At first this post was supposed to be about how amazed, in a good way, I was on hearing/ seeing that the award for the NDTV Indian of The Year 2007 was given to- the Indian soldier. But then, Taare Zameen Par happened.

I had taken a solemn vow to not watch the movie- considering how almost everyone who has seen it has sobbed his/ her eyes out after watching it. I wouldn’t watch it, I wouldn’t watch it. I wouldn’t. Na- uh. Didn’t need to go to a theatre to find something to cry about now, did I? Sigh.

But I did. I did watch it. Not in a theatre, but at home. If that helps with what you think of the strength of my will power. It’s super. Considering that I keep away from reviews until I’ve seen the movie, I had absolutely no idea what it was about. All I knew was that it made people cry. Hell it made Advani cry. There was a whole 200 word write up on that on the 3rd page, no less, of every national daily.

I had this extremely disturbing talk with a cousin of mine the other day. He wanted to send his 9 year old (or less) daughter to a boarding school so that she could be given the opportunity to hone the skills he knows she has. So that she’d be trained to face competition. A 9 year old.

Children are little. They're, for the lack of another word, precious. What they need is not to be taught about the whos and the whys and the wheres- they need color, exploration, stories. They have imagination that needs to be nutured. They have courage that needs to be given an outlet.

There'll be enough time later on for them to learn how to face the "world". Hell, they wouldn't require this so called training- because they'd have what was most important- your belief, your support, your love. And they'd have the security of having had the oppurtunity of being a child. Of having had the oppurtunity to explore. What, if not the courage to take risks and knowing what you do best, do you need to find success?

I totally support the need for all round development- I, myself, was fortunate enough to have been a part of not one school, but three schools, all of which believed in this very thing and hence, while academia was stressed on, so was what was put under “extra curricular”. I’ve also had the fortune of being blessed with parents, to whom I didn’t have to mutter a “I’m sorry” after I’d not won a competition.

But that's not what the movie is about. Or what I wanted to say. What I wanted to say was, that I had the fortune of coming across teachers, mentors, who saw beneath the surface. And sometimes, even when they didn't understand what they saw or couldn't really see- only knew that there was something underneath that was being kept hidden: they always showed faith in me. Believed in me. This movie is about exactly that.

The movie is about not blindly believing in what we see, but about trying to see and find out what lies behind- about questioning. About being convinced that the sun really doesn’t just go to bed while the moon takes on the night shift. It’s also about reading between the lines. Understanding silences. Finding the problem and tackling it, instead of just trying to eradicate the symptoms.

It’s about not telling your child what is what, but letting him find out what is well, what. About letting them find out what they’re meant to do, and giving them the courage to pursue those dreams. About giving them belief to pursue those dreams. And no, THESE things are not meant for only books and movies- I know of people who as teachers work on these principles, and I know of the results they’ve achieved.

It’s about not bearing a child down with chains.

It’s not something that will make you angry. It’s not something that will give you nightmares. It will make you sad. Or at least not for me. Because, it was an embodiment of all my beliefs. Of my dreams.

So, I can go to sleep knowing, that come one morning- I’m going to have the power and the resources to do the work I want to do. To be the change I want to see in the world.

What about you?
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'Funny that I should watch this movie, after my previous post. All things said and done, please please please DO watch the movie.

Oh and also- PAINT. No matter what you make, even if you're just splashing about with it- it's good for the soul. Either that or washing clothes. It's your choice!!


All my love.

I love family. Nothing is more important to me than family. Blame it on my sun sign, if you must, but it's the way it is.

But, sometimes, it's this very family that holds you back. That keeps you from even trying to realize the image you have of yourself. And I hate that!!

From something as small as, or as big as, depending on where you're standing, say falling in love- you train yourself to think in a particular way, react to and keep away from things that would lead to it because you know it would be frowned upon. So what happens to the image you have of yourself that shows you allowing yourself to experience what you've only read about or seen?

Forget love. What about something as simple as this- you've read/ seen a million things. Say one of them showed someone at a signal and a drunk lying by the side of your car. Everyone s looking at him, pitying him, and turning their faces. You resolve that if you were to ever come across something like this, you'd get out and at the very least move the guy away from the center of the road. If you're with friends, and you really DO come across something like this there's more than a slight possibility that you might be the person you've painted yourself as, but when you're with family- it's a strict no no.

