Indian weddings we all love to hate

Indian weddings are more of a joke, wherein, 'wedding' is a sophisticated term used to signify the process of the groom getting auctioned off by his parents in exchange for ransom. And you see a lot of people from the groom's family happily discussing how they struck gold by cracking the best deal with the bride's parents. This is also the best place to show your financial status. Of course, because this is the only place which will have more witnesses to your wealth than any other place.

Everyone will agree that except for the very close friends and family of the bride and groom, all the rest that grace the occasion just have their eyes affixed on the calorie counter, making a mental note of what will satisfy their palates. Apart from seeing some 40-something-aunties wearing shoddy make-up and outfits that scream for help, you also see a lot of competition among them as to who is wearing a more expensive saree and who is looking better than the other. In fact, much unlike the common scenario that we generally observe at a wedding, you also overhear guests discussing things like ''Aaj ka khana toh kuch bhi nahi hai. Maine apni beti ki shaadi mein 2000 ki dish rakhi thi'', that only make you want to hate Indian weddings all the more. So basically, one wedding becomes a reference point for how good or bad other weddings are! I personally feel very bad when the newly-married couple has to stand for 3-4 hours, smiling, entertaining the guests on stage and posing for pictures, when you can see the couple glancing at the long queue every few minutes, secretly wishing for the queue to disappear. God bless girls who stand for the entire duration of the reception party wearing 5-inch heels. They are sure to ask their husbands for a foot massage soon after they retreat to their rooms. Poor husbands! Their night becomes memorable for a different reason altogether.

Another thing I find very unnecessary is how all the gifts a bride receives from her family as well as from her new family, as part of the tradition, are put on display. I asked my mother about the reason for the existence of such a custom and why it is still practiced, to which, i was told that this is a way of making everyone around feel involved. And apparently, it also makes people happy when they see that the bride has been provided with all the bare essentials. My point is, why does this involve the entire extended family or society? Isn't wedding supposed to be a private affair and aren't these things only for the very closed ones to know? Do you think people are genuinely going to be happy on seeing everything that the bride has been bestowed with? In fact, in hindsight, people who may not be able to afford expensive jewellery and other items for their children's wedding, are getting prompted to go out of their way and burn a hole in their pockets.This is because they may not want their children to get any less or they may be forced to do so to ensure their standing in the society remains intact.

The funniest part about an Indian wedding is people often discussing internally, how either the guy or the girl seems to have got plain lucky with his/her match. Also, curiosity builds up, especially among people of marriageable age, to know what honeymoon destination has been decided upon by the couple. But, irrespective of all the bashing up and criticizing of Indian weddings that we indulge in, we all dream to have a big fat Indian wedding. Because, getting married sans all the drama and razzmatazz seems like no fun!

Following the musical path....

After long hours of contemplation, after brainstorming ideas on three different subjects, i finally decided to zero in on writing about my affinity towards one of the purest forms of art, MUSIC. Listening to music is like feeding the soul. It always ensures that my peace of mind stays intact. Music to music lovers is like money to the poor. It is very sacred and precious. A day passsed without listening to music feels like something is amiss. I don't know if it's just the music lovers who feel this strongly about music or it is a common view; but, i can vouch for the fact that music makes life more beautiful.

Out of the 24 hours in a day, how much time do we keep aside to do what we genuinely love doing? How much time is actually spent doing something to distress ourselves? And let's not consider activities like driving, jogging, gymming etc if they are not optional. So, after striking off many activities that we may do because they are forced upon us or done to look cool or maybe, because we lack the availability of better options, we are barely left with a handful of activities or as many call them 'hobbies'. Out of the one or two hours that we may devote in a day to enjoy and relax oursleves, how many actvities do we actually indulge in that disconnect us from the stress of the real world? I would say, barely two or three. And music, is one of them. It may not be a part of our standard, basic requirements, but that does not take away from its strong influence on our mind and soul.

