Ashamed to call myself Indian... for the 1st time in my life!

I am forced to write about something as gruesome as “RAPE” today on my blog.

A few decades back in India “Rape” was a term uttered only by a few authorities like the police or in court. It was more abusive than that of the several physical abuses we’ve known of. Nevertheless since a few months from now, India has come to a stage where “RAPE” has become just another word uttered even by kids around. Are we trying to manipulate this term or are we taking it as serious as it is? We’ll the answer to this whole thing lies in one simple question… WHERE DOES THIS ALL COME FROM???

Delhi! They say Dil Waloon ka sheher… I doubt ever since I know Delhi, about this fact!! I always loved Delhi and always will… but surely not for what is happening.

A few months back in November a medical student was raped in a moving bus on a busy street of Delhi… another case sprung up just 2 days back about a minor 5-yr old girl being a rape victim who is fighting for life and death at AIIMS… the very hospital where the moving bus rape victim was kept. How disgusting have humans become? Is it the lust that is incontrollable or the hunger of sex? How can a human just a insert glass bottle and a candle and an iron rod into another humans body?... and we call ourselves HUMANS

When the 26/11 incident occurred there was a peace march at Gateway of India… and my friends were adamant of me supporting the peace march. But when I protested they didn’t like it…  I don’t know if my ideology differs but I am still on the same view… WHY A PEACE MARCH?? How much have we done for the nation, the people who have died? The one’s who have suffered and to control this situation?

We talk of various peace March organized by NGO’s etc but what are we really doing? Wasting time and candles? No!... not acceptable.

Where does this all begin… ?

A few days back I was watching a lovely video… here’s the link ( Mera Tharki India)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYhNhETlFf8

This is where it all begins… we are creating RAPISTS… and let my words be Firm and Straight…

It’s nothing new to us in India. What we are doing is feeding such rapists, giving them shelter and making them stronger enough, that after 14yrs of facing trial and sentence they are free to rape another woman. Why your neighbor? Why a stranger?... Rape your own sister and mother… and face it… SHAME!!.. Utter shame… I have no words to speak the brutality of this but today… for the first time… I feel ashamed to be called an INDIAN!!... ALAS!

Problems…Debates … Arguments….. Talk shows…. Peace March etc… they all have their say …. But where are the solutions? Where has our law fallen short? Why aren’t we like most of the Arab countries or the other countries where a Rapist is hanged to death in public, his genitals chopped off, 3^rd grade torture, his hands and legs cut and for those who help such people they too are arrested… What has our law fallen prey of? Are we just sitting home and crying for those helpless creatures fighting for life? We call them Daughters of India… and after some time they are forgotten and then their parents are given awards for bravery… did they have an option other than being brave… a 20-23 yr old daughter is raped and killed and you award their parents instead of giving them the assurance of justice? Those rapists are enjoying life in the jail with food and water, and that same daughter of our India has lost her life with pieces of rod, intestines damaged, liver burst and mental trauma… and hardly India has gone through that act of shamefulness we see another minor being raped?

We believe in one God etc etc etc… and we have all dharma guru’s talking about it… How can I not miss talking of this one man who has got into ever man’s nerves…

Wikipedia defines ASARAM BAPU as a Hindu spiritual leader from India. He preaches the existence of One Supreme Conscious and claims Bhakti yoga, Gnana yoga and Karma yoga as influences.

And these are the controversies against him

Controversies

Land encroachment in Navsari district

In the year 2000, the Asaram Ashram was allocated about 10 acres of land in Bhairavi village of Navsari district by the Gujarat government. The ashram encroached on an additional 6 acres, leading to protests in the local villages. On a complaint filed by locals, and after repeated notices were ignored, the district authorities with police assistance bulldozed the encroachments and took possession of the land.^[7]

Land encroachment in Madhya Pradesh

The Yog Vedanta Samiti of Asaram Bapu was reportedly given permission to use the premises of the Mangalya temple in Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh for 11 days for a satsang in 2001. The samiti failed to vacate the premises after the satsang, and continue to occupy a total of 100 acres of land, valued at over 700 crores.^[8] The land belongs to the now defunct Jayant Vitamins Limited.

Asaram Bapu denies any involvement, saying the report are baseless and untenable.

