Drown

 

He didn't know where this little boat was taking him, but he was glad to get some piece of quiet from the dark nights back home. His little ears couldn't take anymore gunshot sounds or wailing. His Papa always told him to put cotton in his ears and sleep, but the cotton itched his skin and he often spent nights scared out of his mind as he feel asleep to the wails of women all around him and firing. He always wondered if this is what children all over this world listened to as they too slept but Papa always told him that children across the big blue ocean from his house slept to the sounds of crickets and frogs croaking and on most nights to no sound at all.

Feeling sleepy, he hid his tiny head under his Papa's shoulder as the salty breeze tickled him to sleep. After countless nights of no sleep, he had a dream. He was sitting in a boat just the same as the one he was sitting in right now, as a big wave hit the boat as it rocked dangerously. He felt her eyes on him, burning holes through his tiny back, as she watched his family fall into the big blue ocean. He saw that his mother had stopped struggling to keep afloat, as she pushed him towards a bright orange tube. She suddenly went as still as the body he saw outside his pavement of his house back home, except his mother smelled of salt and sea weed instead of the unbearable rotten smell that came out of that body. His papa was nowhere in sight. When she suddenly turned towards him and almost lovingly waved her arms around his fragile little body as though showering him with kisses. Almost as if she knew that he would fall from the boat and would need support. Not to mention, the stillness and peacefulness that came with her kisses and hugs, almost made him forget that she was a stranger and that she might be dangerous. Throwing caution to the wind, he took her cold but somehow warm hugs and clung to her as everyone else got washed away. He held on with both his tiny arms as she lulled him to sleep. Had he known his wasn't a dream and he had been lulled to death, maybe then his tiny body wouldn't have been washed ashore on the pearly white beaches of Turkey as Mother Nature swept his sleeping lifeless body on the beach, the waves kissing his cold cheek relentlessly, as he looked deep in slumber; for the whole of humanity to cry out in pain. 

Days

The soft wind swept her sticky face, tickling her as she felt her eyelids drop and the humidity and stickiness of the sun made her even sleepy as she dragged her foot forward to the taxi stand. She had just stepped out of the train station and had another half an hour journey calling her name as she sun beat down her back and she cursed herself for not putting any sunscreen as she felt her dusky Indian skin cry is horror as it turned two shades darker. She could almost hear her mother's monologue in the background, "Who will marry you? Nobody likes a dark skinned girl." Her inner snark already rebutting with a "Yes, the whole point of  my life is to marry a boy, mother dear." Her heart panged at the thought of her mother as she became terribly homesick. Living in a PG away from home can only be exciting for so long before one starts miss their family.
Her turn to catch a taxi finally came, as she paid for her prepaid cab and waited for the cab to arrive. The bright yellow taxi almost hurt their eyes in the hot tropical sun as the cabbie smiled amicably and opened the door for her. The chill of the AC offered some respite to her sticky hot skin as he started the drive home. With nothing to do, she studied the cabbie's profile. Long nose, wrinkled skin, a small button nose with a bushy black moustache and curly black hair, he was a stark resemblance of her uncle back in her home town. He smiled politely when he suddenly asked her name. Skeptically she told her first name. His eyes suddenly sparkled and he told his name as Rajesh Kumar and that he was from South India from the state of Tamil Nadu. Hearing stories about kidnapping and rape cases among public services, she was on alert as to why this stranger was telling her all thing about his life. He went on to ask what she was studying and where she was from. Not reading any signs of psychopathic or murderous sign from the cabbie, she curtly gave him one reply words, hoping he would get a hint. But the simpleton not reading her signs, went on to talk about his family, his nephew who is studied in the same college as her and is now in Canada, about his two daughters, how he misses his family who he left back in Tamil Nadu in hope of providing them better, his two daughter who are studying in 10th and 8th and getting all scholarships and straight A's, and lastly his wife's cooking. She may not have been interested in talking to him before, but she recognised something she hadn't before; his eyes. She saw the same sad eyes as hers, eyes that were missing the familiarity of their home and warmth of their family. She politely smiled and nodded and listened intently to everything he said. Just as they reached her destination, he turned back and smiled so sincerely, all her doubts and coldness melted as he said, "Thank you for talking to me so nicely. I work all day and drop passengers from here to there, but most are too busy on their phones or don't want to talk to me as I'm a cabbie. Do you know I wait to go home so I can talk to people? My friends and family are tired of hearing me talk, and keep telling me to shut up, but I need to make up for the silence I hold the whole day. But you listened and didn't shut me down completely. So thank you Miss!" She laughed as she paid him as she felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment for the suspicion she felt for this simple man. His cute crooked smile filled her lungs with cheer as she told him, "You and I, are outsiders who are surviving in this city for the betterment of our families. I know the feeling and hope his helps you to go on a holiday to visit them." as left him a generous tip and she walked to her PG.
"You made my day miss." he said.
''No, you made mine."


