Breaking News: A Woman is Violated

One Nirbhaya makes breaking news
One Doctor Reddy rouses the nation's conscience
People march in indignation
Light candles to commemorate the violated
But what about the thousand's of women who are violated every day?
Violated by uncles, cousins, husbands, boyfriends
Sex is forced upon them
They experience sex without any pleasure
It is a painful experience
Does anybody cry for them?
Do we light candles for these women who are molested in the form of she wanted it?
Is it a crime to desire gratification?
Is it not important for the partner to fulfil the needs of his partner?
So which violation is more shameful?
The one Nirbhaya experienced?
The one a seven-year-old girl experienced when an uncle molested her?
The one a thirteen-year-old experienced when an older friend forcibly kissed her?
Or the one a twenty-three-year-old woman experienced when her boyfriend forcibly kissed her?
Isn't each violation breaking news?
What about a much older man propositioning a subordinate that he wants to meet her outside office?
Where do we draw the line?
As a nation, we need to awaken to the violation of women going on all around us
We need to give a sympathetic ear to a girl who complains she has been violated
And as for the seven-year-old girl, we need to make her aware of uncles who touch everywhere
For us Indians who have been labelled a nation of rapists
We need to become aware and raise our boys to be sensitive to girls
Otherwise, there will be one Nirbhaya on the roads and millions behind closed doors.

The Path of the Winner

Once you are finished
There is no looking back
The only way out is forward
There is no dithering from here
Just move on...
The heart or mind may want to linger on at the finishing line
May want to look back
May want to think about moments past
But lingering will only delay the bright future that is yet to come.
The law of attraction guides you to move towards a worthwhile goal.
Make goals and think about moving on
The past moments are only dreams of the night past
They have no place in your future
So, do not dither...
Push back any stray hair of memories that may linger on the face...
They will only disturb you from the positive path
Disturb your line of vision
Keep it straight and clear
Keep your eyes on the goal
And like Arjuna you will hit the fish's eye with your arrow.
Set sight on your goal
Remove any hindrances that may be there
Thinking positive all the time is a constant process
It is a Herculean task
It can be achieved with determination and dedication
Affirm your goals
Say your positive affirmations
And you are half way there
The other half is taking action
Once you are filled with positive emotion
You are more than eager to set on the path of winning.
Fill your heart, mind and body with the positive affirmations that you are saying to yourself
And you are on the path of the winner
Winning is only a moment
The journey is crucial
Make your journey enjoyable
Visualize your future
The abundance, the joie de vivre, the frolic
The path of the winner is yours for the taking
Just set your mind on it.

My first kiss

My first kiss was like a rod pushed inside my mouth
I was filled with revulsion
All that saliva pouring into my mouth
He told me
Move your tongue at least
I struggled
He said you don't know how to kiss.
Then asked me whether I liked the kiss.
I didn't know what to say
To hate him or pity him
I wondered whether kissing was a skill or an expression of love.
I have been kissed many times but that memory of the first kiss that filled me with revulsion
Stays with me...
Each time I ask do I know how to kiss?

My attitude towards life

I have faced plenty of struggles in my life. On the personal front as well as the career front. Life has constantly thrown challenges at me and I have faced them sometimes as a fighter and at other times not so strongly. I feel life is a learning lesson and it teaches you something at all times. Through my failures and successes, I have also learnt some lessons.
Firstly, face every day with a smile. Every day is new, every moment is afresh and we don't know when an opportunity may be knocking at our door.
Winners never quit. This is an often repeated quote, but very true in life. We never know that with the next push we might win.
Every cloud has a silver lining. This is again a frequently repeated quote but in my most dark moments of life, I realized that I was a fighter in life and I could face every turmoil in my life with this too shall pass attitude.
Don't know how the world sees me but I see myself as a fighter. Someone who faces every challenge with a can-do it attitude. 
Life has thrown bouquets as well as brickbats at me and I have faced every challenge with a positive attitude. People have not supported me in my struggles and have actually enjoyed seeing me fail but my guardian angel has always protected me. I always find that one friend who stands by me through thick and thin. While there are plenty of people who want me to learn a lesson and see me fail. There are also those who secretly pray for me and wish me well. I may not always know my well-wishers and sometimes trust the wrong person as I tend to judge people at face value (a weakness, I know), but my well-wishers have seen me through thick and thin.
Thus my attitude in life always stays positive and I believe that for me, life always ends with a smile just like the Shepheard in The Alchemist, I find my treasure.

