Strokes Of Pen

Winning is a complex word. From childhood, we are habituated to associate winning to glory, fame, money, status – but do winning really mean these aspects?

I have grown up with stories of morality, goody good humans, sensitivity, gratitude and being helpful to others.  They (in this essay, ‘they’ means people or society) say that if I followed the set rules – then only I will be acceptable by society. They say if I do not follow these rules than I will be shunned by society and society shall have a right to judge me. They say that being a girl I have to know cooking, cleaning, stitching, mothering, housework and to balance between all odds and even. I have to be faithful to my husband and a ‘pure’ woman throughout life to be “seek” by my in-laws; who no one has seen yet.

Today is Sunday. However, it is 26 th January 2014 too. Yes, your guess is right! Today, it is also Republic day. A day when our constitution was formed, when rules for society were laid down. Yes, it is ‘that’ iconic day, which changed and  molds  our lives.

We all have heard about book lovers, cinema lovers, vintage lovers, bike lovers, car lovers and shopping lovers (shopaholics). Making its way; rather frantically, are food lovers! Food is what; which keeps and connects people irrespective of their background. The rise of entire community of food lovers is a recent development, which, was not there few years ago.

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell... Christmas is on its way, Santa Claus is riding its reindeer and will put that gift in 'that hanging sock' if you had been good child throughout the year. Similar or something on lines of it - is what we grew up to with. Santa will come and put in gifts. As a grown up – we understand that neither of the above thing is true. The Santa or gifts or reindeer. Then why is this story practiced? To teach children to behave so that they can be good beings – but is that true? Can story or threat turn them into good human beings? Children’s minds are like a blank page. They learn and do what they see other grown up doing. So, if a child turns to be a goon, thug – can we hold parents responsible?  No, that wouldn’t be true either. The reality is that children are part of us but we cannot dominate or sway their path. Parents are guardians and teachers who walk around children to ensure they are safe and they learn good habits. However, what is going inside a chi...

The news is flooded with Tehelka scandal and people are demanding for punishment against Mr. Tejpal. The fact that he did something as heinous as trying to force himself on a female is good enough to send him behind bars - but, will that be sufficient?

“Hansel & Gratel”, “Cinderella”, “Snow White & Seven Dwarfs”, and such fairy tales have surrounded us from our childhood and continue to do so. The entire idea of “being” good-will-ultimately-lead-you-to-your-prince-charming has been conceptualized and used by mothers, their daughters and daughters' daughters to make them live in a fantasy world; quite ironic to the real world – which goes by the law of ‘survival of fittest.’