Summers & Freckles & Self-doubt??? Read on to connect the three... (wink)

Well, my sister wanted me to blog about “summers”. So here I go (Smile)… What comes to your mind when I say “Summer”???

An optimist would say… Mangoes (yummy), beaches, summer vacations, watermelons, cool milkshakes & Ice-creams.

A Pessimist’s viewpoint… The terrible & prickly heat, the havoc it wrecks on the hair & Skin, barren land, the droopy plants and the never ending sweat.

Where do I fall??? Not sure. I am neither a “glass full” nor a “glass empty” person. I am a “water in the glass” girl. (Did u get that bit???). Ofcourse, I like mangoes, ice-creams and watermelons. And I hate the heat and sweat. But my worst fear about an impending summer season is the on-set of a million freckles, not anywhere else, but on my face… (Sad & Sobbing). C’mon, whoever heard of a freckled face in India??? A friend in school used to call me a spotted banana (Wail). Why me???

I am blessed (are you kidding me???), with a fair complexion is what my mom says. I know the pain of burdened with a skin where every dot and spot is visible as if on a painting. When my freckles start dancing a mile away from my face in summer, ignorant people who haven’t heard of freckles (and politeness) often ask me, “Hey, what is that on your face??? The spots???” The ideal retort would be “Hey, when you were a kid, didn’t your mom teach you not to ask rude questions???”

A slightest remark on my freckly face, and I would plunge into a self-doubt session of gargantuan proportions. Then from freckles, I would move to many other such short-comings within me, and then would end up feeling like crap. What’s the whole point???

But then, someone told me, those little imperfections make you beautiful, lovable and cute. What’s a face without freckles, like a canvas without a painting??? Well, that’s a first... (Blush)

Now I tell my-self, well, I can’t fight them all. Neither do I want to. So, who is perfect??? But life goes on. I still hide from the summer heat, and will do for-ever. But, my little freckles are now a part of me I accept and love.

P.S: Love your-self, no matter what. The world is yours when you love your-self.

Mars and Venus??? Gimme a break…

Is all the hype and hoopla surrounding gender discussions genuine??? Or is it just a social set-up that has been created, so that it can be twisted according to one’s convenience.
Men and Women alike have been victims of this so called gender bias, with a substantial skew towards female bias. How many times have we heard expressions similar to, “He cries like a girl” or “She argues like a man”. Have the Vedas scripted that men shouldn’t weep and that women shouldn’t fight???

Gender bias!!! Did god bestow this art on us, or is it a complete human creation??? Is it inherent or cultivated??? Is it a societal practice or is it a conscious effort??? Some would argue stating that it is purely a human creation, whereas some would brazenly say that god created man as a superior being. Some religions even subscribe to such a theory, but that’s not the point of discussion here. I shall save that debate for another post.

Women have always been a point of ridicule in SMS jokes and funny e-mail chains. Gender jokes have emerged as the most popular vote bank for every TV show contestant trying to elicit a few laughs out of fellow men, who are somehow always victims of domestic violence at home, in some form or the other. I watched a popular show on TV whose central focus on stand-up comedy by children below the age of 10, and astonishingly, gender jokes made a recurring appearance there too. Well, and I thought children were the only faction of the society who were free of all biases. Go figure…

You might want to turn around and say, “Hey, why are you reacting so vehemently about an issue as trivial as this??? God!!! You are such a feminist”. Well, I have heard that before. And maybe I am over-reacting to the jokes bit. But having said that, the issue that needs serious consideration is here is that, this culture so widely publicized percolates very deep into the homes of people who have witnessed a world starkly different from yours and mine.

These are homes where women are ridiculed and humiliated on a daily basis. These are homes where a girl child is sent to earn daily wages, so that her brother can go to school. These are homes where a daughter is considered a burden, and the sooner you rid off her to another equally chauvinistic male, the better. These are homes where women are slaves and have no life, so much so that a woman having an identity is an idea as alien as thinking of a size zero south Indian actress. These thoughts are truly oxymoronic in nature.

It is often observed that, a lioness is always the one who hunts for the prey and drags it to the lion to feast on. The lion has its share, and then the leftovers are fed to the cubs and then the lioness eats. Did humans learn this tradition from lions or vice versa??? Hell… Just eat together man. Big Deal!!! At the end of the day, it’s just another animal.