Attempted murder

A former member of the Asaram ashram, Raju Chandak, claimed in an affidavit with the police that tantric rituals were being performed in the ashram, and that he had seen Asaram Bapu in objectionable positions with women.^[10] In December 2009, Raju Chandak was attacked with guns by two unknown persons in the Ramnagar locality of Sabarmati. The Gujarat police filed an attempt to murder case against Asaram Bapu and two others.

Deaths of students

A commission was set up in 2008 to probe the mysterious death of two children, whose bodies were found on the Sabarmati riverbed on July 5, 2008 after they went missing on July 3. Dipesh Vaghela, aged 10 years, and Abhishek Vaghela, aged 11, were cousins studying at Ashram’s Gurukul (residential school) at Motera. Following public outcry, the case was handed over to the CID, which after a year of probing, filed a complaint of culpable homicide and booked seven sadhaks of the ashram. The CID, in its report, alleged that the accused had failed lie detection tests regarding tantra sadhna and black magic practises at the ashram, though the CID found no direct evidence of such activities during their searches.

Statements on 2012 Delhi gang rape victim

Asaram Bapu was severely criticized by the media after his remark that the December 16, 2012 Delhi gang rape victim, was equally guilty along with those responsible for the sexual assault on her. He is reported to have said: “Only 5-6 people are not the culprits. The victim daughter is as guilty as her rapists... She should have called the culprits brothers and begged before them to stop... This could have saved her dignity and life. Can one hand clap? I don't think so.”  He is also reported to have said that he was against harsher punishments for the accused in the Delhi rape victim case, as the law could be misused. To support his point, he is said to have stated that, “Dowry law in India is the biggest example of law being misused.” 

Asaram Bapu came under widespread criticism when it was reported that he said the Delhi gang rape and murder would not have happened if the victim had called the rapist-killers her brothers and fallen at their feet. He is quoted as saying: "The girl should have taken God's name and could have held the hand of one of the men and said, 'I consider you my brother' and to the other two, she should have said, 'Brothers, I am helpless. You are my brothers, my religious brothers'. Then the misconduct wouldn't have happened."
 

And we have people following him??? SERIOUSLY???

You need to put on your thinking caps… I hope you all know where it all begins and where it all ends now…

Jai Hind!

It's So Strange!

Its strange and so easy to point out a finger to another...while saying "Damm it...you are to be blammed for this..."...but there are very few who, knowing its your fault, yet say a sorry just to see that growing smile on your face....



Its strange to see someone standing in the heat of the sun...and when you arrive barge at you saying "Hell!...you're 2hours late...what do you think of yourself"....but very few who say" I missed you all this while..." and hugs you.



Its strange to be with a person who calls another "someone special" but for you "just another friend"...but there are very few who will hold you in their arms, hug you and tell the world "I don't care what the world thinks...but I love this girl"



Its strange to walk with a person who holds on to another and still expects you to be his...but there are very few who will walk every step with you...holding your hand, caring to the ends and still asking "Are you ok?"



Its strange...really strange...why do we keep pondering...trying to make the imperfect so perfect for us...



We adjust, tolerate, love, care, sacrifice and do all that we can to keep someone happy...but then when we find that this is not the person, how relentlessly we have to lose hopes...

It's not Love!...You can never build Love in someone's heart...and nor can you Love someone who does not care about you...Love can never be a desire (as stated in "The Secret")

Love is when you dont talk but he understands everything you feel...without saying a word...

Sad but true...I still hav'nt found that person out of the "very few"....but I know there is someone...I've cared...Loved...for many years...

There is just one Hope...and I keep that hope lightened till...............................................................................

The Babri-Ram Janmasthan War!!!

Babri-Ram
Jiskisi ka ho naam
Dil par haath rakh lo Aur bolo
Jo bhi ho Allah ya ho Ram 
-Spread togetherness not gatherness-