I, somehow, have developed this strange connect with music. I can wholly and solely bank on music to keep me company, anytime and anywhere. I can listen to music for endless hours and not get bored. That is quite something, given we have various other ways to distract ourselves. This is the kind of impact music has. For me, this insanity has developed over the years, which is now bordering on almost making me handicapped without music. So, out of curiosity, i just looked up the internet to understand if this could actually happen. And, i came across some astonishing facts, given as the effects of music, of which, some were difficult to comprehend. One of the many surprising things i learnt was that music helps secrete immune-boosting hormones by creating a positive and emotional environment which contributes to reducing the factors responsible for damaging the immune system. This fact has provided an added incentive to listen to music. Another interesting nugget i stumbled upon was that music can heavily influence your emotions. So much so, that a strong and commanding piece of music can make one violent and destructive, enough to bear severe repercussions. At the same time, a soft and soothing piece of music can have an equally calming effect on one's mind and soul. Infact, relaxing music is a remedy to improve the duration and intensity of concentration in all age groups.So, better choose your music carefully!

Overlooking its very few adverse effects, music has been known to create magical effects on schizophrenic patents and induced hope in many a depressed soul. I personally owe most of my extended imagination and visualisation to music, of which a lot would have remained uneplored had it not been for the world of rhythms,tunes and melodies. It's a different thing that at times i get transported to the dream world which sometimes makes me want to keep fantasising and not come back to the real world. But, so long as music makes me forget everything else while i have my headphones on, everything is justified.
   

Let's become foodies!

Nothing gets better than talking food. Seriously. You may have noticed how Indian patriots say, ''Once an Indian, always an Indian!'' or artists saying ''Once an artist, always an artist!'' etc; the same holds true for me when it comes to food. Food and I share a deep bond. A bond in which food equally needs me and keeps coming back to me as much as I love it back. So, it's kind of an organic bond.

With the availability of increasing variety of foods, it is hard to decide whether one eats to live or lives to eat. Also, having said that, this decision is hardly relevant. I always thought the concept of food was overrated until I moved out of my comfort zone. I started exploring newer and different foods; albeit, at my own pace. And there! Food made me its amateur connoisseur. Food becomes addictive only when had in its authentic form. And extra cheese or butter is always welcome. Just imagine adding an extra dollop of butter on a paratha or a pancake. How about adding extra cheese in your dosa/pasta/pav bhaji/wrap/pizza that makes you go on a guilt trip! You have not had the most delicious foods without feeling guilty after having them. I so envy those who can eat anything and everything without piling on any extra kilo of weight. These, I feel, are the luckiest people. And more so if they happen to be true food lovers.

''I sliced the brownie into 4 big pieces, each piece being the size of two ice cubes combined. I pick up one of the bigger chunks of the walnut brownie, making its way into hot chocolate sauce along with some vanilla ice-cream. Did I just eat that? I forgot about everything else for those few seconds when the brownie entered my mouth. I assume, it was one of the foods that is probably served in heaven.'', texts a friend. Not the one to be left behind, I decide to have a brownie fondant that day itself. To hell with calories who think they could stop me from consuming them!  How can I miss out on such a sumptuous treat! My indulgence saved me from feeling deprived. Eating is an art. There is a way of serenading the foods you love, into your mouth. And I really admire those who have an eye for good food.

I stumbled upon a quote sometime back, which says, ''Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like.'' This quote stuck in my head ever since and helped me get rid of all the failed diet plans I had made and probably would further make in the future. Now, everytime I feel like looking after my diet, this quote keeps reverberating in my head. All of us slog ourselves day in and day out with the basic purpose of filling our stomach.  But, somewhere in the race to achieve bigger milestones, we often lose sight of the goal we had initially set out to accomplish and the things that make us happy. Scientifically, food has the power to restore and elevate one's mood. And, food is a mandate, whether you eat to live or live to eat. And it is always nice to share a good relationship with the things there is no escape with. So, let's become foodies and live happily ever after with our favorite foods! Oops, did I just say that?

A little humor does not harm!

Just the other day, I came across this man who expressed his dream of becoming a comic, someday. This is just so rare of any Indian to say, where living in a democracy like India is a mere paradox. Despite subscribing to the right to speech, we consider taking offence to anything and everything that's being discussed as a mandate. Be it discussing religion and its fundamentals, talking about political leaders and the corruption that goes around or something as basic as voicing an opinion, with a twinge of satire, if something is not consistent with our thinking, it automatically becomes offence worthy. Again, this does not apply to everybody or I shall rather put it this way, there are fewer people who actually understand the concept of democracy than those who just co-exist in a democracy.

