Not Marble Nor The Gilded Monuments.

 

Not marble nor the gilded monuments

Of princes shall outlive this powerful rhyme,

But you shall shine more bright in these contents

Than unswept stone besmeared with sluttish time.

When wasteful war shall statues overturn,

And broils root out the work of masonry,

Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn

The living record of your memory.

'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity

Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room

Even in the eyes of all posterity

That wear this world out to the ending doom.

So, till the Judgement that yourself arise,

You live in this, and dwell in lovers’ eyes.

~WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

"Among the 154 sonnets Shakespeare wrote, this was the 55^th. The sonnet he wrote carries the memory of his friend. Its para phrasing is as follows-

The Princes and all the powerful people get their statues built so that they can be remembered forever. Nevertheless, those monuments would remain uncared for. They would be demolished with time either by humans, or by nature. However, Shakespeare's friend would live forever; shining in this sonnet for no one can destroy literary work.

Shakespeare calls war wasteful because it brings no good, just destruction. Therefore, will all the monuments and statues be destructed? But even god with all his powers won't be able to destroy this sonnet from the hearts of people. Even the work of masons would be forgotten with time. Wars are fire that burn everything including all the monuments, but it would never be able to destroy this sonnet for it would continue to live in the hearts of people."

Elegy To Chadwick.

We know in your culture, death is not the end! Sometimes we don't realise that we get attached to people until we stop to hear from them. We spend hours, days talking about their excellence, and a piece of our heart starts to belong with them, we admire them and no matter how much mature we grow, there character becomes an eternal part of our memory.

Dear Chadwick, 

You taught us to fight for what is rightfully ours, you taught us that power is suppose to be shared with others and that friends never leave your side during harsher times. Your philosophy of reel and real life inspired millions and you will always be remembered in our hearts.

‌We can write a thousand elegy for you, but there is nothing that we can do as concretely perfect as you.  You fought battles that only you know about and your perseverance of life is incomparable to anyone. You will always be my hero, Our Black Panther. The person who always stood for what is right no matter if it wasn’t easy or was an unknown leap of faith.

I cannot help but think how your movies made me feel a part of your resistance; they inspired me more to look up for a society that is racist free. Your biggest achievement in life will always be to inspire people to look at each other with kindness and help each other when needed irrespective of the cost.

With love from an admirer, you live in our hearts! Forever.

By: Hammy 

 

A Thought To Ponder!

It has been months now I have tried it all! Bit by bit I have tried to remain sane, but nothing seems to heal me. I do not know why but the songs we use to hear together do not make me happy anymore. The rides across the mountains do not feel serene anymore.

I wish to move on, to feel something, anything apart from this agony of ‘left behind’. There have been moments, when nothing made sense, the ushering sound of rain falling from sky, synched with my heartbeats.

For the record, I own this room but lately this far right corner, next to the window has been my home. Is it alright, if I say I feel this heaviness on my chest every time I breathe, as If reminding me of a lost pearl.  

I run into my brokenness repeatedly, I have cried my eyes bloody over the loss of you. I have tried but in vain to get out of these toxic patterns. I know the right thing is to move on, accept that it was your time and one day we will meet again.

Until then I have a life to live, for both of our sakes. I had and will always love you my heart!

By: Roma 

 

The Date!

“You lied.  Even after I gave you another chance, you lied.” Tears were rolling down my cheeks but he didn’t even bother to look at me. “You were with her last night, weren’t you?” I asked. He ignored. It’s enough now, I can’t be in this any longer. Not when I’m the only one trying to make it work and he’s hell-bent on ruining it. “We’re done,” I announced and got out of the car in the pouring rain, at least my tears would be less visible now.

I shook my head to get out of my thoughts. That was past. It shouldn’t bother me anymore. He’s gone now and I’m going to start afresh, with someone who actually cares. But I really can't do this on my own. Can't somebody else do it for me? I looked at the clock for the hundredth time, it's 04:23. The date is at 05:00 and I still couldn't decide what to wear. Clothes are scattered all over my bed, but none of them good enough. The jittery feeling I’m experiencing since morning is now extreme.

I took a deep breath and dived back into the depths of my wardrobe. Among an old pile of clothes, I found my old yellow sundress. I doubt if it would look nice. I've reduced a bit and grown taller since I last wore it but I tried it out anyway. It's a bit lose and shorter than I remember, but it gives me a decent look.

I opened my footwear drawer and quickly scanned it, deciding with grey flats. I looked at the clock again; 04:41. He didn't ask where we’re going to meet. So I texted him to meet me at the coffee house around the corner, then we’d leave together from there.