PS
This is actually an incident that occurred to me. Just added some spice but I really liked his man. It was such a pleasure to have met him.
Dear Rajesh Kumar, wherever you are, I hope you're doing well. I'm sorry for my indifference and I hope you see your family soon.

Until next time readers
xxxx

Equal Love

So as everyone is aware, the American Government made history by declaring equal marital rights and dignities to the gays and lesbians. It's a remarkable win for all its citizens and a damn well reason to be proud of it's government. I couldn't be more happier for the LGBTQ community; it's a massive well deserved win.

Now while we can share their happiness, our LGBTQ community is far from celebrating this achievement with the Indian government making gay rights the least of their worries. Now I'm not saying the government is sitting and fiddling with their thumbs, I know there are a million other issues being sorted out, but freedom to choose who you marry, who you can love is a fundamental right that cannot be denied because you think homosexuality is "unnatural". I'm not going to try and change your views on homosexuals. That's something that is personal according to me and the orthodox nature of our ancestors are too deep rooted to change by reading a few words.

Yes, we may be one of the few countries in the world to recognise a 3rd sex: Transgenders, but has that really changed the dynamics? Hijra's (aka transgenders) are still not given as much dignity in our society as asked, they're not given the same job opportunities as males or females, just maybe the right to vote. Most still spend their lives begging at street corners. But at least the court and the law legally recognises them. The gays and lesbians aren't even recognised as natural humans and are given the status of outer-space species or aliens or clinically challenged.
Since the time the Indian Government back in 2013 declined to repeal section 377, homophobia has been on the rise. Supporters of the LGBTQ community have been worried that by criminalising homosexuality, gays and lesbians are venuerable to police or public brutalities and homophobia.
Recently Mr Gay who represented that gay community on international platforms withdrew from a pageant as he was scared to death by the homophobic people who sent his family death threats and warnings. One boy was reported almost beaten to death by fellow classmates who justified it as a cleansing process and to make him "straighter". Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't realise that a boy liking his own sex is disrupting your life and causing problems in your life. Indians and their pigheadedness can never fail to surprise me.

We might have gay pride and walks, but I feel it's more of an act of rebellion against the court's decision rather than concentration on the real issues at hand and fighting for whats right. Now I'm not saying that gay prides are a farce, they're very much real and relevant. But voicing and fighting for basic fundamental rights are lost in the background noise.

And to all the bigot's who think of homosexuality as ''unnatural" and think gays and lesbians should go to a doctor to get themselves checked and cure them as "straight.", I'm sorry that someone's preference to love and marry their own gender is harming you. I didn't know that homosexuality is highly contagious and now somehow you'll be pooping rainbows and boys will start dressing as girls and girls as boys. And this other million dollar question as to; how can they produce kids? It's scientifically and medically impossible. There is something known as adopting and I'm sorry but I didn't realise that the whole point of loving someone and marrying them is to have kids. Then why don't you shun every infertile couple out there?
 Oh my just imagine the horror. Someone living the life they want can actually affect your happiness and life so just save on the trouble and shun these people by calling them outer galactic species and aliens or send them death threats so that they live and die in the closet.