Life at its best

When is life at its best?
Is it a journey or a conquest?
A road to be travelled on or a battle to be won?
Is it when you are winning or when you are struggling and about to win?
Which one is the best moment?
The anticipation of a triumph or the moment of triumph?

Is life at its best in happy moments?
Or when you are totally immersed in something?
Is it when you are passionately involved in something?
Or is it the realization that you might win?
Can we break down the best moments of life?
And pinpoint yes, this is life at its best?

Is life not at its best at all times?
In joyous moments.
In times of struggle
In times of strife
Every moment of life is worthwhile
Ask those who have been denied life
What its true worth is?
So, live every moment as if it was your last
And celebrate this splendour that is life.

Transition

Currently, I am going through a phase of transition. I have to move from familiar surroundings and move to unsure, untried terra firma. I wonder whether I should write a poem about my current state-of-mind or just write a post. I settled for the latter. The feelings that I am undergoing cannot be described in a word or sentence. Is it turmoil or my why me attitude? I wonder at the unfairness of my situation. Why do I have to undergo an upheaval every time? Don't I deserve to settle down?
I wonder if complacency has undertaken me. Have I stopped challenging myself? Do I deserve better?
All these thoughts trouble my mind but I realize that life goes on and change is the only constant in life. May be my writing skills need to be put to a test. I need to explore my horizons. The new role that I will be assuming will challenge me. I may succeed or not. But, I will not give up without trying.
The present world is the world of Google and Wikipedia. Where all information is available by typing in a search word. I too can learn and know. I too can face challenges. I will not be complacent and rest with my knowledge gained at school and college. I will learn new things and keep abreast with the changing times. I will adopt a new role, don a new mantle and move on to new paths.
My life has been full of challenges and a new challenge does not deter me. I accept it and decide to march on with all my strength. The familiar lines of the American Poet Robert Frost ring in my ears.
"And miles to go before I sleep..."

How to write a love letter

Recently I received a strange request on Linked in, Anil Sharma (name changed), a call centre employee wanted me to write a love letter for him to his girlfriend. He, of course, was discouraged by the high rate I quoted, so I decided to devote a post to all those who want to express their feelings through the written medium. I mean you can always say it with a song or an SMS. You could also make use of greeting cards, but of course, if you like things the old fashioned way, here goes:
I do like long letters and e-mails, so I would suggest you write a long one if you plan a letter, a short one is a note, not necessarily a letter.
The first thing to do is, to check the mentality and likes and dislikes of your prospective partner.
The age group-- yours and hers are very important, if you are teenagers, keep things sweet. Some girls like letters written in blood (personally, I feel it has better uses and ink is just great :)) well I’m not too sure whether you should comply with such tastes, but yes, try and keep things simple. If she likes things straight, avoid games. If she is a bit mature and likes a bit of style, please do not rush in, just write a friendly feeler, it should introduce the idea, that you have something other than plain friendship in mind. See how she takes it, does she like it, or she is avoiding certain topics, while just maintaining the friendship, if she is just politely replying, then stop, she may not be interested.
On the other hand, if she returns your attempts at mild flirtation with some hints and suggestions, start building the friendship, and of course when you finally, confess your love, induce some humour into it, so she doesn’t feel overwhelmed and feels pressurized into replying.
Nothing is more distasteful than a friendship that has gone sour, just because you couldn’t control your feelings.
The final word on this one—Good Luck!:)

