Thug Life Controversy: A Fan’s Perspective

The Thug Life audio launch was a grand event—graced by distinguished guests, celebrated technicians, and even a special guest from Karnataka. The atmosphere was electric, with hundreds of fans hooting and cheering, all eagerly awaiting the release of Thug Life. And rightfully so—this is one of the most anticipated films in recent times. After all, Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam are collaborating again after Nayakan, a critically acclaimed masterpiece that released nearly 38 years ago.

Although I wasn’t physically present at the audio launch, and I’m not connected to the film in any official capacity, I still feel deeply involved. I am the general audience—the one who has been waiting since the moment this film was announced. And why? Because of one person: Mani Ratnam.

Ever since Guru, I’ve made it a tradition to watch every Mani Ratnam film on the day of its release. From my student days to now, as a working professional, that ritual has never changed. It has become a part of my identity—this joy of walking into a theatre, joining a community of fans, and immersing myself in the cinematic experience. I’m not just a fan; I’m someone who can quote Mani Ratnam’s dialogues, who can discuss the nuances of a single shot for hours. Cinema has always been more than entertainment to me—it’s emotion, it’s connection, it’s celebration.

And yet, today, I feel deprived.

I’ve followed every update about Thug Life, read every article, watched every interview. I’ve been excited about the trailer, the music releases—building the film in my mind, waiting eagerly to see how it unfolds on screen. But now, due to political tensions and conflicting narratives, I find myself denied the simple joy of watching it in my own state, Karnataka.

Everyone talks about freedom of speech and expression—we’re told we live in a democratic country. But what about my right to be an audience? What about my right to watch a film that was made, presumably, for people like me?

This is a conflict I do not fully understand—nor do I wish to, because it seems to be between individuals and groups, rooted in politics and perception. But art should transcend all of that. Art should take the front seat. It speaks to our shared humanity, not to our divides.

If this movie was truly made for the audience, then it is the filmmaker’s responsibility to ensure it reaches us. And right now, I feel ignored, unseen. I live in Karnataka, and this movie isn’t releasing here—on the day it matters the most to me. That hurts. It hurts deeply.

Why should political views take precedence over artistic expression? Why is no one talking about the disappointment and helplessness of the general public, of fans like me? Is it ego? Is it righteousness? I don’t know. But the end result is the same: I am deprived.

I’m not here to criticize anyone’s actions. I just want to say that I’m a simple person, a passionate movie lover, and I feel left behind. And that, too, is a problem—one that deserves to be acknowledged.

The Effect of Ghibli Trend

I am drowning in the sea of studio Ghibli style photographs over last few days. Yes, drowning and gasping for breath. Few years before, I remember attempting to give a cartoon or anime twist to the photographs using the procreate app in iOS. It was artistically enriching, of course. Also challenging and time consuming. And that was the fun part. I have come across many such artists who specialize in such artworks in social media. It used to come with practice and patience. Now, it is available in a few clicks.

We humans are distinct from other animals because of our ability to think. When thinking is not needed and the brain is asked to stay calm, there is not going to be any calm. Creativity and curiosity keep the brain working. Not calm.

Let the Ghibli trend inspire us and not distract us. Let us imagine to find out what else we could do with our brains. 

I am typing and this, I know. But I also know that AI could write about my feelings about the studio style Ghibli artwork in few seconds. And I am sure it will reflect 90% of my thoughts. Ok, let me experiment with it a give it a try.

Prompt to Chat GPT

I am a budding artist worried that the studio ghibli style is challenging the brain's inherent ability to be curious and creative. I want to write a 250 words blog on this. Help me

Response from Chat GPT

While inspiration is crucial to artistic growth, imitation can sometimes limit our creative problem-solving. The Ghibli standard, in its elegance, risks becoming a creative comfort zone—one that artists may struggle to step outside of. When everything is so beautifully and meticulously designed, does it leave room for raw, unrefined, and unconventional expressions of art?