Well! I’m back…with yet another great issue pertaining to India’s biggest decision...And how could I miss this one? Right?
Anyways coming back to the Verdict of the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmasthan, it has blown off wings on fire after the 30th September.
Now my point here about the 60years of issue is quite simple…”If things don’t work…divide and rule becomes the policy of the wise, which inturn also helps to maintain peace among all”.
I had a brief discussion on 29th about this very issue with my mom on the dining table. And what she told me was even horrifying and left me almost with a question mark that night, until the verdict turned out to be the same decision as I told my mom the previous day. In a broad sense if you figure out the whole scenario as a play you might find this whole issue a bit complicated (atleast I felt it)
We all live in a country like India where people of all castes like Hindu, Christian, Muslims, Sikh, Zoroastrians, etc all live in the society ‘as one’. If a Hindu falls sick a Muslim helps him, if a Christian is hurt in an accident nobody asks him which caste he/she belongs to, for a help. Then why in such a cosmopolitan state is such discrimination being made? I have friends who are Hindu as well as Muslim. I don’t ask them their caste and then be friends with them. And I’m sure no one does such a thing in India.
Infact we all should be proud that the land where the whole issue arises is not just of one sect. Probably India is the only country where this happens, where we never talk in terms of “You & Me” we talk as “We”. Somehow I felt this quite cheesy when I heard the whole fight was for the land. Will a simple decision made change how you and I look at that very land? Now the origin of the land might be where Ram was born but no one can deny that whatever the fact is we all should live as Indian’s. For as I said earlier it’s not about you and me it’s finally about “Us”. Then why even divide the land? Does a Hindu say that a Muslim can’t enter a temple? Or does a Masjid or a Quran say that a Hindu cannot go into the mosque? Then why riots? Why make life miserable? I think the best happiness is not if you get the land named on either Hindu or Muslim but it’s when the two join hands. And trust me, there is simply no happiness greater when your enemy becomes your friend, and not for the fact to defend him but to hug each other and live in harmony.
Infact today I felt that whatever enmity we have with our neighbors and people of other castes we must break this down. And that can start with something as simple as a smile. So smile and spread Love. When we can adapt to western thinking, then this is purely Indian Boss ;)….SIMLE 

The Hunger Strike

Centuries together the Indian education system has gone on a hunger strike. The basic hunger panes have been demolished or rather cut down in the name of donations, infrastructural funds, college requirements or school collections. This has probably brought down the whole education system of India. We Indians are known to have the best of literature writings and scripts; but today if we look back in time and compare ourselves to the today we live in, we stand in absolute no comparison to it.

The actual problem lies in the Hunger to learn. Today if we look at students, their only motto behind studying is the degree and not the actual knowledge that they attain. The basic idea behind having a perfect and a well oraganised education system is to provide the students with the overall knowledge of the subject they study. But most of the students today simply do it to attain a degree for a secured job. They hunger is lost in this bargain. Who really wants to know what lies below the undefined lines…all we want to do is ‘get out of it’…

" What If I was Ajmal Kasab today?"

Finally, not only Mumbai but many people all around the globe have found justice after the decision to hang Kasab has been proposed. For a year and more people have been living with the pain of a loved one, just after a long time to find the man behind the scenes to be hanged.

I may be wrong and also someone with a cynical thought but my views on the entire issue are a bit different. There are certain things that have been playing in my mind since a long time but now as Kasab has finally been declared to be hanged, i too decided to speak on the issue.

My question is...for all those 166 people killed, why is just one man made responsible? Just because he was the only one caught alive from the entire lot who entered Mumbai that horrifying night? Why is all the anger and hatred dumped just on Kasab? Well, I'm not trying to befriend but somehow i do not agree to the whole issue thats happening.

I don't say that Kasab should not be punished under any circumstances but my point is why is the entire blame put on that one person when the actual mastermind and the head of this whole attack is still safe and enjoying life hiding himself at a convenient place?

today as the environment in Mumbai kept their fingers crossed during the judgement, I wonder if this thought ever came up to anyone's mind "What if I was Ajmal Kasab today?"

When a little child in his innocence steals a loaf of bread, being helpless due to poverty, everyone runs behind him, leaving everything behind. No one really thinks of that child's psychology and the pain that the child goes through and why did he ever do such a thing or what led him do it.

Kasab stands as an excellent example to all those who get into criminal doings as the main reason behind it being Poverty. This shows how Poverty over powers all values and consciousness and every important thing in life.

When Kasab's family did not have one time meal, that day no one knew who he was, how did he suffer, what pains he took and through what phase of life did he go through. But today as he is decided to be hanged by the high court , the world is happy about it.

Its really a weird world we are living around in. On one hand where the world rejoices on the birth of a child, today it rejoices on the death sentence of the same child. Time and again we've been repeating that "Criminals are not born they are crated" and so it is in most cases.

