be perfect until you have something to compare it with, and those will comprise of your itty-bitty delights. And one day, that puny happiness will turn into something utopian.
Smile like you've never smiled before!
Finally managing to watch The Bucket List, I feel prerogative that I did so. Leaving aside Morgan Freeman’s exceptionally talented acting and oratory skills, the movie gave me an allusion, for myself. It made me thinking into something that maybe I had always been running from ( yeah, my snivelings and whinings, okay! okay! I know). It incited me to make My Bucket List!
I always wondered what would be on Number One on my list of aspirations from life, on my Bucket List. Always, my mind would surrender to the fights between zillions of materialistic desires. But guess what, now I have a Bucket List and it has none. (Well, none here refers to minor in number, way too minor.) And the road to No. 1 goes through fulfilling the pittance appetites.
You know what, the real happiness is not in reaching out only to something surreal, it is in, atleast, giving a start to trying and not just surrendering to life as a monotonous period of time.
And just about now, sitting here talking about random nonsensical things, made me realise how perfect and glorious life can be, even without a full score, without Lasagna, without Manolo Blahniks, without being the smartest, prettiest or the most popular girl around.
*Warning – Cheesy line ahead.*
All this biting chill (from the AC of course, haha) totally had me wishing that time would freeze over instead of us, and had me feeling all “If there is paradise on earth, Haminasto haminasto haminasto.”
Now it’s upto you if you make your paradise, Haminasto or keep missing your present empyreans in the thirst to reach the unequaled horizon, which all of us know is just an illusion.
India at the Brink of Independence! August 15, 2011
Posted by Akriti Bahal in Corruption, Freedom, Independence Day, Patriotism, Politics, Poverty, Struggle.18 comments
Wondering if I’m talking about just-another festive day in India. National holiday. Ensconcing yourself at home. Complete rest and relaxation. Well yeah, then I’m talking about just that!
Talking about this just-another holiday what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Of course kite flying, I know! Coz we’re just happy comfortably sitting at our homes giving free advises to run the country and criticizing the system. Coz we’re just too busy (or lazy) to step out of our comfort shell and actually do something. And when some Anna Hazare steps up for us, we do nothing but give advises to him too! This is OUR country and he is out there fasting and giving them a run-for-their-black-money just for us. What will he get on doing something like this? Now, here there is no selfish motive involved.
So, the fact is that we still have good people in the country. It is just that they are crushed. Why? Because we Indians are too chickened to come out on the streets and support someone who is doing it.
Now, I know I need not give any reasons why you must support Anna Hazare, for it is beneath Anna’s dignity to beg and make case for support when he is fighting for you against an abusive, corrupt regime. But, for those who still prefer to be the ostriches of their country (nah! country would be too vast a term, even I’m an ostrich then, in fact I may even be an ostrich of my city, Delhi, too! But, let’s just keep it to ostriches of the city), here’s a quick recap.
(As stated by Chetan Bhagat) Anna did a fast in April, which became the nation’s movement and spread virally. Concerned, the government agreed to make a good Lokpal Bill, shook hands with the activists and in principle agreed to Anna’s version, designed to truly check corruption. Since then, the government has insulted Anna’s team, thrown away their draft, and come up with its own almost pointless draft of the Lokpal Bill. The draft the government is presenting to Parliament will not check corruption. Only 0.5%, or one in 200 government officials are under its purview. Your corrupt ration shop, RTO, passport office, panchayats or municipal authority will not be covered. State scams will not be covered – yes, the Adarsh society scam or the Jharkhand scams are all out of its purview. The prime minister is excluded as well. Ever heard of a corruption law in a democracy that only applies to a certain section of people? The government is throwing magic dust in your eyes – and counting on India’s illiterate and ignorant to not know the difference. However, you reading this are educated. You know when wrong is being committed. You know that while you have lived your life with corruption, you do not want your children to do the same. A bad Lokpal Bill may not affect you today – but tomorrow it will hit you when your child does not get a college seat, when your hospital gives shoddy treatment, when your government work doesn’t get done. We live in a poor country – poor not because we don’t have what it takes to be rich, but because our leaders have let us down. We have given them too much power, and they consider our vote as a mandate to steal and be incompetent. They hate accountability. However, without accountability, our progress will stall. There are countries where the average income per person is 50 times more than in India. Don’t we deserve the same?
