Pain - It is yours

No darling
I cannot take your pain away.
No matter how much I wish to.
No matter that it pains me twice as much as it pains you.
I cannot take it from you.

People can intrude into happiness. They can intrude into anxieties. They can intrude into peace. They can even intrude into tears. They can intrude into every fathomable emotion. But they cannot, just cannot, intrude into someone's pain.

We were born with the agonies we were supposed to endure. And I don't know whether fortune or misfortune it is, that no one was born with the ability to take it away.

So I cannot take away your pain. I can, however, stay by you and endure it with you. I can, however, hold you and whisper to you infinitely that "You are strong, and this shall pass", without quite knowing if it helps. I can, however, just try to pass on as much strength into you as is possible through my bare hands and soul. I can just be there and hope, desperately, intensely, with all the ardour, that it would help.

I cannot take your pain my dear, it is for you to endure, but I can pledge my soul to yours, so you just know you are not alone and would never be.

#EmoFridays

GOT vs Saas Bahu

When Ekta Kapoor decides to compare GOT with her saas bahu dramas, this happens to me.....

#GOTFandom #GOTIsReligion 😂😂😂😂

Dear Miss Kapoor,

First of all, heartiest congratulations for your success in spreading filth, narrow mindedness, superstitions, importance of irrational hatred, selfishness and all those negative emotions in a society which is already tackling to overcome these.

Second of all, for your kind knowledge, there is a difference between Indian TV content and your soaps. Indian TV also hosts programs like Crime Patrol, Savdhan India and The Voice India Kids. It has also hosted in the past programs like Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, Shrimaan Shrimati, Hum Paanch, Malgudi Days, Hum Log, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Ghutan, Surbhi, Circus, Kora Kaagaz etc. etc.  You see? The difference?

You raised a pointless argument here by comparing GOT to your serials. However, I take it upon me, to open your eyes to a few things that might give you some, if not all, the answers you are looking for.

1) GOT is a medieval fantasy. Let me know if you wish to typify your shows as medieval fantasy too. If you wish to do so, you are going to start an altogether new argument.

2) GOT has been shot at scenic locales like Belfast, Northern Ireland, Malta, Croatia, Iceland and Morocco amongst a few others to make sure it abides by its genre of fantasy. The writer, directors, screenplay artists have brought out an alternate world for us to witness. Your shows have been shot in extravagantly filthy rich houses and bunglows with spacious lawns and 2 km long staircases, adorned with chandeliers and satin curtains and whatnot. And then you say you portray "common people"s emotions and your neighbourhood aunties' ways. (I don't know how many of us have neighbourhood aunties who wear 5 cm long earrings even when they sleep.)

3) GOT makers undestand the significance of background music. (It is generally used to enhance the effect of a situation, just to let you know, in case you don't.) They understand subtlety and stay away from creating music that denotes unnecessary drama, even if it is a fantasy, to make sure you feel inside the world. They do not have inappropriate bollywood/hollywood love songs playing in just to stretch the whole thing.

4) While Jon Snow was resurrected, the makers made sure of doing it before the body actually burnt. Unlike Mr. Mihir Virani. (I read you guys brought him back after showing his funeral pyre without making it clear whose body was burnt, if it wasn't Mr. Virani after all).

5) I strongly advise you to observe the women in the show. They sure are selfish and backstabbing like in your shows, but their purpose is political. They are either avenging their families or trying to win the iron throne. May I understand what do your women fight for? Love of a husband who has proven himself an infidel 100 number of times? Or creating impression in the eyes of a mother-in-law who treats her daughter-in-law like a piece of shit? Umm, what? Why is validation of a woman by someone other than the woman herself such an important part of your show?

6) Your women wear jewellery and make up and saris even while they sit at home and plot the other woman's "barbaadi". They cook and clean and watch out after their children. And the children unlike the normal children spit stuff like "paay lagu ba" etc etc to ensure they look respectful in the eyes of their elders. Not sure which "yug" are you trying to depict here. You have "ba"s who live for 100 thousand years to see their children and grandchildren and great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren and shit, without Melisandre's ruby necklace. Like, how?

7) Your shows revolve around who will pick up the fallen spoon, and whether Raj will eat the laddoos that Pooja had made, and whether Bajaj will leave Rashmi to be with Neha, and whether Ba will understand Beti's wishes, and aarrghh. In normal world there are far worse problems than these and I so wish you make yourself aware of all those and stop being so stubbornly unaware of the REAL world.

8) Your shows do not end for YEARS together. GOT ends where it has to and a new series comes after a year to ensure that the viewer's are not bored to the hilt and the screenplay writers also get some creative time to come out with their best instead of just stretching one scene to nowhere or showing same stuff 200 number of times under the pretext of effects.

And if you still want to compare your shows with GOT and typify it as a medieval fantasy, I am sorry, but I am unable to find an alternate universe in your shows. They are mediocre, unmagical and they do not, absolutely do not, add any value to a normal person's time except make them think that a cat crossing a road is a bad omen and that if a light burns out before you do the aarti then the person may not live long.

