अभ्युदय: The Rising

I try to put it in the back of my mind, but it still decides to bother me in quiet times. The laughs… The secrets exchanged… The tears that came… The bond that was created… You can probably identify with the feeling of heartbreak. Whether it was an innocent grade school crush who didn’t share her notebooks with you or a passionate love affair that went up in flames, chances are we’ve all been there at least once. We write books and poems about it, watch movies, and listen to songs, all so that we can feel less alone and be reassured that other people have been through it too and somehow survived to tell the tale. But there’s another kind of heartbreak that we rarely turn our attention to. The movies are harder to find, the books aren’t any best sellers, and there are no Spotify playlists dedicated to mourning these losses. This is funny because these are supposed to be the relationships that stick around the longest. Why is that? Why do we universally understand romantic ...

"In every shining moment of happiness is that drop of poison: the knowledge that pain will come again." ~Albus Dumbledore The title of this piece has been taken from book/movie of the same name. To those who don't know about it, highly recommended.  Here I am. Once again writing about something that has been on my mind since forever and once again failing miserably to do justice to it. :/ Image Courtesy: ScoopWhoop "The pursuit of happy-ness" For as long as I can remember, I've thought that happiness,  true happiness, when it comes, would be the one where nothing, not a single thread of sorrow  would hold me back.  That true happiness meant only delight in your heart with no sign of despair. That my 'truly happy' would be where every ounce of anguish would be erased from my life, even if just for a short while.  And for as long as I can remember, I've looked forward to it. I've awaited my moment of  complete and unadulterated bliss. Awaited i...

मैंने आज़ादी को अपने नज़रिये से देखा, आप भी देखिये मेरे असली आज़ाद भारत का नज़रिया। " कुछ जंग जीत ली कुछ जंग बाकी है, सिर्फ अभी छलाँग है लगाई , असली उड़ान अभी बाकी है " house-rising-sun-residential ASLI AA ZADI "कुछ मायने समझे है कुछ नीतिया जानी है, बरसो से आ रही आज़ादी की, बस एक ही कहानी है। मात्र एक दिवस नहीं, जंग ये सदियों पुरानी है। आज़ादी का अर्थ बस एक नहीं, अर्थ इसके अनेक है। सिर्फ देश आजाद करना संकल्प नहीं, मन की आज़ादी सर्वश्रेष्ठ है। ना कोई धर्म का कांटा हो, ना किसी जात ने बांटा हो, ना कोई भूख से बिलख के रोता हो, ना कोई बीच राह में सोता हो। जहां आदमी और औरत में कोई भेद न हो, जहां पहनावे पे कोई टोक ना हो, जहां मनुष्य दानव ना बने, जहां मानवता एक नए पैगाम चढ़े। जहां दुख एक दूसरे के बाँट सके, जहां मन की गहराइयों में झाँक सके। जहां शिक्षा पे सबका अधिकार हो, जहां जानवर क्रूरता का शिकार न हो। जहां समाज के बोझ तले आदमी न दब जाए, हाथ बटाने सौ हाथ खड़े हो जाये। जहां बात तरक्की और विस्तार की हो, राजनीति तले युवा पे अत्याचार न हो। कोई बाप बेटी जन्म पे आत्महत्या न करे, दहेज के लिए कह...

" यात्रीगण कृप्या ध्यान दें, गाड़ी संख्या 18039 अपने निर्धारित प्लेटफॉर्म से चल क र यादों के पिटारे से होते हुए मध्य में गाड़ी संख्या 23059 के साथ तेज़ी से अपने निर्धारित प्लेटफार्म कमरा नंबर 205 पर पहुँचने वाली है। आप सबसे अनुरोध है की इस सुखद यात्रा में अपना स्थान बनाये रखें। धन्यवाद।"   Now, before you make a ridiculous joke and mock me for writing this, let me just stop you right there. I know this isn't how we roll. We don't do thank yous   and awws   and love yous. And I'm probably getting a lot of gaalis from you for doing this. But, hear me out.   I haven't ever said this to you, and probably never will; not because I cannot but because we are much more than those silly gestures of gratitude. Yet, my andar ki awaz wants to say this to you.   From a young age we all strive to form friendships, to feel that special moment of ‘oh yes, you get me’ as kindred spirits meet, cautiously at first then unconsciously a life-long friendship is ceme...

  We’ve all had that friend that’s says “You should stand up for yourself”, or maybe you’re that friend. Either way, what does it actually mean? Does it mean fighting back and acting tough? Does it mean you should always share your truth?   “I aim to please. It’s okay, no worries. Please don’t worry, it’s no big deal.” These are some things I’ve said when interacting with others. The truth was that it wasn’t okay, and it was inconveniencing me.  I could never voice this to people. What if they didn’t like me? Growing up I learned to be polite and to respect my elders, so I considered it rude to tell someone that what they are asking for or what they are doing is actually not okay. I also didn’t want to create any unnecessary problems or conflict.   As we grow wiser, the way we stand up for ourselves starts flourishing from our own values. Those values may change over time. But whatever they are, they’re all valid because they come from your own value s...

You don't know me, so what I have to say might not be important to you right now. But if you will take just one moment and read my words, it could make a difference to you. Just give it a try. "A piece of advice," my Father once said, "I don't know why you are so insecure and insensitive. Really. You have so much going for you and somehow, you fail to see it. You always act like a lost little puppy, too scared to be free. Talking to your inner-self." He continued with his monologue for an hour. Thinking back to the times when I exhibited signs of how little I valued myself, although I wasn't quite aware at the time but I was extremely introvert and shy too. Layered with low confidence, these three personality traits, without doubt, create a rather disadvantageous alignment in anyone's stars. I spend my days alone with a book and a cup of coffee in my hand and dreaming of the 'could-be' life.  Something needs to be done, I ...