Mahakumbh: Will it be rinse-and-repeat? Some celebrities during the Kumbh You know how I have taken my habit and skill of worrying to such a level that whenever an award for worrying is instituted, my claim as the first and unanimous recipient stays uncontested. The latest reason – a Kumbh returnee, soaked in piety, in a sharp voice not bothering to hide his disdain, questioned me how I qualify as a practicing Hindu even though I did not take the proverbial ‘holy dip’ in the Sangam in spite of living just a few hours from the sacred site. No, somehow, it did not trigger worry about my being a Hindu because all of us have our own system of belief. Bathing or dubki (taking a dip) too, is a matter of belief and thus, does not give anyone the right to question. The good thing is that followers of every religion have some such notion so nobody should be stupid enough to raise eyebrows at anyone else. My stomach is in knots- the official numbers say nearly 56 crore visitors no...
Patriots for a day 'Sir, he has to hoist the tricolour on his house and he has the tricolour. He is asking for a house.' Note: The Prime Minister had called out all Indians to hoist the national flag on their homes on Independence Day. I am a compulsive worrier, and very unselfish about it too. I do not need any personal problem/issue to worry about specifically. You tell me what is troubling you, I shall have my stomach in knots for days. I shall worry about it, obsess over it, and tell you all the aspects, pros and cons, possible solutions/remedies that my mental faculties can work out. So, when a school mate said he was going shuddh bharatiya (pure Indian) this August 15, our Independence Day, I naturally went into my hyper grey cell activity time. I imagined him giving up everything that does not have Indian roots, and moving back in time. My first worry was about the time frame he had in mind. Was he talking of the pre-Aryan times? The Aryans, said to b...
When signboards steal the show! The past fortnight has been heavy on the nation: the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam and the tense counter-operations that followed. Most of us were not on the frontlines, but our hearts were. The solidarity was silent yet strong; the anxiety was unmistakably real. What if … the worry nagged our minds. In moments like these, I often find myself wondering: how can I contribute, in my own small way, to the larger cause of the nation? After much mental gymnastics, I returned to the old, personal belief that perhaps, I can bring a smile to those around me. And what if those smiles come from a common feature, i.e., signboards: well-meaning but often misplaced, sometimes promising grand solutions to life’s problems, and yet unintentionally hilarious. Amidst the time of gravity, they bring to us a moment of levity. The unintentional cross over that he did not ask for. Move over pasta! The southern state of Kerala has the highest literacy rate, abo...
Take care, Anupama
ReplyDeletei will, thank you.
DeleteVery nice.
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