Grab the Silver Lining

The roses are no more radiant

The violets have lost their vibrance

Sky is always grey

It’s to loneliness, I fell prey

Satisfaction eludes when I pray

Music has lost its melody

Even comedy feels like tragedy

It is quiet outside but no peace within

Though there is no reason for it, I can pin

There is death everywhere I see

Oh, this world if I could flee

    But where would I go

    For, my mind is my foe

    I close my eyes and sit back

   But everything under the eyelids is growing black

         So, I cry and then cry some more

         And to myself I swore

         To hear my head's little voice

         which puts in the picture, that I have a choice

                          Let go love laugh and live a little

                          This whole caboodle is second fiddle

                          For, the grey sky will again shine

                          When the stars will align

                            Cut all the flowers you can

                                The spring does not follow a ban.

Being Positive in times of Corona

These testing times where the world is plagued with a life threatening illness and everyone seems helpless about it feels like a scene straight out of a Hollywood movie. In fact there was a movie named "Contagion" based on the reality we all are facing today. There is uncertainty about our health, our jobs, health of our loved ones and its okay to be anxious and feel overwhelmed about it. I guess, most of us feel so and its pretty normal. But we do have to hold our horses and make a conscious effort to get through the end of this tunnel, in One Healthy Piece.

Staying positive can be a task in these challenging times, so I have tried to come up with notes that can help as an anchor in days to come

1. Treasure the value of CONNECTION.

Toughest times reveal true identities of people close to you. We can take this time to evaluate who needs our attention and care and who is responsive to our love and affection to determine who we want in our lives.

2. This is not ETERNAL

The uncertainties we are going through now will not last forever. Time and tide changes so be grateful for the good ones and accepting of the bad times.

3. Cherish the LITTLE THINGS

If we miss something we were used to seeing, doing, or being, we will begin to notice the little things we miss in particular about that person, place, or thing which we missed noticing earlier. Count this as a sign to be grateful for what we have now and as a reminder to honor the little things, once we are back to our normal routine. 

4. New PERSPECTIVE

Our lives have taken a 360 degree and that too without our permission. We have been presented with a different view towards life. Lets take this time to pay attention to what we see now and how we feel about it.

5. Don't Fuck up on your FEELINGS

Don't be under the pressure of "Make the most" out of lock-down. This extra time on our hands has given us endless possibilities to take up some courses, create artwork, have meaningful conversations with people we haven't had in years etc etc. But lets not allow these possibilities to pile pressure on us. We humans are gritty and want to rise above our circumstances but we need to slow down and feel our emotions, give ourselves permission to grieve, feel what is happening around us and be humbled by it. Its okay to be messy, not to know what happens next.

"You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you.

I LIKE MY CHOICES." - John Green (The Fault in our Stars)

That first night away from home

I ventured out from home almost a decade ago to pursue the golden degree of MBA. The experience of living away from home gave me lot of edges and curves. The most crucial part of this stay is the first night spent in the new surroundings with new people in absolutely brand new bedding. Okay, I got you there at the brand new bedding but frankly there is nothing dreamy about it.
I do have a distinct memory of my train journey from Delhi to Mumbai, the location of my college. The highlight of the journey was my crying marathon, listing to the songs from the Gangster, just above my mother's berth. I guess she was running her own marathon of sorts. My mind was filled with uncertain thoughts about future when we disembarked from the train at Bombay Central. The air was heavy with moisture and raw fish odor.
Seven hours later, I was waving goodbye to my mom trying to hold back giant wave of tears. And she let her oceans flow as the taxi sped off. I came upstairs to my room and tried to find comfort in my new bedding, instead I cried my heart out. And that's when the stark reality dawned upon me that
The Circus of Life has begun. There would be free falls, constant juggling of roles and responsibilities, some magical music, maintaining balance while walking on tight rope of life and I will be meeting some jokers along the way.

His college is few hours away from home but the thought of Hostel breaks his heart every time his mind wanders to near future. Its his first night away from home today. He is standing in his hostel balcony overlooking a garden with a fountain in between. Its pitch dark and way past midnight when he whispers into the phone with tears welling up in his eyes, "Didi ghar ki bahot yaad aa rahi hai". I want to transmit myself to the other end of the call and wrap my baby brother into a tight hug. Instead a thought takes over me, "The Circus of Life has begun", for him.

The second night would be much better, I promise him.

In the land of Jews

I had the privilege of visiting the Asian nation called The State of Israel due to my husband's work commitment. Little did I know that the country has an amazing heritage and urbanity.

Tel-Aviv City (PC-Shikhaa Sharma)

We flew via El Al airlines from US to Israel and back, which apparently holds the world record for most passengers on a commercial flight (1088 passengers). We were destined to the financial hub of Israel, a city called Tel-Aviv. While we had our reservations about the safety and war between Israel and Palestine, delving into some research revealed that Israeli defense forces are one of the most battle trained forces in the world. During our walks at the the Tel-Aviv beach, we felt as safe as in Delhi or NYC. In fact, Israel is the second largest defense equipment supplier to India after Russia. During our dine outs at the Indian restaurant, we met some defense personnel who came to Israel for defense equipment training.

Also, contrary to popular belief Israel is not a Muslim country. The majority of the population constitutes of Jews, who follow the religion of Judaism (Yahudi, as we know in India). Apparently Jesus Christ was a Jew as told to us by an Indian restaurant owner, who himself is an Indian Jew. So yes Jews are different from Christians and Muslims. There are places in Israel where the Jew, Christian and Muslim population co-exist such as the old Jaffa Port. It is one of the oldest sea port in the world.

Old Jaffa Port (PC-Shikhaa Sharma)

Israel is a country with a visibly young population and only ten percent of the population is above the age of 65 years. During our excursions in the city of Tel-Aviv, the numerous restaurants were filled with young people enjoying the euro cup with a beer mug. 