I’ve gone to nudge the interrogation from mom I’m going to tell her that I am going out with friends. As for me getting ready for it, it’s because we’d be clicking pictures.

I tried my best to make my hair look presentable but they still look kinda messy. I looked at my face in the mirror, then decided against make-up. But a little lip-bam won't hurt, right?

I looked at the clock again 04:54. He didn’t respond yet. He must be getting ready. But we still have to confirm our meeting place; I called him. It rang, for a while but he isn’t picking up. I tried my best not to jump to conclusions and waited for him to pick up. But he didn't. I texted him again to ask if he was busy or something. But he didn't reply.

Am I being stood up? No, of course not. He's a really nice guy and is so sweet. He would never do that. He would have called if something came up. I looked at the clock again, 04:59. I lied down on my bed, waiting for a call or a text even. What if he really stood me up?

I’m still lying on my bed. Its 5:48 and I still haven't received even a text. This was supposed to be my first date after the breakup.  I was really looking forward to it, I was excited.  Except this feels so much worse than the breakup. I saw that coming but this, I don’t know if it was intentional or if I should still be friends with him. I remember he had told me, ‘We have something.’ and I believed him. Was that a lie? Is he just another liar who’s gonna break my heart again? I really hope not. Should I stop trusting people? Because every time I do, they break it and then go away as if they never knew me. Is it going to be the same this time too?

I really have been stood up. The tears I was trying to hold escaped from my left eye. But just then, my phone rang!

By: Mahi
 

An Apology!

How can I ever have the specifics?

Expecting me to know what you think is terrific!

What goes around in that ally?

I do not possess any telepathy.

 

How can this thought be omitted?

Why am I being blamed for the sins you believe I committed?

You go on lengths; explicitly embarking your pain.

Have you ever tried to explain it?

I am grumbler,   a complainer, a sinner in the Garden of Eden.

I am what you think of me.

The morning star of your story.

So where do I stand, draped unto the chains?

Curse me on the day of Ashura.

Pelt the stones, on what remains in this quarry.

Do not leave any stone unturned; I can sense the curses muttering,

The judgment you have passed.

 

You counted your cries,

Now come closer to look at my scars.

Every night I feed my mind those mornings lies.

Trapped in those thoughts of yours.

 

I wish to have hope, 

To hold on to what seems an endless mope.

Help me heal,

Give me some sign to not kneel.

Alas! Let this be a sweet fond of Adieu.

And when there is no treachery left.

When it would have stopped to bleed, 

And the agony rectified.

 

Maybe then, I will resurrect

And the apology will work.

Till then rest with your gods,

Let me suffer in my dungeons.

By: Hammy

 

 

Religion Has Its Root In Literature!

There is a long history of individuals investigating the connection between religion and literature. We may return to sacrosanct writings from various customs and think, for example, regarding why there is such a huge range of scholarly structures in the Judaeo-Christian Bible. On the other hand, we should think about the job that religion plays in the scholarly convention, in the substance of writings, for example, The Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost, to the broad commitment with religious themes, images, and thoughts that are such a striking element of such huge numbers of present-day texts.

While there are numerous methods of recounting to story about how religion and writing identify with each other, it merits contemplating why our consideration on this relationship keeps on picking pace at certain occasions. The last piece of the twentieth century saw the rise of three significant areas concentrated on this zone - Religion and Literature, Christianity and Literature, and Literature and Theology—and intrigue has strengthened further in the early periods of the 21st century with the supposed "strict turn" in the humanities. In the event that our innovative western age is progressively mainstream, the same number of would have us think, at that point why the continuous intrigue.

It is mainly because whatever religion follow has a written format and considering the definition of literature anything wrote is a form or a part of literature. If we keep our base on this definition then one cannot avoid but raise the question on whether religion is born out of literature or vice-versa. The writer throughout history has used religious notions in their write-ups. Be it Charles Dicken's ‘A Tale of Two Cities' or John Keats letters,  writers in one form or other, depict a certain aspect of religion into their writing. Religion and literature have somehow been mingled through various means and suppositions and it is only true to say that, religion has its root in literature. Keeping aside all the theological questions and aspects, all the hymns, naats and prayers used in any particular religion have the base in the language, which makes it a part of literature.

Inside literature, broadly the aspect of religion either can be divided into two segments that are religious literature and secular literature, while the religious literature is in support of religion or is referred to religious books directly, secular literature stands criticizing the fabricated doctrines based on his practical beliefs of what God approves of and what he does not.

