If It Ain’t White, It Ain’t Right

Be it Michael Jackson or Nicki Minaj.. All they could think of doing when they got big bucks was to become white. Being white mattered a lot to them. They were insecure about their complexion. Or were they made to feel insecure?

It goes back down to the history. Being black qualified a person to be treated as a slave. And so it has come down to now, celebrities changing their complexion to be considered superior. But I ask.. Is the complexion really that important? A person doesn't really choose to be born black. It is not something that a person can change too. So, is it really right to blame or tease a person for being born black?

In India, it’s no less. Although more than half the population is brown, they compare among themselves and feel better that they are a shade fairer than the others. An Indian thinks being a shade fairer is superior. He/She makes fun of the others for being a shade darker than them. They consider themselves to be the white and treat the others like the blacks. It is racial discrimination all over.

Almost every Indian guy wants a fair girl as his girlfriend. If a girl is dark, she is considered to be unattractive and also ugly to an extent. The recent trailer of “Two States” movie also supports such discriminations.

Hero’s Mom : Your girl is very lucky to get an educated husband.
Heroine’s Mom: Excuse me.90% of the tamilians are educated.
Hero’s Mom: I am very sorry to say this. But 90% of the tamilians are also dark.

And this is considered to be a joke. But get this right. For the white people, we all are the same brown.
Not just this. Even the TV advertisement. Fair and Lovely, Fair and Handsome. Being fair leads to success and being dark leads to failure. So please use “Fair and Lovely”. That’s how these companies' publicize. So it gets imprinted in the mind to consider fair as beautiful and dark as ugly. In France and many other European countries, the fairness creams are banned. And let me tell you this. The darker Indians are treated much better in these countries than in India itself. We aren't made fun off for our complexion although they are many shades fairer than us.

Picture Credits : http://www.natures-desktop-hd.com/images/wallpapers/1680x1050/water/

A famous quote says “If you are born poor, it is not your fault. But if you die poor, it is definitely your fault. ” To all the dark people out there who have been made fun off, “If you are born dark and die dark, it is not your fault. You are beautiful. Believe me. ” If you don’t like your hair, you can color it. But don’t make people hate their complexion for they can’t color themselves.

Defeat!

How does it feel to face the reality? Things don't happen as we wish. Hard reality. It is devastating to have expected something and getting just the opposite in return. The feeling of helplessness, hopelessness and frustration is enough to lose your sanity. Sometimes, we try our best, covering all the odds and yet fail to get what we tried hard for. It's very disappointing especially if you have no idea what else should you have done.

In school, be it winning an election or qualifying for the school sports team or getting the top rank, we all have faced disappointments. If you are one among those who have achieved all of these without hindrances, then probably you are one of the lucky few. How we envy you!

In college, we could have faced disappointments in not getting closer to our crush. That moment when we see our crush and blush uncontrollably, do something stupid to get noticed and yet at the end, we face the fact that our crush is taken. And if you have did get lucky, then hat's off.

Apart from such disappointments, there could be many more. These were small disappointments. But the magnitude of the disappointment is at it's max when felt for the first time. then gradually, as time passes, drops down to it's minimum. But the minimum value never really is zero. It's always hidden somewhere under our joys and present happiness.

"Time heals the heart" is a famous saying. And if somebody reminds you of this saying when you are at the max level of your disappointment, then they certainly have lost it. What can words do when the heart is broken? At such times, sleep helps the best. Sleep is like a semi-death. We feel nothing and remember nothing. It's the best way to escape reality. But how much can one sleep? It is very hard to get some sleep as we are busy thinking of how unfortunate we are. Thinking kills sleep and sleep kills thinking.

"Tears" help reveal us of the pain to a great extent. But the problem with us (elders) is that, we feel crying is a very kiddish thing to do. But crying like a baby definitely has it's advantages. Heart feels lighter. It's magical. Nothing can make us feel better than crying. It is shameful, I agree. But not at the cost of losing one's sanity.

As time passes, we realize why we tried hard yet failed. There's always something better than what we expect waiting for us. But how long is the wait?

Photo credits- http://my.opera.com/mybedautay/albums/showpic.dml?album=684532&picture=9297066

Joie de Vivre

How grueling it is to travel in a BMTC bus! Especially when you are standing! The struggle you undergo to balance when the driver puts a sudden break, when the driver takes a U turn or when someone is pushing you off to get to the door as their stop approaches. You try your best to balance so that the neighbouring aunty doesn’t yell at you when you by chance lose your balance and stamp her foot by mistake. Uff!!! In midst of all this, an irritating conductor pushing everyone and trying to make his way to the front asking “Ticket or Pass? Go inside. There’s a lot of place”? Like as if there’s plenty of room to do gymnastics!


