To Hell and Back!

Ah! Last three weeks and my birthday; I am ever going to remember this time and the lessons I have learned thus far. Ironically, life gifted me a hospital stay on my birthday and I braved not just the agony that came along, but also the misery of not being able to be happy and accept the blessings and good wishes that came from all over.

So, it is of paramount importance for me to share with you all my takeaways from this episode. First thing first, I would suggest you to rather stay away from allopathic treatments and the concerned doctors, for they are in the ‘market’ to squeeze every penny out of your insurance cover and thereon your pocket. I am not even talking about any massive disease for you to possess to experience this pain; like me, you could just have a viral fever and lo! all that they would see in you would be a potential business client.

Their ‘symptomatic’ treatment would not just suck a lot of blood out of you in the name of the necessary tests that they would have to do, but also give you plenty of strong medicines which would surely make you weaker than your original ‘sick self’. Honestly, I have no more faith left in doctors working with private firms, for I see cretins in them, who are there to do everything but drag you out of the situation. Their treatments and the after-effects would make you sigh with several new problems which weren’t even there when you approached them for help.

When you are sick, you turn the lives of everyone around you upside down. The trauma of your physical condition affects them mentally and they become sad, too. That’s really a sorry thing, for you don’t want to see the people who love you the most as miserable. The ugly part is that you would seldom be able to do a thing except for getting alright faster and staying cheerful mentally. I have seen that the physical pain quivers at the thought of mental happiness. Just try to think about everything that makes you happy and don’t let the pain come to your face. This way, everyone around you would also exude positivity for they would see you improving.  

I seriously urge you all to be healthy and forever thankful for not having to visit a hospital. Trust me, it would always cost you lesser to take care of your health than to pay hospital bills. The pain that comes as a bonus in the latter case would make you want to become a fitness freak. Three things – mind, body and soul – God has never really complicated things for us; it is us who have devised tons of new languages to make business while eluding our own brethren.       

There would always be situations like what happened to me, even when I was regular at gym, calculative about my diet and cautious of my lifestyle and for all these times, just be ready with a reliable health insurance policy. That’s all there’s to say.

I sincerely wish that good times always prevail and bad times never show their ugly face. This birthday, I have pledged to lead an even healthier life and I wish for a hospital-free life for all of you, too.

A Blessing Like You!

This day will always be special to me and to everyone I hold close, for it is your birthday today!

I don’t know where and how time flies, but here we are, all grown up, mature and all the bullcrap they would love to call us. On the flipside, we are still the li'l cubs who love to curl up in our mother’s lap, telling her all our problems and feeling light.

Since the time I opened my eyes to today, you have been a critical part of my existence and I hold this very close to my heart. While fighting and bickering back in childhood, I never knew I would start revering you when I would be grown up! There has been a phase in life when I hated your intrusion in my matters, but I am surprised to look back today and find it all pragmatic. I thank you for silently supervising what I ever did (haha)! ☺

All this time, one thing that I didn’t realize was how you have grown as a person. This boy, a rebel, I know has actually become a man of honor. I see a caring and loving person in you and this really fills me up with immense joy. I thank God that He chose me to be your sister. I would pray, with all my might, to get this privilege in every birth.

If ever there was a match of your brotherhood versus my sisterhood, you would have won by the biggest margin ever. I failed to have done anything impressive for you till date and yet you love me so much. I actually fail to find the reasons why ☺  

I am amazed how you have become my papa after papa. Bhai, here’s your first baby! ☺

You hold this space in my heart and our dadda will have to shift a bit in his chair to accommodate you there. ☺   

Despite the distance, you have been there for me, always standing like a wall. I cannot thank you enough for this. Deep down my heart, I am always sending you good vibes and truly wish that you be happy in all your endeavors and lead a life truly worthy.

Sending you one tight hug and a lot of puchheees!

I love you!

Too Often to Notice

There’s some effort it demands – self-love is never easy. There she goes, loving herself to perfection. There’s so much to look after, after all. The hair, the skin, the teeth, the nails… the list never ends. If done continually, self-love seeps into one’s lifestyle to become a habit and there you go, practicing this as a mundane task to the extent that you hate any aberrations from what you termed as ‘perfect’.

She was a goddess to an onlooker, a masterpiece, someone who was just flawless the way she was. It was hard to take eyes off her, her looks and her style was too ideal to be true. For herself, she had forgotten how amazing she looked. She seldom realized what impact she had on the people she worked with. The goddess that she was not just made hundreds turn heads for a second glance, but also made several skip their heartbeats when she giggled. The fragrance she wore added magnetism to her aura, almost like giving her mysterious powers. THIS man who she lived with had to be the luckiest for getting her for life. He couldn’t have complimented her enough, for his appreciation would have been the real fuel to her smile.

Snap out of this to another land of male charmers. This boy here could well be touted as the dream man for any girl. It seemed as if God had taken a few days off work to sculpt his physique. He, honoring the blessing he had received, took special care in building his body, presenting it the way it was meant to be. He redefined masculinity, giving a fresh benchmark to millions of women to look up to in a male. He didn’t know how women around her sighed imagining him around them, all alone. He, indeed, put in great efforts to keep his best traits up. He was someone, who would be a pleasure to look at, let alone the thought of having him over you. THIS woman who has his to keep should have been forever grateful to him for have chosen her over others. She would have sung praises, cherished him forever and pampered him to happiness.

