#1. “You cannot do that," they say

Here I am again, after a short period of hibernation. I was busy with work, busy with life. Though I could take out some time and could explore one of the best states in India, Goa.

What else!

It was during one of my exploration trip that I came across a thought. A sentence we often hear. A tight slap we have received many a time. A shock that was so powerful that who could not shrug it off lived a mere, MERE, low, LOW, life. 

That’s when the title, and the series, born. The “They Say” series.

I will be talking about those taunts we listen, those excuses we make ourselves, the consolations we receive from our near and dear, when we fail, when we don’t make it to the expected level. In between those taunts, excuses and consolations we miss the most important thing.

Our LIFE.

Our action, and reaction, to the turns we face decide the course of our life. The most important part is to hold on yourself, your confidence. 

“You cannot do it,’ they say. “They” can be your friends, competitors, jealousy colleagues, or jobless neighbours. Except for your friends, everyone else is deriving sadistic pleasure from the sentence.

You will realize one thing if you read the sentence again. It is one word that is changing the meaning of the whole sentence. That one, that silly one, changes the sentence from positive to negative. I am saying about the word “not”. The three-letter word strategically placed at the centre of the sentence. That word ensures that the receiver would think about his efficiency, his capability, his intelligence once again. Many turn back from their dream at this point. 

A simple sentence from another person, who has never known you completely, decides your fate. What a pity!

Is it possible to turn the sentence positive? To your benefit. Of course, you can.

As I had said in the beginning, the “strategic positioning” of the word NOT is the crux of all the negativity about the sentence. Therefore, whenever anyone tells you “you cannot do it” you just change the position of the word NOT. Place it at the beginning. Let the word be happy for the priority it’s getting. 

You change the sentence to “NO you can do it” inwardly. 

Repeat it once. Repeat it again. Again. Again. Until it becomes a part of your breath. Let the sentence strengthen you, your aim in life. 

Who can defeat a strong heart?

What's your (LOVE) Story?

“Love is blind.” A common usage we have been hearing since childhood. Love is a thing which we have experienced at some point in our life. 

Some had expressed their love, married their dream-girl and live happily thereafter.

Some were afraid of expressing it for the fear of rejection. They wanted to reveal it to her/ him, but never could. The love lived, and died, inside their heart. Leaving a never dying pain inside them.

Some revealed their love. Enjoyed the moments of togetherness, but couldn’t tie the knot. The society, religion, money (all of them or any one), destroying their dreams.

What’s your story?

Read my story here and tell me whether our story is similar to mine.

Waiting for your comments.

Girls,Be Strong. Believe in Yourself.

That's it. The Supreme Court of India wants proof that Govindachamy pushed Soumya off the train! It is as if jumping out to save herself from the maniac (if that is the case) was her crime. 

The evidences for rape, her struggles to escape it and brutal scars on her body are not enough for the court, it seems.

It was always like that, the court and some elite section of the society were more bothered about the human rights of culprits.

Then, there are some political leaders who are more worried about death punishment. Conveniently forgetting about the number of political opponents they eliminate every month, every year.

The bottom line is that there are many who support the heartless maniacs. They are not bothered about the wails of victims and their relatives. You have to fight the evil alone.

The only way to put an end (or curb) such incidents is bringing up your girl child in a confident atmosphere. Let them learn martial arts. Motivate them to be mentally strong. Let them know the fact that they are equally strong, or stronger, than men physically.

Let them put up a fight, at least, before succumbing to such maniacs (here, in the case of Soumya, a disabled bastard).

Girls out there, understand that you are alone in this fight. Nobody gives a shit, whether you live or die. The victim's fate will be discussed for a few days without any result, until a news with more TRP comes up.

Let there be no more Soumyas and Nirbhayas.

They need YOU

The first glimpse whilst entering the Agathi Mandiram, Kollam, Kerala was of a boy, maybe in early twenties, lying on the floor. He was soiled and naked, except a tiny piece of dirty cloth around his waist. Lying there, he looked up at the visitors. Then, he returned to the same position neglecting us, as if it were a normal thing.

Visitors in colorful attire bringing them something; food, most of the time.