We happily and proudly point out our fingers to a criminal saying that "look at him...he's a criminal". But we never think what would we be doing if we were in their place. What if our family had starved to death and year even for a small loaf of bread, what option would we give ourselves?...Death due to poverty or Life with crime? The world will change into a better place only if we start looking at it from the eyes of another human being.

The Love of a Mother...

There was this incident i came across while i was working at Percept India at Lower Parel. It was as usual a rainy day on a lovely evening, i was walking through the tracks and heading towards home through the railway tracks.

On my way I happened to see a few huts; not exactly huts but they were just sheets of cloth supported on a four foot bamboo sticks. And the very sight that caught my attention at this was the baby crying in it. The rains continued to lash and the water started collecting between the tracks. And as i peeped into that little hand build cloth hut my eyes went numb. The water kept dripping from the roof of the cloth sheet and drop by drop from the tree under where this hut was; I seen a lady who was not too old sitting in there with a just born baby in her hands. The baby's eyes were not yet fully open and it was crying out in pain. No clothes to wear, no food to eat, no toys to play, no place to keep...and yet all that the mother had was her gentle lap where she found her baby safe and sound...

The lady was so helpless that anyone who had a sight at it would cry out. That was when i realized how much do i have and how much selfish I am. The mother and the baby both were undernourished and the baby who was skin and bones was been massaged with the dripping water of the roof.

When we were small and young, we demanded, we cried, thew tantrums and all that we could just to get our favorite thing in hand. But this little baby who was still unsound and crying in despair, i wonder what future did the mother see in that little child.

I pray for all those children of a lesser god...for all that i can do i will :) For there is an unconditional Love in a mother that no one can challenge :)

Goa…A paradise on earth.

Goa has a beauty in itself, never the less every place has their pros and cons, but once in Goa means you’ve fallen in love with it, I bet. I’ve been watching this place regularly for the past 21years. Yeah! When I was 2 months old when mom picked me up & brought me here to smell the eternal and breathe taking fragrance of the soil, simply to be under its warmth and love forever. After all it’s my native and how much better can it get in time?

Well, I just enjoyed a short holiday to this paradise. Though not a trip for enjoyment, but for me definitely it was a rejuvenating experience. It was like a break from all the tensions and unnecessary thoughts that followed me in Mumbai. It was like I had left them all alone and packed my bags to Go-Goa. My mind had clustered thoughts all over and to arrange them in perfect order I wanted a mind of my own. What better than Goa?

Finally I feel free now. It is so true that one needs a little break from the usual “Jing Bang” of the outer world. This break has surely helped me.

I might have not been to that wave splashing beaches or the experience of the local “sheth kodi” but my house is a place where I can dwell even if I’m all alone in my 5BHK house. Ever room has a unique beauty and the most important thing in this is I was alone. I realized that being ‘Me’ was so much exciting. Imagine doing everything alone. I felt so independent.

Initially the thought of staying alone in the house at night was something I feared even when mom was besides me in Mumbai. And today I had to be alone, all night, and not only alone in my house but the entire building. Trust me, the first day was fearful. I slept at 4am when it was almost day and I woke up at 6am. Probably the usual habit of being a mama’s girl needed some time to break it. It was day and I completed my sleep in the afternoon. But I still had 3 days to go.

My best friends where there with me, they helped me a lot. Who?? My Laptop and my books. I was an addicted person to Facebook and Orkut, but from the usual 24/7 online status the FB probably might have missed me big time :P but there I am back. Comments, status updates, music, photos, & loads of masti is back.

To conclude, my trip was good. I was happy that after a long time I got my space J

Ladies & Gentlemen...

Ladies and Gentlemen...It sounds better only in speeches. Otherwise they both never get together. I remember how much I hated boys. And probably it was an age where Fun was a very integral part of life. Now a days its difficult to see this...but yes Coming back to the main topic Boys Vs Girls...ohh this war will never end!

Where there always a tiff there has to be a sweet envying and sometimes a Big thunder that goes between the battle of sexes. Today where ever you go there is a WAr..."Ladki ne Ladke ko mara...or else Ladke ne Ladki ko mara" I remember hitting , boxing & kicking boys in school days and people calling me "Choti Gundi" well they still do but just now im a little Girly

but yeah!...The batttle will continue...or else how can we survive :P

The Value Of Time

TIME...well, have you ever sat back and had a look over the watch how it runs?...some times i wonder how perfectly it runs all over without a stop. It never waits for anyone. We humans are so different than a clock. We run, work, sleep, fight and for a clock its like a monotonous on the field job. Just do the same thing everyday...show us the time.