Thus, whatever your personal view on Anna, it is not him but his cause that needs support. The government can crush a few activists. However, it cannot crush India on the streets. A peaceful, firm, decisive protest is every Indian’s birthright, and must be exercised in times of need.
Coming back to flying kites on Independence Day, you know flying kites symbolizes the spirit of freedom, a spirit of free India. But, do you think we really are independent? Being a part of a political discussion, I was really ashamed to see that most of the people (and I mean people from all ages, including those who have witnessed the freedom struggle, too) acknowledged that India was better when there was British Rule than what is prevailing here today. Now, this is a point of real chagrin for all of us, for this means all those who struggled so hard only to make their next generations see a free country, all those who lost their lives in the struggle, was in vain? Are we so insentient that we don’t even canonize their sacrificed lives? And then we are happy digging our faces into the air and symbolizing the spirit of freedom when what we are suffering from is worse than British Rule!
Ending it with an excerpt from the ‘Tryst of Destiny’, the historic speech by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, which I think most of the ‘people-in-power’ have forgotten today.
The pledge “At this solemn moment when the people of India, through suffering and sacrifice have secured freedom, I, a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, do dedicate myself in a humility to the service of India and her people to the end that this ancient land attain her rightful and honoured place in the world and make her full and willing contribution to the promotion of world peace and the welfare of mankind.”
With this, it’s a cry for help from India and we have to aid her coz she’s our mother and she needs help.
When there will be freedom from hunger, freedom from poverty, freedom from child labour, freedom from corruption that’s when India will be Independent. Coz ‘Nothing is permanent’ and we have to change it. We have to prove the advisory-systems, present in every home, wrong. We have to prove that India can change and we have to do it.
We have to save our country’s future. It’s time for us to come out on the streets and that’s how we can end this trepidation!
Now we have a job to do, coz we know that we are on the brink of independence but we are not independent yet!
Paradise on Road.. August 14, 2011
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Gulping a bag full of Lays and humming to the tunes of Alligator Sky, I look into the sky. The shades of orange and yellow perfectly blending with the tones blue and black and clouds, giving a cotton candy covering to it all. The setting Sun, and the rising Moon. Spanning my view around, in the world of nature and purity, I saw ‘one‘ chimney smoking out fumes (far off at the horizon). Now, it all depends on how you look at it. Yea, to some of you it may seem as polluting such a surreal place and I can sense your feeling that, man’s reach to the nature and it only helps to rape it.
Well, it seemed a picturesque environment to me. Just as I said, it’s the way you look at it. To me, it seemed like the Mother Nature’s shield on all of us, and no matter how hard the vile ephemeral ‘depositories-of-blood’ (humans) try to sabotage it, nature’s existence will always empower and come out as victorious. ‘One’ chimney and ‘oodles’ of candy-floss clouds in the unending sky, remember?
Yeah, I’m just not in a mood for any execration today, coz you know what everything is not all that bad, after all.
Continuing with my journey to the land of paradise, as I sailed through the vast airy road (or I may say, the bridge), was the stalwart Yamuna standing still and brawny (yeah, taking all your discharges and wastes and still standing strong!). The drops-from-heaven started to pour on the still waters, to clear all the ‘corruption‘ away. In the same way, I hope it rains-some-realization in our hearts too, this Independence Day. Coz you know what, India is not all that bad, our pace might be a little slow but work is happening, efforts are being put, and we are progressing. (Ya, I may have criticized enough, but at the same time I just forgot to see how the police, both female and male, is on duty at the Metro Stations and at the Metro platforms as well. But, just a little tighter security is all that’s required till ‘WE’ don’t understand that Womens’ Compartment means that ‘only women can enter it and not men’. And many more positive examples are there.) And after all, it all depends on how you look at it and I’m not in a mood to criticize at all.