Dowry is another such wonderful invention that has made lives of many miserable. And without any heed to the havoc its wrecking on our society, we continue to practice it with little shame. It is said that, a few centuries ago, a man had to give dowry to a girl’s father, as he was sacrificing the “light” of his house to another man, which is why our ancestors called it “Kanyadaanam”. Well, during some point in time, the men got greedy, and decided that it was revenge time!!! Lo and Behold, dowry was in place faster than lightning on a stormy day. Logically then, “kanyadaanam should become “purushadaanam” and men should marry and move into the girl’s place. A process reversal should include all aspects of the ritual.

I can go on and on… and I know the answer to my own questions. Sigh!!! Why am I even trying???

Authored by "Your's Truly" (smile)

I have a sudden impulse to author a book, something romantic and mushy (blush), in the lines of “Mills & Boon”. I think I should explore my writing abilities one step at a time, especially for the audience’s benefit. (Wink)

So people, here you go. An exclusive preview to the preface, right here, right now (smile), on my own blog. Read On…

He came in during the dark of the night, slowly and stealthily, creeping into my room. I am a light sleeper, and the slightest of movements can break my slumber. I woke up, and glanced around; eerie silence. I then laid my head back on the pillow and turned to one side of the bed, only to find my-self face to face with a pair of glowing bright eyes. I screamed, and I before I knew it, I felt something land heavily on my head. The pain was excruciating, and my head spun like it was a wind-mill on a stormy night. That was the last thing I remember…

All about life... (Wink)

Can life let us down??? Or is it a feeling that’s an off-shoot of our insecurities and shortcomings.

I can often hear people complaining, especially in difficult time, about how life has been un-fair to them, and about how they have gotten a raw deal from the world. Phullleeezzzee… Spare me the sermon; No one can give you a raw deal but you your-self. Don’t you think…?

Life is all about choices (am sure you have heard that before), but think about it. When you pray for courage, does god give you courage, or an opportunity to be courageous??? When you pray for happiness, does god give you happiness, or does he give you an opportunity to be happy??? (I stole these lines from a movie)… (Sheepish)… I know of a friend of mine, who is petrified of ghosts and spirits, so much so that she is cannot manage 5 minutes alone in a dark room, before she gives up on life. Well, even I was in that condition a few months ago; I couldn’t open the door of my empty flat, thinking that something would pounce on me out of the dark; So horror movies are out of question… Sheesh… Ok, let’s focus on the friend now. So I advised her to read the “hanuman chalisa” everyday, and I told her that she would conquer fear if she did this. It helped me… Trust me, it’s the faith that matters at the end of the day, whether its God, or life, or relationships… anything for that matter.

Life is never tailor-made to suit somebody’s needs and desires. Life is all about making the right choices, believing in them, and following that up with the grabbing every opportunity that comes your way and the passion to make dreams work.

PS: I don’t really know why I wrote this blog. (Wink)

Gawd... Grow up people....

I was enjoying a peaceful breezy evening, with a hot steamy cup of tea, in my portico. Then, out of the blue, It happened... in front of me... and i saw it. A horrific accident. A car crashed into a speeding bike. The guy broke his leg and the girl was profusely bleeding. On-lookers rushed to the aid of the kids on the bike. My husband grabbed a bottle of water, some antiseptic and a wad of cotton, and rushed to the accident spot.

I stood there and looked on, too stunned to react, as some others who are the self-appointed moral upholders of society, laws and values, got together and started to abuse and beat up the car driver. What were they doing??? Did they even pause to think, as to whose fault the accident actually was??? Automatic suspicion was directed towards the car driver... was it because he was not hurt, was it because he was driving an expensive automobile... i am still wondering!!!

The car had its indicator on, and was turning into a by-lane, in perfectly acceptable sane speed of around 20-30kms/hr. The biker, an adolescent, and his friend was speeding at alomost 60 -70km/hr in a yamaha, without a silencer, disturbing the calm surroundings of a serene residential locality. He saw the car (i am assuming), saw the indicator (again i am assuming), and tried to cut in front of the car (this i saw). There was a spilt second reaction time, and before we knew it, they were all over the place, the girl, the guy and the bike.

This is a small incident, I agree. I am not blowing it out of proportion, but incidents such as these happen everywhere in varying degrees and varying styles. Is it adequate to condemn the dangerously reckless driving habits of today's youth (a significant percentage), or the should i also focus on the mature middle aged men (huh!!) who without a second thought started beating up the driver of the car for NO fault of his. When will human-kind acheive balance and maturity??? When will they start to appreciate their superiority over the other living beings, bestowed on us by the almighty and put it to constructive use??? Seems like a long wait... but I'd like to see it happen some day. Sigh!!!