I suggest you watch stuff like GOT, FRIENDS, Grey's Anatomy etc very carefully Or if you want to get inspired by some Indian TV shows, then the ones I quoted above should help. If you wish to get some more inspiration, do call me and I will give you recommendations. We can then hope to see some good things coming from you instead of some irrational hate saga dripping like a snake's venom from everyone's eyes and mouth.

Something is wrong somewhere

Yesterday my paternal grandmother came to me clutching Chetan Bhagat’s “Two States” in her hands and asked me how I felt about the author. I said he is a very famous author in India but I personally am not a big fan. She then went inside her room and didn’t come out till late evening. At the dinner table, she told me she loved the book. She loved Chetan’s simple writing. It helped her understand some words of English that she had never known so far. She said she would like me to get her more Chetan Bhagat’s books. I bought her all of them.

I am sure readers who are reading this have already judged my grandmother as a mediocre because she enjoys Chetan Bhagat and the likes in Indian writing. But I can’t. She is one of those in my life who influenced me into reading good books. She has a reading career spanning entire Marathi Literature – classics and contemporary and if she starts a literary argument with someone, she has all the odds of winning. That’s the kind of knowledge she has about reading. She has trouble reading English literature, so I definitely couldn’t have recommended her a Kafka or a Shakespeare. (I am not a great fan of Shakespeare but I do love Kafka’s writing). I had tried suggesting her Amitav Ghosh and Arundhati Roy in the past. She did try reading them and found them slightly cluttered with large sentences making it difficult for her to catch up. (I love BOTH).

If you notice, I am trying to make a point here. I see Chetan Bhagat/Durjoy Dutta haters crying foul over the way they write and questioning the abilities of their readers. Every alternative post that I have seen since the release of “One Indian Girl” is a shame post comparing Chetan Bhagat to cruelest of things. I am wondering for a while now, whatever happened to CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. Why do we have to bash a person up just because he wrote something we didn’t like? Why do we have to judge someone ONLY on the basis of the reading choices they make? Everyone is entitled to have an opinion about everything. Everyone is entitled to express it publicly. We call it freedom. And unfortunately we remember only till here. They call it selective acknowledgement or memory or something of that sort. We forget we are responsible for our expressions as well. There is nothing wrong in expressions, but whatever happened to being responsible while doing that? Why do we have to criticize each and every thing that doesn’t match our choice? Who decides who is a better reader? Who decides who is a better human being? On what grounds are these comparisons being made? Virginia Woolf decided that she didn’t like Aldous Huxley because she found the writing “All raw, uncooked, and protesting.” But Aldous Huxley is still read and adored by many who like it all raw and uncooked and protesting. And no one judges this reading base. I read a few comments on some social networking sites blaming Chetan Bhagat for writing about sex unabashedly. Let me tell you I was introduced to sex in books by Sidney Sheldon and yet, Mr. Sheldon has a fan base as well as critics.   

When you bash a person up it shows who you are than who the person is. Every writer has a way of writing. Every reader has a different perception about different things. Not everyone is going to read everything because we have choices. Books have taught me to be open to ideas and opinions. They have taught me subtlety. Criticism is good if it is going to make a good change. The critics we see today look like they derive some sadistic pleasure by putting someone down and whacking them with hurtful words and statements, till they are satisfied with themselves. And when it’s still not enough they go ahead and whack the people who support them. Even those who are neutral and want to spread peace are not pardoned in this hate crusade. I am sure people are going to pounce on me for writing this piece but again as I said it shows more about them and not about me.

Just a humble request to everyone out there – encourage people because we do not know who is what, has come from what background, with what past or present. Laughing at someone for making mistakes is not a sign of being human. Monkeys laugh without giving a second thought. It is cruel. It is dangerous. Writing hurtful things about others who haven’t harmed you in any way, is shameful. Be kind to people even if you do not agree with their opinions. Remember there will always be someone who wouldn’t agree with yours. Would you like them to treat you the way you are treating someone else? 

News n jail breaks

After the Tihar jail break, as the Delhi police teams try to trace the whereabouts of Mr Javed, superintendent of Jail 2 Mr. M. K. Dwivedi is still wondering "Hamari jail mein surung?" :O :|

Gay marriages - A Right !!

... Le Me to my Mommy : Wow Mom ! Same sex marriages are finally legal in US. This is a huge step towards a free and liberated human society. And it sure calls for a celebration.

Le My Momma : You first take a decision about ur marriage. And then celebrate about that. And please marry a guy for God's sake.. :|

#MomsAlwaysNailIt

No no no school please

A new bag, a new uniform, diligently pressed, a new set of pens and pencils, scales, erasers, geometry box.. a new school teacher, some old some new friends, a new resolve, a new schedule... School reopening marks the beginning of many new such things... Mothers and Fathers dropping of their kids at school or helping them board buses...