Yet, perhaps the solution isn’t to reject influence but to reinterpret it. Ghibli’s strength lies not just in its visuals but in its ability to evoke wonder. If we channel that sense of awe into our own unique artistic language, we can move beyond admiration into true creation.

Ultimately, the challenge is not Ghibli itself, but our response to it. Will we merely echo its beauty, or will we let it inspire us to push the boundaries of our own artistic voice?

Words

Words... 

Words - when we read or hear the word "word" or "words", it makes us think of many words we have liked or use regularly or some words we don't recall what it actually means. We all have favorite words and words that don't sound quite right. For instance, i love words like tintinnabulation. Phantasmagoria. Panache. Rendezvous. Ode. Slumber. You see, each of these words carry an aura. Aura.Alright, there are many such ones. Then there are words that sounds beautiful but are actually dangerous. Like spiteful. When you say that word, it's like you are saying skillful. Or even grateful. But see what it means. Or vengeance. It sounds elegant, doesn't it? Like brilliance? Now words like depressed  supressed, oppressed sound like what they mean. Even words like baby, love, children, happiness, serenity and all that.

Anyways, what I have been thinking is that words make our existence beautiful whether they are written or said. Read or heard. Of course, there is an undeniable charm in written words, especially those passed down to paper using a pen and specifically aimed to be delivered to someone. Letters, i mean. Letters are like photographs, I mean the printed photographs that are thoughtfully and carefully encased in albums. Now we have a gazillion photos in our phones and hard disks and cloud and where not. But how often do we revisit them? Do we even visit them? Similarly, we maybe chatting with people over apps. But how often do we sit down and write? Or make the effort to meet them in person. Or even call over the phone and have a conversation? 

Let's imagine, we went to a book shop today. We will ping our dear ones and say, "went to book shop. Bought 2 books" and send the pics of those two books. What if we had to write/type about this? 

Here you go.. 

Hi dear.... Today i happened to visit a bookstore. It's been ages you know. You remember the last time? We visited together. It was such a lovely day. I think it was during Christmas. The roads were lit and people were wearing red clothes mostly. We even bought those tiaras with lights. So silly of us. I remembered all this and thought about you. I think we should do that more often.  Ended buying two books. One is this amazing book set during world war... it's called The Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society. Apparently, there is a Netflix movie also. You know Guernsey is actually a place? Anyways, another is called The Mountains sing. It's set in Vietnam during their war time. I just noticed that both the books are set during war times. Have you read these books? I can't wait to read these!" 

Now you see the difference. Doesn't this seem more personalised? If we had talked to that person, we may have said more. It may have felt more real. 

In these times of instant pings, the charm of words is missed.  Hmmm... K... Haha... Lol... Yeah... What do these even mean?

Where are the words that rolls and twirls... That spikes and shrills... That whispers and sighs... Since the advent of internet, why do we write less? Talk less? Why do we not read anything personalised anymore? We are surrounded with memes and trolls only. Why don't we meet people more often? Why are we so connected (pun intended) yet so disconnected and isolated?

Words... That's a gift that only human beings have. I don't see us using it much anymore. I wish we treat words with the kind of love and respect they deserve.

As a staunch romantic when it comes to words, it hurts.

It's (just) another New Year!!!

As we step into another new year, I see either of two types of reactions from people - IT'S NEW YEAR!! Or It's just another year. While it sounds like the glass half full or glass half empty thing, I think it's not that bad. Some people like to hit the restart button to their lives on certain occasions and some like to restart as they wish. There is no right or wrong here. It's just a matter of preference. You could be someone partying with family and friends on new years or the one who just treats the day as is. You could be anyone you want to be from the new years or you already are that person you always wanted to be. The beauty of such days is in the spirit. Celebrations bring joy and it's a great excuse to be with loved ones. Only flip side of the new year is that the holidays are nearly over. Anyways, HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and yours.... Have a great day and wonderful year ahead!