Yes, I'm a straight girl who supports gay rights, and I hope to see a day when I don't have to support them just as they don't need to support me for being heterosexual. I hope every citizen of this country is given the right to love, marry, court, have relations with any person they wish irrespective of their gender.
As Macklemore rightly said: I might not be the same but that's not important. No freedom 'till we're equal damn right I support it.

Now you may or may not support it. But you sure as hell don't have the right to outcast and derogate them as unnatural and send them to witch doctors to be cured. Don't hate them cause you don't share their beliefs or understand their love, but give them the same amount of respect as they give you. You don't see them being heterophobic now, do you? All I'm asking is to show them such respect and dignity, as they to you.

Waiting for the day where love conquers all in my country too ❤️ 

Until next time readers!
XXXX

Out of the box

So as many of you are aware of the recent news that has broken the Internet about the very controversial reality TV series family called the Kardashians. Love them, hate them, don't care about, they've always got the media going into a frenzy with their bold family values and tactics. But you must have heard of Bruce Jenner who underwent hormone replacement therapy and has come out as  a trans woman; Caityn Jenner.
Who's Bruce jenner? He is a former American field track and field athlete whose has won a gold  medal in the men decathlon event at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Who's Caityln Jenner? The former named Bruce Jenner who has finally come out to the world after struggling for most of her life with her sexuality. Nothing has changed, Bruce and Caityln are the same person with just different names.

As we are born, we are recognised clinically as a boy or a girl by doctors. There's no grey area with your gender. You're born as a certain sex, boom. No questions asked you're either a male or a female. There's no blurred lines, no stepping over boundaries. But what if you aren't fitting in these two boxes of labels? You don't identify as a male or female? Does that mean you don't have any box to tick and now you're an out caste?
NO.

Here's a few words that dictionary.com has added as binary gender words

1. AGENDER
(adj) nothing or relating to a person who doesn't have any specific gender identity or recognisable gender expression.
 (noun) a person who is agender.

2. BIGENDER
(adj) Also bigendered. Nothing or relating to a person who has two gender identities or a combination  of both.
(noun) a person who is bigender

3. GENDER FLUID
(adj)nothing or relating to a person whose gender identity or gender expression is not fixed and shifts over time or depending on the situation.
Also genderfluid, gender fluid, gender-flexible
Now, lets be clear, people who identify themselves under any of these three words have their private parts intact. They're not transgender. NO, they've NOT got their private leached or any such absurd theory running down the rumour hill.

There are some bold people who've identified themselves under these binary terms and are changing our views about these unique people who just don't fit in the gender box ideals of society's realms. There's the stunning Ruby Rose who has come out as gender fluid through her critically acclaimed video- Break Free.  Or the Crocker jeans company's ad starring the stunning Erica Linder with the apt tag line of ''Come as you are. Whatever you are." (If you've got time, I implore you to check these videos on YouTube)

These agender people are changing the deep rooted dynamics of the industry and society. There's a modelling agency called Unique Models that let girls model for men's wear or binary gender clothes. Or boys for girls wear. Now when I say girls/boys wear I strictly mean it in the literal sense of the societies ideas of gender clothes which we all have accepted.
Also let me tell you, these androgynous models are slaying in their respective fields and do it with a finesse of glamour that is shocking and unparalleled beautiful.

Now you may not accept these uniquely out of the box people as normal; Or mix up some homophobic medical or religious issues as shunning these people as "abnormal." That's a choice that's completely and solely yours and I can have no say in it and nor am I interested. All I do want to say is that - One does not have to fit our archaic societal rules set in the 80's to not live the way they want. Respect someones decisions to not identify as your idea of gender but to live as whichever whatever gender they want to.
ALSO
If you're confused about a stranger's gender in public?
Here's a tip
DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.

And as Crocker jeans aptly said it- Come as you are. WHATEVER you are. 

