Pens and Places

Can we really pin this precious day down on the pages of a man-made calendar? Honestly, I didn’t even know in my childhood that there’s specifically a DAY decided for Mothers, all around the globe. I am not even sure now that when I am wishing my mother on this occasion, does she think of me less or more? I mean, for all those years, when she really needed the appreciation while carelessly running behind my needs and demands and tantrums and teenager-phases, I was not there for her to wish  - “Hey mom, Happy Mother’s Day!”. Either I was too shy, or too irresponsible to consider a day to take account of her selfless efforts of motherhood. I am not saying I was a troublesome daughter, but the act of cherishing someone’s actions in words was not taught to us. But with time, with real adulthood and responsibilities, now when I look back to all those lost thirty “Mother’s Day” - when I didn’t wish her, I feel I should go back and hug her tightly, and tell her only two words - “Thank you...

  I don’t have any specific opinion on feminism. Neither do I like to differentiate anything that is beyond the reach of gender neutrality. But I know for a fact that women are the most powerful creatures on this planet. They have the power to create a new life, suffer with blood every month and balance the mundane life with utmost pride all the time. They not only bloom but also spread the fragrance around them. I am also surrounded with such a wonderful community of women, who always support me in my lows and cheer for me in my highs.  @Unicorn and @Authoropod have collaborated this time on the special occasion of Navratri, and I am so happy to contribute my flavor of colors in 9 different ways. I want to dedicate the essence of these shades to the strong women pillars of my life. Orange : Warmth and energy There’s no one more deserving than my grandmother and mother for this impregnable title. Both of them have always given me warmth so that I always feel secure. They pr...

  I was very young when I discovered about the term “suicide”! My younger siblings and I were very excited about the movie “3 Idiots”, and we were jamming on the song “Sari umr hum mar mar ke jee liye, ek pal to ab humein jeene do” . Freedom to choose the right thing for our career and the intolerable pressure by parents leading to a drastic consequence on someone’s life, we had seen in front of our eyes right then. I clearly remember, my siblings didn’t understand what happened on the tied rope through the spinning-camera-drone, but that night I didn’t sleep. The words “Ye suicide nahi, murder hai” were dancing on my mind, showcasing the harsh realities of upcoming life. How can giving up be so easy? One of my classmates attempted suicide just after the result night. I didn’t know him personally, but joining the dots was easy about why it happened! Our whole school, local news were filled with negative vibes that day. His parents were crying, blaming themselves, for pressurizing ...

Have you ever encountered fictional incidents in your dreams? I know it’s very common and people use to weave unrelated scenarios in their good night REM sleeps. But I wonder how many of you are daydreamers, chatting random talks of life with fictional characters from books/movies/web-series! Strange right?   I am not exaggerating by writing my weird thoughts, while having conversations with so many people in my mind. And that too in between my mundane tasks. Sometimes while switching on the light, I casually say “ Lumos ”. And then imagine Dumbledore clapping, for making him proud by “switching on the light” (hahaha, iykyk).  Sometimes I just stare at the words on the virtual letter, written by Augustus Waters from The faults in our stars . I try to feel the pain Hazel must have come across through her soul. I repeat his dialogues “I’m in love with you, and I’m not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things.” and think of some random lover o...

  There are a ton of blogs by now on the trending topic “Generative AI”. Some will show you the details by taking help from one of them, and some will provide you with the straight facts. I am trying something new this time and will try to write for those who are still scared/naïve of this hard-to-not-notice thing. Let’s start this revolutionary topic with a simple example. Imagine the era when there were no medicines, and people used to die at a very young age because of mere diseases. With the evolution of healthcare facilities, humans started to live longer. At that stage, the main concern was if the population is increasing, how will the survival needs be fulfilled? But with advancement in healthcare, came the technology of automated farming and latest yields. At that point of time, the main fear was how humans will survive and with time it got resolved with better results. Imagine the era when only men used to work and go to offices. Women were meant to take care of family, an...

  There’s no perfect formula for consistent happiness in life, but you must have heard someone saying, either in school or by elders, “Where there is a will, there is a way!”. I am no saint to guide anyone to follow some meditative path or a scientist to  instruct them to go through some major experiments to prove my point. I am just a human, who makes mistakes and learns from them. I am sure every individual has their own perspectives and ideologies to carry, but life becomes easy if we listen other’s views. I believe, if we implement at least 5% of the things that we experience from someone’s lifespan, it's enough.  Though there are plenty of pointers you will encounter while searching for the golden words for science of happiness, but here are my top 5 ways to be happy, which are very personal and fully verified :   People say “Stay Positive”. But how? How can you be positive if there are plenty of pending things to do? How can you be happy when you see your close...

  If you are expecting something spicy out of this confession, you will be disappointed, because I am too! I am also carrying my thwarted expectations till grave, only to share my quirky reactions of mind with the neighboring skull about my code-of-conduct with books. So here are my top 9 bookish confessions (NOTE : PLEASE DONT JUDGE ME!) : I looooove to buy books. Books, with crisp white flavorful pages of freshly wrapped ink scents. Books which I can touch and turn to the other side with my hands, not by swiping left or right. Books, which I can hold with a salsa positioned hand. And it’s not over. I love to buy books, even if I have plenty others to read in my TBR! I sometimes wonder what my TBR books must be talking on the shelves and bitching about every new-comer in their neighborhood. I always make a promise with myself after buying books that this should be my last until I wont finish the already-staring-books-at-my-place. And then, with every interesting/wish-list worthy b...