A Dozen Years as Locomente

Today Locomente turns 12 years old! And I am floating in a dreamy land. These are one of those moments when we fondly wonder how quickly time passes. I still remember that boring night with power outage; I endlessly googled on Nokia XpressMusic phone with limited internet and came up with the name – Locomente – a conglomeration of 2 Spanish words, Loco and Mente which means Crazy mind. Several years later through Spanish speaking friends, I learnt that it must be Locamente. Little spelling mistakes are allowed, I console myself. I also remember how a friend thought it is a Malayalam word Logamente which literally means World is Mine. We all laughed, and I still hear her laugher. She was a joyful spirit, and I am sure she must be having a good time with angels in heaven.

This blog has been my constant. There have been times when I have posted daily and there were times when I have completely abandoned it. Sometimes thoughts flow effortlessly and sometimes it’s a cumbersome process. Yet we have travelled together all these years.

This relationship surprises me, especially when I read some of my old blogs. Did I write them? Most importantly, am I capable of writing something like this. Thankfully, there are very few cringe contents. The other day, a friend wanted to know about Kalpathy Theru and I shared my blog post. I do that when somebody asks for book recommendations as well. A foreign friend was curious about Lord Krishna’s obsession for butter. And I had a butter story to share. I do the same when they ask about Kolam and festivals of India. These are times when Locomente comes in handy. In fact, there is so much content that I don’t remember myself. I just checked; this is my 1809^th post. So, you can imagine!

While these are the perks of having Locomente, the flip side is that people still think that I write autobiographical stuffs. This really frustrates me. As you know, I am a Commerce student. The first lesson we are taught is: Business and businessman is different. And the rule for a writer is also the same – Writer and the writings are different. One should never mix that up. For a writer (I mean myself – come on it’s been 12 years. Let me have my moment of glory), inspirations come from least expected places. While watching movies or reading books, while travelling or talking to other people, the swaying leaves or the moving clouds. It could come out of nowhere too and take you by surprise. Anyways, these are the inherent risks and misconceptions that is attached to being a writer, I guess.

The disheartening fact, however, is that written blogs are near to dead. People expect Vlogs and shorts. I am a lover of words and I believe in a slow-burning romance with them. Therefore, I like to write long posts and hope that someone reads it. In fact, I must thank you right away if you have read so far. Because you have survived 509 words! Please type, “I have Survived” in the comments section so that I know there are people who still read such long posts. I will take that as Locomente’s birthday gift!

With that note, let me thank you - my readers…

You have been a constant support. Your comments mean the world to me and beyond!

Thanks to my family and friends for patiently reading the blog links that I share… I always appreciate your critical comments. They always help me grow and evolve into a better writer.

Now let me also thank Locomente and wish the happies birthday ever…  After all, you are my alter-ego... my constant… my source of inspiration, expression, and gratitude! Forever blessed to have this Locomente blog in my life and simply be Locomente at times (Well, mostly always).

As always, miles to go before I sleep…

And so many words to express the thoughts before they vanish…

Until next year, cheers!

The World is Good!

“Atticus, he was real nice."

"Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.” —Harper Lee

How often do we think that the world we live in is good and so are people? Or are we mostly terrified that something bad would happen if we venture into an unknown terrain. Someone may rob us; someone may hurt us. The dogs would always bite, and the strangers cannot be trusted. Why do we feel this fear? Is it because we are conditioned that way?

When we were children, our parents would have asked us to be aware of the situations and be wary of the new people we meet. Their intention was to let us evolve into someone who is intuitive and mindful. However, most of us grew up into people who are sceptical with several overhyped cliched fears. At least now we are older and could grow out of the fear.

There are many ways to grow out of that fear. For instance, asking a random person in the streets for directions, instead of relying only on Google Maps. Going on a solo trip to a place that is new to us. It could be a half day trip to even begin with. While in the trip, requesting strangers to take our pictures instead of a selfie.

Or something very basic, smile! Yes, just smile when you come face to face with someone. It would immediately bring a nice aura and you would feel comfortable.

We all live in an imaginary shell and its time to break it. 

