~ Reflections ~

While we try and comprehend the various changes the government has managed overnight in the status of J&K along with the freedom it has finally given Ladakh from being treated as a part of this highly militarized area, we have successfully managed to make both our neighbours curse the Indian government simultaneously. The debate, on whether this move will lead to consequences - good, bad and ugly - is an endless one.. with people from all quarters saying different things.The ones who will actually face the music are the ones staying in this area, be it the internal lock down or the sudden alertness on the border. If it were not for our inherent patriotism, it would be difficult (from a humanitarian perspective) to decide whether the consequences being faced at the border and in the state are justified. While a lot of these discussions end in a heated manner, with strong views on the Defense of the country, the conclusion, more often than not, remains the same - that t...

We expect something great... We gush towards the outcome... All roads seem to head in the right direction... Then suddenly, Life seems to slam the brakes.. And we realize that a moment is all it takes... For all the hopes to come crumbling down.. To loose what we thought we had found.. It only makes one realize that we are a mere pawn... Dancing to the tunes from dusk to dawn... And then again, we begin to find hope.. And again we think, we hold the rope !

We might have millions of people around.. .  Well-wishers who want the best for you..  But finally, our decisions are something  we have to deal with on our own.  Does it mean that we are lonely? Maybe.  But even if you were cushioned in a life full of loving people, these are the battles you have to fight all alone. 

Boredom is a funny thing. Or maybe our mind is. When we are overworked, we look forward to a phase of no work... and as soon as we hit such a patch, we crave for work. Wonder if there is anything called a Balanced work-life.

Almost on a daily basis, the newspapers and online portals seem to carry news regarding rapes, acid attacks and other such hate crimes, driven not out of desperation but a vile sense of self accomplishment or fulfillment. Often I wonder if the society has just become more violent, or if the media is more receptive to such news, or if the person who has undergone the trauma have now started coming out in the open. Either ways, it is scary to think that we live in a world where such vile thoughts are so common place, and worse still, that such people continue with their lives while the ones who take these encounters head on and survive them are called 'victims'. I am not sure what needs to be done to make the society more live-able. One thing is for sure. It isn't the supposed 'victim' who needs to be treated but the mindset of those who do these things. Also, society at large needs to be made more accountable. Most of us seem to be happy living our cosy liv...

Wonder what to make of it... when all the people you treat as friends seem to disappear... and you are left with ... just people around you... Does that mean you are past your time ?  Is it just time to leave now ? Why can't we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together? I guess that wouldn't work.  Someone would leave. Someone always leaves.  Then we would have to say good-bye. I hate good-byes.  I know what I need. I need more hellos. ~ Charles M Schulz

Thanks to the fantastic weather outside, I decided to go on a drive - windows rolled down, with cool breeze playing with my hair... I was beginning to travel into a different world..... till a blaring horn brought me back to the noisy roads of Delhi. I concluded that it was no longer possible to enjoy the weather by driving through the city, as there would always be some moron ready to honk you back to reality ! Please use the horn only when it is absolutely necessary or is a matter of life and death. No point being so noisy anyway !!

We seem to be a generation living in absolute contrasts. Most of us seem to be living our lives online, constantly "posting" every trivial thing we do on social network, be it facebook, instagram, linkedin, yet we fail to live the moment passing us by. Ironically, what we should try to discuss and debate are the exact thoughts we seem to carefully guard. It is as if we like the walls we build. Life would be so much easier if we weren't caged in the walls we built.

Magnanimity doesn't have a defined form. Or lets just say that one can encounter it in any shape and size, in any place... especially where one least expects it. Recently, a colleague narrated a similar story about the Assam Riots of 2012 , due to which many were rendered homeless and often, orphaned. But that's not why I have been in awe ever since. This absolutely inconspicuous colleague (also from Assam) told me how his room mate (whom he calls his brother) lost his parents in these riots when he was a teenager... How he saw his family being burnt alive with his own eyes. The surprising part is that he, as if he was stating the obvious, mentioned that this boy has been with him ever since, and he is now his guardian, and ensures his well being, both mental and physical. He is ensuring that he studies well (proudly admitting that he recently topped his class in DU) and he has already started preparing for IAS. Why I am even more in awe is because the supposed guardian ...

All of us chose our battles to fight. It could be about participation, breaking free, self assertion or just stating your mind. And more often than not, it all starts with small steps. Stating facts, setting examples and then sighting them, to make it seem normal, till it becomes the new normal. Gilette's ad on breaking stereotypes is one such example.