A slice of life

The Indian television industry is one of the most popular entertainment industries in the world, taking its prided position only after China and the United States. In recent times it’s been riding high on the waves of transformation. It boasts of about 600 channels and revenue of 320 billion, which has been growing steadily with a whopping percentage of 14% every year.

The content sadly remains the same, the same old saas-bahu sagas, and the same semi naked women trying to woo men in a jungle, the same public faces indulging in politics in order to win a reality show.

So, this Sunday I tuned into star plus to watch another show that was fast gaining popularity among people, yes I am talking about Amir Khan’s new show, Satyamave Jayte.

I was expecting Mr. Khan to rant and rave about some random topic while giving us all ample breaks, in which to heap popular advertisements upon us. I sat down with a plate of cookies to munch on, while tuning him out if he got too boring; Sundays are usually slow days so there was not much on show at any channel.

Now this episode I am talking about had health care in India as the main issue. I expected Amir to quietly introduce some health care professionals and then take a backseat to watch them take a jab at each other.

Amir Khan proved me wrong.

He did not become the silent spectator, but was the one at the helm of affairs calling out each person one by one and questioning them about the ethics and morality of the medical profession. He managed to get some of them to reveal rather dark and ugly secrets of the underbelly of the health care system.

 Gory Incidents were related one by one: an army officer’s wife dying due to forced surgery, people being taken advantage of due to their ignorance of the medical procedures.The most shocking one of all was the story on how women in rural areas of Andhra Pradesh had undergone surgeries to remove their uterus rendering them childless and resulting n their separation from husbands and families to struggle against poverty and pain. These women were led into believing that it was essential to their life to undergo such surgeries.

Amir Khan then went ahead to explain about how the poor man is being forced to pay more than 100 percent of the total costs involved in the production of medicines.

He then moved on to introduce the concept of generic medicines, and new heath care schemes which have saved many lives in India.

Amir Khan is proving to be the most responsible star of today, by taking up such diverse issues which are afflicting our country. He has moved on to a different area of television, leaving behind Amitabh Bacchan, Sharukh Khan and Salman Khan, feeling puny in their game show avatars.

A truly commendable effort and a great show.

My plate of cookies remained untouched!

Why I need to/want to write

"Writing is mind traveling, destination unknown."

When the first drops of rain hit a parched piece of land, left barren by the scorching sun, the steam which rises from it, gives respite to that land, in the same manner my writing provides respite to my otherwise muddled brain. I have been writing from a very early age, when I was twelve years old I started maintaining a diary. It was a mixed collection of my thoughts, my feelings and my life. Writing became a passion from then on. It became my very own secret escape. A place where I could share all my secrets and my dreams, a place where I would be accepted without question.  My writing gave me the freedom to express my controlled and unending emotions. It became a missing piece of my soul.

Writing is an expression of myself; it is the window to my unseen world. When I write I enter a different world. I write to understand people and to understand situations beyond my comprehension. When I write I feel myself evolving and discovering new emotions and a new part of myself. Writing is a journey of self discovery.  It is the medium through which I feel I can achieve the best within myself.

When I start writing though, I often feel that I get caught up in a whirlwind of emotions and the views which I actually wanted to express are lost in the flow of words. To write better I want to,

• Sideline my emotions when necessary and keep my focus on the main issue.
• Overcome my laziness for which I want to write daily.
• Find people and things that I can relate to.
• Document my feelings or ideas at one place rather than stowing them away.

Writing is a continuous process and becoming a better writer comes with patience and practice.

The Virtual Rendezvous Obesession

What is it about social networking sites that have people hooked onto them 24*7? I mean, being connected via the internet is one thing, but practically living online is something different. I have come across ten year olds with very active face book and twitter accounts.  I wonder if parents react the same way about their children’s time on the internet as the government reacts to Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption.