The Overrated Concept of Unrequited

I was listening to the soulful song by John Legend - “I give you all of me… And you give me all of you”. That made me remember the famous Friends title song which has these lyrics -  “I will be there for you… ‘Cz you are there for me”. 

Did you notice the pattern? They both talk about caring for someone and loving someone BECAUSE they care and love us. So the primary requirement is that the other person loves and cares. Then we choose to care or love them. It could also be like we care or love someone because they care and love us. Here we are talking about a relationship of equality. There is a mutual give and take. Emotions and expectations are not unattended. They are reciprocated and tended. That’s  the recipe for a peaceful long term relationship.

However, we Indians are brought up under the generous influence of Devdas who doesn’t stand up for his childhood sweetheart when he should have. He runs away in a fit of rage and later turns into an alcoholic in the name of, “I will love only you until my death” and then boom! He dies.

Most of the Bollywood movies made in Shahrukh Khan era had similar storylines. Boy is cute and he meets a girl. Love at first sight happens. It doesn't matter if the girl is engaged or about to get married. The boy understands no boundaries and the girl is too young to understand what she wants. He pursues the girl with ease and charm. Right before the auspicious time for the wedding (muhurath), the girl realises her love and chooses the cute guy. Well, God only knows how because there would have been only few stolen glances and an awkward, “I love you” kind of situation until then.

Its even worse in South Indian movies. The hero would follow the girl endlessly. Pulls pranks and endlessly teases her. If that doesn’t work, he may scare the life out of the woman by writing letters in blood or even by trying to commit suicide! I mean, what’s that?

In the middle of all these chaos where the concept of unrequited love was glorified, and unconditional love was normalised. It was projected that love would supersede even if the couple had no money/source of income, no acknowledgment from family, not completed studies and so on. As the targeted audience for these movies were the college going kids, the main leads were presented as college kids themselves or even worse, school kids. By the end of the movie, they would be inadvertently married! And we are not shown how the life pans out after that. So, we don’t know. And we don't care because we are high on loooooov!

As a result, an entire generation believed that it is okay to love someone even when they don’t. We were alright to wait until their mind changes because at least in movies, by the climax, they were a couple. Only difference is our lives are not as time bound as movies. And we can’t wait forever. We can’t stay hopeful forever. Therefore, we need to be there for someone only if they are there for us or at least want to be there for us when we want to. I mean the feelings have to be mutual and not unrequited.

Maybe that's why focusing on self-love is more important. So is being self-sufficient. This will enable us to be evolved enough to attract similar people. This is a pre-requisite af holds relevant for both romantic and other relationships. 

Nothing could go unrequited. That is not normal. Let’s stay away if we are treated badly, emotionally or otherwise.

Oh these songs! They really carry more meaning and depth than we thought they did, don’t they?

The Fear Factor

Would you agree that we humans are driven by the fear factor? Fear is the feeling that something bad/dangerous/hurtful may happen if we do something or don’t do something. It is the fear of losing someone or oneself. Fear keeps us going and at the same time, stops us from moving further. Fear motivates and inspires us. Fear also ties and curtails us.

Once upon a time, we feared darkness and invented fire. We feared pain and invented medicines to heal. We feared loneliness and invented the family system.

We feared and we feared. Thus, we grew.

Then we also feared failures and stopped experimenting. We feared the stigma and agreed to the norms. We feared the resurrection of evil and preached goodness.

Over time, fear stopped being a four-letter word. It became the driving factor for life. Fear of living and fear of dying superseded the joy of life – another four-letter word.  

What makes us human so fearful? Most importantly why do we fear so much? To be honest, do we have any control over anything. Aren't we just part of a grand design and fluttering around due to the butterfly effect? Anyways, isn't our cognitive evolution good enough to be cautious and take measures to steer away from dangers? Why do we fail to trust our instincts. We humans were very intuitive and instinctive once. We listened to not only what fellow human beings said, but also to the entire ecosystems. We lived in unison. We believed. We trusted. We evolved. Today we are just stuck with fear and nothing else.

Everything we do these days are driven by fear.