Yea, the above ethereal place, I was trying to drawing the picture of, is very much Delhi. The ITO Bridge with the ecstatic cover of sunset and then following with the night and the rain. Experienced felicity in Delhi (yesterday evening).
In the meanwhile, in my sleep today, my ‘efficacious mind’ made this up : ”Love isn’t the presence of someone different all the time, it is annoying everytime it tastes a bit different.”
Woohoo! Seems like I’m making quotes in my dreams too, now! (Crappy quotes however, but who cares!) Though, still trying to figure out what it means but, all that I’m able to infer from it is that, love can’t happen again and again with different people, the taste of love is immovable.
The Unending Run.. August 11, 2011
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“Seeker – Oh great master! We finally refound you. We’ve travelled to the farthest corners of the world to ask you to energize and in figurate our mind.
Great Master – Energy? From me? That’s why you’ve come all this way.
Seeker – Yes great master, we would like you to show us the path of nirvana.
Great Master – Don’t you have Red Bull where you come from. Red Bull gives you wings!”
Remember this commercial?
We, as species, are fond of running. We run after things and people, from things and people. We run because that’s what we see everybody else doing.
Why do we like running so much? Are we all just a bunch of fleshy class covered with a topping of dissatisfaction? Do you even know what you’re running for? Well, I didn’t, up till now. Running, just endlessly, is tiring, makes you irritable and keeps you mad all the time.
Now realizing, running away from things and people and places, never really succors, you have to face them anyway. Facing the piths that haunt you, as they say. Or I may put it as, just the very look (or thought) of it, and your heart pounds, a drop of cold sweat running down through your body. Yeah! Facing just that. Giving a thought to how maniac I have been the past whole year, that feeling of black clouds being surrounded all over my head, (and that too not only during monsoon, but every freaking moment!) made me vulnerable and miserable (and ya, all the other -ables too). Finally managing to clear off those clouds and come (back) to my senses, it feels light and fresh. Yeah, facing the things that you dread, really helps, not running away from them. Atleast by this, you don’t pile up or hold on to anything, you clear it there and then.
Anyway, what I was talking here, was about running ‘for’ things (or people or whatever, for that matter), not ‘away from’ things. Coming back to the Red Bull commercial, everyday I (in fact most of us) see my (their) grandmother watching channels of those “Godly” priests, who have “magical” powers to cure or do almost anything that we want. And sometimes, I have even been privileged to hear those sanctimonious priests, the melody pouring into my ears. “Guruji, I have left my exam today, because I have faith in your power, just get me through my interview tomorrow” (was one of the many things I can’t forget). What if the seeker here, had actually given her exam and got through her interview all by her hard work, (Look! I’m not judging anyone’s beliefs here, but that’s just my personal opinion, then she might have an extra credit for her exam too, so automatically chances to get through, increased.) Don’t we even have that much confidence on our ability? (Again! Not judging anyone.) I mean “show us the path of nirvana”? Nirvana? Can’t we ever be a little bit upbeat about our lives, and stop envying others’, you never know what they really have. After all, who knows what looks like the twinkling stars might just be a hot sun. I mean are we programmed to be ‘not’ satisfied? What if, what you presently have ‘is‘ nirvana? See! You’re just missing the experience of it, in search of something that doesn’t even exist.
The other day I came across a person saying, that people say it’s very difficult to get back what you’ve lost (materialistic loss! Before you start your thought process any further!) but he differed. He felt, when you have ‘everything’, you don’t know where you are heading next, but when you lose that ‘everything’, you know where exactly you have to go back.
I say, what’s the need to go back? There are peaks, there are lows, that’s what life is all about, right? We can’t hold on to that ‘everything’ forever anyhow. After all, you won’t be judged by the number of cars you have in your parking lot, but from your character. Materialistic things will always remain ephemeral. (Nah! I’m not preaching anything here, even I haven’t achieved any of it. We all just have to keep trying for it.)
