There is one place on earth which is given equal or may be higher
importance than heaven - School. Some call it - "the temple of
learning".
The famous poet Victor
Hugo said that "He who opens a school door, closes a prison.". It is a phrase which makes different sense to
different people. almost all the meanings which people derive out of it are in
a positive light.
Looking at the present
condition of schools and all the raised voices, this is one line which can be
interpreted in a completely negative sense.
Two hearts, deep down,
prepare for the worst Feeling the numbers
and calling countless first Their world is
blessed, as the world blesses them
Soon they’d be parents, for the life readies them
The foremost cry lead to most awaited smile Crawls and falls, and
first steps of hit and trail Gibberish mumbles
turning to words like mom Growing so fast,
recognizing family and home
She wanted to grow but
Oh No! Not so like that
Like he promised to not be a trouble, or be a brat But such inevitable
distress they had to face Separation and
strangers, they had to brace It was a new beginning
with gleam of dreams As the sun is
elemental with rays of streams That phase for angel
was hideous but has gone
Now my angel is more subtle for the fear is born
The smile has returned as the life changes gears
Yet lies unanswered are those prayers of fears
The temple of
education is thought as a school
A school of thought – It’s a sham, you fool!
When cry of separation turns to wail and yelp
To you and your child – Will there be any help? Help like security of
safety of the child
From teachers, helpers or just a beguiled
God help those who help themselves
Is a quote for adults as kids are elves!
If he - The Creator -
has another first under the hood
What would my angel do with the blessed parenthood! ?
My angel’s life would be unfair but as he is always true, Slayer too would be
angelic as he put its misery through
Am I wrong when I feel
that the brilliant words from Mr. Hugo mean that "When we leave our
children at the school entrance and bid them goodbye kisses, we might be
sending them to a prison? A prison which might enlighten their insights but at
the same time, has become another dreaded place to leave them alone. But then,
do we have a choice?"
PS: Honestly, I wrote
a rough draft straight of my heart on this topic and then sent it over to my
free of cost editor - Mak - my brother. Like always, he did a fabulous job of
editing but this time, he returned with almost new version taking the
idea, feelings and some lines from my writing. All the credit goes to him for
this one!!!
It is said that it's impossible to understand a woman.
What makes women happy?
How to keep a women contempt?
Why do women overreact?
When would women grow up?
These are some million dollar questions that have remained unanswered for centuries. 'To treat a woman equally or specially' can actually be the most difficult and entertaining topic of a debate ever.
I think that the confusion presists because of various practices followed with or by women. Not only evil practices, but also customary pursuits such as daily worshiping of gods at home, watering the sun and taking care of children are all done by women in the family. However, exceptions are always there, but I have not seen men doing such chores in everyday life.
Some of my friends complain that what's the fuss around this elated International Women Day. I have only one answer to them - "International Men Day also exists; onus in on oneself to celebrate it.”
About social issues, women need to be treated equally as there are many practices whose virtue make women feel insecure and insulted. When the husband dies, lest the jewellery and normal wear, the soulmate is supposed to sit and sleep on floor for some days. No such sadistic practicies is expected from the other soulmate when wife dies. If a woman is unable to manage her home and family at the same time, family and friends advise her to quit her job and it is considered absolutely normal. However, if it comes to men labeled as incapable, he has to face humiliation from society, family and friends per se!
Special treatments feel blissful. Opening the door, pulling the chair, giving a hand to step up or down - all these are of no use to display respect when the same woman is treated as a secondary choice for jobs and the man are abusive at his own house. Expensive gifts from someone special are worthless without his or her precious time.
Following are some lines which might help answer the question - "What women want?".
I shared my views on one of the most heart-wrenching issue around women - Female Foeticide in my earlier post.
I came across this beautiful message from none other than Miss Universe 1994, Sushmita Sen.
(For the readers who do not want to or can not view the video, read the transcript below)
English Transcript:
Good evening ladies and gentlemen. It's been a strong and
beautiful night and you all have been very very patient. My name is Sushmita
Sen and I am a proud mother of two very beautiful, young ladies. One of who is
already, ready to be model. May I please... I am a little scared with her on
stage. Maa! Where is my maa? Every one, Ladies and gentlemen, please my mother.
I need to come back to a point where I can see you all. I believe
** ladies and gentlemen. I believe 'k duniya mein jo bhi hota hai kisi wajeh se
hota hai". It's not an accident. Every single human being in this room
tonight is here for a reason. And that reason is - that the age of the Aquarius
is on its way by December 2012. Have you heard of it? Oh no! You have'nt Haan!
Age of the Aquarius is when women will rise. It is the time when we will come
to the awareness of the female strength. It is not a coincidence then, that
tonight we have this wonderful platform.
God bless you Lilavati hospital, God bless you Manish Malhotra,
God bless you Lubna adams, Vipul Bhagat, Sangeeta, all beautiful ladies that
participated tonight who are also mums. Because when we do this, we create the
single most important awareness.
