Hmmmmm....: Girl Power

Showing posts with label Girl Power. Show all posts

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Another Year!

As I silently tiptoe into another year of my life, it’s difficult to digest the amount of changes in and around me. New people, new place and a whole lot of memories to cling on to. This last year would definitely stand out as the most memorable year for me. A long swing right up to the pinnacle of happiness and a sharp fall flat-faced right on the slimy mud below. It is easy to talk about getting up back on your feet, wiping your face off the mud and tears and walk off like it’s the best thing that has happened to you. It’s also easier to talk about how time heals…aaah. I have done all this advising to the poor deprived souls myself and it is now that I realize how lame such advises can be unless you have been in their shoes to taste that dirt. I have had my struggle and perhaps still kicking around to get my head straightened out, but I will survive! Like someone I knew once said (more of an advise again), you don’t always get what you want in life and nothing is ever prefect. What is prefect right now, are a few friends and family who never miss out on a chance to kick me hard every time my smile sags and a job that keeps me on the edge of my seat. I missed out on a lot of writing and reading for a while. Lost out on a few irreplaceable people. A few sorry(s) and thank you(s) went unsaid and a few songs unsung.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Came across an interesting fact about men and women in a book I recently read. This is how it goes:

"The most powerful force in a man's life is his intense desire to impress the person he loves the most. And the most powerful force in a woman's life is the need to be appreciated, loved and cherished for what she is."

Sunday, December 18, 2011

GIRLS!

I am no feminist. But just to supplement to my posts on girl power, here is something I came across a while back.Sweet & simple.

♥ Girl... ♥

From the day one..

she becomes apple of her father’s eyes…

Her silent tears do wonders..

and Dad agrees to do on what he said a big 'No' earlier..!

She can walk in style all day long without lookng tired..

She burns her hand....while cooking for u...but never complains...

She can cry all night, but the next morning when her eyes are red..

its just because mascara hit her eyes..

She Likes to be called "Angel" or "Princess" or "Baby"…

She will drop a lot of hints to tell you that she Loves you

But she won’t come say it directly..

When a guy says something really sentimental,

She will remember it forever..

When a girl cooks for you.. You know..?

You mean a lot to her..

She feels Honoured.. when You ask her Advice..

She feels Shy.. when you look at her Silently..

She feels Protective when she is dependent on you..

She is expected to seal her Words …

to crush her emotions… to stop her tears..

and to have a big smile on her face.. no matter how hard she is crying inside..

She is one.. who is treated as a Princess in her Parent's House,

when she gets Married.. She leaves every thing behind..

her Parents, their Love.. her Room..

she adopts your family Values.. even your family name..

She calls ur mother "Mum"... and ur father "Dad"

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Empowerment

Recently a close friend had sent me a text which went like this, “I now understand what women empowerment is all about. A person like you (brought up abroad, educated, with experiences outside her own state) cannot do something that she likes because of society. I am lucky to be a man! ”

His frankness is commendable but I could not help wondering if I was really unlucky. Being a woman isn’t easy (at least from where I come from) in any way. Every day is a battle for some respect and respect isn’t something you can force out of anybody. You get judged for everything you do/say/wear and you are charged guilty for life simply because you live life the way you want it. One thing I truly appreciate is their wild creative imagination (thanks to the soap operas) to tailor gossips & rumors with the snap of their fingers and continue on shamelessly in spinning their webs to their utmost delight. And sadly here, it’s the women themselves who make your life a living hell unlike the male counterparts.

People are a total scam if they can’t get their attitudes right.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

My bed of roses

Past few months have been quite uneventful which includes my lazing over to update this space. I have been fixating myself into deep reading and I have finished over four books in two weeks (a personal record). Other than that I have been working over the still progressing, head spinning, life churning decisions of mine. And here is how a typical thought runs on its own winding over the nerves in my head.

"MBA! Time for me to do a PG." (Yaaawn).