Broken heart

When the heart is broken
What are you left with?
A cauldron of emotions
Memories that ever so softly
Keep touching you
You wish to break away from the past
And start afresh, anew
but that is the hardest part
Memories of tender moments
keep brushing by you
leaving you aching with longing.
Emotions torment you
You are unable to find a respite
Mind roars with thoughts
They keep lashing against each other
like waves crashing against the wall
to make borders and control the turbulent ocean
Your whole body seems to have become turbulence itself
Mind, heart, body everything rings with raging emotions
You look for escape
Peace from this smoldering volcano
But alas! there is no peace to be had
I think only time will tell
Whether you can move on or
Remain rooted to a spot
Time is the best healer
Only time will tell

A typical day

Another day has gone by,
Am I satisfied with the outcome of the day?
Was it a typical day?
Filled with laughter and good cheer
Toil and wearing activities
Reaching out to souls far and wide
What is the outcome?
A weary brow!
A warm glow of self-satisfaction
A brow furrowed with wavering thoughts
When I look back on the day that has just gone by
I try to look for similarities with other such days
Are all days alike?
Do I look for too much?
After all, each day cannot stand out
Sometimes I wonder at the thoughts flying past the mind
Do they make sense?
Does each day make sense, in the whirl of life
Should we make each day memorable as life is but days
And days are but moments?
Life, day, moments!
Meaning, emotions, love!
I think life is a resplendent day
Filled with meaning, emotions, love
And each day in the path of life adds to the rich experience that is life. 

Treading the roads of life

While treading the roads of life,
What is the throwback...
Happy, joyous, enticing experiences
Filled with joie de vivre
Life takes its own course
When I look back on my life
I feel a sense of satisfaction
Of moments lived to fulfilment
Of experiences had in all its ecstasies
Of sad moments, extreme rage, deep passion,
Anger, tears, laughter, mirth, all emotions rolled into one
Birthdays come and go and I look back on the past
Unrequited love, sharp pain, seething rage and calm moments.
Just like the climax of high passion, deep emotion and calmness at the end.
Will life also end like this?
All emotions felt and the high tide of life experienced
With satisfaction and a sense of peace and belonging as the culmination of life
Will my road of life take unforeseen turns?
Or will I tread a well-trodden and predictable path?
My mind is filled with all these emotions as one more year reaches its completion
Still, I wonder, will life hold sudden surprises?
Or have I had my fill?
The mind will not rest as it keeps pondering on what the future holds.

Book Reading

Of late I have picked up my old hobby of reading books. I have again become a voracious reader. Reading books of all genres. Recently, I read Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi, the Booker prize winner for this year. It is the story of three sisters, their lives, parents, children, husbands and the response of each one to life and its circumstances.
A deep insight into life in Oman in the twentieth and the twenty-first century, the book describes a culture that is far different from my own. Yet, I am able to identify with the characters.
Another interesting book that I read this year was My sister the serial killer. The story of two sisters in modern-day Nigeria, the book describes the story of two sisters who share a relationship with mixed feelings. While they support one another, there is a critical note when the older sister describes her younger sister. The younger sister has a strange streak in her character; she has killed all her ex-boyfriends. The book is definitely worth a read.
I have read thirteen books in all this year till the month of August 2019. They range from YA fiction to classic detective tale to shoot the president of France in the 1960s.
I can safely say that though myriad impressions have fashioned my personality, reading of books has given expression to my thoughts. My ability to vocalize my inner self is an outcome of the books that I have read in my life.
I had taken a challenge on Goodreads to finish twelve books by the end of 2019. I have exceeded my challenge and completed thirteen books already. I am looking forward to reading many more books and hope to finish twenty by the end of this year.
Please suggest any interesting books that you have read that you want me to read. Please leave comments and name your suggestions.