I was looking into the mainstream media, I found it filled with Bollywood drama and nepotism comments. With the sad demise of the popular actor, everyone here has turned out to be a Social Justice Warrior ranting over Bollywood’s Nepotism Culture.

Then came another wave where people went to YouTube’s Sadak 2 trailer just to dislike it because of boycotting Alia Bhatt. Personally speaking, I liked Alia Bhatt’s performance in Highway and Raazi. What I want to tell you is that, watch movies in its truest form. Explore and appreciate art

Let me tell you the truth. The genre of so-called Masala movies in Hindi cinema exists because a lot of people want that kind of content and enjoy it voraciously. I bet most of the SSR Warriors haven’t watched his Sonchiriya and Detective Byomkesh Bakshy yet.

Cinema is the reflection of our demands and taste. Movies like Tumbbad, Ship of Theseus, Shahid, or Sonchiriya haven’t even grossed 5 crores at the box office. The answer is obvious, we don’t go to watch them in theatres.

Simply ranting over Bollywood’s Nepotism won’t do any good. We have to start watching good movies with good content. The list is endless. Even South Indian movies like Super Deluxe, Asuran, Ratsasan, Moothon have amazed me with their story and cinematography.

Comment your favorite Indian movies. Let’s share and appreciate the good content. Change begins with us.

I think we have to draw some lines while doing jokes or comedy on any religion. Religion is one of the most sensitive matters in India. Offensive comedy is, of course, an oxymoron but for those who take it literally isn’t comedy as it hurts their sentiments. Laughing at the cost of some important sentiments of people isn’t cool. One may argue that if one gets offended then he/she shouldn’t come to attend the show. But how would that person know that religious jokes are going to be made and to what extend since no disclaimer is provided before. And putting it in the public platform leads to a lot of misinterpretations of the jokes as well as the motive.

Free speech should not be ‘selective speech’. Intellectuals don’t preach personal propaganda against a few. Criticism on Majoritarianism need some nuances as well, everything can’t be quoted as Black and White. It isn’t criticizing intolerance, it’s putting the tolerance to test. Any type of radicalization is dangerous for the integrity of our country. Even I am not imposing my views. It’s just a suggestion and also subject to criticism. If liberalism advocates minority protection then why not protect the values of a small section(only if your argument is: it offends very fewer people) of people whose sentiments are being hurt.

I am not supporting any kind of reaction or violence done upon comedians. I am just saying a lot of unnecessary chaos can be avoided. I like the way the comedy fraternity has taken the initiative to address the issues of the country. Jokes on faulty roads are funny and meaningful as both Hindus and Muslims want proper infrastructure irrespective of their Religion. But jokes on Ram or Allah doesn’t do any good except a hell lot of views, controversy, and hatred. I hope this doesn’t make me a Bhakt. Humor should be used to de-stress people, not to create chaos.

अगर तुम दुनिया को अलग नजरिये से देख रहे हो, तो जिंदा हो तुम |

Seeing the world in a different way is the most profound trait one can possess. Your perception decides who you are. The way we were raised, the culture we grew up in, the relationship we had, the books we read, the music we listen, the movies we watch, all play a vital role in shaping our perception. With age our perception changes.

Perception varies from person to person. You can be right on your own yet wrong in the eyes of someone else. The fine line of division between right and wrong varies according to the person.

Most people see the world in a certain way. But if you are the one who has completely different opinions on life and how the world works, then you are creating a reality of your own. Not to forget, the reality is the manifestation of your thoughts, your perception. For example, the plan of the building you are residing on must have come to someone’s mind before existing on reality.

Cheers to the fact that you see that aura in the world which most people fail to see. You are special. You have the ability to bring a change, maybe because God has sent you with that special consciousness. Believe in yourself and walk on the path you are destined to. At some point, you will see, the same world which was contemplating you as weird is now acknowledging and adoring you for your sagacious perception. Go and seize the world.

Your perception is your Truth.

A lot of people bashing out against the people who follow a certain faith calling them pricks for believing in Hinduism. True secularism isn’t anti-religion, it’s respecting everyone’s faith and living together. Communism has taken more lives than religion has ever taken. Anti-government isn’t anti-Hindu.

The less privileged can’t simply behave like us as they didn’t have the same resources as we have. You can’t just ignore the faith of 80% of Indians and call it nonsense because you are an atheist. Although faith cannot bring good infrastructure, we overlook the reality that a greater part of the same faith moves our country through times. Being intelligent and being wise are completely different things.

Questioning your faith should be done by reading source texts, not by interpreting propaganda juxtaposed internet articles. Through years of invasion,we have hold on to our thousand-year-old culture because our foundation has been strong.