"But which college do I choose? Screw those sinister exams. CAT, MAT, RAT, SNAP, CRAP, FMS, JMET, blah, blah, blah! Hmmmmmmmmm."

"Wait-a-minute, should I go for this?" (Fingers playing with my hair)

"I should definitely revive my job hunting strategies for now – getting back to books is scary and I want to be done with exams forever! Somebody banish them!"

"But I ain’t gonna go back to those scrawny techie jobs; remember you swore it to yourself the last time!"

"But then what is the other better option???" (Biting the corners of my mouth)

Imaginations on the roll-day dreaming; whatever it’s called

SNAP! "No seriously! What should I do???"

Now I think of a million ways to escape the next train of thoughts that’s on its way

Nature’s call, gotta run / Raid the fridge / Got to finish this book / Nap time! / Vigorously starts typing texts over the phone / Spiteful urge to irritate someone in the house

Oh yes, and those taunting neighbors and relatives (relatively unknown to me) who can’t just wait to get me married off.

I would say, “You people ain’t getting rid off me that quick.”

They would flabbergast, “OMG!!! You do have someone in your life, don’t you? Do your parents know? Who is the guy? What about religion and caste? OMGGGGG!!!! ”

They never fail to render me speechless.

I would shoot back, “Now when did I say that?????”

They would then begin with their mantras on life (in Lola Kutty style) “All girls are like that now. They introduce and decide everything on their own caring the least of what parents think. We know you are not like that but you shouldn’t keep your parents waiting. Now be a good girl and no fooling around. We will help you find some good desi boys who can fly you to I-Am-Erica. We just want to see you happily married off before we go to our graves.”

I would think “Why don’t I just dig them up for you myself right now!” “#!/= @&^?%*!$~#”

I smile back at them politely like a doll wishing I could say a lot more but sadly goes unsaid.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Bride at 9, divorcee at 10

That is the title that caught my attention from an edition of The Times of India. Out of curiosity, I checked out the article. What I read after that was shocking and sick to the core. The story of Nujood Ali strangely resembles the Khaled Hosseini fiction: A Thousand Splendid Suns. I couldn’t help but write something about the ordeal that left the 12 year old Yemeni rot for over a year.

Nujood Ali, a regular school going girl from Yemen, who loved math and Quran classes, was forced into marriage at the age of 9 to a man old enough to be her father. She was raped on the first night of her wedding and regularly abused by her in-laws and so called husband, until she ran away two months after the wedding. With the help of a relative, she filed for divorce and was granted freedom later in the year becoming the youngest bride to legally end her marriage. With that she made headlines all over the world and was declared ‘Women of the Year’ in 2008 alongside Hillary Clinton and Nicole Kidman by Glamour magazine.

Today her story is being told through her memoir "I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced " composed by a French journalist and is appearing in about 19 languages world over. She and her sister are attending a private school at her hometown with the funds she received from her book. She says with a smile, "All I want now is to finish my education. I want to be a lawyer."

I simply couldn’t stop imagining her plight and how disgusting and insane people can get. It’s great to know how successfully she fought her way out through the agony but it’s heartbreaking to realize the pain in her at the time when she should have played with her dolls.

We all have been truly blessed with a roof above our heads and satisfied with our never ending desires to carve out our lives better than the others. One thought of what girls like Nujood go through, is enough to make our stomachs turn over.

http://www.glamour.com/women-of-the-year/2008/nujood-ali-and-shada-nasser

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Cinesphere

With a lot of time on my hands these days, I decided to check on some of the movies of 2009 that I had missed out on. So in the span of 3 weeks, I checked out on a lot of different ones, some absolutely appealing, some dull and the rest, well, I didn’t bother to watch after the initial 5 minutes. Of the whole bunch, there were three movies; The Blind Side, Julie and Julia and An Education; that I thought were remarkable in every sense. Interestingly all three are stories of real people and has the protagonist as a woman with each one scoring an academy award nomination. These characters have again, like their predecessors showcased how soaring woman can get to change perhaps one life and how their words can take you an extra mile. Amazing isn’t, how movies open you to these ‘global women’, whom perhaps you have never heard of until you’ve watched their true lives unfold through cinema, and end up googling or reading their blogs to sense their moments of life.