Untill next time readers
xxx

10 Reasons Why Pune is like no other place

1. The Weather

Whether it's the Monsoon season, Summer, Autumn or Winter; Pune has a way of beautifully wearing its seasonal veil with a nice breeze to always suite your mood. Being a student oriented population, this city's weather is perfect for every adventure to be taken.

   

2. The Rich Heritage Sites

From the Aga Khan Palace to Sinhagad Fort to Vetill Hill; One never tends to run out of places to see and reminisce about this country's stunning architecture and rich heritage. The haunting stories of the palaces to the battles stories of the whispering ghosts of the forts, Pune has a way of singing the songs of past glory.

Aga Khan Palace

Sinhagad Fort 

                                                                                      

3. The Food

Pune is a foodie's heaven. Its has a very cosmopolitan background to cater for all cuisines from Chinese to Italian to European. From the juicy burgers from Burger Barn to the Vada Pav from Joshi's Vada Pav to Nile's biryani to the famous and lip smacking Shrewberry biscuits to Budhani chips to Chitale's sweets and namkeen to Vaishali's veggie friendly delicacies, Pune is literally a food paradise. 

Chitale's famous bakarwadi

Shrewsbury Biscuits 

  

  

4. The Nightlife

Pune has always been considered a very safe city for women. It's buzzing nightlife is very active during weekends where the local pubs and restaurants have amazing deals and with some or the other local celebrity music bands playing, to keep the dance floor pumping while local auto rickshaws are always available as local transport.There are always some local plays at the theatre or the cinema halls flooded with movie buffs, the city is alive on weekends and will be sure to give you weekends blues the coming Monday morning. 

Local pubs 

A concert at a local pub

5.  Shopping

Pune caters to every whim of a shopaholic, from street shopping at FC road or antique artefacts or furnisher at Juna Bazaar; to sandal shopping for the famous Osho Ashram slippers to the top notch brands at the many malls, everything is found here. The local street shopping is very pocket friendly and one can get everything- from clothes to jewellery in these shops. One's bargaining skills are definitely going to improve while shopping here. If this hustle bustle is not cut out for you then the many shopping malls with hundreds of international brands are always there. 

Women shopping at the local market

Amanora Mall

6. Local connectivity

Pune has the perfect location for weekend get-aways to Lonavala- a scenic drive among green mountains to this beautiful hill-station.  The beautiful Pune-Mumbai expressway is a smooth drive to the city that never sleeps- Mumbai, a coastal metropolitan city which is one of India's leading growing cities. Pune is also well connected by road to other states like Goa, Karnataka, Andra Pradesh.

Mumbai-Pune expressway

A tunnel on the expressway

7. The Pune Racecourse

The Pune Racecourse is an open 118.5 acres lush green filed where most of the local horse-racing and Polo matches take place. Its is controlled by the Army Cantonment area and is very well looked after. Matches are often held where the locals can watch and enjoy with a delicious brunch at the Truf Club. Many tournaments are also held here. 

The Pune Racecourse

Horse racing 

8. Places of Worship

Pune is known for its famous Dagadusheth Halwai Ganapathi temple where the Lord Ganesh is worshipped. People where all around India come to worship here and see its beauty. The St Mary's School Church is another such place which was built during the British rule and is one the oldest churches with beautifully draped glass windows. Or the Pataleshwar rock caves which is another heritage site. 

9. Osho Ashram 

The perfect place to kick back relax and learn and study the science of meditation. The stillness in the air and the aura of peacefulness and oneness that radiates from this place is one of a kind. People from all around the world come here to meditate. This ashram also offers ancient techniques for cleansing the body and modern original music as well. A place for absolute seredity and peace.

A devotee meditating at the ashram

The Osho Garden

10. Green City

Pune is known as a green city owing to the lush green tress and landscapes that adorn the city. It also has many beautifully landscaped gardens which are every nature lovers paradise. From the Botanical gardens in Empress Gardens to the quite beauty of the Osho Garden to the fountains of Bund Garden, Pune is truly a sight for sore eyes in terms of natural green tress.