But we all are different..but what we do everyday? We challenge the most perfect thing on the earth..."the Time" Its indeed a challenge when we do something and tell the time i can do it better than you...

All those famous, successful people we see today have done nothing different or something out of the world...all they have done is Challenged TIME :)

Love is....

A walk to remember…

I happened to see this lovely movie named “A walk to remember” today. I must say it has been written with heart felt emotions and with a beautiful screenplay.

When someone once asked me how can one describe Love I wondered myself, how? Love is something that cannot be described in words. It’s just a feeling between two souls that speak. It’s a silent move. It’s a non-verbal way of communication which has not yet been discovered. Love for me is when everything around you looks beautiful, you try to see beauty even in a shabby room, and you fell better every time you look in the mirror. You look at the sky and talk, telling the moon to convey your message to him, missing him the moment he is away from you, checking your mobile phone in the middle of the night, talking for hours together yet cannot go out of topics. Love at times is speechless. It’s a heart and soul reader. Love is when you know what he feels before he himself knows it, it is when both start thinking the same thing at a time and laugh over it, it is when you start giving yourself into his arms, just never to wake up, it is when you look into his eyes and see your world in him, it is when you find only his shoulder to cry and share on when you need someone, love is when you stop thinking of yourself but every moment about him.

Love is much more than what can be described in words. For me love is finding the truth of living my life with one man forever. Love is indescribable, mutual understanding, togetherness and the connection of the soul that might happen every time one meets. Love is when you find him in every thing you see, feel and touch, it is when you imagine him as a pillow and hold him tight while you sleep, it is when you smile every time you think of him, love is when you are in the crowd and yet can feel him near. Yet love has no true meaning, because everyone loves someone in a different way, yet so unique.

Life is Precious...Preserve it

There are many people whom I have come across who take life for granted. Some take it too seriously and some too lightly, and there are some who live just because they have to and few others because they have no other option. This might sound insane but it is so true to people whom I have met. Well, there is a lot more to it. The story below will surely make a few brains to put on their thinking caps. This is a story that inspires me about life.

I was in the third year of college studying media. It was prelims and that day was my last paper and I had also got my 1st paper in hand in which I topped. It was indeed a wonderful feeling. I got into the bus and switched on the FM for some goods songs. And as I was browsing through the various stations I came across my favourite RJ who was about to take a caller. I stopped and hanged on to the station.

This was a call from a boy who was basically from UP about 14-15yrs old. He was just out of school but had not taken admission in college. When the RJ asked him the reason, I’m sure all those listening might have held their hearts for a moment. He was affected by the vicious Cancer. He wanted to be an engineer, since there was no one in his family who studied more than 7th standard. But then all his dreams and ambitions came crashing down when he heard that there was very little time for him to live.

He wanted to go to Shimla kulu manali after his Boards but then after listening about Cancer his family decided not to exert him. They had bought him to Mumbai for kemo therapy. His family ran down into shock when they learnt that he had just 1month in his hand. And now when he called he had just a week more to go. I cried listening to this. Thinking what has that little soul done to get that punishment. He was questioned as to how he is dealing with the fact that he will die in a few days. He said “I always wanted to visit Shimla kullu manali and I feel excited. It looks like I am not going to die but going to visit it very soon. I always wanted to see, feel and touch God. I am happy I will do it soon. I had many dreams about my career and life but they cannot come true anymore. But I will surely ask God to give me a longer life next time to accomplish it”

He would not be alive to even see his result. It was his last journey on earth. On one hand where God gifts people with beautiful lives he plans for us a great living, but there are few who disrespect his plans and commit suicide. This is just a very touching story that I will never forget in life. Latter when I spoke to the RJ about this he too was numb and speechless for a long time about it.

This is also a social message to all those people how think there is NO NOPTION. Look at life from another angle it is yet very beautiful, its just how you look at it. 

She's the woman!

You call her a mother, a daughter, a sister, a wife or simply a Woman...yet she plays each and every role given to her in respect and devotion to her every relation. What I adore about being a woman myself is the determination and power that makes me special. Indeed I feel proud to be what I am born as.

On one hand where a girl child is being killed on the basis on gender, this day reminds us of the reality of how important this day means to us. After all A women only has the power to give birth & only she can man a man who he is & can be...