A few days back, I re-watched the episode of AIB knockout. This was just to gauge why so many people reacted the way they did to the roast. I felt ashamed of our poor mentality and how we lacked the ability to take comedy in the right spirit. I felt all the more appalled at how people were outraged and filed an FIR against AIB and how its members received death threats from some political parties and religious groups. They were eventually asked to take down the video. A lot of the things spoken during the show were provoking. But, that's insult comedy, my friends! What else do you expect of it? Thousands of people who went to watch the show, paid a bomb for the tickets and willingly sat through the show as the jokes kept getting darker. The reason being, we have barely known satire and this was a one of a kind event that attempted something in the genre of satire. A lot of the people who cheered during the roast and went home and started complaining about how these gigs were not conducive for the Indian population and that they should be banned, just had another reason to display their double standards. In the first place, they knew what the show consisted. Secondly, nobody forced them to attend the show. If we feel so offensive about everything that transpires in our surroundings, we might as well lock ourselves up in a room.

For all those who advocate the freedom of speech, dissent is the cornerstone of any democracy. Retaining your perspective and respecting and co-existing with others' views and ideologies is the true nature of democracy. To give more perspective, democracy is not about taking offence to jokes pertaining to your religion while laughing and cracking a joke about other religions. Democracy would have been truly implemented when despite our overbearing presence, we give others a chance to speak and give them the freedom to make their choices. What we are doing is calling ourselves a democracy while subtracting objectivity. This is like asking for aloo bhaji (potato curry) without aloo to be still called aloo bhaji. Satire and humor are a reflection of our culture and practices. They are not born out of one's dreams and imagination. And hence, no matter how small an issue is, giving it a humorous twist will make it look provoking. And since, we are not used to listening to the truth that is right in the face, we have nothing to do but to take offence. And when one is in power, the right to take offence increases tenfold.

Satire has been existent since centuries in many western countries and has been dealt with sportingly. Because, it is bound to exist when there are multiple forces and cultures to reckon with. So, we might as well make peace with it. Infact, looking at the pros of comedy/satire, this genre is helping people channel their frustration by laughing it out. And doing that makes the atmosphere more cathartic and vibrant. And of course what could be better than making someone laugh and taking away their ownership of sorrow and frustration, be it only for a little while. And the best thing is that laughter disarms people. Like, you would easily win an argument by making the opposite person laugh which will ultimately force him to let his defences down and disarm himself. You can try this. We seriously wouldn't need any wars if only there was more humor around. Because, a little humor does not harm!

Rains and the magical mists....

Touchdown Mumbai. And, a sense of calm and peace prevails. No matter where on earth one goes, the strings of love and pride that tie you to your homeland always keep pulling you back, to the place which always lives in your heart. And when you return to your home during monsoons, and if that means arriving in Mumbai, your welcome becomes all the more pleasurable.

As i walk out of the airport, i am greeted by mild drizzling. The droplets of rains touch my bare skin and the smell of the moist air around is enough to take me on a nostalgia trip. Of the many special moments cherished during the monsoons, nostalgia is just one of the many feelings that keep coming back to me. Soon after, on my journey back home, i am again greeted by many a pothole jammed with water, that only re-ensure me that everything is just the same as when i had left. The showers continue to bedazzle me. For once, i keep looking at the rains like someone who has never witnessed them. Irrespective of the water-clogged potholes, flooded streets, heap of garbage or the chaos that gets created with the sudden onset of heavy showers, nothing feels as real and soothing as the monsoons in here. Rains in India sometimes do more harm than good to its people; but, none can deny the adrenaline rush they experience everytime it rains.

As a school going kid, i used to yearn for heavy rains just in the hope of getting a day off from school. As i used to wake up in the morning, i used to peep outside the window in expectation of seeing flooded streets so that i could bunk school. Today, those memories hold a different meaning. I look back and laugh on those antics, not to mention how much i miss those good old days. As one marches into adulthood and takes the lead of his/her life, i just sit and marvel at the irony of life. As a kid, you hate being disciplined and let others make decisions for you at all times. But, today when i'm left to do all the things by myself and take my own decisions, wanting to be a kid seems like a golden wish. Who do i make excuses to for not wanting to attend school during monsoons? Telling my mother to let me sleep for 5 more minutes on those cozy rainy mornings is unrequired now. Buying those colorful raincoats seems unexciting and meaningless.