The Flower Festival at Empress Garden 

A fountain in the Bund Garden Park

Pune's vast diversity and the amicable people of this city make it one of the best cities to intern in. So if you are looking for a place to intern, whether you are an international or local student, everyone and anyone is welcomed into this beautiful city which has many doors to open for social interaction and leadership opportunities. 

So if interested, what are you waiting for? To register yourself and log onto to aisecinpune.in and enjoy what this city has to offer firsthand. 

The Runaway Girl

She didn't know where she was going. Hell, she didn't even recognise the street she was in, but somehow her feet kept walking ahead as if they had a mind of their own. Her 3 dollar overpriced iced tea was melting; spilling a trail of droplets on the footpath while the sun shone brightly, almost blinding her as she tried to shield the sun's rays from her eyes.
All she was sure of, was the fact that she wanted to get as far away as she could from her friends and family. She was tempted to check her phone, just to see how many voice message they would leave but decided against it as she strutted along. The sun's rays were too strong for her eyes to continue without blinding, so she decided to walk into a nearby cafe to eat a scone, just as her tummy grumbled as if purring in delight. She had forgotten in the chaos of events that she'd forgotten to eat her lunch. She purchased a sandwich, scone and a cold coffee and set out to sit down and eat, when she realised that the cafe was already filled up with people and not one seat was empty.
Feeling delirious of the things that have happened to her from morning, she decided spontaneously to ask the waiter if there was a garden nearby where she might take respite from the heat and have some piece of mind, when the waiter smiled and told her, '' I'm just about to take a break, and am going to the garden too, if you want I could take you there.'' She grinned broadly and said, ''Wonderful, please lead the way,''. Just to be clear- she was not an outside person.
As they walked, she ponder about the stranger and if it was a rash decision to just blindly follow a stranger in a part of a town she'd never ventured into. But then she saw in the distance the evident crooked gate of a public park and the sounds of children's gleeful laughter.
He looked about her age, if not older, she was so rapped about her head that she hadn't noticed that he had the most strange coloured eyes, a mix of lilac and orange. His eyes were so strange and yet so beautiful, she couldn't help but stare at this angular profile, when he turned to her suddenly she swiftly looked away, her cheeks turning a bright pink. But he just gave her a mysterious smile and with a far away look in his eyes, he said goodbye and took his leave.
Still not able to get his eyes out of her mind, she found the shade of an oak tree and ate her food suddenly wondering if she should call someone to pick her up from here. She definitely didn't know the way and she was starting to worry, an ache building in her head when she heard the rustling of bushes and a man's voice swearing loudly in words she knew her mom would make her clean her mouth with soap. She turned back and saw the boy who bought her here, holding out his toe as if he had stumbled it on the nearby park bench as he nursed his toe. She quickly ran to him to see if he was okay, when she saw he spread out his arms as if he was searching for something and soon enough he found the bench and pushed himself to the ground and sat on it. She wondered if it was maybe the sand had gotten into his eyes as he slid his hand into his pocket, and took out a small stick like thing which he unfolded and she realised it was a cane. He prodded around the bench when she found the parcel of food fallen on the ground, which he was probably looking for. Probably hearing her foot steps he turned to her as she picked up the parcel and gave it to him,  he said, ''I would have found the parcel myself, but thanks for the help." with a constrained smile. Then she saw him clearly for the first time, his eyes were glossy and a black pair of thick glasses hung from his front pocket which only a blind man is well versed with. She couldn't believe she had missed his calculated walk and his glassy eyes. Wordlessly she walked away.
As she walked back, she felt as if her problems were slowly drifting away and she thought of all the trails and tribulations that beautiful eyed boy goes through day and night. Her problems seemed almost childish and she had an sudden epiphany and wondered if she was always so over-calculating and rampant from running away when things were even a little difficult. Feeling as if this jigsaw puzzle in her mind had suddenly been completed, she strutted down that pathway, feeling a little less lost and perturbed from before, almost as if her mind had attained its inner tranquillity as she strutted again as if they had a mind of their own and for the first time she felt at one with herself. 

