Seeking a Connection.

So, there's this video that's being shared by everyone on Facebook. It's about how addicted our generation has gotten to social media and as a result we're missing out on opportunities that could change the course of our lives.

I wouldn't have known about it, if a friend hadn't asked me to go watch it. It's a beautiful video showing this man who is lost and asks this woman on the street for directions. As serendipity would have it, they fall in love and live happily ever after. And then they say none of this would have happened if the guy had been using GPS on his phone. The video asks you to look up at the world, instead of down at your phone.

While I was quite moved by the video, I couldn't understand why people were sharing it. Wasn't it the point of the video to stop people from doing that? To stop people from continuing to morph into automatons? I guess social media has become a part of us. It's consumed us. Look at me for that matter. I'm not half as vocal in person around most people. And I'm obsessed with Whatsapp. I remember when I was a kid, after school my sister and I spent our afternoons at our grandmother's house playing hide & seek, watering the garden, playing hopscotch and badminton (well, I tried to play badminton, but I was no good). Thinking of it makes me nostalgic and want to go back to that simpler, happier time. My mother constantly tells me of her childhood. How she never spent a moment inside unless she had to study. How she cycled to school. People seemed happier then. I guess social media, instead of making the world a smaller place has made people unable to interact with others or to form a bond.

All of us need to take a step back and give serious thought to this. Have we truly become slaves to technology? And if we have, why aren't we trying to do something about it? What all of us seek is connection. What most of us don't realise is that everyone else out there is seeking the same thing we are. Reach out. Connect. I think I should do the same. Otherwise I'd be a hypocrite.

The Prince and the Courtesan.

My sister visited the Golconda Fort's sound and light show yesterday. When she returned, she told me of a love story of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. The prince, Mohammad Qutb Quli Shah, fell in love with a courtesan named Bhagmati. Such stories generally end with the poor girl being killed or exiled somewhere. And the boy will be heartbroken. Surprisingly, this isn't the course the love story takes.

Obviously, the father was disapproving of the match initially. He'd want his son to marry royalty, not an ordinary girl that performed in his court. Mughal-e-Azam comes to mind.

But love overcame all odds and the star crossed lovers were united. Quite refreshing, isn't it? To hear a story like that? Where there is actually a happily ever after? You'd think such stories can be created only on the silver screen, but here we have this spectacle of undying love, that fought bravely and actually won the war. My family finds my obsession with love and love stories exasperatingly amusing. But never having been in love myself, I seem to have fallen in love with love. So, my fondness for Nicholas Sparks, Susan Elizabeth Phillips and other chick lits and chick flicks has become somehow ingrained in me. I enjoy looking at things with a romantic outlook. It makes it all the more beautiful. In the walls of palaces there are stories left untold. Stories of love, stories of feuds, stories of deceit. At least, I like to think so. Ah. If only I approached my math textbook with the same interest. I'd be brilliant.

What Once Was Ours.

Out of boredom, I've been reading about the heritage of Hyderabad. We're famous for our Charminar, our Nizam palaces, Golconda Fort and of course, our famous delicacy- biryani. Quite interesting our history is, actually.

Did you know, that the majority of the world famous diamonds came from Andhra Pradesh? More specifically, from The mines of Golconda? Turns out that people used to think that diamonds could be found only in the mines of Andhra Pradesh in India. The tragedy is, that none of these diamonds belong to their homeland anymore. All of them have been looted and stolen by Iran and Britain. The Koh-i-noor (mountain of light), Darya-e-nur (sea of light), the infamous Hope Diamond and several others. All of them now sit either in some museum, or in the crowns of the monarchs.

Last year, the UK Prime Minister visited Amritsar, in lieu of the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy, to pay his respects. On being bombarded by the press and others to return the Koh-i-noor diamond, he straight out refused. Saying it was "illogical". How could it be illogical to return something that was never theirs? They looted, they enslaved, they slaughtered. And they have the audacity to assume the diamond is now theirs?

These are the people who cut off the thumbs of the Muslim weavers and destroyed their looms so that the Indians would be forced to buy only products of the Industrial Revolution. These are the people who used the policy of Divide and Rule, so as to cause strife between the Hindus and the Muslims. They succeeded as well. Pakistan is proof of that.

200 years. 200 years of slavery. 200 years of abuse. 200 years of struggle. And when asked to return what they have stolen, they refuse? They say they don't believe in 'returnism'? David Cameron, the UK Prime minister, when making this statement also gave the example of the Elgin marbles, which they had taken from Athens and also refuse to return them to Greece. They believe that these masterpieces, these gorgeous drops of heaven, are better off there as they will be better looked after there.

Shouldn't India have some say in that? Don't we deserve at least that much? The British might have left India, but they left behind scars that have not faded. They plucked out the precious stones from the walls of the Taj Mahal, they were responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. General Dyer, nicknamed the Butcher of Amritsar, was actually praised by some. And that's not even a fraction of the tyranny our ancestors were subjected to. What they did to our country was unforgivable. It was cruel. At the very least, let them return what is ours.

About a Much Loved Story

I was told that while my post 'I Can' was good, it should have been divided into two parts. I digressed too much. Well, I don't have the patience to edit it all out, so I'm just writing a new one. 

A few days ago,my mom and I were discussing one of my favourite books, 'The Fault In Our Stars'. She said that it was a tragedy. I said it was a romance. Pondering over it for a while, I came to the conclusion that it was a bit of both- a romantic tragedy. Both of them are young. Both of them deserve a long life. And yet, they have a ticking time bomb inside of them. They can't help their fates. It was written in their stars. And despite that, they take a chance, and fall in love. John Green, the author, doesn't make them sound sappy, or depressed with their circumstances. He doesn't show them to be unhappy and angry. Do they have their moments? Yes. But don't they deserve that? But mainly, you see immense strength. You see grit. And you see love. I guess, many interpretations can be made from this story. It all depends on how you look at it. But I'm sure, that whoever reads this, has to love it. Love it for different reasons? Sure. But it will be loved. I love it because of Augustus Waters. The boy who seems so perfect, yet at the same time so flawed. I love it because of the words. Because of the absolute beauty in them. And finally I love it, because I've never read anything like it. And I highly doubt I ever will.