8th March is celebrated as International Women's day, where in its the day we remember all the women around the world. I respect adore and would like to wish all the women around the world a Very Happy Women's Day.

How much reality counts??

I have been watching these reality shows on television since a very long time and one thing that I have noticed is that people have developed this weird type of liking for such shows...whether the shows are about marring, singing, dancing or just getting locked up in a room to get a sum of money. Instead of taking it in a general way let me talk about myself...I somehow don't agree with these reality shows...though they try to depict that it has changed the face on Indian television I cannot really take this as a boon to Tv industry...oh come on just to earn a little TRP I dnt agree to put a hundred lives for a toss. From those tender kids under heat lights working for 8hours at a stretch. I think sometimes its about ethics.

I am from an Advertising background and I believe there are many things that are looked over in this industry. Call it ETHICS as for now, just ethics. It looks like a minuscule word in a dictionary but means a lot when it comes to judging yourself on a larger platform. Its all confusing when you see a child on Tv & you laugh but the toil that gets behind the sets are equally disturbing...

Please Stop this

Valentine's Day!...Is it just a Day??

Valentine's Day! A day that probably every loved soul wants to enjoy!..and why on earth did i mention that word "probably", its simply because not all think it that way. Well, coming to the point, Valentine's day for me is not a day just to say how much you love or care and whatever that follows... in fact for me the meaning goes abyss...

Tell me one thing, is a specific day like Valentine's Day required to tell your loved one that you love him/her?? if its love its there at every moment when your together, that every step you walk together hand in hand, that every laugh, that every comforting shoulder, that feel of being there. Do you think this all can be expressed and said just in one day? I seriously don't think so. Because these are the feelings that are developed only i due course of time. Some are lucky, some are not, but that doesn't matter.

Love for me is Aeon. There is nothing like today and tomorrow. It's forever..Where there is Love there is a Heart break, Where there is a heart break there is pain and where there is pain there is love...and it goes on...


Poem

I loved you and i still do
what differs is the distance
when things go wrong i see you
when things so right i can feel you

There are times when i wish you were here
to hold me & tell me you are near
like an angel you are there behind me
what isn't there, is you aren't with me

I have seen you laugh
but cannot see you cry
thank god you walked away
before my eyes would see you dry

Today i wish i could tell you
how much my heart felt for you
but yet another day goes by
you turn away and say good bye

Love, Life & a Big Confusion

I don't know if this is the situation with everyone but somehow i feel this is the biggest confusion whenever i look at life from a bigger & broader perspective. Well, that's not all, when ever you take a trip down the lane you'll find things so stupid that you are embarrassed. But then its all past, happened, gone & all cried over long time ago...

Love is one such vague thing that i cannot really get over very soon. Recently i got an SMS frm a frnd saying: " All desirable things in life are either

# Illegal

# Banned

# Expensive

# Married / Committed to someone else..."

that's really so true...when u really think of a person to be yours...hell, he is commited...well, Happens..."All is Well"...i dnt know why now a days this "all is wel"l also doesn't work...probably because the impact has vanished with my choco boy Omi Vaidhya :P ....Dnt ask me why hes a choco boy to me...:P

but well, im happy im back to the track..Alone...and trust me there is no happiness greater than as compared to being Single & enjoying...No relations, No tensions, No distractions...Happy to be single this Valentine..so should you :)

Children & Sue-Side

After the blockbuster movie ‘3 Idiots & the whole controversy following the movie, it has successfully hit every chart, never the less it has also hit the suicide charts in the country. Everyday there are little children ending lives by handing themselves. On one hand we believe that today’s children are tomorrow’s future, on the other hand suicidal cases as headlines are flashing all media channels. These are indeed some gruesome realities embracing the country. The question is not how such things are happening in fact, why is it happening and what can be done to stop it.

Who is to be blamed for this? The parents? The institute? Or the Child? The answer is simple, no one. Everyone goes through Tension, pressure and challenging situations in life, but the one who has the guts to face the reality and fight back are the one’s who win. It’s all about how well one deals with situations. When a kid finds difficulty whom does he seek first? If he wants to express his feelings of happiness, sadness whom does he look up to? It is not just this but a number of things that follow. Suicide is not a one days thought, but a series of frustration, pressure that a child goes through for years together. If the child cannot express he is bound to take such drastic steps in life which leaves not only his family & friends but also the people in and around him in utter distress.