One of these days I’m seriously considering hacking into my sisters Face book and twitter accounts to check if some unseen magnetic force is keeping her glued to it. She will not budge unless and until I practically shove her off the chair and then too her eyes are glued to the screen.  Some of my friends have even taken up the “net sanyasi” avatar: Eat, pray and  love,  all over the internet. My sister constantly tweets or changes her facebook status through her phone, another technological advancement boon for her. And if that wasn’t enough, she even has to reply to comments and like other peoples statuses etc.  People are obsessed by it.

I wonder why this bug hasn’t bitten me so hard, not that I don’t have profiles on such sites, but I try to keep myself detached from them and if by any chance I find myself being sucked into this obsessive behavior by the evil forces of  Mark Zukerberg, I immediately deactivate the account and return when my sanity has caught up with me. Maybe I’m not connected enough, as one of my friends puts it, and if that’s the case I’m glad that, that fuse is not working.

Health problems apart, which are affecting a million people worldwide, thanks to staring at the screen for too long or sitting in the same place for long durations of time, don’t people get exhausted. Come on, there is no kidding the fact that a group hangout in the real world is any day better than a chat room rendezvous.

A face devoid of emotions..

If there is one thing that I could change about myself, it would be, to change the way my face reflects my emotions. Now, I am not talking about, controlled painful or barely there expressions. NO!, I am talking about the all out, seething, barely controlled ones. The kind of expressions which could turn a  man in his grave.

I am embarrassed to admit it, but yes, I am one of those people who could shoot poisonous arrows with their eyes.

I don't know exactly when i fell into the habit, but as my parents, friends, and even teachers keep reminding me, I have been doing this from a very young age.

Sometimes, its rather funny, when people who have annoyed me run a mile away just because I have this weird, 'I-AM-GONNA EAT-YOU-ALIVE' kind of look on my face.
Other times, like maybe an interview or a viva, it gets out of my hands.

 Don't get me wrong, I don't do it intentionally, no, It just happens without me even realizing that I am doing it.

When I go out with my family for parties or other such events, my mom is constantly trying to spot me in the crowd just to check whether i have a pleasant expression on my face or if I am scowling at walls again!
Its kinda annoying, to see her raising her eyebrows and giving me a tight smile.

I have had bad times, with friends, who end u thinking that they are causing the permanent frown on my face. Sigh! I wish I could  achieve the ever graceful look that the actresses manage to pull off, day in and day out.

But life goes on, as i keep picking up more and more horrifying facial expressions and testing them on unsuspecting souls.

All The Worlds A stage!

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely actors;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.

THE DAY DAWNS BRIGHT AND SUNNY,AND WE WAKE UP TO A NEW TOMORROW...
I SEE MY THOUGHTS.THEY ARE ALWAYS ASSOCIATED WITH IMAGES. ANY MEMORY I THINK OF IS A SCENE, CHARACTERS AND THEIR UNSCRIPTED PERFORMANCE IN UNSCRIPTED ROLES.
COMMENCING THE UNFINISHED BUSINESS OF TODAY..WE TRY TO ADD ON TO THE NEW TOMORROW..
THE USUAL SIGHTS,THE USUAL WORKS,THE USUAL PEOPLE,THE USUAL PLACES..
WE MOVE ON FROM TODAY TO TOMORROW WITH NEW HOPES WITH NEW INTRESTS WITH NEW GOALS.
LIFE SEEMS LIKE A PLAY,WHERE EVERY PERSON IS LINKED TO THE OTHER IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER...

WHO ARE WE,WHAT ARE WE,WHERE ARE WE....WHY ARE WE....
RUNNING BEHIND DREAMS,LOSING OUR TRUE SELVES IN THIS VAST UNENDING UNIVERSE
MEETING NEW PEOPLE,FORGETTING OLD ONES,FORGING NEW CONNECTIONS...
WHERE ARE WE MEANT TO BE,WHO ARE WE MEANT TO BE...
WHY DO WE MOVE FROM PLACE TO PLACE ..
WHAT DO WE SEARCH IN THIS NEW DAY...
TEMPTATIONS,HEARTBREAKS,EMOTIONS,FEELINGS RUN HIGH...
ONE VAST UNENDING UNIVERSE..ONE PUNY DAY...