'The Fault In Our Stars' is absolutely gorgeous. It makes you laugh. It makes you cry. And it leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. 

[Note: I tried publishing this on Saturday, for some reason it didn't work, so I'm publishing it now.]

Loveless Ties, Loveless World.

As you saw in my last post, I'm currently obsessed with 'A Song of Ice and Fire'. One thing I've really noticed in the books, is that none of the characters really have a happy ending, especially when it comes to love. Robb Stark died because he married the girl he fell in love with. Cersei was made to marry Robert Baratheon, whom she didn't love (she loved her brother Jaime, so that would never have a happy ending).

The war was fought due to Rhaegar Targaryen's abduction of Lyanna Stark. No one really knows what happened there. Whether she was abducted, or went willingly. But that was the reason for  Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark to take up arms against the Mad King, Aerys Targaryen. I'm getting too much into the unnecessary details, I know.

What I'm trying to say is, royalty isn't all that it's cranked up to be. What is the point of being powerful when you can't even be with the person you want to be with? What is the point of all that wealth when you don't have someone you love to share it with? Sure, you have the world at your fingertips, but wouldn't it be fruitless when you're stuck in a loveless marriage that took place for the sole purpose of increasing power and continuing the royal bloodline? I would much rather be a commoner. Free to do as I pleased. Not be a pawn in the games that are played. As a young girl, I dreamed of being a princess and having my own palace. After watching 'Game of Thrones' and reading 'A Song of Ice and Fire', I'll settle for being just a city girl. If not for anything else, at least I won't have people gunning to kill me. Or even marry me. 

Marriage is meant to be a sacred union. Game of Thrones renders it almost sacrilegious. The most horrifying things happen mainly at weddings. Death, treachery, barbarism. While I love the stories, I'm glad that Westeros is just a fictional place. I don't know what I'd have done in such a world, where everyone is deliberating their next move in this very complicated game of chess. Where one's actions are motivated by power, not love. Where honourable men are mocked and love is considered a weakness. It sounds absolutely frightening and nightmarish. Definitely not my cup of tea.

The Rant of a Drama Queen.

On the 4th of February, 2014, my eighteenth birthday, I was given a gift by my friend- 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series so far. At the time, I thought it was one of the most fabulous gifts ever given to me. Now, I absolutely hate the gift. It's gotten me completely hooked. My dreams are haunted by dragons and wolves and gruesome deaths. One night, I'm Daenarys Targaryen, the next I'm Arya Stark. To my horror, I even find myself to be Stannis Baratheon. Now that I'm done with all the books, I'm left with a feeling of utter loss. There are two books that are yet to be published. And a date of publication hasn't been released.

I know I sound like an overdramatic teenager who's probably hyped up on sugar, but George R.R. Martin's writing has it's claws in me. Dragon claws, perhaps. There's no chance of me getting off this wagon. It's all I can think about. To say it's put me in a foul mood would be an understatement. I've been reading every scrap of information I can possibly find on the books, relishing it, yet feeling unsatisfied.

His books just leave you wanting more. And to make things worse, he's left the fate of most of the characters hanging. My mind, with it's hyperactive imagination has already made up some ridiculous stories, not at all worthy of the man who created the characters. Sorry for this inexplicable rant. My mind has been invaded by the people of Westeros and Essos.

I Can

I watched a talk on TED today. It was by a young woman named Sarah Kay. She is a spoken word poet. You'd think that isn't a real thing, right? And even if it is, what's the scope of it? Who'd be stupid enough to think they can make a career out of it? But she has. Along with a fellow spoken word poet, Phil Kaye, she has founded Project V.O.I.C.E. (Vocal outreach into creative expression), something that celebrates and inspires self-expression. It's meant to bind together learning and understanding the unknown, writing and growing as a person.

She came up with this concept in 2004. She was just 16 years old. In her speech at TED, she said that the first step to anything, is to believe that you can do it. Because, and this is coming from me, if you start off something believing that you won't be good at it, or will never like it, you'll never be phenomenal at it. It's like me and math. Kind of a love-hate relationship really. I've always been terrible at it. And I'm unwilling to try. My mom and my sister are convinced that if I had liked math, I'd never have needed extra help and I'd have been just as good as they were. I remember the moment my teacher introduced integration to us. My jaw dropped open. I said to myself, "I can't do this!". I was terrified of it. Frankly, I think I'm still scared. And the mistake I made then was that I started to believe and it wasn't my cup of tea. Because the year-long struggle I had after that was absolutely exhausting. More for my mom than me. I tend to get mulish, when I'm afraid and underconfident.

Fear is a part of being human. Only a fool is not afraid of anything. But fear can be damaging. It can be detrimental to one's development. Fear of not being good enough, fear of being unpopular due to a particular opinion, fear of not being accepted. Fear is good. But it's something we need to overcome. We'll always be afraid of something. I'm afraid of speaking on stage. My heart pounds, I start trembling and I begin to stammer. I forget everything that I had planned to say. But I can't always shy away from speaking, can I? And the only way to do it, is to keep trying. I was once afraid of my sister hissing "Voldemort" at night as I tried to sleep. I got over it. Fear is natural. It's human. And, it lingers. It never really goes away. All of us learn to brave it. And it all starts with saying,"I can."