Overall literature is an essential part of any religion and it can be rightly said that without the intervention of literature, no religion can be conveyed, but this very much depends on what is the basic definition of literature and is needed to be accepted universally.

By: Roma.

Economic Crisis And The Pandemic!

 

COVID-19 has rapidly affected our day-to-day life, businesses, disrupted the world trade and movements. Identification of the disease at an early stage is vital to control the spread of the virus because it very rapidly spreads from person to person. Most of the countries have slowed down their manufacturing of the products. The various industries and sectors are affected by the cause of this disease; these include the pharmaceuticals industry, the solar power sector, tourism, Information, and electronics industry. This virus creates significant knock-on effects on the daily life of citizens, as well as about the global economy. Presently the impacts of COVID-19 in daily life are extensive and have far-reaching consequences.

During the current pandemic, the economic downturn has greatly affected people from the lower socio-economic class. The distressing media visuals of migrant labourers going to their native places from the cities on foot during the lockdown have been critically debated. Remittance of money to the home country, which many migrant Indian workers popularly do, is another way of poverty reduction, economic development, and an increase in GDP.  About $139 billion (₹ 1042500 crores) was remitted to low and middle-income countries of South Asia from countries of work (e.g. Middle Eastern countries) in the year 2019. The disruption caused by COVID-19 has had a significant impact on these remittance flows. Importantly, remittances are projected to fall by about 23% in India in 2020 to $64 billion (₹4,80,000 crores) in striking contrast to a growth of 5.5% and receipts of $83 billion (₹ 6,20,000 crores) seen in 2019. The World Economic Forum states that in the current pandemic situation, migrants stuck abroad trying to cope with the exigencies will compromise to the adverse circumstances, by taking up low wage jobs, live in poor working conditions, restrict spending, and thus, risk exposure to infections like the coronavirus. It has been projected that during the lockdown that was imposed across the country for more than 3 months resulted in a loss of over $4.5 billion (₹ 35,000 crores) every day during the lockdown.

India as well as other parts of the world is trying to cope up with the economic crisis brought by the Covid-19 pandemic. The present situation is exceptional situations and the global economy is suffering. Further as per the recent statement of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recession is coming soon. Considering current prevailing situations, every leading country is imposing various restrictions on exports of essential items. Further countries are trying to sustain their economy by offering various economy relief packages. India recently announced 1.7-lakh crore reliefs to overcome the situations that are arising out of Covid-19. Such a huge budget is going to impact funds available with the union government. To manage the government’s financial position financial emergency may be inevitable. What happens when the financial emergency is declared is the topic of the future.

Amidst this crisis, certain countries have an edge over other nations while handling this crisis, due to fast response to testing of Covid-19 and emphasizing healthcare and global economy.

By: Hammy

Capital Punishment: Justified Or Not?

 

The death penalty has since quite a while ago induced extensive discussion about its profound cruelty and its impact on criminal conduct. Contemporary contentions for and against the death penalty fall under three general headings: moral, utilitarian, and practical. But the major focus remains on the moral aspects of capital punishment.

Supporters of capital punishment accept that the individuals, who submit murder, since they have ended the life of another, have relinquished their entitlement to life. Besides, they accept, the death penalty is a simple type of requital, communicating and strengthening the ethical ire of the casualty's family members as well as of honest residents when all is said and done. Paradoxically, adversaries of the death penalty, argues that, by legitimizing the very conduct that the law looks to stifle—executing—the death penalty is counterproductive in the ethical message it passes on. Besides, they encourage, when it is utilized for lesser wrongdoings, the death penalty is indecent because it is completely lopsided to the mischief done. Abolitionists additionally guarantee that death penalty disregards the sentenced individual's entitlement to life and is in a general sense cruel and debasing. 

Even though capital punishment was recommended for wrongdoings in numerous hallowed strict archives and verifiably was drilled broadly with the help of strict chains of command, today there is no understanding among strict beliefs, or among categories or organizations inside them, on the ethical quality of the death penalty. Starting in the last 50% of the twentieth century, expanding quantities of strict pioneers—especially inside Judaism and Roman Catholicism—battled against it. The death penalty was abrogated by the province of Israel for all offences except for conspiracy and wrongdoings against mankind, several leaders have denounced it as "cold-blooded and pointless" But to a certain degree, amending capital punishment in the constitution seems necessary for the current scenario if not of the world but Indian society. Considering the recent case of Bihar where a 12-year-old girl was brutally raped and has been battling between life and death. Her convicts,  if proven guilty should be hanged to death,  though on the moral grounds it may seem an abuse of the right to live,  but on the same moral paradigm, the justice for the victim needs to be in the form of capital punishment for her convicts.