What would have been a way of life earlier is superimposed due to the fear factor. We want to put up perfectness across due to our fear of missing out. We choose healthy lifestyle due to the fear of looking insufficient in comparison to peers or celebrities. We even commit to a family life because of the fear of not following the lead of the broader societies. We go to work because we don’t want to be an outlier. While it is important to do all these things, the motive behind why we do these is wrong. We are not doing anything for ourselves, but for our perceived self. We lose essence of who we are and what we could be. We even fear to sit back and reflect because we tend to be harsh on ourselves.

 We aim for calmness of the sea ignoring the chaos underneath. We see the beauty of flowers losing sight of ugly roots entangled in dirt under the soil. We see the butterfly and close our eyes when we see a larva. Fear has made us disillusioned.

Fear has made us judgemental too. Little joys have lost its glory.

We want to be the best. We thrive to be the best. Because that’s how we are trained all our lives.  But we know how the pyramid is. It becomes narrower as we go further ahead. What we fail to see is that we all are unique and therefore best in our little ways. We just need to let loose of our fears and inhibitions and strive to be the best version of ourselves. But then the fear of change may hit us like a thunderbolt. That’s when we should evoke our inner strength and focus on acceptance.

 The one who accepts fears nothing. The one who strives fears nothing.

And most importantly, the one who fears achieves nothing.

Now it’s up to us what we choose.

 Happiest New Year 😊

Let's be Creative

Once upon a time, I had this habit. I used to religiously open MS Word in my laptop and type. On some days I had so much to type and on some other days very few or even nothing. Please don’t take me wrong. I don’t mean typing the meeting minutes, sending emails or even the pings over WhatsApp web. I mean letting the creativity flow through finger tips, gently tapping on the keys. That tapping sound had such a zen-like rhythm.

When the thought flows, it just flows. Like that waterfall which fearlessly falls from what feels like sky to the endless bottom to an onlooker. The water splitters and splatters. Similarly, my thoughts would waver and wander. Yet it lands. It may not necessarily be at the spot that the water wanted to or planned to. Yet it lands somewhere; destiny says spirituals. Fate says the religious. 

The joy of that journey becomes enriching. The beauty of mind enchanting. All it takes is the effort to open a blank MS Word to let the thoughts flow. How difficult is that? What a pleasure it is to streamline the thoughts. It may feel restrictive. But that’s the joy – to wander through limitation to enjoy the liberation. 

Creativity is always liberating.

Another 360 days of Hope!

Basically, I am running late by 5 days when it comes to the first blog post of this brand-new year. That’s why I thought of using 360 days instead of 365 in the title – Just in case you were wondering if that was a typo!

Every New Year bring hope. It really seems as an excuse to restart something. Unlearn something. Even undo something. But this new year is the king… alright feminists, queen or maybe keeping the humanitarians in mind shall I say God. Oops! Then there are atheists. Alright… Let me reword… 2021 is THE year of hope! How about this? Haha. Well, jokes apart, we all hope, don’t we, for a corona free day… mask free outings… some vacations and not the so called “staycation”. Even students miss colleges; the non-workaholics also miss the formal attire, long commute and office.

 

2020 came as a surprise to all of us. We were simply not prepared for anything that it had to offer. And in 2021 at least we know what we could expect – the “new normal” that is, as we chose to call it.

 

Personally, I appreciate 2020 (well, that’s not just the optimist in me speaking alright).

It gave us all a chance to slow down and appreciate things that we had taken for granted. While indeed there was time to spend with the family and within the safe and warm constraints of our homes - we are those few blessed souls, aren’t we? We had a roof above our head and good supply of hand sanitisers, internet, OTT subscription, net banking to name a few - we dared to spend time with ourselves. We were forced to face ourselves, not just in the mirror which we used to look at to comb our hair or to dress up to step out, but also in our head and heart. That way, 2020 has been the best of bests!