Monsoon is the time when sitting by the window and listening to your favorite playlist feels like the perfect ritual. Lazing around in bed comes second to that. Doing nothing but snacking on hot food along with a cuppa piping hot coffee at times like this seems like pure bliss.Like many others, i echo the feeling that rains make you feel special in unique ways. As much as i hate stepping out in the rains and wish for them to go away, deep inside the heart lies a secret desire to hold onto every moment of this time. To keep staring at the downpour as the days turn into months, months into years, till the day i grow old enough and lie down with the beauty of rains filled in my eyes and die with a child-like spirit.

Age-based mortals!

Aging from infancy to old-age, life is a beautiful, absolutely beautiful journey. And moreover, a fulfilling one. Starting from birth through childhood, through teens, through young adulthood, through old adulthood and finally death, the journey of life is so much more interesting than the destination. The last stage of life, when one smiles satisfactorily, of having experienced the various ages and stages of life, is nothing short of accomplishing a mission. A mission, not everybody is fortunate to complete successfully.

Now what we know about age and it being in complete sync with life, was not known before, years ago. Age was never tracked. There was no age-based demarcation between individuals. Children were considered as miniature adults. And then the concept of time and age came into being, and became a crucial one. So much so that today age dictates a person's work and behavior among other things. So then, why do we say age is just a number? Does age actually matter all that much? Mark Twain, a noted American author, was once quoted as saying, 'Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter'. If I have to elaborate on his quote, I can find a strong co-relation between his quote and the non-existence of age, centuries before. When age and time were unknown, people went about doing everything without any mental baggage which also facilitated and enhanced their abilities. So, the whole idea is as simple as it gets - only if you let age matter does it actually matter. The mere thought of age can create bars that may enforce unnatural behavior. We are alive only as long as there exists spirit, hope, and desire to live. It is the zest for life that actually keeps a person alive. Because a live corpse is still referred to as a corpse. History is filled with men who have succeeded only because of their never-say-die spirit and child-like passion towards whatever they did best. It is up to us to choose whether to ignite that child-like enthusiasm or to let age get the better of you. 'Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.' As rightly quoted by Betty Friedan, growing old brings along its own set of opportunities to explore. To feel old enough to be able to tackle any situation that comes your way. To be able to be in a position to pay back to the world what you gained over the years. To be mature enough to advice the younger lot and help them along the way. And to be old enough to share the beautiful memories and moments from the past with the younger generations. Aren't these enough opportunities to want to experience aging with as much gusto as with teens and youth?                                                                                          

 In Hinduism, the life of every person is compartmentalized into 4 stages or asramas. The first quarter of life is devoted to being a student or brahmacharya. This emphasizes that being a student and dedicating your life to learning in these early years stimulate growth in all respects of life and prepares you for the next stage of life. When a person completes the first stage or Brahmacharya Asrama, he/she is prepared to take up the worldly responsibilities of settling down into wedlock, looking after the family and taking up the duties of a householder and being a responsible adult. This constitutes the second stage of life or Grihastha Asrama. Look, how these stages emphasize what is expected of any individual, in the moral sense, during each of the various stages of life. Growth is emphasized in every stage of life in order to serve our purpose as true and dutiful human beings. In the third quarter of life or Vanaprastha Asrama, after having fulfilled all his worldly duties, an individual is ready to pass on his/her duties to his successors and lead a life of fulfilment and retirement. In the fourth and final stage of life, also called as Sanyasa Asrama, one gradually frees himself/herself from all the bondages and takes to renouncing the world to resort to a life of peace, prayer, worship, and absolute non-interference.

All the above mentioned references just validate one purpose, which is morality and how life should be lived in the right fashion. All in all, if life is to be ever lived, live it originally. Whether young or old, you are the only front runner in your life; so, don't hesitate to live it the way you wish to. If you ever want age to matter, add life to your age. And live your life so beautifully that even when you become old, you are still looked upon as someone who is ageless. So, set the right standards!

If only, childhood never left me!

