Posted on by nikita

Puzzling realities

canal in venice at dusk

At an impressionable age, I had watched Amitabh and Zeenat taking a romantic gondola ride through the canals of Venice, singing the famous romantic song, Do lafzon ki hain… Since then, my younger self considered Venice to be the epitome of romance. 

As I haven’t been able to visit Venice, I decided to bring the place to me. I bought a jigsaw puzzle of a scenic Venice sunset. Simple.

Puzzles and books bring to you the places you cannot go. 

It took me around 3-4 hours to complete the puzzle, as many of the tiny pieces are just splashes of colour in red, yellow, green, blue, violet, pink, and orange. Identifying the shapes of colour blobs was time-consuming. 

Since the job of a puzzle is to puzzle you, you play with that definite understanding; nevertheless, after watching a YouTube video I chanced upon, it seemed that the LoP’s attempt to draw an analogy between the PM and a magician in the recent LS session was more baffling. Mr Gandhi’s beating-around-the-bush way of building up his arguments on the government’s intent regarding the Women’s Reservation Bill seemed entertaining to many present there. 

While the leaders are entertained in Parliament from time to time, a daily dose of entertainment comes to me from across my balcony in the form of the man in boxer shorts, lounging (sometimes, tossing and turning) on the balcony, soaking up some Vitamin D. By the size of his paunch and his saggy chests, which are visible when he sits upright, he seems to be in his late 60s. 

By no means should my describing his body provoke you to think that I seek pleasure in body-shaming someone. Not at all. At the same time, it can’t be expected of me to close my eyes to the reality unfolding every summer morning in front of my eyes while I water my plants. This would be like asking many of you to stop gazing at the body of a scantily dressed female performer, dancing to the tune of an item song with provocative lyrics in many Bollywood movies.

Does it ring any bells? 

Indisputably, objectification of women in advertisements, movies, and music videos passed off as entertainment has been normalized to such an extent that it seamlessly fits like a piece of a puzzle into the so-called cultured-society framework. 

While certain concepts central to patriarchal society are acceptable to most, significant concepts like sexuality education that can help society become safe and truly progressive are brushed under the carpet. Generally, by both adult genders.

Recently, I happened to watch a solo drama exploring varied themes like child abuse, innocence, relationships, bullying, and so on. The space, accommodating a small group of around 40-50 people, had an adult audience across generations.  Most of them looked bewildered after the show, as they were ignorant of the content. Sophistication brought them to the show to get entertained, but they left feeling disillusioned. Presumably. The expressions on their faces looked like the multi-coloured pieces of my puzzle scattered across my dining table. Disorganized and chaotic.  

A thought-provoking show that it was, I came home to the tiny pieces of my puzzle lying haywire. Once again, I interlocked them into a coherent image of the Venetian sunset before a good night’s sleep.

*****

Teenager 1: Consulting a therapist or AI?
Teenager 2: Take a guess. 

Posted on by nikita

Sacred Saffron: The smell, the sight, the scare.

“Kesar joiye che biju?” 

The word kesar immediately conjured up images of kesari dhwaja everywhere in the city. Coincidentally, I was preparing mithai on 22nd January 2024. And my mom had called me to ask if I needed more saffron for my mithai preparation. 

January 2024 was the month of saffron. Saffron was omnipresent. And now, it seems, it is omnipotent too. The demand for saffron flags had skyrocketed, generating earning opportunities for the seasonal hawkers. Suddenly, roadside hawkers, who make a cameo appearance before the 15th of August, 26th of January, and 25th of December, selling miniature Indian national flags and Christmas caps, showed up out of thin air even this time. There was a surge in saffron flags and banners of varied sizes with the image of the deity, His devotee, and His controversial abode. Huge saffron banners covering the length of high-rise buildings were also put up to remind people of their culture and religion. 

Is it just the colour people need to remember, or even the associated conduct? 

I completely respect people’s love for their religion. After all, India is known for its varied range of religions. But what confuses me is the frenzy attached to religion. And for that matter any religion. As the date of consecration ceremony was approaching near, I felt more apprehensive.