Offences punishable by death only happen when they meet the rarest of the rare category. The Indian constitution doesn't clearly define this line, and hence on several instances crimes of grievous nature have not resulted in the death penalty. Secondly, the duration between the convictions is so long in our country that often it takes more than a decade to the executive death penalty, so isn't it rightly said: “justice delayed is justice denied".

Religion: A Vice Of Politics.

Trust in politics is diminishing across a large part of the democratic world. Several people object that politicians have lost the true meaning of democracy and change their life for good. But certain elements of political ideology prevails in the 21st-century era, where the world has moved on from touching the moon to landing on mars and literature to existentialism,  politics on the other hand,  globally is moving cross-steps backward. Declining away from questions of development, human rights, job security, national integrity, and democracy is built and is being dragged upon religion.

Earlier in July, the museum of Hagia Sophia is given the status of a mosque by the Turkish council of state and annulled the cabinet's 1934 decision to establish it as a museum. The complex history of Hagia Sophia indicates that Constantius II built the architecture in 360 A.D. Later after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453, Mehmed, the conqueror, converted it into a mosque. It was not until 1934 that the Republic Of Turkey announced the place to be a museum. According to the Turkish tourism stats, Hagia Sophia was the most visited national site in between 2015-2019.

With special interference from the current president of Turkey Tiyyib Erdogan, the museum has yet again received the title of a mosque. Certain parallels and questions can be drawn from this act. Firstly, when the site is already surrounded by numerous mosques then what was the need to turn a heritage site into a mosque that too nearly a century later?  Secondly, the timing of its reconciliation perfectly lines up when not just the country but also the world is going through the worst pandemic of the century. Thirdly, why did the president himself took participation in the first prayer, hurting the sentiments if not of the majority then the minority of the country, who had up till now rested on the fact that the site doesn't belong to any specific religion anymore? Did the president want to assert his Muslim identity and run for the next elections as a Muslim leftist? If this is not a heightened example of religious baptism in politics then what will be?

The said parallel and questions should be drawn from the recent construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, India. Why the construction was part of the party's election Manifesto? Why the prime minister attended the Bhoomi puja hurting the sentiments of millions of his citizens? Finally, why was it organized when under no circumstances a public gathering is allowed in this country? Have we steeped so low on democracy that religion holds the topmost pillar? Is this not an outright act of religious felony?

There are certain key points as to why politics is defined on religion. Firstly, there is a discourse of fear that focuses on the need to protect voters from what is different "us against them" dogma, to safeguard individual privileges. Secondly, we have political elite impotent to the understanding of the new demands and needs of the society, creating a vacuum, which is then filled by religious assertion.

Finally, we see corruption scandals that reveal the old ways of doing politics favouring certain groups in exchange for extremely high payments, strengthening the notion that democracy is a farce, "By A Few, For A Few". From this pessimistic perspective, it is very easy to fall into despair and hopelessness and being prey to religious politics.

By: Roma

 

Communalism In India.

A cup of coffee or tea in the evening is an essential part of every household in this country and all the daily discussions that are a part of the social structure of a family usually happens over tea in the evening. It is not uncommon to see family discussing all the social and political scenarios of the country.

Though a point that should be taken under consideration is how often these discussions turn to a communal perspective, which is high because most of the media coverage is upon these topics nowadays. Putting the role of media aside, this ideology of communalism that the majority of the country is suffering from has a direct impact on the current scenario of the politics in India. However, argumentatively the rise of communalism in politics has led to the development of communal ideology in the public.

Communalism is characterized as a hypothesis of a public that is partitioned into segments often based on a common religion, autonomous cooperatives, and the state is only a confederation of these collectives under a community. It practices placing the interests of the community over the interests of an individual. This is generally done on the rule that the community exists to help the people who take an interest in it, so the ideal approach to serve the interests of the individual is through the interests of the community.  For the past few decades, this has gone to take an antagonistic significance where individuals have begun advancing the interests of one community over another.

Communalism accepts that the individuals of various religions have various interests in political and financial issues, whether or not they have a place with a similar area. In the Indian context, it has gone on to mean divide based on religion and ethnicity leading to communal violence instead of peace and unity. Religion has always been one of the best factors to divide people. It is used as an influential mechanism to attain economic, political, and other social activities repeatedly. Which unfortunately has to lead to several cases of communal violence in the country? The most recent being the Delhi communal violence in February 2020.