If and when a time machine gets invented, the first thing I would want is to get transported back in time, to my childhood. Nobody can deny the pure bliss that childhood is made of. Those were the days when my world was a very small one but the joy it brought me is unparalleled. Those days when being surrounded by my loved ones was reason enough to never let time pass by. And a hug from my mother was enough to rid me of all my worries. How i wish, I can bring those days and memories into life, again. If only, childhood never left me!                                                                                                                                                     As a kid, I always yearned to grow up and become independent. Most of us have echoed these sentiments. But, as they say you only realise the true value of something when it's gone. Now, when I look back on my life as a kid, adulthood fades in comparison. The perspective through which a child sees the world and acts on impulse without the fear of being judged can never be replaced. Like every kid, whose eyes are filled with dreams and mind with curiosity, I too would get excited at the thought of becoming big and self-assertive. At that time, I didn't realise that i was already living the best days of my life and that those days would never come back. I remember how I used to dream about what future would be like and what would I be like when I'm all grown up. By the way, I still dream about some things just the way I did as a kid, at times. Seriously, i sometimes feel like a curious child inside the body of an adult. At times, I feel my childhood passed by too quickly. The best part about being a child was that you could do anything and get away with it. I have done quite a bit of non - sensical things as a child and I maybe ashamed to admit some of them but, believe me, those are the memories that, to this day, bring the biggest smiles and laughter. Life wouldn't be half as interesting sans those crazy incidents. One of the few episodes that I remember very vividly still brings tears in my eyes. I was about 8 years old when I once went shopping with my father. While looking around in the store, I saw a pair of pink flats which looked very attractive. I went upto to my father and asked him if he could buy me those flats. But my father didn't like them much and turned down my favor. I tried pestering him but to no avail. Later, I decided to go and sit in the car and wait for my father. I was distraught and seemingly sad. After a while, I saw my father coming out of the store and walking towards the car. I saw some 2-3  bags in his hand. The moment he opened the door, I bent forward to peep inside the bags. My pink flats were right there! I was surprisingly happy and asked my father as to why he bought those flats when he didn't like them. My father didn't say much except that he later thought they were good. I don't know whether he liked them or not but his gesture showed that he couldn't see me sad. Those flats didn't mean to me as much as my father's loving and caring gesture did. As a kid, this event left a great impact on my mind. Parents are indeed the best gift in life.                                                                                                                                                    Another incident that does not fail to make me laugh occurred when I was 14. There was a presentation that we had to submit in school. The presentation was to be made in groups.The presentation was ready but I was not well prepared with my topic. And we all had to speak on different sub-topics. All the students had queued up outside the classroom to go to the conference room, where the presentations were going to happen. I started panicking and wanted to avoid giving the presentation for the fear of fumbling. Just when all the students started to move downstairs, I told my group member that I wasn't feeling too well and that I was planning to go home. I immediately told the teacher present in the class about my health who asked me to meet the supervisor and take her permission. I went to meet the supervisor and she asked me to call up at my house to ask someone to pick me up. I knew I would have to wait in school until someone came. I didn't want to wait back as I thought I would be asked to stay with the class until someone from home came. So I just picked up the phone in front of her and dialled some random number which didn't exist. I pretended to speak to my mother informing her about the situation. I hung the phone and told the supervisor that my mother would be coming within 7-10 minutes and took her permission to wait for my mother in the lobby. I quickly ran down and within 2 minutes I was standing outside the main gate. I hailed an auto and left quickly. I pretended to be so sick at home that I was given some medicines and made to rest for the entire day. To this day, l get goosebumps when I reminisce about that episode. I still don't know how I had the guts to make a pretend-call in front of the supervisor.                                                                                                 It does not matter how old one is but it sure is very important to keep the child inside each one of us alive. Sometimes being child-like makes life more fun and exciting. It assures us that happiness, innocence, and warmth can exist in this wicked world. We may have grown up and those days may have gone but the memories offer us a world of their own. And that world shows us how to be a child again.

Religion divides, humanity unites!

