Mental Excursions

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...

Coat it with sugar! “No wonder you have so few friends,” my friend said in a voice that was amused, annoyed or plain impatient, I could not decide. “What did I say? Is it wrong to say things as they are?” I asked. “No, you speak too bluntly, they do not sound good. You should cover your words in feathers and then throw them. Try using softer words.” That set me thinking. I have always spoken about everything as it is. There have been repercussions, I must admit, but I thought my life was going fine. But maybe it isn’t. Is it time I change my style of speaking? That would mean I have to start using words which convey what I want to say but sound soft or sweet. Instead of calling somebody ‘stupid’, I should say, airhead, dim bulb, lost his/her marbles, a few peas short of a casserole, not the sharpest pencil in the box. We know that these words are called euphemisms in English. Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines ‘euphemism’ as an indirect word or phrase that people often us...