If we somehow happen to take a surface perspective of the realities of any collective uproar in India, no doubt the mob was brought about by an episode so immaterial that we would stand stunned at how such a frivolous issue could cause so much larceny, plunder, and murder. It anyway does not require a lot of speculation to realize that this occurrence was not the genuine reason for the uproar. The essential reason for every single mutual aggravation is the collective environment infesting in the nation and the common strain developed between two communities. The mutual environment gives a prepared plowed soil to common leaning individuals to plant seeds of collective disdain and sustain them until the harsh gather of shared mobs is harvested. It is rightly stated in the history that the "divide and rule" policy was introduced by the Britishers   in the Indian society and it can be rightly affirmed that the current political parties of the country are still using this policy and often fill the crowd with rage and confuse communalism with patriotism. 

By: Hammy

 

Gender Discrimination In India.

 

A couple of years back, the proving Court passed a judgement allowing permanent commission and command positions for women in the armed forces. This was a huge leap in efforts to demolish gender discrimination, but the gap still remains huge. Data from the government shows that as in 2018, there were just 3,653 women in the Armed Forces in comparison to 62,507 men. Although women are now allowed in certain positions in the Air Force and Navy, they are still not allowed in combat positions. Nine nations including U.S., Israel, Germany, Australia, Norway, New Zealand, Canada, France and UK have changed their laws to allow women in combat positions and it would be a great privilege for Indians to belong in the list.

A few reasons we are given why women are not allowed in combat and special forces are basically excuses. They say women have much less physical strength as compared to men but they won't get in the combat if they didn't perform as well as others in the first place. They should be selected because of their hard-work without any discrimination. They never asked for preference over men, just equality. If a woman performs better than a man, she should be selected without a doubt.

Another excuse being that if abducted, women can be tortured in much worse ways than men i.e. they can be sexually assaulted. But don't all of us know that already. If a woman is scared of it, she would never try for the combat. If she does, it means she's fully aware of all kinds of consequences. She knows that it's not just the enemy but even fellow mates who could try and take advantage of her. She knows and she's not scared of it. Then why are they not being allowed into the combat and special forces?

It is because of the orthodox mentality that the authorities carry. As per UNDP report, India ranks 132 out of 187 countries on gender inequality index (GII). India ranks low partially because of its skewed ratio, with only 914 females every 1000 men, according to the govt. data. According to the report, only 29% of Indian women above the age of 15 in 2011 were part of the labour force as compared to 80.7% of men. In Parliament, only 10.9% of lawmakers are women. As per 2016 UNDP report, 200 women died for every 100,000 childbirths and 80% of women didn't have any bank account.

Everyday 39000 girls are forced for early marriage i.e. 27 girls are married a minute. 27% of the girls in India are married before they are even 18, and 7% before the age of 15. That means more than one-fourth of our girls are married before their adults. According to UNICEF, India has the highest absolute number of child brides in the world – 15,509,000.

Shocking because we all thought there were no more child marriages nowadays. The statistics make it all the more real. Then we still proudly say that India is a fast-paced developing country where men and women are treated equally. There still is a lot of work to be done. First being to let children live their childhood peacefully and then letting them live their lives on their own accord. We have to open all opportunities for women, of course after providing with m a detailed list of consequences that they might have to face doing a particular job. Women demand their empowerment, which means that she should be treated equally as men, never to be placed on a higher pedestal. They should be given that much because they deserve just as much as any man.

By: Mahi

Are We Truly Independent?

At the stroke of midnight,  on August 15th 1947,  everything changed for us as a nation. India was declared independent after 200 years of colonial rule,  India got independent from class-based discrimination,  the nation got independent from the long going religious hatred. When all was said and done we rise as a nation together,  with the spirit of patriotism running high at its the peak, with a sense of brotherhood favouring each soul.

 But,  somewhere amidst this victory,  a fire of hatred existed,  somewhere deep down,  at the bottom of hearts,  nothing was truly changed,  and that has been unfolded with the communal riots that soon grasped the nation. Thousands of household disrupted, And tens of thousands perished since then. After 73 years of Independence,  the Indian society cannot even claim to be free from the caste-based discrimination, let alone religious discrimination.

Over the years the political, as well as the social scenario of the country, have only widened the bridge between harmony and peace,  India may be the most diverse country on the world but it no sense does it imply that as a society it respects that diversity.

Freedom is a mentality,  that needs to be grasped by all. A society can only excel in a positive direction if it is liberated from prejudice and intolerance 

Independence is not only about the right to freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is not a freedom to abuse those who do not agree with you. Freedom is the right to be one’s self and that too without hurting the same rights of others.

By: Roma

 

Nature Is Thanking You!