I can’t help jotting down a word of criticism regarding our Indian cinema. Aren’t we done romancing with the age old fairy tales? Where are the stories of those survivors who have walked out of the flames and have enriched their lives for others to awe upon? Other than for the somber Madhur Bhandakar movies, the year-end Aamir Khan splendors and works of a few other gifted filmmakers, we have a long way to dig out those special tales of special people.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

What I Want

For the past two days I have received immense approval for my blog. Thank you to all my friends who have supported me. What started as a ‘let me see what’s so special about writing blogs?’ has turned to my major activity now. You may laugh or think I am silly if I say that these days I even dream about blogs! Honest; it’s not an exaggeration. The true fact is that I want to reach out to people through what I write. 'Chef's corner' is dedicated to my friends working at Amrita Technology. I had guaranteed them I would bring them all that I would cook but that didn’t work out as planned. So I decided to put up the instructions to all the foodies I prepare. Not a great cook myself but I would love them to give a shot themselves.

The post ‘The Spirit of India’ was an aftermath of the articles I read in India Today and also my urge to contribute in a small way to change the mindset of people. A close friend after reading the blog told me that this is what every youth says and nothing will ever change. I do realize it’s so easy to write but tough and perhaps dangerous to bring ourselves to action. But if a magazine or a movie like ‘Rang De Basanti’ could awaken me then so can I rouse my friends who read the post. When you read it, I want you to realize that you are today’s Indian youth and you have the immense power to change and dawn our country to new beginnings. I am not talking about going up to the streets and protesting for a change. If I had to stand on the ‘great well’ near my house and make a speech about change, there’s no doubt I would get tight slaps across my face and maybe pushed into the well. As a matter of fact I myself haven’t got a clue of how to bring about this change. But I did have an idea which wouldn’t work out. I wanted to teach English during these few months at a nearby institute where they teach the language to children as well as adults of the village. I wanted to do this because English is the only strong point I have in spite being an engineering graduate and I felt I could pass on whatever little knowledge I have to these people. But the idea was rejected by my family since they had better hopes from me as an engineer. Typical Indian household scenario. Again I am left helpless but to patiently wait for my time to come.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

SPIRIT OF INDIA

I stumbled upon this month’s issue of India Today. With nothing much to do, I resolved to have a read through it. I was lucky enough to get this copy since it was a special issue voicing the toil of common civilians around our country trying to make a difference. Each individual featured in the magazine had a wonderful story to quote along with their sweet fruits of hard work.
Our country has a long way to go. While some parts have reproduced the western culture aura with a damaging upshot other parts are deep-rooted under the ancient taboos whereas a few others are strangulated in communal violence waving an atmosphere for pessimism and intolerance. I come from a village where people are obdurate to change and reject transformations blindly. I have neighbors who complain their sons haven’t got enough dowry or have people gathering around tiny shops gossiping about the girl who they saw talking with the next door boy. I also have neighbors who consider their women impure and forbid them to daily chores once in every month. During my college days, I had to walk to the junction twice a day to catch a bus where men would stare as though they had never seen a female and had to listen to their nasty comments. And yet all that I could do was to give a callous look and speed away as far as my legs could carry. This is indeed the vibrant taste of India where women are left choice less. I will one day perhaps be a mother and I would want my children to live and be bought up as proud Indians but the truth is that I am hesitant. I am so, because unless people change their mindset and come out to the open to face reality, nothing is going to change.
We are the present youth of our nation and we have the power to change the country more than any government. If this happens, the change along with the impact would be a massive. Earlier the question used to be ‘what can the country do for us?’ but at present age the question should churn as ‘what can we do for our country?’