Some people think counseling and psychologists are meant to be consulted only when things are worse or for that matter if one visits a counselor he is psychic. Breaking the myth, it’s not about being psychic but just knowing what to do next before someone else commits a suicide. And who knows a child better than his parents.

Here are certain points that have to be kept in mind by the parents in order to guide the child in a way that he feels free.

Communicate to the child on daily basis casually & know about his school, friends, studies etc. Remember the better you communicate the more freely the child can express his thoughts to you.

Try not to demoralize and compare the child with another as every child is different. Not all can be business men or doctors; some have to be leaders in their own field of interest.

Give the child the freedom to choose between his career and hobbies. If he wants to make his hobby his career and is keen on perusing it, let him go ahead, support him.

Try to be friends and a guide to the child whom he can share his troubles and difficulties with.

Do not pressurize the child, as no work is done the best under pressure.

Indulge the child in at least one extra curricular activity of his interest like sports, music, dance, instruments etc where he enjoys himself.

Try to balance the child’s daily routine, giving equal and enough time for every activity done during the day.

Lastly, it’s about proper guidance & love that nurtures the child and all that the child grasps in his initial years is lived on forever. Therefore what is today’s input is tomorrows output

The Coloring boy! ~ Short Story!

He looked lost in the traffic around him. But even through his tearful eyes he sold coloring books for some money. After a few nods he could finally find someone whom he could convince. He then would go to a place and hide to count the money he had just earned. He himself never learnt to count. After all he was just 7years old. It didn’t matter to him how much money he had but what was more convincing to him was the amount of coins that were with him. If someone would pay him a note of Rs.10 he thought it was not as valuable as much as someone who paid him the same Rs.10 in ten coins. I saw him struggle arranging all the money under the flyover. And sitting profusely restless in the heat of the sun in an auto rickshaw, this little boy had the power to aberrant my mind towards him.

As I still sat watching the kid carefully, I noticed another boy; someone who was almost 15-16years old was heading towards him. The boy was tall, plump and also seemed a little scary. Looking at him, the little boy ran away. I was left utter confused. And the signal turned green. My rickshaw started on its way to Thane. The lovely wind blew over my face and I was relived. Just then, after a few meters away, I seen a mob gathered around. It didn’t seem the usual one, so I ordered the rickshaw driver to stop. He refused in Marathi, saying “Kai tai, he tar nehmichach asta, thokla asel koni bhekarya mulala”. He meant to say that this is an everyday scene. Someone might have hit a beggar. I sat astonished. I prayed, hoping it was not that little boy. Even though I didn’t know him, I knew that there was something that the kid had in him, something unusual.

I stopped the rickshaw and ran with curiosity towards the mob; following me was the rickshaw driver. My prayers were not answered, it was the same boy, still breathing hard and trying to wake up. All the coloring books he had were shattered all around him as he fell helpless. I picked him up and took him to a nearby hospital in the same rickshaw. He had lost a lot of blood but I was happy he was alive. After a few hours he came to conscious. And I decided to meet him.

The very moment he saw me he smiled. My eyes filled with tears as I sat beside him. I learnt a very heart taking story from him. He was the only child who was thrown out of the house to earn money. He wanted to study, he told me he liked music and danced in every wedding band that played in the hall near by. But he knew money was more important than his desires & likings. The bruises on his tender hands that he showed me were of iron heated rods that his step brother who ran behind him for money gave him if he didn’t hand over the money. And as his eyes filled with pain, drew towards me, my heart was touched. I wanted to hand over his step brother to the police when the kid spoke to me maturely and told me not to do so. He told me he had forgiven his brother and so should I.

I was on my way for an interview, when I met this boy. Today he lives with me. I call him Raj. He is accomplishing his chemical engineering. That day I had learnt a lesson from a 7year old boy, a lesson of forgiveness & simplicity. He made my life colourful.

The School ~ Our Temple

Remember when you first went to school, the first time you cried, the first time you were left all alone without your parents, it might be the horrible, isn’t it? But today as you look back to that day, it makes one happy because if it wasn’t that day at school, learning the first ABC would be difficult, but was for those teachers who made it simple & easy for us. It’s the place where we were guided, nurtured & molded as a whole new being. It was then that we learnt to recognize ourselves.