Also, unlike America, people here are pretty fit  always running, cycling or swimming. The fitness is due to the fact that every Israeli citizen, male or female, is required to serve three and two years respectively in the compulsory military service.

The place is not conservative, again contrary to popular belief,and the PDA was more than I have witnessed in any American city. Israel is the only nation in Asia to recognize same sex marriages. Tel-Aviv is one of the most friendly cities for gay in the world and the fact was very evident during our walks at the Tel-Aviv beach in the evening.

Hare Rama-Hare Krishna Society 
member of Israel (PC-Shikhaa Sharma)

My favorite moment in the land was encountering a Hare Rama-Hare Krishna brigade singing and dancing by the beach. It was in the evening when we were returning from our city tour and walking at the beach side and heard chants of Hare Rama-Hare Krishna on dholak beats, it was truly mesmerizing.

Hubby leading the Hare Rama-Hare Krishna dance group (PC-Shikhaa Sharma)

During my research, I came across below facts about Israel

• Its the only country in the world to draft women into its military service.
• Israel is so small that one can run through it east to west in two hours flat.
• Jerusalem, which is one of the oldest cities of the world and a holy land, receives about a thousand letters each year addressed to god.
• All Pakistani passports bear the inscription, "This passport is valid for all countries of the world except Israel."
• Dead Sea in Israel is the lowest point on earth
• Apart from Silicon-Valley, Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world.

Happily Satisfied or Satisfactorily Happy

So it seems that I have reached at the top of the pyramid called Maslow's hierarchy of human needs or its an early onset of mid-life crisis. But whatever it is, it has forced me to put my thinking cap on and ponder upon important aspects of self actualization/fulfillment. Lightning struck soon after leaving me wondering, What is more important - Happiness or Satisfaction?

Happiness is a state of mind, a positive emotion which brings a state of well being. As an individual we all indulge in positive sensory experiences do things, look for things that make us happy. Satisfaction is about meeting an expectation, being content with life and being sufficient enough in your own ways. And yes, satisfaction is definitely not an emotion. It may be apt to say that money can't buy you happiness but those who have it, know the satisfaction.

When people say that satisfaction lies in having all the answers to the problem while happiness is having no problems at all, I scratch my head hard thinking about the innumerable possibilities of problems occurring in our grand dramas of life.

It’s worth thinking about standards of a satisfied life and the possibilities for happiness and joy in our lives.

Seeking the Great "Perhaps"

We live..we die, and everything in between is our quest to attain an insight as to why we were here in the first place.


Sitting in my patio under the afternoon sun and looking out at the brown-green grass carpet around me, the simplicity that I see around is in direct contrast to the complexity inside me. And here I mean, the complexity of my mind and heart not in the routine way that they work, but in the psychological way.
We all undertake the arduous journey of life in search of our Great Perhaps, be it going to school/college, getting a job,seeking for our soulmates or towards a goal of sacrificing and giving endless love during parenthood. The only "If" is that - If we were empowered enough to see the endless train of ramifications that result from our smallest hooplas. If only...
The only way out of this labyrinth is to never get hopeless and continue the search. Because..
"Without hope life is meaningless. Without hope life is meaning less and less."

Whenever one sits back and think in retrospect, there would be a zillion moments where just a thought about, "Perhaps", would have changed the course of our lives.

During our times on earth, there would be so many of us who would have to live with things done and things left hanging on any day. Things that could have gone right, some that weren't meant to happen or things that seemed OK initially. But because we cannot foresee future, clinging to that "Perhaps" is all we do at the end of it.

P.S. - "I go to seek a Great Perhaps" were the last words of the poet Francois Rabelais. And these words have been  talked about in the book "Looking for Alaska" by John Green, in great depth.

From Femi-NIST to Femi-NAZI

For India, feminism is the need of the hour, but its interpretation has been twisted, battered and bruised. In concept, Feminism has a noble agenda of achieving equality between the sexes, right to vote, be educated, freedom to work, equal pay for same work etc etc. But this etc etc does not include hating men, praising slut hood, showing off bra straps. Feminazis, on the other hand,  have have decided to throw the noble concept of feminism away and act crazy. Rather than achieving one goal — women equality — it’s become an autocratic coercion, where supporters are required to walk in cerebral chains, timid to think differently than the leaders of the movement.

And here's why they are called Femi-NAZIs

1. Reservation -  Frankly, the seat reservation for females in buses and other means of transport is uncalled for as  reserving the seat might not make a man respect a woman. Instead, Its shouting -out-loud that woman is physically weak and incapable to even stand on her legs. 

2. Shouting-out-loud - So yes, sometimes the feminazis are just acting as high pitch bitches and being heard less. The volcano of feminist eruption has been so aggressive off late that most people fear of getting burnt in the lava of women empowerment. 

3. Confused Priorities - While the feminists are fighting against female infanticide, girl education, feminazis are on their own trip hogging limelight for issues such as, "My choice: to be size 0 or size 15", or ‘why should I cover my pack of sanitary napkin in black bag’.  

4. Men Stereotyping - Feminazis have mopped all men of the country with the same broom. Stereotyping men as wife-bashers, rapists etc is just ridiculous.

Feminazi in the making

5. Rage or Revolution - While feminism started as a revolution, feminazis have reduced it to some chal-beta-selfie-le-le-re kindda rage. Feminazis aim at wearing the skimpy clothes, late night partying,  being a rebel  without a reason as their focus areas,  giving a zilch care to the genuine concerns entailing women empowerment.

                                                                                                                                                                   

People deserve respect for their actions not for the gender they belong to. 

Seems Femi-NAZIs have  butchered the subject beyond recognition.