Again.
Take a breath from your run, and try tasting your present, it might just be better than what you’re running for.
But for those who still can’t get enough of running, I surely can’t end without this. Bhaag Bhaag DKBose, DKBose, DKBose. Bhaag Bhaag DKBose DK Bhaag! (Yeah you! Look! You just sat down to read this post! C’mon! Go run!)
Run! Run! Run!
(Nah! Just kidding.)
India – It’s a One Day Drama here. August 7, 2011
Posted by Akriti Bahal in Anger, India, Patriotism.9 comments
Ever got the privilege to witness those local MLAs’ moment of hullabaloo, those expressions of pride on their faces? And for what? Of course, their seminal issues! (Yeah, right!) Their major accomplishment of bringing the LPG gas pipeline to their locality. Bringing in underground telephone lines. Why? Don’t feel these are huge enough? Okay! Okay! Let me tell you even more paramount accomplishments. Decimating the already “finely” constructed road, and getting them re-builded. (Wondering that it is still good, considering atleast some work is done? Wait! Scamper your thought here, let me put it this way.) Defacing the already “finely” constructed road only in front of their houses (mansions, rather) and rebuilding it (and that too, not once or twice, after every fixed interval of time), and this doesn’t end here, it comes with an afterglow. The whole road (their road) is decorated for their “success bash”.
Continuing with their laurels.
Remember the “hugely successful” Common Wealth Games 2010? (yea! yea! I’m not here to salvo the very respectable Mr. Suresh Kalmadi and his achievements, we all are very well aware of that, already. Yeah, filling your pockets over the maximum limit is surely worth to be called an achievement!) Anyway, remember how Connaught Place was cracked and crashed with the speed of light, only to make it appear B-E-A-U-tiful for the “foreign” gentry, which by the way hasn’t been completed even till now and CP is still crashed. Even huger, remember how the roadside beggars and the homeless people were cleared away from the roads with the blink of an eye, to find clean roads decorated with plants everywhere. (ya! I know it’s a good thing, making your place presentable for the guests but, what about abiding by that change later on too? Can’t we always be so presentable? The beggars are back on the roads again, the flower pots have vanished and we are back to being “normal” again. Infact worse.) But, the in-charge people always prefer to keep their eyes closed, and carry on with their gala of celebration.
Caught sight of a similar thing yesterday. The passage crossing for the Keshavpuram Metro Station had been under contruction for ages now, which finally completed yesterday. And like it is a usual scene in India, less work more time, less requirement more material, obviously, it was the same here too. Until yesterday, this passage had been a private “rest house” for all the sleazy kind of people, which was converted into a decorated piece of art, with all the simmering and the flower pots, yesterday. Build under the orders of the Ashok Vihar MLA, of course it was a moment of pride for him and so there had to be a carousal. And so it was, yesterday. Guarded by millions of policemen, clearing off all the Rickshaw valas, that place looked nothing less than a carnival, with songs like Nanha Munna Rahi Hun pouring into my ears. But, like any other person, I was so sure that the moment the Sun sets in, the party would be over forever, and the newly made museum-of-jokers would be converted back into a “bedroom” for cheesy people, (obviously, which would, thereby, help to increase the unpleasant activities) and that’s what exactly happened, today. (Maybe, now it’s my moment to feel proud, after all I had already predicted it. Haha. But, disgusted at this sight too, at the same time.)
Tried to capture it. (Not so clear though, as it’s done rather covertly. But, just a moment of I-Told-You!)
(Wish I had captured what it looked just 24 hours before! Totally contrasting.)
Well, that’s India. Don’t know how we can change it, till the major part of our population continues to be occupied by such “learned” people. But, there’s one thing we all surely can change. Have you got a chance to visit BhartiVidyapeeth “Deemed University – A School of Distant Learning”, lately? (Yeah! That’s what it has been converted to, now. But, that’s not my point of concern at the moment.) Where I’m trying to point at, is the Plantation Drive just near the Paschim Vihar East Metro Station. It’s a really good start but, it seems rather sparse there, and we all can help to make it dense. Not necessarily there, we can plant a seedling anywhere and then who knows it can be a start to make our country presentable always!