What we can do is to teach our future generation the right way to explore one’s culture such that they are free to choose and practice them wisely. I agree it should not be forced or brainwashed.

Its the justice system that delivered the verdict. You can question people’s faith in the name of development and in the same way those people can question your intelligence in the name of ignorance. Civilization is at its peak when the Dharma is at the forefront.

People questioning the ethics of Rama, of why he abandoned Sita. Kindly know that Rama helped and supported the rehabilitation of various oppressed women such as Ahalya, Shabari, Tara, and Mandodari. Abandoning Sita is the resemblance of sacrifice that a leader can do to adhere to his duty. Rama felt that once doubt found a foothold in the mindset of his subjects it was impossible to dislodge it,not even Agni Parikshya. The sacrifice tells the story of a human who overcame all the obstacles while upholding the rules and principles of Maryada and Dharma. But he still loved Sitaji, more than ever. That’s why we worship him in our land. He is the ideal ruler whom we wish to have, who can do anything for the Praja. Sanatan Dharma is a way of life.

🚩|जय श्री राम|🚩

ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय ।
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
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I dedicate this piece of work to all my Gurus.
Guru Purnima in itself is a paradoxical term, with ‘Gu’ meaning darkness and ‘ru’ stands for the removal of darkness. Thus, a guru is believed to be someone who removes all darkness from our lives.
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It is believed that Lord Buddha gave his first sermon on this day. Even Shiva is known to have transmitted the learning of yoga to his disciples the ‘Saptarishis’ or seven sages on this day. Guru Purnima is also known as Vyasa Purnima, as it is believed that on this day Ved Vyasa — the author of Mahabharata.
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A Mandala is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing the attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid to meditation and trance induction.
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It requires a lot of patience. As you go towards the bigger circles to complete the art, the effort increases exponentially. But believe me, the result is worth it. One of the finest forms of mindfulness meditation.
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Coming to my personal experience, what I noticed after finishing it is that every radial part is different from the others. But what makes it beautiful is the very attempt to make it look symmetrical. That’s the same with life. Nothing is perfect. But the very attempt to make life happy is what matters the most.
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Call it a mere coincidence, the thing that startled me is when I first thought of making this I planned to divide the mandala circle into 16 equal parts and then proceed with the patterns. When I completed the rough skeleton, the outer radius turns out to be exactly 8 cm. So to divide it with 16 equal parts, each length would have to be exactly π cm (Perimeter being 16π cm), which is practically not possible as π value is not precise. And in the middle, I have the supreme symbol Omm, which is also infinite. I guess that’s what the universe is trying to tell me… Life is infinite. The infinite is whole.

I want to find my erased footprints, for I have walked so long. You would never know the battles I have fought, the scars that have tattooed me.

It does not pain either. The constant fight between the delusional mind and the actual me gives immense pleasure. From the ever-deepening self-loathing to embracing myself, the road has been a roller coaster ride.

At times I fight like a warrior and yet I sleep timidly. The thoughts are random like these, as I write, the nib of my pen strokes the insight of serendipitous feelings. Expressions are priceless.

I create because I love creating. Any form of art, may it be as abstract, gives solace to my soul and makes the world more beautiful. Even I consume a lot as I find every art form interesting, something to learn from, something to contribute. Yet the biggest artwork is life itself.

When I ask myself where I see myself in the future, the answer comes pretty straight- ‘I don’t know’. Maybe not having a particular aim, living the surprises of the present moment is the peace I seek. Beyond every philosophy, beyond every propaganda, beyond every future, what resides is the very existence of ourselves.

The future is bleak, striving towards the brink of Armageddon. Our goals diffuse. We just tune our music of life one scale-up. Can we just pause a little bit, take a long deep breath and slowly release! Now give me a cheerful smile. See, that is precious. You are beautiful, inside.

Our idiosyncrasies make us who we are. Show your allegiance to your madness. Exonerate yourself from all your guilt. Time has come to accept that Chaos is a new Peace. Failures defeat losers but failures inspire winners. However, there’s no defeat in the path of a wanderer. There are only experiences which you need to enjoy.

Well, I don’t want to continue further romance with my writing. My musings do not come from the groves of the academe. At least walk a mile in my shoes before you dismiss me.

Beautiful yet Caged!

Initially, when my company gave me work from home, I rejoiced. Slowly things escalated and the lockdown was announced. Getting confined to a single space seemed okay for a couple of days, but now things start to seem scary. I can’t go out do street photography or travel to random places. And yes, it sucks, which most of you have already felt.