DREAM BIG..DREAM ON...

WATCHING THE SNAKE CHARMER...
I CAN RELATE TO IT..
MAYBE THAT'S WHAT WE ARE..
WE DANCE TO GODS TUNES..
EACH OF US IS HERE TO PLAY HIS ROLE AND LEAVE THE STAGE TO THE OTHER CHARACTERS
AND WHEN WE LEAVE IT
WE ADD A SHADE OF WHAT WE WERE TO THIS MISMATCH OF A WORLD...

The Bonds that break

Anger...

One small word, one volcanic impact!

There are days in everyone's life when you feel like chucking things out the window, saying what you want and walking out! Sounds really simple right?

Nothing, in reality, could be more difficult.

All of us have some people in our lives who form the crux of .,some of the most important, relationships, they figure prominently in our universe, they have their own place in our world. But, sometimes, you feel like you would like to maybe kick them out.

My life is filled with all kinds of people, i am a naturally friendly person, so i am surrounded by a vast variety of people, some made are blood related, some are just friends, some very close ones and some are just acquaintances. Life could not be better.

Now all these people fall in different kind of categories on the love, hate, detest and barely know scale. Some relationships i wish i could change, some are so fragile that i can barely hold them together.But the shock comes with the ones that are deeply rooted or the strongest ones. These relationships hurt the most, the betrayal, the anger, the time you spent on these people seems like such a waste of time when they don't deserve it, when they prove time and again that they are unworthy of it.

What do you do with such people, Well i have tried countless number of solutions, from taking time off from them, to not talking to them, to trying to solve things amicably etc. Nothing, as you might have guessed, has worked so far.

So, with a heavy heart, i have resigned myself to the fact that they will never change and its best to let them be, let them exist as they are. On my part I will not expect things from them nor will i try to prove them wrong about myself.

If they hate me, well, Hatred consumes a part of yourself, it eats away at you. So all the best with that.

My Soul Sister

What comes to mind when you think of your friends: Parties, movies, hanging out, luncheons, dinners, shopping,, gossiping, etc.

When you think of your closest friend, you remember the time you have spent together gossiping, teasing or pulling other peoples  legs. You automatically think about boys and fights and tantrums etc.

But when i think of my closest friend, I remember Allah, not because she is a preacher of sorts, but because she me helps in the most difficult of tasks i.e; Getting closer to Allah. This friend of mine has the courage to stand up for what is right, even if that means standing up against me. She is not afraid to call a spade a spade. Most people may think that its annoying, but then again, I know that she will always be honest with me no matter what.

Yeah, HONESTY, has always been the keyword with her. She is an excellent conversationalist, scores a bulls eye at convincing people and has a never back down attitude. But the thing that i love the most about her, its the fact that she wishes for me what she wishes for herself, and that is Jannah.

We have an endless list of similarities!

OK, so most of you may think, she must be the sort of tough girl, with a whip in hand, ready to charge at any situation. No, she is the exact opposite. She has a demure, benevolent attitude, a ready smile, an encouraging word and always a helping hand for those in need. She smiles from the heart, laughs till she has tears in her eyes and cries...well..lets not talk about the way she cries!

She has those tiny annoying habits too, which every human must have (the proof of humanity), like her obsession with cleanliness( this may actually be a good thing), her refusal to sit at a particular place, her care while choosing the best seat, her piercing looks when you do something wrong.

So, All in all, I am thankful, that i have this fragile friend of mine, who turns into He-Man, when she needs to.
My blog would be incomplete without this post, because she is an irreplaceable part of my life. She truly is my soul sister.

I love you for the sake of Allah!