Plant a sapling, nurture it into a tree! We would definitely be contributing to Earth as well as our country. That’s my chore for Friendship Day. A friendship with Earth (and to the land where I belong, too)! Hope you include it in your errands too.
~Happy Friendship Day.
Tooth Aches and Heart Breaks.. August 4, 2011
Posted by Akriti Bahal in Anger, Excitement, Heartbreaks, Love.15 comments
It pains, it has been paining for days now. It has worsened, the condition has intensified, I can take it no more.
Yeah. My tooth, it is agonizing me to the depths and the pain is causing me to re-fix my jaw after every 2 words of boxing with the keyboard. (Yeah! Boxing and slapping the keyboard, literally. Can’t be in more pain and exasperation, at the same time.) Wait! Did I just say, can’t be in more pain? Oh! How could I forget my “good luck”, that everything bad happens to me at the same time (in fact for my case, the bad never stops happening).
The tooth ache is still bearable but, what grieves me is the contour my life has taken (past plus present plus future, all included). My vanishing trust from Homo sapiens-type-things (yea laugh but, I just don’t feel like calling anyone humans, right now. Humans care. Humans have feelings. Things don’t), my increasing hatred for the complete clan, it bothers me. Maybe it’s the beginning of another Phoolan Devi era (butch, is what I’m trying to actually say here.)
Earlier during the day, I was so crotchety that I thought, if I would sit down to write something, nothing but expletives would come out but, when finally I managed to settle down to transcribe my thoughts, ready to explode, I’m here writing in agony but, sanely. Maybe, my inner self doesn’t allow me for the derision part or maybe because there’s an anaesthetic effect from my tooth medicines, which reminds me, of the tooth operation I have to undergo tomorrow morning and the very thought of it is enough to bring chills down my spine. (Sufferer of The Dentist Phobia, you see!) I wish I had someone (you) for my support, a shoulder (your shoulder) to drive all my terrors away, a hand (your hand) to calm me down. But, the truth is, I don’t.
I don’t usually share the kind of music I like to listen as I believe a person’s music is a window into their soul and I don’t want any more people judging me without knowing me but, just for a change, two pieces very close to my heart.
I love this song!
And..
Yeah, totally conflicting songs but, that’s what I’m going through, a conflict within myself, a commotion of thoughts. And in the end, it doesn’t even matter.
NRIs – Indians at Heart? August 3, 2011
Posted by Akriti Bahal in Anger, entertainment, India.11 comments
Why is it that you forget your Indianness as soon as you’re given a chance to leave your country? Are we all desperate wolves in search of “foreign” air?
No! I’m not giving out any orthodox views here, as I, myself, am a strong supporter of modernization and very well understand the corruption going on in India, which leaves most of the youth only waiting for that one chance to just pack their bags and run away ( and I being one of them). But, running away leaving your earthiness (or I may say, your down to earth attitude), is it right? I think, the snobbish behaviour towards the rest of the Indians is not required, after all India is always going to be your home country and you’re always going to be an Indian (no matter how hard you try to mix in with the West).
After the “privilege” of a dinner muster, last night, the first word I could utter from my “estuary” (yea, just trying to add a bit of touch, of the man - the NRI man) was Pretentious. Not going into too much personal stuff, but the man had come to India to marry a relative of mine (second marriage you see, so obviously both the parties have children). Now I personally knew the children of my relative’s, and the condescending nature of the NRI didn’t surprise me to that extent but, I was dumbstruck at seeing the change in attitude of the children (yea, they were going to settle down to America, so what?), the girl had become a complete drama queen.
What left me thinking was, what makes them feel superior anyway? I mean, I understand you’re going away, but look at the girl (not to mention the older people), she is just 13 and she behaved nothing less than 23 (this time).
