Him (and me)

I watched an episode of ‘Satyamev Jayate’ on Sunday. A show which is bringing to the surface, many fundamental problems related to the social system in India. It is hosted by a national celebrity, an actor by profession, Aamir Khan. A pat on the back to this actor who has delivered something new at each go, be it cinema or otherwise. How many celebrities would risk making such a move, putting their stardom at stake should be the topic of another post altogether. Well, this episode was about ‘Domestic violence’, something that married women in India deal with even today, when the whole world is claiming that men and women are treated equally. This is all but in words. The age of education has made no revolutionary changes in the thinking of a man. The inherent quality in any man is possession, the feeling of ownership, as one of the activists in the show rightly mentioned it. Women on the other hand have been culturally brought up with the sense of being owned by a far more superior being called the ‘husband’. Yes, women like being possessed, but by love, not by force. Out of force and violence, nothing genuine or beautiful can come. Woman endures all, toils and finally succumbs to every demand of her husband and what she gets in return is a painful death of her identity. The identity that was loved and cherished by many from the time she was born, as a daughter, a mother or a friend. Alas, it is still a man’s world and she remains a small ‘me’ masked by a massive ‘HIM’.

Him (and me)

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You laugh when he laughs, you cry when he does,

He cares nothing, for all your endless fears.

He doubts you at your every move, thinks you are headlong,

You explain even when, your intentions weren’t wrong.

You wanted to be his source of joy, a part of his pleasure and pain,

He thought everything you did, was foolish and insane.

You were never behind his money, his power or his wit,

All he did was not to trust you, even just a single bit.

You parted with your joys, your kin’s and old friends,

He thought all the sacrifices you made were poor insignificant things.

He thinks you fail to understand,

His feelings and subtle demands.

But little did he know that you were changing,

Battling within, but to his liking.

You did all for him and he asked for more,

You cried and whined all night till your eyes went sore.

All you needed was love alone, never the luxury of a queen,

A safe refuge in his arms, with no glimpses of life's pain.

You know that things may never change,

But to make it work you strive,

For you have loved him madly and all it takes is a try.

You know that you have faulted too,

Many a times in life.

You may complain for a woman you are,

And know not, the story on his side.

You wish to forget the things that went wrong,

And make it all seem right.

You live in the hope of a day to come,

When the woman he once loved will again come into his sight.

Gymnastyeeks

“Just fruits, Are you crazy?” is what I was asked by most of my colleagues at workplace who were horrified looking at my strange diet plans. Some days were just melons, some cucumber and some were filled with juice. Nuts is what they thought I was….one plan had just nuts too. Together with all of this was the gym, to get me into some shape that did not resemble a sphere - and to add on, a trainer who would plan such vigorous workouts that I could pretty much qualify for the national games in a week! Right into office post the gym, I would feel completely drained out of energy, not having just enough to get up and empty my bladder!

I was tired of it- literally, physically. The world seemed dizzy, I lost a whopping 10 kilos in 2 weeks and was bed ridden for a week thereafter. Towards the end of this torture which went on for a month, a few wise decisions were taken

-         Eat, eat to your heart’s errr no -- belly’s content.

-         Hit the gym, well -- just hard enough.

-         Yes you can eat junk, of course you can, I’m not sure about how much of it you can digest though..

I have been gymming for over 3 years now and frankly, its addictive. If you are trying to get fit and haven’t started enjoying what it takes yet, then you aren’t doing it right.

Transitions

I called an old friend recently, a budding entrepreneur. It is after 5 long years that we connected and very simply put, were excited! We have known each other since the days of our schooling, have been great friends since then and most importantly, have still managed to be a part of each others lives.

Initially, our conversation revolved around work, clients, business deals, stocks and the like. It slowly started drifting towards the journey we have been through, the turns our lives have taken and the experiences we’ve missed to share. We spoke about school, the curriculum that terrorized us, the crushes we had in college, the people we met, our successes and failures. About how back then, there was time for everything, for everyone, how we never feared expressing our thoughts, never feared consequences, never feared life….. In short, we discussed about the transitions that have happened, the ones that make us what we are today.

We have both been successful in our domains and have led the lives we’ve wanted. Time has fleeted past and so deceptively that I would deny admitting any changes that may have indeed happened. But the fact is, my coffee is now black and my tea has turned green. Are all these transitions self willed is what I wonder. I’m glad nonetheless that old friends, never change.