So while I was just sitting in the window yesterday, I saw this Father coming to help his daughter board her school bus... It was her very first bus ride ever to school... I could very clearly see the tear in the Father's eyes as his daughter howled at the top of her voice... 3 years of being together... Days spent in her Father's arms.. suddenly when her Father is letting her go she might have some feelings like these inside her.... 

" Why are you tying my shoe laces so tight Papa? Why are you giving me such a heavy bag? I don't want the new dress I was troubling you for..I swear on God that I won't nag... 

I hate to go away from you Papa, 
Why can't you see?
Am I such a burden Papa,
you want to set yourself free?

Why did you give me so much love Papa,
Just to become such a hard stone?
In a place full of strangers, they look at me with questions, 
If you just had to leave me like this alone? 

I hate to be away from Mum, 
And I know so does she...
Then why isn't she stopping you Papa,
Why can't she see?

I will be a good baby Papa,
Give me little time,
I will brush my teeth on time Papa,
And I will sing all the new rhymes

Oh ! Look the school bus is nearing us,
No, no, no Papa,
Please listen to me, don't do this to us...

Did I just see a tear in your eyes Papa?
So you also don't want me to go,
but you are still doing this Papa,
Why, please let me know!

Oh ! I remember you told me last night Papa,
That you want me to grow,
You want me to see this world and you want me to flow,

Like a river, whose destinations are infinite,
You want me to look at the world,
With new eyes and new mind,
You want me to unfurl...

I know you are hurt more than me Papa,
I can hear your heart beating loud,
And if you are doing all this for me Papa,
Then I also want to make you proud...

No matter how hard it is for both of us Papa,
I will do what you want me to,
Tell Mum that I will soar the skies exactly the way she wants,
And learn everything new.

As I board the bus, I see your tear drop, right on your cheek, it slides in invisibility,
And I know that you will follow my bus with your bike, 
Till you see me inside the school all hale and hearty,

Oh ! You love me so much Papa,
I swear I love you too,
Wait for me till the evening,
For me to come back and hug you... "

Mother's Day

My mommy asked me a few days back, why is being a mother so hyped these days? She said "I am a mother since so long but I don't remember doing anything abnormal. Suddenly we have a Mother's day, a Matru Din, so many posts asking to be shared if you love your Mother. What is such a big deal about being a Mother?" I stared at her for about a minute trying to understand her question. Is she trying to tell me that being a Mother is a piece of cake? Did she just ask me why her role is being worshipped?

Uhh !! Naah !! My Mom isn't that naive. She is my Mom. There has to be something hidden in these questions. A hint of sarcasm ? A different question altogether? Before answering I thought I better read between the lines once. So I thought about an apt response, but you got to be careful when it is my Mom. So i decided to answer it with another question. Reverse psychology. I asked her, "Does it make you uncomfortable to be put in the place of Gods? Does it not make you proud of the fact that your work is being recognized finally?" Her answer left me short of all the words in the world.

She said, "Let us leave aside the days and all. For me my Mother is my responsibility till the end of my life. But you guys today, after an age, decide that your life is your own. You fly away to foreign countries to never come back. You leave your parents and shift to a different house because you think, we are an intrusion in your life. Do you seriously think we mean to intrude? I mean, weren't we who brought you in this world? So technically, weren't you who came as an intrusion in our lives in the first place? Of course we don't think about you that way. But then its just that considering this can't we have any say in your life? I understand that we get too touchy about certain things. Too emotional and even possessive at times. But don't you also get emotional and possesive for your boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses and every other individual that you like in the course of your life? Isn't it just fair if we feel the same for someone who has been our flesh and blood? Why does it then irritate you so much? And why are we thrown out of the houses when we need you the most? We taught you to walk, talk, learn, count, eat, laugh. We felt ten times more pain than you when it hurt you. We gave you all that we could even when we couldn't afford that. We gave up all that we loved just to make you smile. You kicked us, hurt us. But we stayed on. To get thrown out from your lives one day, when you find someone who would mean more than us to you. Why? And then you celebrate these days." Dumbfounded. I couldn't react. Then she said, "Don't you worry. I have saved enough for myself so that when I am old and cranky, I don't become a burden on you." And she just walked away. Well !! Stunned !!

Today I want to reply to all that, "Mamma, I don't know why did you even think like that. I don't know about others. But for me leaving you was NEVER an option. No matter how many relations come and go in my life. No matter how much cranky you get. No matter how many fights we have. No matter how many times you and me shout at each other. No matter anything in this world. You will always be with me. You have saved the money thinking I would leave you someday and you would have to take care of yourself. Now use the same money to splurge. Ask me for more if you want. Whatever you missed when you were young and I was your responsibility, do all of that. Wear funky clothes. Party hard. Pamper yourself. Love yourself. Travel the world. Go crazy. Let me hold you going forward in this journey of life. Let me love you with the same passion with which you have loved me till date. Give me all your sorrows and tensions and just go back to when you were a baby. I promise that even if you get on my nerves, I will not leave you. Ever. My life is your gift and its my time to give you all that back. I love you." Happy Mother's Day my Love.