Society's Blood

Most of you people must be aware of a recent post about this one woman's woe when she was blocked from uploading a photo on a popular social site, which showed a blood stain on her bed sheet caused by periods. Also most are aware that the word 'periods' or 'menstrual cycle' is almost an offensive word in society though its a natural cause that occurs in all young girls and we are taught about the how and whys in school. The society almost shuns the usage of this word and it is a taboo especially if used in front of the opposite sex. We as women are made to mystify this natural phenomenal in our bodies and are made to hide our sanitary napkins, pads and tampons in black plastic bags under multiple layers of newspapers.

You see that girl mysteriously speed walking to the office bathroom holding a parcel under her coat? No, its not drugs, or a cigar or even a gun. Yep, you know it, it's a sanitary napkin. 

What I've always wondered since the first time I got mine was why did I have to buy and use a sanitary pad in such secrecy? Even missile attacks wouldn't have been plotted with such secrecy which we girls are taught as children to hide from our fathers, brothers and other male counterparts scrutiny. It's not like they don't know about it. Its somehow okay to talk about it in a reproduction class in school in grade 8 but not okay to talk about or even mention the word period in front of my father or brothers at home or my friends. Schools give us the whys and hows but don't give us the consequences we need to face for starting our menstrual cycle. It's self-implied.

Dear Society, yes we girls bleed for 40 years of our life. Yes we know you're aware of this fact too. But why should I have to hide this from you? Why am I made to mystify this natural cycle every month for 4-5 days? Why can't I sleep on my bed? Why can't I go into the kitchen? Why can't I visit a temple? Why can't the elders in my house touch me?

My mother told me that in the olden days people didn't allow girls to do such activities because they felt that the girl was impure during those 4-5 days and it was best to steer clear from her as she was moody and hormonal. If I pestered more she would shoo me off because either my father was around or someone else. This is such a hushed topic that its difficult to have an open dialogue. 

I've studied in an all girls school so I didn't have that many difficulties as opposed to co-ed schooled girls but I still hid my pads in a black cover and under my sweater to go to the washroom. When I entered a co-ed college I asked my classmate if she had a pad. The way she gave it to me was; with the utmost secrecy that even the Germans would have been impressed with. She took her bag and went under the table keeping me on the lookout so that no boy could even remotely see her and took out a black bag and a notebook which she nicely concealed it under and stuffed this book into my back pocket and threw her jacket over my back and quickly ushered me into the restroom. I didn't even have words for the efforts she must take at home considering she had two older brothers!

It's time to demystify this. It's getting ridiculous  day by day. Young women don't even tell their own mother or family members the first time they get their period for the fear of rejection that this phenomenal is associated with, and the many restrictions regarded by the family from now on. I know girls who've gone months without informing their family, that they've got their period. Some girls have a grudge with Hinduism because they're told not to enter multiple temples or not to touch people who are going to the temple or cannot eat certain foods. I know some girls who are not allowed to go out apart from school or sometimes even not then during these days. Is this a new height or what? 

In villages girls are made to sleep in a separate out house and given absolutely plain food of dal and rice during those days. They sleep on the floor and don't enter their house till it's over. 

But I'm so glad that this social stigma, though slowly, is being lifted. Women are getting more liberated to have an open debate about the restrictions with their family and friends and Unions are being set up by female and male advocates. What people don't understand is that this secrecy and mystifying is causing a division among the sexes and hampering the confidence and degrading this natural cycle that happens to every female organism in this world. It's time we speak up and re-think our ideas and values about this. Let's not make the future generations suffer like this. These are liberal times to live it and its damn well about time to start talking about this too. 

Here's a link to a campaign stared by Delhi University students about this topic.

http://www.scoopwhoop.com/news/menstrual-bleeding-is-natural/

Until next time readers 

xx