Alas, we see these diamonds we live with every day, but we see them too often to notice their charm, their sparkle. What if we get to know that our souls are like those tiny plants, vying for love and appreciation? What if we saw that the auras shone brighter when they were caressed and treasured? What if every day was not treated as ‘ordinary’? Woah!

Hold that special person close, praise them for what more or little they do, pamper them with what they love the most, notice their quirks and manners and give an ear to what they say. You never know, this might just change your equation with love forever!  

I will pass through this, O Lord

I will pass through this, O Lord, 

I will play along all through.

I will stay strong and smile,

Never surrender, repent or rue.

I will pass through this, O Lord,

For I look forward to what this will lead to.

I will stand through the storm,

For I know there’s a lot still left to do.

I will pass through this, O Lord,

For I trust in your game plan.

I will stay determined and focused,

As I know I will and I can.

I will pass through this, O Lord,

I know I am your favorite child.

Seldom would you let your fans down,

let alone testing a Godchild.

I will pass through this, O Lord,

for while you look at the bigger picture,

I get anxious, jittery and what not,

Narrowing my vision to pixels.

I will pass through this, O Lord,

For patience and perseverance are my virtues to possess,

And I know I am in safe hands,

while you carry me through stress,

I will pass through this, O Lord,

For I’ve heard your best warriors last the longest,

Diamonds are a result of tough times,

Turmoil, pressure and pain at their best.

I will pass through this, O Lord,

Because I know I am made for big things,

And while ordinary living is easy,

Your love for me will be the wind beneath my wings!

Where are All the Good Women at?

They say everything goes redundant with time, but the flavor of the past remains as classic as that of a vintage wine. The generation which usually bears the brunt of the passing time is most often the one which has seen the old and the new enough to be able to compare.

Back in time, unlike the twenty first century, a woman would grow manifolds having passed any age milestone. The wisdom in a young, a teenage, a married, a mother or the eldest woman in the family would eventually ripen with time. You could always bank on any advice you would receive from a woman who read good books, including mythology. They commanded respect, never having to demand it. Seldom they would have been fit for the corporate world, but running a house was no less an art that they excelled in.

In my late twenties now, I miss meeting that breed of women. The gravity they acquired in their persona with time, the influence they had on anybody they met and the unique life manuals they designed around their existence was akin to bible for anybody looking for an inspiration. Having learnt from life first-hand and developed a judgment powerful enough to be challenged, these ‘ammas’ or ‘akkas’ belong to a genus close to extinction.

There was a lesson with every experience, a reason behind every custom, a practice for every ritual and a discipline set by that woman in the house – this discipline was what kept the family running like an institution, a clear role for each member.

Two viruses, in my opinion, contaminated the DNA of the new generation, low thinking and shallow living. This is where we lost the battle – blame it on the reasons like social media, a mockery called equality or a habit of changing skin with the modern time – the character is now open for sale. Modern women need to catch up with what the benchmark foremothers have set, for the damage has already been done by the estrogen-fueled, post-feminist mess and the result is out for everyone to witness – frigging women are laughing over serious issues and crying over petty matters. Where have all the good women gone? 

Read more here: That One Lady in the House

Somewhere in the Progress, Evenings were Lost

Also published on Women's Web at: When The Evenings Are Lost On Our Road to Success!

Talk about the era of empowerment, women standing shoulder-to-shoulder with men in every sphere possible and the increasing competition in the corporate environment. The will to succeed, earn more and lead a comfortable life ‘in the future’ has left little in hand for the time called ‘now’ and the phase called ‘youth’.

Back in the 90’s, per a 90’s kid, there was a clear definition and purpose attached to each portion of the day, be it morning, afternoon or, my favorite, evening. One was supposed to get up, perform daily rituals, including praying, and report to work in the morning, work till evening and head to home by the later part of it. The latter leg of the evening was a time for pure pleasure, to be spent doing things which brought delight of the ‘company’ back home. It also marked having five-o-clock tea along with light supper and talking all sort of things, which happened by the day.

Evenings have been such an understated part of the day that the role they play in toning a day down to the ground level has always been overlooked. Thanks to the shift timings most of us have to work in today, in order to stay aligned with our Western counterparts, reaching home by evening seems like an unrealistic dream, which is leaving us with dreamless slumber to be had in the night. The night, which is meant to take the ground level of the energies to the top-most notch in order to carry the progression of the next day, is now overburdened to encompass the supper time, the talking time and the leisure time. Therefore, this poor chap does nothing and even eats up the sleep time, which is often spent idealizing the day in retrospect or just playing with the technology.

If you’d ask an ambitious male or a female if they would be willing to work till late in order to get more in terms of professional fulfillment, I bet you’d seldom hear a ‘no’. Thus begins the clichéd saga of the modern day professionals and their idea of ‘success.’ So, today, we don’t talk unless necessary, eat unless required and, of course, sleep until we are compelled to by our bodies. In all this daily grind and hunger for more, we have lost an asset, a blessing, the evenings.

Welcome to the new age of ambiguity, we do whatever whenever whatsoever.