All the major religions in the world were born when man couldn't address larger problems and issues at hand. There was a point when man realized that despite seeming to have everything within his reach, there was something amiss. Something that was transcendent and beyond the control of man. All the questions man couldn't answer got attributed to God, which in turn gave rise to the concept of RELIGION. Man, thus realised, that he was no more than a puppet in this diverse creation of nature.
                                                                           
The purpose of religion, today, has changed 360 degrees. Religion is still existent but man has made religion the reason behind every course of his action. Even if that means taking away from the basic duties of humanity. This transition in the belief system occurred over a period of time, modifying the religions to suit the human requirements. And, as a result, the religions' original message and content have been liquidated. Religion had and still has the power to induce and evoke both fear and hatred. But, things only work when the equilibrium shifts more towards fear. Fear implies morality and control by avoiding indulgence in the concepts of superiority and super humans. Hatred, on the other hand leads to inducing fear in the minds of others through power. And power evokes godliness. In this context, power gives rise to evil and destruction.
                                                                                                    
Somehow, I have always felt, we are creating barriers for ourselves through differentiation. We are dehumanising existentialism on the grounds of varied practices, religion being one of them. Ask yourself this question: Aren't our duties and actions too heavily dependent on our religion? To hell with those self-created theories and concepts that only further contribute to the pursuits of the demonic cult. On the one hand, where religion is supposed to mend broken ties and help in treading the path of humanity, its misinterpretation has lead to serious damaging which in no way can be reversed. There is no one single religion which advocates injustice and takes pride in the destruction of the innocent. The fact of the matter is that we, as humans are liable to serve humanity, which is what everybody is sure to know. But, we seem to have completely lost the plot. We take the service of contribution and the act of kindness as our strengths and a way to have an upper hand over those in need. The motive of gaining adulation and respect is on top of the agenda. Everybody knows what the truth is; but, trying to be blinded by the religious misinterpretations seems to serve their vested interests. And any service done with expectations and ulterior interests only reeks of selfishness.
                                                                                                                                                            
I shall reiterate once again that the core of every religion is humanity. Hinduism talks about the aspect of deeds and virtues mainly in the context of heaven and hell. Benevolence and love form the pillars of Christianity. Similarly, Judaism talks about absolute faith, discipline and morality. Coming to Islam, which believes in complete devotion and absolute submission to the almighty, its message has been completely misterpreted. Buddhism is a mirror to all that man can be and sets an example to achieve the highest degree of living through kindness and non-attachment. Likewise, the remaining faiths only go a step ahead to make the concept of humanity clearer, albiet, in different ways, if only we are willing to decode the true message of every religion. All the wars occurring in the world today have a religious backing. We are all divided and pitted against each other on the grounds of religion. How many of us even know the true message that our very own religion conveys, to be able to judge and breed contempt towards any other faith? This only goes on to showcase our poor mentality and narrow-mindedness. One must learn to be human first and accept humanity as his/her only true religion. We are only creating a larger gap or I should rather say, we are getting distanced from God Himself and entrapping ourselves in a place we keep making as non-real and far from being tolerable to God as possible by creating an environment that we are, only in the quest to get closer to him. We all bow down to one God and remember, He does not differentiate.

Art and Life : Independent or Interdependent?

Ahh....This interrogative statement actually got me thinking. And why shouldn't it, with the changing scenario? Up until a few years ago, one could manage to say that it is art that imitates life. But no longer, in the larger scheme of things. Art, today, has indeed become quite impactful. Art holds its own credentials and value, devoid of any dependence. Infact, putting any value on art would be losing its sheen.                                                                          Art has and still is a reflection of our society. No two ways about it. It has only become global, with the homogenisation of world cultures. This fusion has become a culture in itself. A culture containing the pride and glory of its varied representatives. Our acceptance of foreign cultures have opened their doors for us. And we all see its result in the form of tolerance and respect, in diversity. Everything seen in the creative medium as art is a mirror to the society. Be it movies, that showcase social realities in a larger-than-life context and likewise, dance, song, music, literature and something abstract yet real like drawings and paintings, all these forms are inspired from the society and culture. As social animals, we are bound to play to the gallery. Our imagination stretches only within the realm of what is acceptable and what is not. We certainly cease to exist without a reality.                                   Trends, today, are changing and so are people's perspectives. Their perspectives are widening and stretching out in infinite directions; all thanks to the amalgamation of cultures and more importantly, our exposure to them at the various sub-levels. All this has somewhat reversed the pattern of proceedings. Art is being adapted into our existence, maybe partially, at this point in terms of its documentation. And fully, when it comes to actually practicing what we observe without realising the source of our actions.        Progress and growth after a point become predictable. They stimulate our minds to think progressively and strengthen our foresight. This is when art begins to inspire life. To give an example, when a movie like Avatar or a big budget sci-fi film is made, which bears a testimony to the range of human capabilities, we actually start viewing ourselves in a more refined and sophisticated manner. Art has, similarly, put us on a pedestal. Nature, which has been the biggest inspiration of art, has helped life evolve. All we are doing is modifying the nature according to our taste. Life still gets inspired by the art which once, was purely natural and all over the place. We are only getting inspired favorably, every minute of the day. But, most of us never wondered, as to, what inspired us all along. Talk about the different expressions of art and we are all moulded and shaped on the basis of what we observe. More appropriately, we are by-products of art. And thus, I can state that something which is as ancient as 5000 years old can still find its connections to this day. And it still manages to influence us. Although, we may refine them according to our present day requirements.                             On the whole, life and art, both are intertwined. And they influence each other in equal measure. But, there is no denying the fact that despite art being an extension of our imagination, life perhaps, would find no takers if there was no expression of art.