 

There was the threat of this virus. Then there was fear of lay off. There were salary cuts. Children were restless. Elders were bored. Anxiety and uncertainty became the notorious offspring of 2020. But we managed them all. We survived and we have emerged – just like the phoenix in the great tales; we have written our great tale too. We all deserve a pat on our backs. Well done!!!! And yes, we also need THIS new year – just to smile and hope. Just to breath and be grateful. Just to close our eyes and be!

 

Happy New Year dear-dear readers…

Wishing you good health… joy and peace…

Let’s HOPE for mask free year!

Let’s sing and dance because this is THE year of HOPE…

2021 we are more ready than ever! Hahaha (not an evil laugh okay!)

  

Nine Years as Locomente!!!

As my alarm rhythmically ushered me to the wakefulness, I snoozed it keeping my eyes closed. Almost immediately, I opened my eyes with an excited alarm and quickly typed “L” in the Google Chrome app. The predictive typing led me to “Locomente.com/?m=1” which incidentally is my blog URL and an error message popped up – The IP server cannot be reached and something-something. Despite my slumber, I remembered that I didn’t pay for the domain renewal and I told myself that I do not need that domain anymore. I have earned not a penny in the last two years out of the blog. I barely have visitors and most importantly, I hardly write. I clearly don’t need a paid domain. This ran in the back on my mind as we celebrated Vijaya Dashami. Around noon, I sat with my office laptop. The first thing I did was to sign out of Skype and MS Teams, of course. Then I started to work towards fixing the error message. After an hour, I decided that time is money and renewed the domain. To cut the long story short, my baby blog is reborn – after all, my baby blog is 9 years old!!!! 

Birthdays are all about celebrations, isn’t it? So, lets take a stock of the journey so far…1,730 posts covering poems, haiku, stories including micro fictions and blog series, books and movie reviews, random musings/thoughts, art, photobook, kolam and what not! Last 9 years has been a great learning and I am sure that years to follow would be equally enriching.

Birthdays are also an avenue to reflect… So here are some thoughts…

• I started this blog back in 2011 when I had completed my primary education (for those who don’t know, I am a Chartered account by qualification and auditor by profession). Over the years as I wished for professional growth, I also longed for more readership for my blog. I wanted to be famous but then I know for a fact that I am nowhere close to that. That worries me and demotivates at times. Rewards and recognitions are integral for not only profession, but for passion also. I should say that’s the most epic epiphanies ever.
• With Instagram, Twitter, Vlogs and all that, I am not sure if we really care to read long articles. Even the breaking news have become super concise and often precise. We are in a constant hurry with an attention span that’s ever diminishing. I am not sure how long such mediums where we can write hundreds and thousands of words altogether would stay relevant.
• Fame and success are addictive. Unless we taste both, consistency in the long run could be very difficult. Although 9 years ago on a sunny Diwali afternoon, I didn’t think of having any readership or fame. Today I do. Change is the only constant, further proved

Anyways… This Locomente has not been as driven as it used be in the past. But, the constant urge to experience and evolve has not changed. The rigor to be agile is the only prerequisite for survival. Hopefully Locomente shall survive too – through blogs, art or at least with the sheer desire to express. After all, Locomente never gets bored of romancing words. And mind you, Locomente always creates and never copies. As Malcolm Gladwell elaborated in The Outlier, ten years of constant practice is the only means towards perfection; or at least reach anywhere close to it. So here we are hitting the 9 years mark… Let’s hope for all the perfect imperfections in the next 365 days…

With that note, let me thank my readers…

You have been a constant support. I don’t visit any blogs anymore. But you still come and drop comments. That means the world and beyond to me. Thanks to my friends for patiently reading the blog links that I share… Your critical comments are the only source of improvement, trust me…

Happy Birthday dearest Locomente…

You are my alter-ego… My source of inspiration, expression and gratitude… Blessed to have this Locomente blog in my life and simply be Locomente at times (Well, mostly always).

Afterall… Miles to go before I sleep…

Until next year, cheers!

