Posts

The Curious Case of Selective Decorum!

-
Image
  A few weeks ago, I came across a video post on twitter that left me puzzled, not because of what people were arguing about, but because of how differently they seemed to apply the same standards. In that post, Kangana Ranaut was criticized by many for wearing an off-shoulder gown while receiving a National Award for Tanu Weds Manu Returns . Whether one liked the outfit or not, the criticism was familiar: a National Award ceremony is a prestigious occasion, a formal state event, and therefore deserving of a certain decorum. In the same post, Actress Kriti Sanon was widely praised for wearing a beautiful saree while receiving her own National Award years later. Her choice, seeing it as elegant, graceful, and appropriate for the occasion was widely appreciated. So far, so good. But then came a Raksha Bandhan advertisement in which the same actress celebrated the festival wearing an outfit that revealed far more skin than the gown for which Kangana was criticized in that video post. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review of Korean Netflix Series: Can This Love Be Translated?

-
Image
There is a woman who is a successful actress who pursues a man who was kind to her even before she made her big break. But it seems she is afraid of being happy! There is a man who is honest, highly skilled, and clearly interested in her (though he constantly confuses, denies, or refuses to acknowledge those feelings) since their very first meeting. There is feisty chemistry between them. Sparks fly in almost every interaction. Yet strangely, there is very little actual romance - only drama. The result is a story that feels disconnected from what it initially promises. The biggest issue lies in the storytelling. The female lead's character arc takes an abrupt turn. What begins as a light-hearted romantic comedy with hints of a love triangle suddenly shifts into something much darker . Without enough preparation for the audience, her struggles evolve from occasional hallucinations into alter-ego personality. The transition is so sudden that it leaves the viewer baffled. One moment ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why I'm Glad I Refused to Play That Game!

-
Image
Some memories stay with us for decades. Not because they were traumatic. But because something about them never sits right. I was around 20, sitting in a lecture hall, when a friend casually turned to me and said, "Look around the class and pretend everyone here is crazy. Just imagine they're all insane people doing insane things. You'll laugh at everything they do." My immediate reaction was simple. Why would I want to do that? It didn't sound funny. It sounded cruel. So I never did it. Knowing her otherwise composed nature, I brushed it off as a bad joke. Over the next few days, I realised she wasn't joking. She actually did it. Regularly. She would scan the classroom, watching people who were simply sitting, writing, answering questions, talking to teachers, or just existing peacefully and she would laugh. Sometimes with others. Sometimes all by herself. The people she mocked hadn't insulted her. They hadn't harmed her. They hadn...
2 comments
Read more

Is everything a paradox?

-
Image
  My son said a few days ago, “Mom, if you think about it, everything is a paradox.” The more I sit with that thought, the more examples I find in everyday life. Some are simple. Some are uncomfortable. And some refuse to leave my mind. Today, this one struck me. If a man is not brave enough to accept his woman publicly, should she really be with him? But then again, what about the man who accepts her publicly, through a proposal or marriage, yet treats her like trash behind closed doors? Should she stay with him either? One strips her of recognition. The other strips her of dignity. And suddenly, what looked like a simple question no longer has a simple answer. We are often told that love should be shown. Yet love that is displayed without respect can become a performance. We are also told that love is private. Yet love that remains hidden can leave a person feeling unseen. So where is the honor? Should love be hidden or shown? What is performance, and what is an act of love? When...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Illusion of Love I Learned… from Movies…

-
Image
Ever since I was a child, I watched movies where a perfectly ambitious, self-dependent woman would get married and almost instantly dissolve her identity into a good wife, a good DIL, a good mother, a good daughter --- everything… except herself. She would stop relying on herself and become dependent on her husband. And it seems nobody cares, not even she herself. How ironic!  She is not the only one losing herself in this arrangement. He is too. Two things happens with him also, almost instantly: 1. The man, who is ambitious, settles into being a “family man” and somewhere along the way,  forgets what he truly wanted.  2. The one who could barely understand his own emotions is now expected to carry hers too, manage them and live around them for the rest of his life. How ironic!  If she can become a GOOD mother, wife, daughter-in-law, daughter, yet fail to be GOOD AND KIND to herself,  And he can become a GOOD husband, father, brother, son-in-law, yet fail ...
2 comments
Read more

But you are more than just a housewife...

-
Being a housewife is not suffering...  It only becomes suffering when you start believing the world’s limited definition of value. You can do much more. But first — you need to see your own worth. That’s it. Not loudly. Not aggressively. Just clearly. And your worth? It is not inside the kitchen. It is not outside the kitchen. It is not in the income you are earning. It is not the income you are not earning. It is not in school meetings. It is not in the doctor appointments. It is not in taking care of your family.  It is not even in raising your children  All of that — cooking, managing, earning, nurturing, scheduling — is work. And work is something you do. But you… You are not the work. These roles — mother, wife, professional, homemaker — They are identities. And identities are parts of you. They are not you. You exist beyond the apron. Beyond the salary slip. Beyond the school runs. Beyond doctor appointments. Beyond expectations. Beyond applause. If tomorrow the rou...
Post a Comment
Read more

Forgive yourself...

-
Image
  Forgive yourself for not speaking when there was a need to, Forgive yourself for explaining when there was no need to.  Forgive yourself for accepting what you shouldn’t have, Forgive yourself for not rejecting what you should have.  Forgive yourself for not letting go in time, Forgive yourself for holding it too long.  Forgive yourself for not able to fulfill your dreams, Forgive yourself for taking your dreams for granted.  Forgive yourself when you decide not to, Make the way for peace to fill your life.
2 comments
Read more