 At the point when the world is very still, 

It's an ideal opportunity to kick back and reflect, 

On the habits of man, 

His damaging and disastrous acts 

While the world is attempting to contain the infection, 

Nature takes over with every one of its admirers, 

Presently the air is cleaner, 

What's more, the earth is greener 

Winged animals are twittering, 

Squirrels are bouncing, 

Seas are breathing, 

What's more, streams are cleaner, 

Appears nature is mending, 

Grinning with bliss, its eyes are sparkling, 

The sun is sparkling energetically, 

Indeed!! it is a progressively iridescent night, 

The moon and stars are sparkling brilliant, 

As the layers of toxins are not obstructing the light, 

The rushing about of city has stopped, 

Nature springs back to existence with a shock, 

In spite of the fact that the time is extreme, 

The stage is harsh, 

Be that as it may, it's a matter of concern, 

What's more, an exercise to learn,

Be increasingly slow, 

What's more, utilize your brain, 

Just spotlight on need, 

Evade the voracity and cold-bloodedness, 

God is allowing us to change our predetermination,

If it's not too much trouble spare mankind and a more advantageous condition for your future offspring.

By: Hammy

Changing Forms Of Atrocities On Women.

When you are going out with your parents, does your dad ever ask your mom if she wants to drive the car? Has it ever happened that your dad comes back from work and your mom asked him to make dinner because she's tired? No doubt she too had been working all day. I don't recall any such moment and I think neither do you.

Moving on to why it is because our society is still 'male-dominated'. No doubt the atrocities on women have changed their form, but these still are day-to-day phenomena in our society. Why? Because that has become our mentality. Women have become used to being subdued, so much that they don't even realize it. There certainly are exceptions, but we are not talking about those.

In earlier times, women were steered by men. They had to cover their faces in front of any man other than their husband. They were thrashed, treated like a mere servant who did not have to be paid for all the work she did just because she was married to a man of the house. But we have moved on from that phase, at least most of us have.

About the present scenario now, if we talk about my family, the morning tea, the food, snacks or any other household work is always done by my mother, sometimes with the assistance of gran. My dad didn't even know how to light up the stove until last year. My mother knows how to drive a car but she never does. Most of the times she has to get grocery, she would take dad along. He doesn't have to do anything, just tag along. Why? She could go on her own. But she's dependent on him. Even when she doesn't need to be. I know she can do all the chores by herself and help dad too. But that never happened. She has accepted something that is not even true, that she is something less.

In most families, major earning is by the male member. A husband wants something done, his wife would do it without a word spoken. A wife wants some work done? She would be showered with questions. For an exact same job, a man is paid much more than a woman. Compare the ratio of working men and non-working men to those of women and all will be clear. Then how do we chant that the men and women stand equal in our country?

Women should be given equal respect, equal support, equal opportunities and the equal burden too. That day, when your dad will ask your mom if she wants to drive, that day when your dad would make the morning tea and wake your mom and have tea on a bed that day when your dad does all the cleaning work when your mom is out shopping, that would be the day when a man and the woman would stand equal. 

By: Mahi

Goals Of Life!

Defining goals in life is an important thing. These goals help us thrive our abilities and bring out the best in us. Choosing goals can be a tricky thing to do. There are numerous options to choose from, but one needs to keep in mind, that our goals represent our virtue and hence, whatever goal we set to achieve should possess the same virtue.

We are taught to acknowledge our goals and also align them with our career goals,  so much so that our career options become our life goals. The sole reason behind it remains the financial benefits,  that one will achieve from it. From a very young age, a child is a module to understand how certain career options have more money in them than the others at times the criterion becomes power. The impact of this understanding is very much visible in the society today,  where 1.5million engineers are produced every year,  out of which an ample amount struggles with an existential crisis.

Though society as a whole can be blamed for this, the educational institutions and their hypocritical standards of selections go unchecked. In order to pursue science stream, a student needs to score a hefty 80% while to pursue art he barely needs 45% marks. Since when did understanding science become more important than having good morals. Literature,  arts,  psychology are an essential part of human life and are needed to be given their due importance. 

The new reform in the education policy where one can decide to choose his or her own subject to study will, therefore, help in eradicating the earlier orthodox mentality and hopefully, the vision of running behind money and power will eventually be replaced by running behind one's own passion.

We were taught to run,  and we ran to thrive! Else what was the point of running? It is good if perfection is achieved in something that we are doing,  but life isn't a race. It is okay to at times take a break and one can grow in life no matter which profession does he chooses. 