What if such a show of a particular religious belief led to some unforeseen disorder and disturbance?

And then, the next month was the month of red. Suddenly, we see a sea of red across the city. A display of red clothing and lingerie in shop-fronts. Gift shops display paraphernalia related to Valentine’s Day – all lovely reds. I am not sure if even today this day is celebrated with the same fervour as in the days of Archie’s card. I remember seeing huge cards in gift shops with poetic messages for loved ones: even red and pink teddy bears and soft heart-shaped cushions. I was blessed enough to see them, but not enough to receive any.

With time, the idea of cards and gifts seems to have changed just as the understanding of the meaning of valentine. During my time, the celebration was limited between lovers: a boy and a girl; a husband and a wife. Oh! The romantic charm of yesteryear’s tokens! Today, not many people would want to make an effort to go out and shop for their loved ones. BTW, love is not just a feeling; it’s an effort. Now gift items like flowers, chocolates, jewellery, and so on are just a click and a doorbell away. So, no more the moral Sang(h) and Rang to worry about. No more worries about saff-run (to your houses). Love is still in the air. 

You must be thinking why am I celebrating vasi uttarayan now? Because even today when I sit back and think about these events, I ponder – Do we need religious tokens in excess to establish our religiosity? Do we need to make a show of it? Do we need ostentatious religious rituals to prove that we are religious? And nationalists as well? 

*****

Of course, we do need tokens of love. Even if hearts fly across the screen.

Friend: Maryada Purushottam Ram is a vyavahar (demeanour).
Me: Agreed. It’s not a vyapar (business).

Posted on by nikita

An order that brought disorder to an odd-er mind. What if…

colorful drawings on wall

‘Hello! I am Tarun. I am here to assist you today. Hope you are doing good. Please tell me how can I help you?’

My communications – chat and telephonic –  with agents of the largest online retailer would start with these professionally pleasing words. For almost a week, every time I had to narrate the same story to different agents. Almost 9-10 agents. (I would get calls from their Customer Care Service every other day. Thus the numbers:)) At one point I wanted to tell them badly – Please, change the narrative. Let’s just get down to business. No pleasantries. No formalities. But, still, I hadn’t lost my sanity to the point of being disrespectful. 

I would just repeat the same question – Where’s my order?

No sooner had these words left my partially cracked winter lips, than I was bombarded with a volley of counter questions.

Ma’am, could you please tell me the date when you placed the order for these two items? Ma’am, could you please confirm your mobile number and address? Didn’t you get any call from the delivery agent? Did you call him on the sms-ed mobile number to track your order? Ma’am, could you please share the tracking ID of your order?

And every conversation ended with empathetic words from them – I can understand.

Did they really?

Is it possible to feel empathetic at all times? 

I pondered, what if – 

A man tells a woman I can understand your frustration when your pics on IG do not get ‘likes’ in 2 digits along with some positive comments. 

A woman tells a man I can understand the relief you feel when you shed a few tears you are accustomed to holding back. 

A teacher tells the parents I can understand the hopelessness you feel even when your child’s indefatigable endeavours do not give the desired result. 

A wife tells her husband I can understand your annoyance when even on Sundays you are deprived of peace of mind due to the mayhem around. I witness it daily.

Akshay Kumar tells Ranbir Kapoor I can understand that unspeakable disappointment when your films turn out to be a massive failure in a single year.  

Jacqueline Fernandez tells Nora Fatehi I can understand the mental trauma of accepting expensive gifts from a con man whose criminal background we are not aware of. 

Rahul Gandhi tells Kejriwal I can understand the embarrassment you feel after losing the political battle by a huge margin against the BJP in Gujarat. 

Putin tells Zelensky I can understand your feeling of nationalism even when the ramifications of our decisions have brought destruction and death to many.

Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me, and the entire human race
– Dangerous by MJ

2023 – I am feeling scared. In a year my life will come to an end.
2022 – I can understand. 

Merry Christmas
Wish you a Happy & Happening 2023