Because you are a girl…

First thing that comes to any girl’s mind is anything negative related to it. Like you can’t ride a bike because you are a girl and oh! You are too sensitive to have enough control over the gears. You cannot whistle. You cannot talk loudly because you are a girl. You are supposed to be shy, quiet and agree to everything anyone says because you are a girl. And we are expected to be ‘sati-savitris’ even in the modern day!

Yes. I agree I am a girl and I obviously know that. But NO, I am not one of those women who just have to nod to whatever has been said just because she is a woman! So this is my story, and this is how I speak it! Because of my talkativeness and my bubbly nature, I used to be referred to as a tomboy in school. Girls used to be jealous of me because I would give a Hi-5 to the guys they wanted to stick to like a gum. This was the reason why they would hate me for touching their ‘Prince Charmings’ or whatever. 

However I had a bizarrely different story at home. My father’s family was more affiliated to the sons than the daughters. All through my childhood, all I’ve seen is my grandmother would act as if I am just another child even if I was the eldest one and in a way deserved showers of love. I made my parents proud by winning medals, debating, etc. But no, I was not a son. I was NOT a GUY. To be precise, I was NOT thei ‘Ghar ka chirag’. And I didn’t want to be one because I knew what difference I would make by being just a daughter. I saw my grandmother harassing my mother and yelling at her and alleging her to motivate all my mischief. The same mischief done by my male cousins appeared ‘cute’ to my family. My father never had a say in it. So being a girl was something that bothered them and I wanted to prove them wrong. And from then it’s all I thought that I would make my mother proud, be my father’s support and my younger br other’s helping hand. Being a girl, I literally knocked down a guy in Std.5th for bullying my best friend. I won a karate fight opposite to a guy. I was the most graceful dancer according to my Kathak teacher and a good learner according to my guitar teacher. Academics, Sports and behaviour, I was good at all of them. But was that it? Was that all to prove my mettle for being strong as a woman? No. I don’t think so. Despite being tough on the outside, being a girl, we have a completely different person inside. Our souls are so sensitive and minds so emotional. And that’s where maybe where we lack when we are ditched, cheated, left, betrayed, etc. The hand that slaps a guy for his ill-mannerisms is the same hand which moves over her love’s head playing with his hair. The eyes which can scare the hell out of anyone are the same ones that lovingly look at her loved one. She allows the guys an allowance to listen to her heartbeats, touch her, kiss her and also is she a support for a boy to discover his within self. Yes, there is always a woman behind every successful man! The heart speaks a totally different language for us. Sometimes, we have to swallow our feelings down. Sometimes, we have to speak out aloud and that’s the situation where life decides to stay on your side or abandon you. Sometimes we have to see ‘him’ happy with someone else. Think for months and months for why it didn’t work out, what wrong did I do on my side, what does he see in her? All questions, doubting ‘OUR’ capabilities. Ever wondered that it was fate for that to happen and you have a better life in front of you? Ever wondered that he was not meant for you, and even if he must’ve then he mustn’t have thought of another woman because girl you are as beautiful as your soul! And it’s destined for a beautiful soul as yours that there is one Prince Charming for each one of you and yes its true!

So its fate and it’s a blessing that you are girl. You can sustain extreme stuff like emotional traumas and labour pains. Days of discomfort and days of sadness. You are the source of all infectious smiles. The reason why fashion is alive! Your tears contain all the grief and that’s when you become stronger and that’s when you know you are alone enough to face the world and its mysterious ways!

You know how to fall in love, how to overcome a break-up, how to look beautiful, how to spread smiles, how to kick guys, ride an Enfield and show it off to the guys ( I do 😛 ), to maintain a whole house, give birth to a new life, get into politics, run a marathon and an endless list of stuff we can do! So next time you should smile and say ‘Because I am a girl…’ and then you have another amazing story you can tell to your daughter. A woman’s story is no less than a fairytale, is it? 

Anagha Bansod

National Institute of Fashion technology, Mumbai

Reverie

I wonder if you could,
Hear my heartbeat in your sleep,
Recognize the sound of my voice,
In your dreams,
And feel my hands,
Wrapped around yours.
Because I fall asleep,
With letters of your name,
Written on my heart,
And I could hear your voice,
Whispering the sweet melody,
Of everything I wanted to hear,
Because when everybody would dream of pixies,
I’d be dreaming of you.