How come people are scared of telling this very family what they actually dream of? What they see themselves as? I'm not saying these parents are bad parents. Hell, no way. But it's just sad. Because families are NOT supposed to do that!!!

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I'm paying my dues. We all have to, and so am I. I don't mind paying them, as long as I know that there's something better in store for me in the future.

I want so badly to be a part of something that isn't bothered about allocating a working day for a technical fest- not a cultural fest, a technical symposium.

I want so badly to be a part of something that doesn't have to be done by only the "guys" because they're oh-so-strong.

I want so badly to be a part of something that treats everyone as equals, that aims at doing big things, setting standards.

... That inspires me, makes me look for answers- I'm a lazy bum and I've never denied it- I need to have a question asked before I go looking for answers- that makes me question, that questions my intellect.

I just hope I was made for better things.

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I had to write- the voices were getting too much.

This is something I've been pondering over for a while now- I still am, which should warn you that this post is going to be crazy.

In more ways than one, life a few decades ago was simpler. When I say life, I refer not merely to the materialistic advancements we've made since heck, yesterday- in fact, however valid, that's not what I'm referring to at all. Marriage, love, the whole nine yards.

"Love" was for poets, and marriage was something that was inevitable. Your parents found someone for you, you got married. Simple. You stayed married no matter what the "man" did- hit you, drove you to death, loved you, loved others while he was "loving you". You stayed. Simple. Speaking largely from a woman s perspective, nine yards meant household chores, being docile and submissive and taking whatever was given. Simple.

There were no questions, there was no looking around for answers. Even if it meant compromising on one's individualism and conforming to the whole "my husband is my god" and "my wife is my slave" standards, life was simple.

Today, first One spends a few years reading and hearing and wishing about "love", and the next few searching for it. Once the "search is over", One again spends time reading and hearing and wishing about "marriage", and trying to get it. On getting "it", the very same person, One, doesn't spend even 10% of all the time One spent of getting here, staying with "it". And some times, One starts all over. At others, One doesn't.

When you first hear about the prince and happily ever after, you can't wait for it to happen to you. When you're old enough to really go out there and look for it yourself all you wonder about is when it will happen to you or why it hasn't happened already. When it does, it's what did you ever do wrong to deserve this and when it's gone, you'll never be the same person you were again. Ever.

Let's see the facts- no matter how perfect two people are for each other at some point or the other, real life has to intervene, and when it does, it's only human nature to lash out- how do you put up with abuse- however unintentional- and not even the "abusive" kind - just the daily life kind?

No matter how perfect two people are for each other, at some point or the other, real life has to intervene- jealousy, jealousy on the part of a third party, sabotage, you get the point. How do you put up with abuse- however unintentional- and not even the "abusive" kind- just the jealousy kind?

Before, one stayed married, till death did them part, literally. Whether it was society that drove them to it, mindsets, or the fact that they still hadn't discovered the ability to do anything other than what they'd been taught- without question. What drives two people today, to stay together? The only force that could hold them would be love. An abstract noun.

Feelings always took a back seat before- things were done out of duty. You married because it was expected of you, you had kids because it was your duty, you even shat because it was your duty. Today, people want romance, and rescuing from towers and evil witches and the "perfect" life partner. They want to get to "know" a person. But, HOW is that possible? You could "know" a person for half your life, and he could still be the person who put the video of you two having sex on Orkut.

How can a person want to depend on another? Why would a person want to do that? Once you've said "forever", how does the term become less than a year? How can you care about a person enough to be the one who hurts them the most? Why!?

Ugh. See, not so simple.

This has got to be the toughest piece of writing that I do each year. And THIS year I really have nothing to say. So, it is going to be a happy new year after all!!

To you guys, for being there for me- may you be blessed. Keeping true to this blogs' traditions- May the fleas of a thousand camels infest the asses of those who try to screw your happiness. And may their hands become too short for them to scratch with.

Happy New Year!

All my love.