I have been blessed, to be born in a family. To a mum and a dad
who raised me just as a human being. They didn't differentiate between a girl
and a boy. So, I never grew up, like many of us blessed people realising that
this is what happens to the girl child in the smallest of districts of our
country.
We will no get into statistics. You know why? Because it is
depressing. We are not going to talk about the cruel things that happen to
them. Because we have to focus on stopping it. We have heard about the problem,
we know the problem.
But as Mother Teresa once told me, just a year before she passed
away. She changed my life I tell you that. I was 18 years old and I went and
met her in Kolkata. And, I told maa, that maa you know, I see so many babies.
There must have been 55 cribs in there. And they are all girls! They don't have
boys or do you have a separate room for boys. So she says no, we had only 4
boys and all have been adopted. These are only the girls.
And the reason she smiled about it. She said these are the lucky
ones. They didn't end up in dustbins. They ended up with a future. Where some
body, a loving home is going to recognise the fact that there is a reason why
the law of the nature says to you - I will not let you choose. When you become
pregnant, you will not know- you shouldn't. If it's a girl or a boy. That is
laws nature of keeping the balance between the nurturer and the provider. When
we kill the nurturer ladies and gentlemen, we create an imbalance. An imbalance
that we will be so sorry in generations to have done. Because life will stop to
exist the way we see it.
I made a promise that day that I am going to, Ok - let's clap.
I know, I just really, this is something very very close to my
heart. And I can't stop talking about it. Because I keep. Feeling, k 'Agar aap,
itni choti si baat agar aap samajh lete hain. K jab log duniya badalne chalte
hain...'
You can't change the world. Are you crazy? There are number of
people doing all numbers of things. How do you change the world?
Don't worry about it. The world will change on its own.
You change one life. You change one thought. You tell one father.
Today, truly you are a blessed man. Because not only do you have a girl, you
have the womb of the universe. She will then nurture life beyond. Right?
And so, with all of your blessings and all of my country that
despite being an Indian woman, You gave me the courage to be a single mother.
Everyday being asked about my Renne and Alisha.
You have given me as you should every girl child this
opportunity. Because god as my greatest truth I tell you, all of us here. Stood
on our own two feet, because we are capable and that no body can take away from
us.
Ladies and gentlemen, you are beautiful people and you have been
tremendous source of strength For me
my entire life. Tonight, take that strength home, change one opinion, one life.
I will do that with Renne and Alisha. You that with whoever you want.
I love you people. Thank
We should all look forward to doing more of this. Salam shukriya
I absolutely loved the part when she quoted Mother Teresa saying that these are the lucky ones with a smile. This is one of the biggest example of creating positive feelings from difficult situations. I am sure everyone would have had a sad feeling when they heard that all boys were adopted and only few girls got parents. But the simplicity with which the message was passed on is truly amazing.
I have already been a fan of this lady. The more I see and hear her, more I fall in love with her.
This post was to be written as a part of April 2015 A to Z Challenge. My theme for this year was 'WOMEN and ISSUES AROUND THEME'. Click at the link to check other common issues women face in and their respective links.
“Hey, have you filed your returns for the year? Last date is
in a few days.”
“Leave it buddy. It does not matter. Moreover, It’s we the
salaried citizens who pay tax and suffer on top of it.”
“Yeah, that’s true. The business class people do not even
think about it or pay bare minimum.”
“Moreover, tax has already been deducted from my salary each
month. Who wants to get into filling up those useless long forms and submitting
them?”
I am sure everyone must have seen/heard/participated in some
conversation similar to this. ‘Why should I pay the tax and on top of it, file
a return for the same?’ is one question all of us ponder over sometime or the
other. Below are some of the reasons
which encourage us to pay the income tax:
Standard Proof for most
complicated facilities
Want a Loan? ITR - Income Tax Return is the first
document any legitimate organisation asks for. Producing the valid document
completed more than half of the process.
Want a VISA? Again, all embassies
around the world ensure that the person they are granting permission to
enter their territory is safe to land there. The ITR document again helps
a lot in proving your credibility and ensures that you are financially
sound.
Want your money back? Our eyes
open up wide enough with curiosity on getting the money back. Filling the
ITR can also earn us some money. When I filed my ITR for the first time, I
got a check of Rs. 180 from Income Tax office as I had paid that tax extra
as per my claims and savings. It was a small amount, but the salary was
also small that time!
Want a better future for
you kids? All of us want the best future for our children. We work day and
night to ensure that they get the best of education and life. We cut on
our own expenses, give up some luxuries and save for their future needs.
During all this, we subconsciously fail to realise that the economy they
would be living in should also be insured. We would definitely want them
to live in a much better environment then today. We must know that the tax
we pay is the money government use for basic amenities like-
Safety – We would never
ever want ourselves to be bombarded with weapons and bombs. Government
uses the money we pay in tax to strengthen various means of defense.
Infrastructure – We are
still far behind when it comes to roads, buildings, bridges and the most talked
about – public transport.
Money – India as a nation
can take loan itself from international organisations like the World Bank
etc. Please be informed that they are not a charity organisations and
they bear their own terms of interest and serve a defined tenure failing
which further have penalties.