The reason I am writing this with context to the photo is to highlight the issue of basic freedom which we all desire. Think about the birds and animals caged in wildlife zoos. They have been quarantined for years, depriving them of their basic freedom. A few days of quarantine make us go mad. Just think what they are feeling locked up inside for years, while we humans visit them for our own entertainment or call it “admiration of nature”.

The worst thing about Homo Sapiens is that we think ourselves to be too intelligent, something above nature. At times we fail to understand that laws of nature also apply to us. Just think, at the peak of modern civilization and scientific discovery we are unable to find a vaccine against the deadly SARS-CoV-2, a virus coming out from nature itself. That speaks volumes of our helplessness in front of the laws of nature.

We have been abusing nature, exploiting our mother earth like anything. What do you expect? A Pack of Nachos? Nature has its own way of retaliating and maintaining a healthy balance between every species. The truth is We can’t escape that. Let’s accept it and learn from our mistakes. I guess that’s the best part of being humans…We Learn, We Evolve. Let’s evolve to be better Humans, a better part of Nature.

Depression is real, so damn real. Mental Health is more important than anything else. For a couple of months, I have been in depression and I am not ashamed to accept it. But gladly I have come out of it. It took time, but yeah, it got healed. I am really thankful to the ones who were there beside me during that phase. A big cheer to them.

Things that I learned throughout this phase:

1. People don’t choose to be depressed. But you do have a choice to deal with it.

2. Depression doesn’t have to have a good reason or situation. It can be biochemical. Especially high functioning depression can be exhausting.

3. Depressed people might not look depressed. It’s hidden. It’s often misunderstood as just feeling sad. But it’s a complex condition in fact.

4. Come out of something which is giving you mental pain. I know it’s difficult to come out but trust me, once you come out, the results are fascinating.

5. Alcohol and Marijuana are not solutions to your problems. They can act as Depressants.

6. Asking for help is the strongest and the best thing you can do. Reach out to your close friends and family members. Believe me, this is the best solution. Consider professional help if you can’t cope up further.

7. Do the things that make you feel good. Inculcate hobbies and involve yourself in it.

8. Get moving. Do some exercise. This is really helpful. Even simply having a sunbath helps.

9. Eat a healthy, depression-fighting diet. Google the rest. Practice meditation.

10. Challenge your negative thought by questioning its existence on practicality. This step towards inner fight is important.

If anyone is undergoing the same and want to talk about, can surely ping me. We will try to figure it out.

Remember, You are both light and dark. You are human. You are a warrior. Fight it till you defeat it.

The photo above speaks a lot of emotions. A mother’s emotions. A mother lending hand to her son’s business.

Mother is the pillar of strength of everyone’s life. Our mother make sacrifices that we never notice. Often her efforts are never thanked or appreciated.

She is the one who keeps the family intact. Starting from household chores to handling finances, she is top-notch in everything. With all the burdens and responsibilities, she tends to smile and take care of the whole family. She can be as tender as a flower also furious as a hurricane. She has the spine of steel. Yet she is the one who is neglected the most.

So this Friendship Day, a great shout out to our Mothers who are our Default Best Friends, our Guide, Our instinctive Philosophers! When everything is reduced to essentials our Mother has taught us how to laugh it through, through all the tough times. It’s not easy to be a mother. Mother is not simply a word, but it is a whole universe in itself.

“Mere paas MAA hai…

The night was young. On the roof, the breeze was slowly touching us, every part of our bodies. We lie beside each other, looking at the clear sky. Something was teasing the calm composure. I wrapped my hands around you and pulled you closer. You covered us with the bedsheet that you got.

The moon appeared as if it was glancing at us waiting for us to embrace the euphoria. I looked at your flawless skin, glowing in the moonlight. You looked back and smiled. Damn, the smile. Somehow, I couldn’t resist putting aside one thin strand of your hair behind your ear. I started to stroke your hair with one hand while the other hand wrapped around you, fondling your arms. Your cute face rested on my chest, your eyes got shut when my palm slithered around your neck. The smile turned into desire.

My lips caressing your cheeks gave a small long peck. With emotions flooding, I gasped and rose over you with a twitch, while our breaths mingled with each other. I remember, your scent was still lingering on my skin. As I gulped your aroma, you sighed, “I Love You.” I looked at you, beautiful as you are and our eyes met. I whispered, “I know. And I love you.”

We kissed politely, passionately while our bodies burned into each other. My hands grabbed your neck and I choked you slightly. As I saw you melting into dominance, I uttered, “Shall we go rough?” to which you replied, “Show me how to…”