But today, I was lucky enough to get a seat in the bus. I sat thinking about various sad incidents of my life, how I have suffered, how I overcame and still trying to overcome a few problems and was listening to an absolutely sad song. There was so much of pain in the song which I could empathize with. It was 9 p.m. and I knew that I would get sound advice from my father after I reach home. To top it, I got caught in a railway junction. To let a single train pass, so many vehicles had to wait. How frustrating!

But as I sat waiting, I observed people around me. I saw a small boy sleeping on his Grandfather’s lap. The Grandfather was protectively hugging his Grandson so that he doesn’t fall when suddenly the bus starts. I got a sudden feeling of joy seeing that affection. Then, I saw two college going girls talking and laughing about something. I felt joyful seeing them laugh. Then, I saw an old woman wearing a red colour scarf sleeping against the closed window glass. Seeing her sleep peacefully, I got a feeling of joy.

I turned behind and saw two aunties gossiping. They were so much into the conversation that they really didn’t care about the railway junction signal. I got a sense of joy looking at them. And not to forget the girl who was sitting and talking to someone over the phone (probably her boyfriend). The train arrives and it gets noisy “Wait.. I can’t hear you. Are you there?” And as the train passes and the noise reduces, she says “Are you still there? Thank God! The train went. I can hear you clearly. Can you hear me?” I got a sense of joy when I saw the satisfaction on her face.

Now, the background sad song which I was listening to sounded joyful too. I realised that we can find joy in every small thing in life. No matter how big problem we are in. There is so much around to be happy about, to appreciate about and to feel joyful about. That is joie de vivre! The joy of living!

Zara Zara Touch me Touch me Touch me……

“Just touch the screen and it touches your soul”. The touch screen mania is touching everyone. Everybody wants to buy a touch screen phone these days. Who said only living beings respond to external stimuli??? Come on, haven’t we ever touched a touch screen phone (when it is unlocked), and seen how it responds?? Our skin can be insensitive at times, but never dare to challenge the sensitivity of a touch screen phone (Of course, only the branded touch screen phones exhibit such sensitivity).

Being accustomed to a keypad phone, I loathed (rather envied) the touch screen users. Oh! I always felt that I am incapable of handling a touch screen because my palms are sweaty and there were no water proof touch screen phones available you see. I know that it’s too much to expect. But hey! I did get one and I love using it. Apart from bearing my sweaty palms, it bears all my tantrums. I throw a lot of tantrums. Sometimes, asking it to open an app for no reason, charging it even when the battery is full (obviously, I won’t be aware that it is fully charged), opening multiple apps and letting it hang (Thank God! It’s still alive) and what not. I have even dropped it down a couple of times. But I have felt bad more than it has. So, I bought an expensive silicon case (Trust me, I could have got myself a t-shirt with the same amount) just to protect it from my unstable hand. Uff!! How I was against using touch screen a while back and how I am obsessed with my phone now! Technology definitely changes people’s opinion and life style.

It’s not just me. Everyone wants to touch the screen these days. Thanks to few companies which sell touch screen phones at the price of a pair of branded jeans, everybody can feel their own touch. Of course, the hardware isn’t reliable. But how many of us can afford to buy an apple? Everything comes at a cost and we go in for the one which is less costly. I am very sure nobody is using iphone1 now. Even apple users tend to change their phone at least two year’s once. But come on, nobody is going to use iphone4 for more than 3 years at max. I know that everybody dreams of owning an iphone. But imagine, if apple was the only company coming up with touch screen phones, then probably everybody would dream of having an apple just because it is a touch screen phone. So we should thank these companies who make our dreams come true. It is very hard to come up with a technical gadget with all the features copied and sell it a cheaper price. In the process, we discover few cheaper replacements for the expensive materials used in the branded phones. I agree that it doesn’t last long. But who wants to use it life-long anyway? So, I stand up to these companies for using their creative minds in bringing out a cheaper version of the branded touch screen phone. Well, if you don’t have an iphone, you can always have just a phone.

Resolutions or Reciprocations?