Animal Cruelty : The Unspoken Truth

Since it has been quite long from the time I last wrote a blog post, I was brainstorming about all the various topics that caught my fancy during the hiatus. All along the way, the one topic that kept popping up in my mind was that of animal cruelty which is on a sharp rise in every different form. And here, I'm only referring to non - humans.                         Never really been the one to have given much thought about the cruelty meted out to animals; I have also never felt as strongly about these innoncent beings as much as I do, at the moment. What with us almost depriving the animal kingdom of its right to live. Today, I can attribute the need to give voice to these mute souls to having one myself. There are some aspects I feel more strongly about than the others. Starting with the concept of taking animals to slaughter houses, if one hears of the number of animals being slaughtered each day, he/she would feel nothing short of shame and disgust. And this number does not justify our purpose or requirement to do so. We have reached a stage where we look at everything in terms of profit and loss. And anything that does not benefit us or is no longer productive is straightaway dumped and in this context, it is killed. The recent controversy about 'Beef Ban' in India reinstates the same. Cows that can no longer be milked or rather those who are no longer productive are slaughtered. Who are we to put a value on someone or classify someone as useful or useless? Is humanity only restricted to humans? Or had it been legal, we would have practiced the same with our human counterparts. Whether these animals' killing is justified or not does not seem to be as much a concern as is removing them from the picture. Even the age old practice of animal sacrifice and honor killings among various cultures is an issue which needs to be seriously pondered over. In the name of God, we are killing and offering Him something which He, himself has proudly created. Many festivals mark the killing of a certain animals as auspicious. Now, many of these killings are supported by a set of beliefs. Like for example, during Bakri Eid, many Muslims believe that the goats that are not killed in the first attempt are not considered as pure. Hence, they may deny their consumption. I don't think God himself would be for the concept of putting these innocent creatures through torture.  And i'm pretty convinced that many of these animals that are killed in slaughter homes must be going to the garbage bin, owing to a disproportion in their requirement and killing.                                                                    Even those animals that are dependent on other animals or living creatures for their survival do not kill beyond requirement. And then there are some of us who indulge in the evil practice of animal hunting either for fun or to trade animal skin and other essential parts. Don't we have any moral obligation towards the environment ? It's quite shameful to learn that rather than protecting those who cannot speak up for themselves, we are actually misusing and misleading them for our benefit. A lot of these so-called environmentalists make comments that only make us fall further in our eyes by stating that we are actually doing a favor to the nature by keeping the population of animals in check, when actually this is far from what the truth is. The truth is that we are responsible for breeding many of these animals beyond a number, only to kill them later. Infact, we would be doing a great favor to the nature if we take the onus of keeping the human population under check. Rest assured, everything else will be taken care of.                                                                                                                               Animals have always completed the picture in the depiction of our environment. They all contribute to the environment in their own ways. And it would be a great disservice to the nature if we tamper with its creations. I would not be wrong in saying that it is us, the humans who are actually more dependent on nature and the animals than the other way round; only if we are willing to see the other side of the picture. Cows don't need us to give them milk. Dogs don't need humans for company and show their loyalty to. They don't benefit themselves from being loyal and faithful as much as we do. Horses can travel miles together by themselves. Similarly, animals are not required to be caged, if it wasn't for  us. They are quite adept to live in the natural surroundings and better off being on their own. The real question here is, who is a threat? Animals or humans? I'm pretty sure that if animals were asked to potray a form of evil, their depiction would, no doubt, be that of a human.