Nature – Floods,
earthquakes, Landslides, Tsunami, Thunder Storms – Name any major natural
calamity and there would be at least one place in India which is prone to
it. So, while we enjoy and be proud of our varied land, water and air
every few kilo meters, we must accept the benefits as well as the
disasters these climatic conditions throw upon us. The better the government
is equipped with resources quicker would be the response time and relief
during such situations. Pay the tax on time and do your bit!
So, next time whenever you need an inspiration to pay tax, think
twice about these small yet big enough reasons.
I’m taking the #TaxPledge to file IT
returns with the easy Income
Tax efiling option from H&R Block at BlogAdda.
Man is the only creature that consumes without producing.
I read this book as a result of my Good-reads updates. The active readers in my list had rated this book Five out of five and thus, I had to read it. I am so glad I accepted their recommendation.
The blurb says:
Tired of their servitude to man, a group of farm animals revolt and establish their own society, only to be betrayed into worse servitude by their leaders, the pigs, whose slogan becomes: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." This 1945 satire addresses the socialist/communist philosophy of Stalin in the Soviet Union.
Animal Farm is a little satire story which reflects the society so truly with a pinch of humour. It's a short story with a very strong, bitter but true message.
Power obviously lead to more power. Too much power often leads to decision making for oneself without taking other into consideration. This eventually makes the position and the person sitting there fulfilling his/her own personal interests and increasing the conform level for oneself only.
Ethically, this is very wrong since the power was initially granted to him/her as a result of other's trust and faith that it would be used rationally.
Like all my friends, I absolutely loved this short and quick read. I cannot help but share the seven Commandments which evolved to greed with time. They were fun and deep in my heart I was forced to think, if animals really think of same towards we humans:
The Seven Commandments
Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
No animal shall wear clothes.
No animal shall sleep in a bed.
No animal shall drink alcohol.
No animal shall kill any other animal.
All animals are equal.
Below are some of the other absolute winner one liners from the book:
Four legs good, two legs bad.
Man serves the interests of no creature except himself.
Four legs good, two legs better! All Animals Are Equal. But Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others.
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
This book is so much more than a fairy tale. It's one of those books, which can and must be read again and again.
In
continuation to "Jaccha" series, I move forward to write another
beautiful song sung on the occasion of the arrival of baby boy in family.
There is
a custom that on the birth of a baby boy in family, the sister in law (sister
of husband) receives lots of gifts from her bhabhi (new mother). Also, Swastik
symbol is made outside the room of mother out of cow dung which is called the
"Sathiya". This song talks about these customs. Read on and have fun.
Read the summary at the end in case you do not understand the language...
Ibke
brass tere hoja re bhatija, Dungi
nanand tane sone ka hasla. Ibke
brass tere hoja re bhatija, Dungi
nanand tane sone ka hasla.
Ae ri
Sathiya pe, chadai silki sari, Nanand
tane razi kar du ri. Meri
Sathiya pe, chadai silki sari, Nanand
tane razi kar du ri.
Ibke
baras mere hogya ri bhatija, Dede ri
bhavaj mane sone ka hasla. Ibke
baras mere hogya ri bhatija, Dede ri
bhavaj mane sone ka hasla.
Ae ri
Sathiya pe, ghada de silki sari, bhavaj
mane razi kar de ri. Meri
Sathiya pe, ghada de silki sari, bhavaj
mane razi kar de ri.
Nanand
tera Bhai, ae ri naate se, Nanand
tera Bhai, ae ri naate se, Ae ri
mere Konya, Maa jai Bahan, Gori ri
kyun ghar ne lutave se. Ae ri
mere Konya, Maa jai Bahan, Gori ri
kyun ghar ne lutave se.
Pehlan te
tum maaro badai, Pehlan te
tum maaro badai, Den ki
bariyan karo safai, Den ki
bariyan karo safai.
Ae ri
mera sasra thodi so door, Bhavaj
mein ibe ghar jaaugi. Ae ri
mera sasra thodi so door, Bhavaj
mein ibe ghar jaaugi.
Those who
can read Hindi and understand Haryanvi, below is the translation in Hindi.
For the
benefit of others, below is the summary in English.
The new mother to be has promised her sister in law a traditional necklace of gold in case
she gives birth to a baby boy - which would be her sister in law's nephew. She also promised to gift her a silk sari if she gives birth to a baby boy. Now when,
she has been blessed with one, her sister in law is asking for her gifts. The
sister in law tries to make some excuses that her own brother is denying the
same. He is saying that she is only a cousin, I do not have a sister from my
mothers womb. Why are you wasting the money. The
sister is law is upset and says that you guys boast about first and when it's
time to fulfil the promises, you are looking for lame excuses. She says
that my husband's home is near by and I am leaving do my home right now.
Little
household fights between sister in law and her bhabhi have always been a matter
of fun. Songs like these add spices of taste of them. Read more of them here: Mouth Watered New Mother Plight of poor husband