 There’s a common saying that the roots will never change, no matter how much surroundings try to change a person. Earlier I never understood this, as I always thought that we are bound to change ourselves according to the places we live. But after experiencing almost 3 decades, now I understand the value of “origin”. I feel so proud that I came from the land of Mithila, also known as Janakpurdham , an ancient cultural and religious hub located in the southern part of Nepal and the northern part of the Indian state of Bihar. I am sure, most of the people don’t even know about the various facts of Ramayana, that actually happened on this holy land. There are several facts, customs, folk songs and foods that I want to highlight today, which make me a member of true Mithila family, and I am so honored that I get to write my experiences here, taking reference from Mithila Nagri: In our families, we cherish folksongs and are sung on every festive occasions like Durga puja, Ramnavmi, Kal...

  If you have connected your dots of this title with Prime’s web series, then you are the right audience for this blog. Also, this is not a sponsored post. It’s just an open letter to all the makers-creators-actors-helpers-technicians of this great digital panorama, who unleashed all the layers of patriarchal pigeonhole. If you have not seen it till now, then don’t worry, I will not give the spoilers. But, trust me, please go watch the series and then come again here to read the entire drama happening afterwards. Yes, let’s start talking about the concept of Made in Heaven first. As per my opinion, I believe in “Karma”. Whether it is associated with good deeds or the punishing atmosphere, everything is interconnected with our destiny. And it's not necessary that if you are doing good with a person/community, you will get the same response from them only. This vibe is revolving across the universe and you will get your contribution in one or another form by anyone, literally ev...

  If there’s a time machine which can bring back the same thrill and adrenaline rush while reading the best books of my childhood, I will run first to grab the jackpot. Literally, those were the days when no Instagram existed to block your mind with unnecessary noise of digital algorithms. We were totally relying on the word-of-mouth-trend. Everything from discussing the small details of appearance of characters to fantasizing about the author, we grew up. My home has always been decorated with books like magazines for elders i.e. “Kalyan Patrika” , many ancient Sanskrit verses and old academics of English literature of my great grandfather, then magazines like “Champak”, “Wisdom”, and “Chacha Chaudhary” were always on the top of the shelves as we got to buy every new edition monthly by the newspaper guy. I would love to have the same excitement again of those times when my brother and I used to share stories from those magazines and write down the famous quotes in our l...

  If you ask me, I think almost 90% Indian - especially middle class families are the followers of classics and timeless fashion trends. Not because they truly care about the environment, but because of the economical crisis and overburdened responsibility of dependent families. But it’s totally unacceptable if I say they don’t crave for fast fashion. It’s like a status symbol, revolving around everyone’s mind to obsess about up-to-the-minute style. I am a core believer of the comfort zone. I love pajamas, and will love to die in pajamas. I love all the oldest clothes, which makes me nostalgic to the events wherever I have worn them. My family sometimes criticizes me for being constant in my choices, as they expect me to change according to the surroundings. I too love timeless fashionable clothes, and can repeat n-number of times as much as I want. But there are so many conceptions people refer to in everyday lives, that leads to so many questions of sustainability. For example -...

  There’s a famous book “Tuesday with Morrie” , written by Mitch Albom in which the character Morrie quotes “The most important thing I can say to you is, 'Teach.' You want to know what's wrong with the world? Ask yourself what's right with it. When you get the answer to that, go out and teach somebody.” This line made an outstanding mark on my beliefs, when I first read the book. Giving you a short glimpse, this is a heartwarming story of a dying professor imparting life lessons to his former student, showcasing the transformative power of mentorship and wisdom it can offer.  There are innumerable facts and real life examples where we can clearly see the importance of mentorship in any generation, whether it be the age of Chanakya’s authority or the digital era of Physics Wala, Khan Sir and many more . At every step of doubt, one looks forward to the resolution suggested by their mentor. And it’s not necessary that the guidance should be in academics only. Life is its...

Freedom is a very sawn-off word for this world I think. Everyone has their own booklet of terms and conditions, when it comes to feeling free. For a farmer, freedom might be his/her desire to expand his/her land to neighboring regions. For a street dancer, freedom might be a desire to present art freely without any judgment of gossiping eyes. For a high school student, freedom might be a pathway to choose the right future without any family pressure. So, when someone is asking what freedom means to me, I also have my brief dictionary, which carries all my past experiences and visionary approaches that created a whole differently contextual definition of this seven-letter-word! I always adored my grandfather, not because he loved me more than all my siblings(don’t tell them!!), but for his lessons of freedom. He taught me how to be free and independent for taking my own decisions. And his formulation was not textual. Not at all. He just pretended to be a part of the lesson. Back then, I...

Z oom-in the little things! Humans are trapped in the illusionary veil of pretentiousness. Hey today’s your birthday, you must be very excited to celebrate…Oh nice, you lost weight, that must be an exhilarating experience…Congratulations on your daughter’s birth, you must be proud.  These compliments seem like comments if you just brush off the accumulated dust from a person's perspective. One might not be fully prepared to become a father, he might not be financially capable of raising a child the same way he had imagined. One might be scared of celebrating birthdays because he/she might have lost someone very special on that specific day. One might not love himself/herself even after being considered in the fit community of society. There are zillions of cases, where the reality always stuns the other side of spectators. And this is what I am afraid of. People don’t usually share their share of loneliness with others. The matter of shameful status comes to their mind, and eventua...