Stuck in Time

India went on a complete lockdown on March 25, 2020 to enable social distancing and fight the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been 18 full days since then and life isn’t the same anymore. Yesterday the honourable Prime Minister of India made it official that the lockdown will be extended for another 14 days. A sadistic optimist in me says that I am not alone – we are not alone. It’s a battle that the entire world is fighting. None of us really know when this will end and how. As we are ethically stocking up essential commodities and morally abiding to the country laws, there are other concerns too. How are the under-privileged people managing their lives? Is the World ready to curtail this pandemic? How are we going to manage the economic crisis that will befall? For me, most important question is: how are we managing our emotional well-being?

Although Stephen Hawking has scientifically proved that time-travel into the future is not possible, our minds are that of a time-traveller’s. It always weaves hundreds of dreams and plans about the future. It constantly rewinds the past, tries to identify patterns, make us feel guilty or regret our own actions. Very rarely it pulls the shelf loaded with the memories of good times, moments where we felt proud or truly happy. Needless to say, it never stays in the present either. In short, our mind is the time-traveller’s vehicle and we are THE time-travellers.

And here we are, as time-travellers stuck somewhere in the familiarity of the past although we wanted to venture into the unknown future. All of us want to own our future. We want to design and control it as if it is a computer program. Our future is not in our hands although we are trained to believe so. It is just an illusion – this future, I mean. Therefore, we live in constant dread and feel depressed due to the sheer helplessness which we are currently experiencing. All of us feel that we are stuck in time – as if the time has frozen. What we don’t realise that it is only a myth. It is absurd to believe so. In the process, we are losing out on our dear present.

What do we have in present? Well, if you are reading this post (I know that very few would – but that’s because I am not an internationally celebrated writer or a well-known blogger), you are blessed. You not only have a roof over your head, but also the luxury of literacy and of course, internet! However, we still complain. As if we would have conquered the world if we weren’t locked down. As if all the plans would have surfaced into reality if we weren’t quarantined. This is the silliness of our mind – which as I said is only a foolish time traveller. It believes that it could leap into future, but it ends up in the past thereby neglecting our present!

While we stay at home for few more weeks, lets try to make our foolish minds wise. Let’s try to educate it that past is past – it can’t be altered. It is like a file in a hard drive which is lost forever. No matter how much we try, it can never be found, and the data can never be restored. So, lets us accept this fact and move on – rather should I say stay? More precisely, stay present in the present?

To cut the long story short, let’s not let our mind wander like a time-traveller's. Let’s not let it abandon the present. Let’s watch our thoughts and what the mind has to say. Let’s be empathetic to the mind because we are the only audience to the thoughts orchestrated by our mind – both perfectly rehearsed ones and the messy ones. Let’s be listen to ourselves. Let the time tell, for we are not stuck in time because time never stop to tick by!

Happy quarantine people.

Take care of your mind.

Trust me, heart will follow you happily like a cute puppy.

Break the Chain

Grass is always greener on the other side. With the corona pandemic, this old saying resonates truthful as ever. 

Kids always wanted to play on the mobile phone or watch cartoons in the house. Now they are restless because they want to go out and play! 

Students always plan different ways to bunk classes and examinations. Today when it has become mandatory, they wish they could just go back to the familiarity of the classrooms.

People having white-collar jobs relentlessly complain about the traffic jams, never ending commute hours to office, sedentary nature of work and most importantly, endlessly discuss that work life balance is a myth. Today, they are required to work from home. But they sit and miss the daily habit of showing up at the office.

Even the most laziest of people want to hit the gym or at least go out for a walk. People who never eat out want to go to restaurants. Suddenly, couch potatoes find binge watching boring. Families are uncomfortable to be sealed together within the limits of one's home. 

We are enwrapped by our own irony!

I am sure that anyone who reads this has some gadget or other and a good internet connection. This only means we are one of the few blessed souls who could stay back at home and work; our income unchanged (alright, annual hike might be a problem. Let's deal with that later). 

Why don't we sit back, let our hair down and just be thankful. There are so many people who are homeless and whose daily income is visibly affected. 