Devesh Baheti

Institute Of Aeronautical Engineering

deveshbaheti84@gmail.com

अधूरा ख्वाब

उस धुंधली रात का वो धुंधला सा ख्वाब 
जो याद है मुझे आज भी ,
एक रहगुज़र थी 
जो जा रही थी वही पुराने किले के पास ,
जहां हम तुम कभी मिले थे 
जहां तुमने अपने गम मेरे सीने मे सीले थे । 

न जाने कैसे थी वो बादलो की साजिश 
जो मैं न समझ पा रहा था ,
पर तेरा अक्स अब भी मुझे नजर आ रहा था । 
तुम नंगे पाँव उन पत्थरों के बीच तेजी उस किले की तरफ जा रही थी , 
तुझे चोट न लग जाए इस डर से मेरी धड़कने चोट खा रही थी। 
शायद तुम मुझे ही ढूंढ रही थी ,
पर मैं तो तुम्हारे पीछे था । 

ज़ोर-2 से आवाज देने लगा मैं उस अक्स को , 
पर उस अक्स ने मेरी आवाज को न जाने क्यूँ अनसुना कर दिया । 
एक खला ( दूरी ) थी जो अपने बीच लगातार बनती जा रही थी,
फिर वो अक्स उस धुंधली रोशनी मे कहीं धुंधला हो गया , 
जब मैं किले तक पहुँचा, तब वो अक्स गायब हो गया । 
जिस अक्स के मैं पीछे था ,वो अक्स दगा दे चुका था 
जो ख्वाब मैं देख रहा था , अब वो अधूरा रहकर टूट चुका था …

Vishal Maurya

Zakir Husain Delhi College, DU

vishal18995@gmail.com

An ounce of life

Every morning ,even before i get up from my bed i feel excited that I still validate!! But is this unqualified enough to brim my day with joy and celebration?
Having learnt that my equity in this macrocosm is so small to worry about i’ve started cherishing every ounce of life i experience.

Lonely strolls in the dead of the night and the early morning introspection have realized a world for me where an otherwise hectic day feels full of life if i count it ounce by ounce.
Frivolous banters and lampooning of friends with whom i share the best of my life is a tacit allusion to the profound relationship we share. The idea was just to change the way i looked at things.

Certainly, if i can’t change the way i think how can i change the way i live.

Nishant Garg

GNDU

Dhundh Do Na Mujhe

ये क्या हो रहा है मुझको,,
क्या खबर भी है तुझको….???

रोता हूँ मगर आँसू गिरते नहीं….
हँसता हूँ मगर होठों पे हँसी सजते नहीं…???

कहाँ गयी वो मेरी खिलखिलाहट,
वो कोमल सी मेरी रूमानियत….??
कहाँ गयी वो मेरी हिम्मत..
वो हमेशा साथ रहने वाली नम्रत…??
कहाँ गयी वो मेरी बातें…
वो शांत सुन्दर रातें…
कहाँ गयी वो मेरी अपनी मुस्कराहट…
वो मेरी अपनी हिचकिचाहट….
करते है सब खुसफुसाहट….
कि बदल गया है रजत……
मगर क्या कभी
किसी ने मेरे नजदीक आकर
थोरा सा प्यार दिखलाकर..
थोरा मेरे माथे को सहलाकर.. 
थोरा मेरे कपोलो को छूकर…
थोरा प्यार से पूछा की क्यों………..?????

क्या यही सिला होता है सबसे प्यार करने का
सबसे खिलखिला के बात करने का???

अब तो साली मौत भी मुझसे रूठ गयी है..
क्यों मैं खुद को संभाल नहीं पा रहा हूँ..
क्यों मैं सभी को डाट दे रहा हूँ…
क्या मैं ऐसा ही था या अब हो रहा हूँ….
कोई बताओ मुझे….. कोई तो समझो मुझे और समझाओ मुझे…
मेरी आँखों का प्यार लौटाओ मुझे….
मेरी बातों की मिठास लौटाओ मुझे
उस रजत को लौटाओ ना मुझे….

