~ Reflections ~

Everyone (Households and Corporates included) seem to have suddenly taken this appreciation to celebrating Women's Day. Different aspects of equality including load sharing to gender equality seem to be touched on during the discussion and advertisements of the day. I often wonder if celebrating such a day is energy misdirected.. afterall equality and equal rights is not just a celebration for a day. It is something to be understood and absorbed. Needless to say, the trending 'feminist' views seem to push it to the next level..  Somehow, all of sudden, being confident as a woman seems to be equated to no need for marriage... being aware of our rights has translated into sessions about environment in workplace... all of it being discussed with and amongst women. When did being okay with being single become a feminist stand. I'd have understood if the narrative was that marriage is not only about getting someone to manage the house and kids but someone who...

Different people, different hues.. Different thoughts and different views.. Some persist without a thought.. Some resist without a doubt.. Irrespective of how the mind works.. It finally accepts people with their quirks.. And learns to dull the pain.. From dealing with the new change.. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. ~ Richard Bach ( Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah)

If one were to dwell on what defines a human... one would initially fumble on the usual suspects... But I don't think it matters whether the person is big or small, working or jobless, productive or unproductive, an addict or a saint...  What ultimately matters is how one treats the other person... both loved ones and strangers...

Each life is important and has its own impact. Even if we don't dwell deeper in realms like life and death and it's importance and consequences in each life, I feel we must think about each life in two contexts.  One, how will your loved ones deal with your death..  and second, how will you deal with the death of your loved one. Both these questions are equally important in realizing how independent or inter-dependent (as the case may be) are our minds and thoughts... It is difficult to say which is better or worse, whether their co-existence is the ideal kind of a relationship. This is not to say that we should move on in life dispassionately, so live in silos... after all the fewer beings you interact with, the easier it will be for anyone to get on... But living in silos to me is such a waste of a life... after all coexistence and interdependence is the beauty in this life.... Wondering if there is a right balance at all !!

So often we enter a comfort zone,  not wanting to let go of the pleasure of knowing what will come your way..  What to expect...  But as always,  life has other plans..  It takes special sadistic pleasure in turning your world upside down... One block moves,  and the whole world comes tumbling down...  The only bright side,  if you can all it that,  is you now have the experience and ability (hopefully)  to rebuild it all...  Obviously with a block missing,  it will look different,  and there will always be that missing link... 

As the calendar approaches the second fortnight of December, the mind but wanders.. It starts evaluating the year about to end.. and begins to contemplate on the good, the not - so - good, the bad and the ugly....  A rationale mind tries to derive some meaning and learning from all the revision of the past events, hoping that what has been experienced will only be bettered in times to come... A paranoid mind will wonder how quickly time went by, wondering what came out of the year that seems to be flying by... Either ways, both categories subsequently start wondering what their New Year resolutions should be... ideally something that hasn't been thought of in the past years.. both more often than not, these resolutions just fizzle out after a week or so in January itself... The more focused resolutions last a month or so... So this year, I've resolved not to get carried away with any specific New Year resolution just for the heck of it... I'll adopt the resolution...

Is what is it that you feel, when you say you feel pride in someone.. Is it right to talk about your pride only after the person is no more.... It is always easy to talk about someone in the past tense... But to express the same thing in the present.. That's much tougher...

A lot of people seem to confuse being alone with being lonely.  I beg to differ..... I have often been lonely in a crowd too ! Photo Credits: https://www.jackdogwelch.com/?p=13856

We are one confused species... we seem to strive for different things in each phase of life, and yet manage to be dissatisfied with the outcome... As kids, we wish to grow up... We have parents whom we'd love to over rule.. With each growing year, we become more independent, and seek money, career and similar trappings... and in th e process losing out time with people... I wonder how this would've been if it was the other way round... grew up as an adult and finally became a child, would I be more satisfied in life !?!

All of us have different associations with our grandmother.... but the strongest one, more often than not is the connection of food.. The delicacies my grandmothers used to make at my behest.. even the thought of it makes my mouth water even after all these years... Found this ad to be a perfect depiction of this love...  Credits: Catch Masala, Digital Campaign 2018, Ad Agency: Dentsu