As the 'educated' citizens of this world, the only way we could contribute towards curtailing this pandemic is by staying at home. Let's just do that. Let's just binge watch, make good food and eat, have face to face interaction with our families, make phone calls to our friends, clean the house, have a long shower, read a book...

The opportunities available to productively kill the time are many... Let's not crib as we always do... Let's not complain as we anyway do... Let's just appreciate what we have... Let's be grateful... Let's break the chain... LET'S JUST STAY AT HOME

Women's Day - So What?

On this women's day, I simply don't feel like wishing any woman. Looking at the double standards around, it feels lame and ridiculous at the same time.

Few Words

O

f late, I have realized that being a man of few words is the greatest of all virtues. Sometimes, stop making sense (yes, I stole it from Koffee with Karan - season 6) would be appreciated more. 

Reality Check

We often hear people say, “Stay positive”… “Hope for the best”…. “This too shall pass” and so on.  We are also sometimes asked to “Count on the blessings” and maybe realize “Everything happens for a reason”. Of course, then there are some other spiritual advice as well – “Its fate, what to do?” and that “God is great”. As if enough is unsaid, there is this concept of Law of Attraction which says that universe is listening and hence we should think ONLY positive. It asks us to be grateful and manifest what we want through meditation.

My question is – what is your take on this idea of “stay positive”… “Universe is listening”… “Count your blessings”… “Trust in God” and all that?

Independence Day?

Today India is celebrating 72nd Independence Day. Indian flag is hoisted and most of the people are dressed in any of the tricolor. Loads of wishes are going around in social media. It's a day to feel proud and be thankful that we got our freedom from the British who ruled us ONCE UPON A TIME. 

Until sometime before, I was also like majority of Indians - celebrating the 15th of August with tricolor clothes, saluting the national flag, singing the National Anthem, sharing Independence Day wishes with everyone I come across and most importantly FEELING PROUD!

Strangely, since today morning, I have been wondering - what exactly are we celebrating on August 15th? Freedom from the British that Indians won through non-violence and unity? That's all? If so, what's the big deal about it? I mean come on, it's been 72 years since 1947. While I acknowledge that it's a big deal and it's amazing and all that, nothing makes sense to me anymore though. 

I mean, are we really independent? Are we still not slaves of caste, creed, religion, gender and reservations? Where is the freedom? There is only more division and more violence. Why there is so much corruption and poverty? Why rich is getting richer and poor becoming poorer? Why patriarchy is still glorified and women empowerment still a dream? While there are more stringent laws for crimes, aren't there are enough loopholes to escape them too?

Independence? Are you sure? 
Isn't it time to redefine independence?

Let's explore beyond the superficial layer and come together again today. This time the battle is not between Indians and British. It is between the Indians and their reflection in the mirror. It's time we look beyond the history and write a better future.

Let the women be born free, live free!
Let corruption disappear into thin air.
Let equality prevail and then let's celebrate.

After all, independence is an emotion; not just a word!

Memories Without a Picture

Memories without a picture are like the-

Hues of your mood.

Warmth of your body.

Sweetness of your love.

Surrealism of your absence.

A reminder if abundant happiness!

Word Loan

When you run out of words,
Take loan from...

The nature - always awe-inspiring.
The universe - infinite
The Sun - impartial
The Moon - so serene
The Stars - twinkling and artistic
The Sky and clouds - such a painting!

Else...
Delve deeper into yourself.
Your memories are unique.
Your dreams and fantasies are beautiful.
Your soul is awesome.
You are the best!

So...
Romance words...
They are all yours.
They'll inspire you!

Empower men!

End the hues and cries to empower women. They know their business and have been trained to respect and take care of not only themselves but also all others since birth.

Instead let's empower men to respect women, treat them like another fellow human being and take care of them.

May the men be empowered enough to shun ego and male chauvinism; so that they realise that humanity matters most.

Please end the hues and cries to empower women. It's time to empower men !!!

PS: Everyday is women's day as much as it is men's. So what if it is not March 8th but 9th?!