Leaving back all those riches, toys, clothes, poverty, parents home we came to an institution together that in turn build in us a ray of light for tomorrow’s darkened world. It provides and makes a child know himself better. It’s a temple. When we all go to our respective religious places of worship the first thing we do is bow our heads before God and that’s exactly what a school is all about, where no matter how much we were yelled at and punished but as we look at it today our heads bow down in respect, for what was taught to us as a kid we shall never forget and all those teachers who made our lives worth are our God indeed.

In temples we learn to pray just as similarly as we learn and build our knowledge in school. Teachers who were there to guide us at every fall taught us the values. They taught us to respect, to share, to love and to help those in need and the list goes on.

A saying goes ‘we learn through our own mistakes’ but the fact is learning which was inherited in us was because of our teachers. People, who grow to be rich, successful & famous, have not just learnt through their mistakes but it is all because of those teachers who taught them how to grasp the nuances and affix them perfectly in their day to day life. But Alas! It is very sad to see just a handful of them remember their works. For a teacher is a mother, a father and a guiding light for a little child in those crucial years of their life. She is the one who helps in molding the child’s future & his career. No wonder a teacher is called God and God’s called a teacher.

As we realize what we are today is all because of someone who taught us the very essence of life, let’s remember them and help them in all that they need. There was a time when we fell because of our mistakes & they helped us stand profoundly among the others. Today we have a chance to tell them how much we care. So let’s take the smallest initiative to thank and help all of them and tell them that all that they taught us & all that we are today, we owe to them.

Why am I not beautiful?

The way one looks at you doesn’t determine your beauty or for that matter your popularity among friends, peers or the world around you. If you associate beauty with looks then you are wrong. It’s is far beyond than what it really looks like it is. Beauty is in the soul, the mind, the body & the inner self. When you look at yourself in the mirror it’s not just the outer self that you have to see but your inner being, what you really are. Life is like that.

Most of us see life the way we see ourselves in the mirror, just the outer looks. But when you learn to see the inner beauty, the inner reason of living in this world, one will learn what the true meaning of it is.

Many say I am not beautiful, but fail to realize that beauty is skin deep as the saying goes. If you know how to judge yourself you have marked your way in this competitive world. Remember looks, behavior & status keep changing but what remain with people are your deeds & values and that’s what you have to be.

The New Year has recently begun and the vigor and zeal of resolutions are in the run. It isn’t too late to begin what we call it the “practice of the soul”. This might sound a bit nostalgic but this mind will let you see the light of a new beginning as the year goes ahead.

One of those beast ways to look deep within you is to close your eyes and think of nothing but just imagine yourself as a whole. Think that you are not you but another person and jot down in your mind what are the things that you do not want to see in yourself. It’s one of those easiest ways to life, moreover a happy life.

Leave the alteration of beauty to the products available in the market, for they are momentary, but if you change the beauty within, you will start loving yourself which is in itself a beauty. It’s only when you learn to love yourself will you know what you need and what not. After all we are best judges of ourselves. There is much more to learn so simply start by loving your self let this be your resolution for the New Year.

School-memories forever…

School, Classes, Dance, Music, Parties, Chat, Phone calls, Books, puppy love, all this simply vanishes in a few years. The class 10th farewell might have been the most touchy of all. Imagine after spending 10 years together we bid adieu to all our ’Chaddi friends’ who have been with us all through 10years of our lives. All getting apart on the same day. Different fields, colleges, new world, colourful dresses, new friends but yet not the same bonding & yaari. Even though we make new friends & even best friends in college those school friends are still so dear. After a long break even if you meet a friend from school to whom you never spoke to, tears simply roll down as we look back to those kiddy days spend together and you run to talk to them.

Those fights might have been real frustrating at that time but today as we look back don’t you wish it continued a bit more? School was probably the best place we could ever be, safe, careful, nurtured well behaved. In college we got the freedom we always wanted but we still loved school. Sometimes this sounds emotional, but when we look at school after a long time we wish those days never ended. College taught us to see the real world but school taught us how to see it. Which is more important, depends, but what we learnt from our teachers in those 10years will always be carried all through our lives. No matter how much they smacked us but what we learnt from that we will never forget.

Looking back at school reminds us of the favorite vada pav and the samosa in the canteen. We’ll never find a better place that can offer those same delights as in school. The break time was probably the most enjoyed time of all. Alas! No one can deny the fact that school is over…but what remains back are memories forever...