मैंने खो दिया है खुद को… मुझे ढूंढ दो न कोई….
मुझे ढूंढ दो न कोई….
मैं खो दूंगा वरना अपना अस्तित्व…. ढूंढ दो न मुझे…..

Rajat Ranjan

NIFT Bhubaneswar

rajatr81@gmail.com

Mixed Emotions

Its like we were stuck in a quandary,
Bored out of limits or any boundary.
Stuck in a room where it hurts to breathe,
Had no option but to grind our teeth.

Numb in the brain, weak in the head,
It was painful to even get out of bed.
Didn’t have nobody to speak to, nobody to complain,
Only hearing the noises of cars, buses and train.

To come undone with a change in attitude was all I needed,
Eh! what was I thinking? Was I weeded?
To be who I am today is all I wanted,
Though I was penalised, teased and taunted.

Change is good is what they say,
But I’m not changing.. Even if they may.
Because I’ve dreaded too far to be myself today,
So this is my place, and I’m here to stay.

Abhishek Mantri

abhishekmantri9@gmail.com

Are we truly Independent?

Patriotism isn’t my cup of tea,
‘Cause I’m not blinded by the love for my country.
Blinded to see what’s going on,
Politics, corruption and what all has gone.

Independence means free from outside control,
Written in the constitution.. For India it was a major stroll.
15th August 1947 was a big day indeed,
When our freedom fighters sow on the world map another independent seed.
They thrusted on us the future of this seed,
To make it a big flowering tree.. Or an ordinary weed.

But after 66 years I wouldn’t hesitate to say,
Alas! We took the wrong way.
Years passed by and we aren’t truly independent,
Failed to carry the vision from our descendants..

Poverty is bottom of a pyramid in this country,
‘Coz everyone wants to fill their pockets.. Be it businessmen, trader or a corrupt selfish Mantri.
Safety is another hell of an controversy,
Which we often happen to over see.

Why are girls still penalised for what they have not done?
Why does everyone still want a son?
Why aren’t some people allowed to express their opinion?
Why are the prices so high of petrol and onion?

I fail to understand what the people of this country are happy about,
While the wall between the rich and the poor is quite stout.
There is a ray of light in the darkest of caves they say,
I hope a juncture will come when we’d truly say Happy Independence Day!

Abhishek Mantri

abhishekmantri9@gmail.com

Ascetic Rummage

With all of this world’s pace today, many of us feel left out. Even with all the money we make, even with all the privileges we get, we feel resentful by the time we go to sleep – a feeling which doesn’t satisfy the very purpose and existence of life. Why is it so? Why are the feelings of restlessness, emptiness, isolation, the fear of being abandoned is replaced be a belief of God?

So many people I personally know have taken onto asomatous apprenticeship that sometimes it makes me wonder, if at all we are able to elicit anything on our own. I’m not generalizing, nor throwing any bad light upon any spiritual bouquet but we have become very at home with running towards someone else for help, always.

Many organizations I know, have constantly stressed at one point – that we must start cultivating a habit of undoubting the omnipresence of The Lord. I’m not an atheist, nor am I a priest. I’m a human, who believes that if you practice well being, it will be reverberated back to you.

They headline the fact of God, into us, which is not something they’re supposed to do, because that relationship we have with Him is so pure and personal that the thought of even commercializing it, demeans the intimate receptivity between the two.

They cannot instill thoughts in us to like God, or believe in God because frankly that’s such a personal and privy decision. It’s unfair that it is those money seeking corporates who dictate our spiritual journey. It is flawed fundamentally to such a large extent that it’s not even funny.

I feel that, we must believe in His Infinite Spirit because we want to, and not because we must. And that feeling should come from within us, not from those traders of religion. I strongly give credence to the point that we all must be God Loving and not God Fearing. Because then it is, when we seek His nourishment.

You’re not happy because of God, you’re not sad because of God. You are feeling emotions, which are self-inflicted. Neither can we blame Him for our miseries, nor can we thank Him for our joys. We can just work towards bettering and believing in the relationship we have with that Absolute Being, not for any sort of reward or fruit, but for the sheer bliss and positivity it brings along with it.

Devesh Baheti

Institute Of Aeronautical Engineering

deveshbaheti84@gmail.com