A humming word

Akaash Vani is a movie every person who has been raised on a diet of misplaced filial piety must watch. Filial Piety is a concept by Confucius which emphasises on love, care for the elderly. While the concept seems noble, the misuse of power seeps into relationships too.  Elders demand 'respect' by strangling needs of the young by expecting them to give up on what they value to 'fit in' in the society. The movie, Akaash Vani, is a story of this misplaced filial piety. The story is about Akaash and Vani, a girl and a boy, away from their home, studying in a university, and in love. They wish to get married and plan a future together. Beleiving that they will get married, Akaash pursues his higher studies and moves abroad to provide for Vani and himself. Meanwhile Vani returns home to learn that her sister has eloped with someone thus bringing the family dishonour.  To restore their honour, Vani's parents marry Vani to a man, who is well educated but has no emotional ...

  Bala and me Bala's presence at YK Antiques has been so impactful that when he left Hyderabad, it left a gaping hole. One that we cannot fill and thinking we can fill it is only foolish. His passion and love for YK Antiques is unparalled.  Satya, Bala and sir with Dobara team For the unitiated, YK Antiques is a home museum in Alwal, Hyderabad, and is run by YK Murthy and is supported by the love of volunteers -- Satya, Vinay, Preeti, Laalithya, among others.  And today, there was a School Tour to the museum. And personally, the presence of Bala's absence was felt. Before Bala moved to Goa, he spent most of his time at YK Antiques and he and YK Sir set the home museum with utmost care. Whenever there was a school tour, Bala would spontaneously conjure some fascinating activity.  And this time, it was we who had to do it. I knew it would be hard to fill in the shoes of Bala. And the next thing, I thought was to involve my mother, who is creative and spontaneous. The t...

For two months, for one hour, fortnightly, we would become kids and travel through a structured hindi writing program of poems, stories and writing exercises with Bansa Library kids.  Initially, when the program was being planned, I thought how would 4 sessions cover it all? But Garima ji planned it so well that each session was enriching. We wrote as a group at the end of the session too. And yes, there were a few hindrances.  Online Engagement. We know how many treat Online Meetings.  Yet, we managed to pull it off. Garima ji kept her camera on and so did the children and thus, we did too, atleast mostly. Also the interactive learning kept us going. Another hindrance was Homework. With the advent of latest tools, doing 'homework' has become close to not doing it at all or doing in the most convenient way. So after the first two sessions, Garima ji moved to a 'in the class writing' approach. That way the children don't have the pressure of writing outside and any i...

my father has a strict countenance. on the first meet, some may feel overwhelmed by his strict appearance but beneath all of that is a loving and compassionate man. often, i am at the receiving end of how can i be more compassionate and here are a few instances: my father loves his friends and the way he speaks to them, deeply involved about their welfare while not being too imposing, is something i love to learn from him. sometimes i get over-involved with my friends but i am learning to me mindful too. as my writing mentor and friend Urbi says, 'love people from a distance they are comfortable with'. my father exemplifies that.  whenever i have a disagreement, my father sides the one who is 'wrong' by gently correcting the person who has taken the position of power of being 'right'. he often says, it is about the change. focus on growth and not merely pointing to the mistake and taking the position of power if you're right. i learn this from my partner as ...

पढाई कबसे जूती बन गई ? जिसको पहनकार लगे है लम्बी दौड़ मैं | किसी की फूलती साँस को आराम देने के लिए उसे पानी भी ना पिलाएँ | पढाई हमें सज्जन बनाती हैं हमें जोड़े रखती हैं पर हम तो बेमतलब तोड़ने में लगे हैं || Thank you Shrey ma'am for your thoughts. Edited by Garima ji: पढ़ाई कबसे जूती बन गई ? जिसको पहनकर, लगे हैं लम्बी दौड़ में किसी की फूलती साँस को, थमकर पानी भी ना पिलाएँ ? पढ़ाई जन को सज्जन बनाती है, हमें जोड़े रखती हैं । पर हम तो तोड़ने में लगे हैं |

On a bright sunny day, a driver looks out of his window and sees a cyclist on the road. The driver acknowledges the cyclist’s right to a safe commute and makes sure to follow the road rules. The driver is pleased to witness someone showing concern for the environment and pledges to contribute more actively moving forward. Now let us come back to real life, where the situation is never this perfect. Underneath the sweltering hot sun, a person in a metallic box sees a person riding their bicycle and huffs contemptuously-” A fitness freak, no doubt. Don’t they know this is a fast-moving road? They are only endangering their lives” the driver remarks.  The cyclist, armed with protective gear and obeying all the laws, has no idea of the nuisance he has caused to the annoyed driver. As ironic as it may be, the reality is sadly disappointing. People choosing alternative and sustainable methods of transport are blamed for using the roads, while negligent motorists get away with a slap on t...

 फ़िल्मों ने बड़ा बदनाम किया,  लड़का और लड़की की दोस्ती को  ऊपर से बेकरी या कॉफ़ी शॉप में जो घूरते रहते हैं, दुपट्टा भी शर्मा जाए |     हमारी दोस्ती एक एनजीओ के प्रोग्राम से शुरू हुई । वो मुझसे छोटा था... पर बहुत समझदार ।  हम अक्सर लाइब्रेरी में मिलते  थे, किताबे पढ़ते थे ।  और फिर लाइब्रेरी से जुड़े एक कॉफी शॉप में बैठ, खूब सारी बातें करते थे । हर हफ्ते लाइब्रेरी और घर के बीच ये मुलाकात बढ़ने लगी । एक दिन उसने पूछा, कितना अच्छा होता अगर हम  ऐसे ही मिलते रहे । साल बीत गए...हम अपने-अपने रास्ते चल पड़े । और आज उसको जवाब देने का मन करता है । हा.. बहुत अच्छा होता । बिन मतलब के मिलते रहना । और किताब पढ़ना .. Note: This is written on the prompt by Garima Mishra ji at the May 19 Bansa Hindi Writing Program.  Thank you for helping with the edits too, Garima ji.