And not to forget the man, throughout the dinner, sentences like I can’t even imagine what being poor is, is it really true that in some places in India people work only for food and no money is given at all, in America is it like, and Blah Blah Blah, were pouring into my ears. (Ahh! I think my ears have fever now!) I mean just when I was about to salute him at his lack of awareness about the pace of development of India, he gave me another reason to smirk, So both the husband and wife work nowadays in India? Oh! it’s a mini America forming here. Now, this is a thing worth doing hats-off for.
Dude, in which century are you living?
Anyway, I am exposed to both snobbish and down to earth NRI friends and relatives. Basically I feel it is a question of their upbringing and ego which plays a role in their attitude change.
And in the end, we can always choose what we want to be, a snob or a humble person.
Superstitions: Spare my Imagination Please! August 1, 2011
Posted by Akriti Bahal in Uncategorized.12 comments
Mystic and mindless.
Or should I say Superstitions are just quickly slithering into are ethos, even in today’s day and age? Are they mythological, anyway? Or just mere co-incidents? Are these omens or figments of an over-active imagination?
Did the old wives have nothing better to do than to cook up tales to frighten generations ever after?
Irrespective of the veracity of these, they make for great reading.
1.) It is bad luck when a Black Cat crosses your way.
On my way to cross yours!
You’re walking down the road and suddenly your feet seems to have married 500 tons, you can’t lift it up to take even one step ahead. Why? Oh! Because, a Black Cat crossed your way? Waiting for someone else to cross that way before? Or just searching for a stone to cut that way?
Almost all of us must have found ourselves in a similar situation like this. (No matter, how hard you deny!) Why? Now, this is one superstition which has been in existence for a long time. It is because of the Indian mindset of associating anything black with bad luck. Yeah! that’s what we feel, black means villainy and evil but, have we forgotten black also means sexy! Yea, a black sexy cat, now how about that? Cmon! A black cat is like any other animal only with a lot of melanin content in it’s fur. And the black cat doesn’t really intend to cross your way. If you keenly observe, it may be on it’s way to snack or to meet the opposite sex. Stop it, and you might only hinder it from it’s part of “fun”. Infact, you probably wouldn’t see a black cat during the winter season because that is the time when they are busy doing “other” work. During the summer season, they are restless. Why? Forgotten Physics? Black bodies absorb heat the best. This is applied to black cats too. So, since they feel too hot, they move here and there and chances are dense that they come in your way. So, the next time a black cat comes in your way, just thank it for telling you that it’s too hot to be outside, and stay indoor.
If you really can’t get rid of this mind-dominating superstition so easily, then just get a box of white emulsion and paint your black guy (no racism intended!) white. This way you’ll take your revenge and save it from the criticism too. (Sarcastic joke, okay!)
2.) Hiccups indicate someone is thinking of you.
Hic-up!
Again, forgotten Science? The Diaphragm concept. The Diaphragm is the muscle in your chest that is located just below your lungs. When you breathe in, the air travels in your mouth and nose, through your windpipe and into your lungs. When your diaphragm jerks and you suck in air very quickly, the quick air flow causes the flap at the top of your windpipe to snap shut. This quick inflow of air and the snapping shut of the flap on your windpipe is the sound of hiccups. Now for heaven’s sake, how can you link it with someone is thinking about you? It’s just mere biology of your own body.
3.) A lizard falling on the human body will have certain outcomes according to the part of the body on which it falls.
Sassy.
Now, this one is real fun. You know we have a whole mythological calender giving all the effects of it, depending on the body part that the lizard falls on, what effect will it cause. You might think what effect a small lizard falling possibly can have on you (Of course, other than shock, irritation, nausea, and in some cases, throwing up)? Well, our ancestors beg to differ. If you have ever checked out the backside of such a calendar, you might have seen a space dedicated for this. It contains the list of body parts on which the lizards fall and its corresponding effects. I will give the following link for reference.
Cut my hair!
She’s the bride!
