Vipanchi

I am a river, I flow by the slope. I travel through mighty mountains, cross thick and rich jungles. I give life to many creatures, small and big. Now, I am dying. Birds singing, fish dancing, children playing, What a beautiful home I was! Great civilizations flourished in my lap, What a life-giver I was! Now I am dying. I am the holy mother, some say. I am the abode of gods, some believe. Celebration or cremation, I am there, always! But, I look like a monster, smelling of dirt. Now, I am dying. I used to nourish green forests by my side. Now, I see all of my beloved is dying. I am unable to get rid of the hyacinth. It is all over me, suffocating everything in me. Forests nurtured me, I nourished them. We welcomed every creature, supported every being. Now we are dying. I am the Ganga, the Adayar, the Musi, I am every river you use, I am every river that carries tonnes of plastic to the seas. I am every river, that froths because of your ruthless release o...

I am a battered soul scrambled by my own choices. Difficult times they were, Was yearning for a loving hug. Time and destiny are like parents to me. Time helps me forget, destiny has a plan for me already! Hope is my best friend. I am an eternal seeker of love and, I  searched for it in every passing cloud. Now, this moment, it feels like someone heard my heart's whisper, its need for love, its need to bleed and dance in the nectar, that is love! Ephemeral it can be, I've learnt to live in and with the moment. I love you for, you breathe, I love you for, you smile, I love you for, you are there. For I've learnt, love is to lose oneself in the fire, like the mother does. I've no fear, you can scramble me once again, I don't care...... To tell you the truth, there is a voice that tells me you care!

I am a free bird, I fly high! I try, I fail miserably  I have bruises all over I suffer and cry for the mistakes I make. But, I am a free bird, I fly high! I have dreams, I want happiness I know a bit, I want a lot. I try weird things fatal, they can be I fear, I lose but I get up and try, for, I am a free bird, I fly high! I make friends, some cute little birds like me. Monsters come along, who am I to judge? A little bird with innocent eyes! I laugh, I play, I love and I care. I run away, just in case! But, I am a free bird, I fly high! I make noise, the noise of my mind. Some like it, they call it music. My tunes change, I dance to the tunes, they call it confusion. I call it transformation, I call it life. I own my thoughts, I embrace them. For, I am a free bird, I fly high!

Sitting by the river , all alone, I sing the song of pain. Back in the woods, a stranger with charming eyes showed me the path of love, heaven in itself! In a conscious vulnerability, I drowned letting every drop of it to touch me. Now sitting by the river, I sing the song of pain. A touch so tender and strong, made my soul roar. My mind danced to its tunes, happy and free Aha! This is life, I felt. Now, sitting by the river, I sing the song of pain. Clouds move with cold silence, river never cares, flows swiftly. While I listen to the music of nature, tears of pleasure and pain, drip down my cheeks. I stare at the forest, lost in thoughts. My heart shouts like a child's whisper " Dear stranger, please come back"

These so-called 'protectors of culture' never bother, nor even notice that wearing a pant and shirt was never "our tradition". When confronted, they say, its about convenience, no question of convenience/choice to the 'other gender' though! It is time again to debate on the 'safety of women' in our society. With  # METOO campaign kicking off in India, an opportunity to revamp our workspaces and the social sphere has come. An overhaul of how we perceive gender is the need of the hour. Not so long ago, it was okay to tease someone as being a 'Gay', it was okay to gossip about the perceived gay/lesbian couple in our classrooms/ workspaces. It was okay to taunt a boy to 'wear bangles' if he is not very bold or active. A girl is called 'boyish' if she is bold. We have mastered the art of assigning gender roles. Our social spaces continuously assign, manipulate gender roles in our minds so much so that we stopped noticing someth...

"Gandhi was a tough man. He would let every thought flow through him but never let them wreck his own convictions" I grew up learning Mahatma Gandhi as 'The Father of The Nation'. I remember giving alms to old people and kids dressed up in the dhoti with a glaring silver paint on them almost looking like the ubiquitous statues of Gandhi in India. Yeah, I have seen him on currency notes and heard at least a road named after him in many towns. As I explored a bit deeper, I was awestruck by the stature of Mahatma world over. The British who must be his prime contenders have constructed his statue in the parliament square. They see him as the symbol of peace and non-violence. Then I asked myself,   How much do I know about Mahatma? Is he relevant to modern India? Modern India can be comprehended into an English speaking , Market-driven, society laying fast track trains, living in bustling cities sending humans to the outer space on one side,...

Every morning as I open the newspaper there is at least an article on a girl, molested in one or the other part of India. sometimes in a city, some other in a village. Sometimes an infant, sometimes a septuagenarian. No state is an exception, some states lead anyway. Temples and schools, houses and workplaces all are same for the 2nd gender! This is a very pathetic state for us as a society. Agreement of this is unequivocal. Then, why are we as a society unable to solve the problem? This is the question I try to answer here. I will address this by dissecting the issue, part by part. Stringent punishment - a deterrent: Many people have this view,  " punish the rapist cruelly so that boys will fear to rape a girl".   Most of them rally on the streets to get this done. They are those who really empathize with the victim. But as research shows, punishment is not a deterrent to crime. However, the lack of punishment is more adverse. So the criminal justice sy...