“I will stop eating oily foods”, “I will stop staying up late night”, “I will start going to gym”, “I will start studying seriously” etc etc… How do you feel when people set some things which are impossible for them as New Year Resolutions??? Welcome to a new year. A decade after the millennium, this is how people think.
New Year, New day, New hopes, New Resolutions. Does it really work? Do we really need a new year to make ourselves firm? Isn’t every day a new day...? Every moment, a new moment... Every hope, a new hope?? Do we suppress our hopes if it isn’t hoped on the first day of a new year? Or is it just a fashion to have a hope and make ourselves firm on a new year?
I sometimes find it really superstitious. Like how our ancestors check on an auspicious time, day and place for an event, aren’t we doing the same thing by setting up a resolution on the first day of a New Year? Some people think New Year gives them a fresh feeling, so they freshly take up resolutions and follow them freshly. Oh! Does that mean as the year fades, they rot? and so do their once upon a time “fresh” resolution?
New Year is just an event which repeats itself after every 365 days. Just like how Sunday repeats after every 7 days, how 1:00 hrs repeats after every 24:00 hrs. In what way does this restarting point give us an enlightenment which may make us firm? According to me, the best way to keep up a resolution set up on New Year is not to set up one. Sounds funny. But true. I would rather call it as reciprocation because we are setting it, as a New Year approaches.
If we are really firm, no matter when the resolution or a decision we make in our life, we really stick on and never give ourselves an opportunity to condemn our firmness.

Life made me a poet!!!

"When does a person take up poetry?
When he is so much hurt that he can't express it by speech.
When does a poet give up poetry?
When he is so much hurt that he can't express it by poems."
I sill remember the day I wrote this quote.
I am walking without knowing where is the path leading me to. I am breathing without knowing the reason for my existence. I am in grief without knowing what am I grieving for.
I wanted to break down and and wash off my grief with my tears. But I couldn't as I was on the way back home from college. I wished to return home soon for the only reason that I could wash off my saline memory with my saline liquid from eyes. I think God was kind enough to let me break down in the main road. He showered with drops of sweet water from sky to mix in with my saline water from eyes. I cried and everyone thought I am getting drenched in rain. I just wanted to stand there and forget the happenings with the rain water mixing with my tears.I decided to remember the happenings, cry until I am satisfied and forget it.
It was a warm afternoon. Still, I could see the hiding dark clouds which were responsible for the sweet shower late that evening. I got a violent shock when one among my eight friends said "You are just fake. I don't want to be in this group mainly because I have heard all your truths."
I swallow my shock and ask, "What truths?"
"The truths which define you as a person.So please let us leave the group.Don't stop us",an other friend replied.
I am still not convinced. So I ask "Whom did you hear it from?"
"Everyone says so" was the reply.
I was shattered,at the same time confused. But managed to say "Come on, you people are my friends. Do you believe rumours more than me? Won't you help me get out of this misunderstanding?"
"We didn't really know who were our friends until we heard this thing about you. Now we are enlightened"was the reply.
I was traumatized by the unanticipated reply. I didn't have anything else to say. I just started walking. I thought someone would call me back.But no one did. I continued to walk. I never realized how much I walked.Some one calls me out and says "I am with you prash. I am your friend. I trust you, not the rumors." I just turn back to realize that it was none other than the friend from my group of eight, whom I least expected. I just broke down. She consoles me. I realized then
"Genuineness of a king, can be known during famine.
Genuineness of a wife can be known during misery.
Genuineness of a friend can be known during helpless situation"
I appreciated this thought by a famous Sanskrit scholar.
I could see that my tears had stopped pouring. But the rain continued . I smile as usual to cover up my grief. I reach home and scribble the quote mentioned in the starting.

Arogance or Attitude????

Well, these days "ATTITUDE" has become a hot word. Everyone speaks of it,but very few know what exactly is attitude.

Attitude isn't a negative trait until it is specified so.Arrogance is supposed to be a negative attitude but attitude itself isn't arrogance. There are positive attitudes as well.Many misunderstand the whole concept.

You speak out your mind boldly,frankly, on the face, people say "she has attitude". lol. Speaking out your mind requires a lot of guts.Not being socially conscious,not everyone can do that. You may feel thousands, but you may just tell out hundreds of it. Telling whatever is running on your mind in a very non-offensive manner is way too difficult. Because it's human mind and humans can't always think good about everything and everyone. This is a kind of attitude. But not attitude itself.To be more precise, this is boldness and not arrogance.

Right interpretation about people takes time. But Misinterpretation takes no time. It is better to wait and interpret rightly rather than misinterpret and arrive at wrong conclusions.

What made me write about this is I have always been a victim of misinterpretation. People so easily misunderstand my attitude to be arrogance. EXPERIENCE SPEAKS.