It was a new world to me. A new kind of experience. They were the people I never believed existed. Of course, I had seen beggars, but this was different. The dormitories smelt of urine and human faeces. The atmosphere was putrid. 

There were 160 of them. Men and women. Most of them have psychological problems, remaining slowly slipping into state of delirium. Government pays 1000 rupees for each person per month. It is not even sufficient for their food, forget medicines. Then, who is bothered about treating them and bringing them back to normal life. 

I avoided eye contact with them while distributing the food we brought. I dare not look into their eyes. They will not scold or abuse me. But I could assume a question reflected in the depths of their eyes. A question to me. A question to the society where I belong.

Have you gone blind to see our suffering?

I took a glance back while returning from there. I could see a number of eyes looking at us, with a glint of hope.

Yes, I will come. I will come again. I may not be a millionaire to shell out money. At the same time, who wants that lifeless piece of paper? They want love. They want to be cared. 

And love is more valuable, more meaningful, than any amount of money. It can cure any ailing heart.

I have decided to come here again and again. For them. For us. 

What about you?

Do something today, you will not regret it.

And Then There Were None – “Christie, the Queen”

This time I decided to try AgathaChristie, the uncrowned queen of crime thrillers. My first attempt On Christie. 

And I am happy that she didn't put my expectations down.

"And then there are none" is the story of ten total strangers gathering in an island named 'Soldier Island' on invitation from someone named U N Owen. 

They had met her/him at different places and had been friends, the invitation they had received said. To their surprise, they could not recall meeting the person named U N Owen, but could trace a vague idea. 

Perhaps, their subconscious mind fooled them of meeting that person in the past!

None of them could deny the golden opportunity to spend a holiday at exotic 'Soldier Island'. That also without spending a penny from their pocket. 

Of late, the island had been in news in connection with some Hollywood actors, increasing its value multitude.

Reaching there, one by one starts dying back to back. That’s when they realize the invitation was not random, but a perfectly planned one. They were selected by somebody, to eliminate them.

But, who?

Is it one among them?

Or some outsider, who is hiding in the island?

There was no way to get help from the mainland. And they had to investigate the murders by themselves. Their numbers start reducing day by day. 

What will happen to them?

Will anyone survive?  

Read it, to know it.

A Thousand Splendid Suns - PICTURESQUE, but, POINTLESS

Picking up “A thousand splendid suns” from the magician who had created “The kite runner” my hope was sky-high. I expected the book to be as wonderful as his first one. This, very, expectation is the worst thing one can have. It would play dirty tricks with your heart. It will amplify the unsatisfied feeling you have. It will make you believe that you are offered a bowl of rice, when you were expecting a feast.

Apologies, Khaled Hosseini!

He may never read this blog post, but it was my responsibility to apologize to him. As I had failed to keep expectation at bay. Had I not known him, had I not read his debut book, had I not expected anything, I would have definitely enjoyed the book more.

  

Of course, I have enjoyed reading the book. But we are human beings and we want everything MORE. 

The story is narrated in first person through the eyes of two female protagonists Mariyam and Laila. They are not linked with each other, until the book reaches the third section. An incident results in one entering into other’s life. The story changes from there and mostly you would sense what is coming. 

Here, it would not be wrong if a reader feels the incident was inserted. 

Since, nothing much was happening in the book until that point. It certainly was the case with me. I felt the centre portion was sagging and the author was trying to find ways to move it ahead.

Trying to give a meaningful twist. 

The narration was good and descriptions vivid. Being a talented author, Hosseini could describe each scene and incident perfectly. You can see it happening in front of your eyes. You can feel the pain. 

You will feel helpless, as Mariam. 

You will be pained, as Laila. 

You will be angry with the Taliban (here, he has repeated the rules by Taliban as in The Kite Runner). 

However, at the end you will be left wanting for……more. Read it if you like emotionally charged, which is close to real life. Don’t expect a joy read at any point in the book. 

Pros: Beautifully articulated emotions, strong female characters.

Cons: Storyline, too much Afghanistan, forcefully inserted scenes. 

Rating: 3.5/5