Passion is what should define one's goal. If one is passionate about his goal and the work,  he will have better chances of succeeding in his career. Your goal should be your dream,  and your dreams always need to be inclined with your happiness. Money and power are just commodities and no matter what the notion is,  it just can't buy happiness.

By: Roma

 

Friends First!

What is going to be your first instinct when you meet a good-looking person of the opposite sex? Considering that you are single, would it be to make him/her a friend? Or you will want something more?

For me, it would always be to make a friend out of some guy, however bad I want a boyfriend. Personally, I think that you should get into a relationship only when you've known your partner for quite a while. A plus point of it would be that your partner would always be able to be your friend when you need one. If your first instinct is to make a person something more than good friends, it's nearly impossible to work out. Not possible, but it's kinda rare.

Let me narrate you a little story on this. A group of students in my school including me were hosting a group of students from Denmark under an exchange programme. Being the prankster I am, I pulled out a prank on the roof of 'Jal Mahal' in Jaipur. I had a water bottle with me. The best I could think of that place was to pour it on someone. I chose a guy, a year junior to me who looked like he won't try to revenge on me and did what I had to do. I was just laughing my ass off after it and he didn't look angry or anything so all was good. We started talking a lot and for the rest of the while, we were touring the city. We were inseparable for all I can say. For me, he was a very good friend but it wasn't the same for him, which is something I found out recently. There are times when I miss him and I just want to talk to him but I just can't because I know he requires space from me. We do talk once in a while but it's not the same and always a little awkward.

Feelings are something that never goes easily. Then why do we always let them get to us so easily? Why not be friends first and get to know the person well and then when we feel something for them, we can go ahead and see what more can we have. 

By: Mahi

Silence: Need Of The Hour.

There are times when all I want is silence. Silence from the loud engines of vehicles, from all the machinery making noise on a construction site, from the television or phones people want all the time, from the constant chatter everybody wants. I'm so exhausted from hearing all the noise that even if it's just for a few minutes, I want silence. Complete and utter silence. I wouldn't mind the pitter-patter of rain or the chirping of birds. Not even the rustling of trees. All that is calming. I feel at peace with those sounds.

I read a poem once, it said that humans are so busy moving their hands too much and running towards development, making so much noise because they can't stop speaking and using loud motors. They never stop and reflect on what effect their actions have on other living creatures. The poet gave examples of a man who stops extracting salt from rocks to examine his wounded hands and feet, and another one of a fisherman who stops fishing for once and thinks how painful it must be for the whales whose lives he had taken. If for once, all of us manage to stop with all the work we're doing and reflect. Reflect on what effect it has on others, on what we really want with our lives. We'll be able to introspect oneself if we are given silence. Trust me it would feel beautiful.

I always have music blasting through the doors of my brother's room, television on full volume in the living area, sounds of utensils clicking against each other in the kitchen and the loud noise from a construction site in front of my house. So I once went to a garden in search of silence, there weren't many people there. I took around and then sat on a bench facing a small lake with a lot of greenery around it. I looked at all the trees, their leaves, the colours of their leaves, their trunks, it's height, the water in the lake, some guys playing football nearby and a few people walking around. It felt good to be able to observe everything in so much detail. There were mosquitos biting me but it didn't bother me much, I had a silence around. It didn't even last for a few minutes when people in groups walking across me started to talk and laugh loudly. Many of them looked at me as if I'm the biggest idiot sitting alone in a park and not doing anything. Is it so bad to want silence for a while?

Whenever I try to study, there always is a loud noise in the background that I can't even concentrate. I have grown so tired of telling everybody to not be loud, nobody listens. My mother used to scold me because I never helped her. Now when I do, she scolds me because I didn't do it properly, if I did it'd be because I didn't do some other work. It's those times when she never appreciates what I did when all I want to hear is a simple 'thank you' or a 'good job' and I don't even get a smile when I grow frustrated. When I want silence and someone would come around and start speaking without a pause. I don't think silence is a bad thing to want. Some of you might hate it but just try to experience some for a while and think. Think about anything and everything that comes to your mind. I assure you it would feel good. In this fast-paced world, all we require is a moment of a break when we all can sit down for once and introspect. But for that the only prerequisite is silence.

By: Roma

Talking Periods!

 

Being a girl has its own hardships. It is her who is expected to do all the household chores and take care of her family, especially if she's married. It is her who is going to get pregnant so that the human race doesn't end. It is a girl who has to experience periods every month for more than half her life.

A little before our teenage, we are terrorized about getting our periods and not being able to do certain things which involve physical work. In some orthodox families, even going into a kitchen or a holy place is strictly prohibited. But getting terrorized about it and experiencing it are two whole different scenarios. First, the 'Premenstrual Syndrome' (PMS) which is the overly emotional and physically painful phase that occurs a week or two before each cycle. Then comes a week-long bloody war. A waterfall of blood flowing down in the panties. If we sneeze or laugh, it would feel like a flood down there.

Just imagine, being so emotional that you cry over anything and everything happening around you, being angry at something with no-fault, craving sweet at all the odd hours and the feeling of nerves being pulled in your lower abdomen. And then a few days later, discovering your underwear and bedsheets ruined with blood. Your underwear being full of blood for a week every month, the uncomfort of putting a pad, tampon or menstrual cup, all the while keeping in check that the blood doesn't leak out and ruin your clothes. On top of it, back pain, the ache in the thighs and unbearable cramps, so bad that in some cases that one can't survive without painkillers. Sounds horrifying? Well, it is! And girls experience it all since their early teenage.

Then comes the taboo of not talking about it, especially with the guys. Why? What if I have a guy best friend? What if I don't get along well with girls and I want to talk about it when I got periods the first time? I never get the point of keeping our menstrual cycle a secret from guys. So what if they know? We did a study about it in school, right? They know it happens. Then what is the problem if they know when it does?

A girl requires around 10 pads and a few tampons for each cycle that occurs every 28 days for forty years. Each pad costs for Rs. 7 in general. Which means Rs. 70 goes to buying pads for each cycle. Experiencing approximately 521 cycles in our lifetime costs us Rs. 36,500 for just the sanitary pads. The cleaning products, ruining a panty and bedsheet every month, clothes at times too is to be added to the cost. Then if the cycle is irregular, going to a gynaecologist and buying the recommended medicines.

Well, this is periods for us. And if we get angry over something, we are made fun of by being asked, “Are you on your period?”. Well, it makes me want to answer, “Yes, I started my day by waking up in the puddle of my own blood. Is that how you want me to end yours?” So dramatic.

Girls find it embarrassing to buy menstrual products, not just because they want to keep it a secret but also because of the judging stares getting in their way. This is just a little description of periods we are expected to not talk about. Trust me, they're worse. So much to go through and not being able to talk about it freely is somewhat distressing. I want to be able to talk about it without being judged and I bet so does every other girl.

By: Mahi

Lockdown For Me: Personal Perception.

How is your quarantine going? nowadays this might be the most regular question you get asked, do you notice that now you have lots to tell about your day, how it goes. Regardless of whether you spend your day sitting idle, you do respond to this question enthusiastically, however before there was no time for this question to be asked, all were struggling for working their day out. 

If somebody asks me this question I have a lot to tell about. As this time I feel to be a blessing for me, for every one of us, if you have a positive view towards it. I feel so much of change in me these days. "Change is the rule of nature, it's your choice to see, it's good or bad". Mine is good, YAY!

Before it used to be a riotous day, we as a whole loathe that, I think. Why not to. But now I can work peacefully, no concerns to be in time, no concerns of following a plan, I under my own management can accomplish my preferred work in a superior way, in my own particular manner.

 

" Man is a social creature" this was limited for just saying, the social contact has lost in man, But these are the days we get many calls from family members whose contact were even not saved in our list, from friends who were just limited for online conversation and were unheard for a long period of time, this change was the most significant and the most noticeable one I got the opportunity to see in this lockdown.

Social distancing is both necessary and hard.

I've been considering my life a lot and the way in which lockdown has changed the manner in which we interact with one another. As of now, I've seen the effects this is having on myself as well as other people. 

Despite the fact that I'm an introvert, not seeing a considerable lot of my friends for more than four months has hit me hard. last month, our government relaxed up the guidelines a little – not that things feel any different to me. 

It's yet locked down for the time being, 

God knows since how long! 

I lost the count back at 54... 

"It's going to last long," some says. 

For the intensity of solidarity, that kept us going, 

Isn't what is required as of this hour... 

In contrast to the earlier times, how we remained alongside, 

Breaking the chain will give us more power! 

Everybody should make a note, 

That it's isolated we will all stand… 

keeping safe distances will save lives, 

I hope that all of you comprehend! 

Travelling through the ocean of life, 

As every day passes by… 

Enjoy the time that you have senseless, 

Don't waste it checking by! 

This is the ideal opportunity to do what you like, 

learn the things that you always wanted. 

Lift that lazy bum and get ready, 

I surmise you can work when you're dismayed! 

By: Samar

You have successfully survived until this point, 

Appraise yourself, give two parts of congratulations! 

Now you know, you can survive with necessities, 

Self-realization is the thing that you truly need!