The Rebelle blog

I received a phone call from an old college friend yesterday. She was a year junior to me in college. Although, we hadn't been in touch, with her call we spoke with an ease only fast friends can. We updated each other on our current ventures. She has been doing a lot of architectural projects in Nashik and no one could be more happier than me for her work. This is the same girl who with her grit and determination proved everyone wrong in college after an unfortunate loss of a school year. She went on to complete her Architecture Internship under the great Laurie Baker's tutelage firm COSTFORD in Trivandrum. Any sensitive architecture student in India knows the importance of low cost building methods and techniques. Aditi, my friend gathered valuable experiences and utilised them at Pune where she was involved with environmental planning and designing. Her architectural maturity is evident from the fact that she encourages Eco-sensitive architecture practices everywhere around...

Last Saturday, Dad and me went to a Book Exhibition after a long time. As soon as we entered the exhibition hall, Dad turned one way and I turned to the other. We lost ourselves in the long rows of books and only met halfway through the hall after what seemed like hours of browsing. We looked up from our reverie and smiled widely after seeing each other's arms full of books. In the middle of doing all this, we also met a few familiar faces, some of Dad's friends who had come with their kids. I felt very nice to see them running through the book aisles and picking up books and shouting at the top of their lungs about them to their parents. A very gratifying feeling that there exist parents still who are nurturing book love in their children in this age of fast technology. Also, the organisers of the exhibition seemed to be very nice and kind people because they did not reprimand any of the kids for causing ruckus. Usually when I visit book stores, kids seem bored in a compact ...

Okay, I am super happy today. It was the happiest weekend I had in years. The reason being, I met my friend and the family over a function and we all enjoyed and had a lovely, peaceful, memorable time. Nobody and nothing screwed my mood nor were there any unpleasantries that lurked around as they do when the celebrations start coming to an end. Every laughter was so genuine and heartfelt that I never felt like an insider in their family. That is the best part of being well-behaved and popular with your friends and their families.  On a serious note, I had some insightful conversations with people whose opinions matter to me. And they reflected what I understand to be genuine empathy and concern for whatever I am doing these days. It is extremely important to have support systems in life be they in the form of family or friends. Today, as the International Family Day comes to an end in a few hours from now, I would say, be grateful for your family, for the unconditional lov...

काही लोकांना वेंधळेपणा करण्याची एवढी सवय जडली असते कि कितीही त्यांनी काळजीने काम करण्याचा प्रयत्नापुर्वक निश्चय केला तरीही तो कधी तडीस जात नाही. मला माहित असलेल्या काही वेंधळ्या माणसांबद्दल सांगायचं झालं तर त्याचं प्रत्येक काम किंवा कृती हि इतरांसाठी तापदायकच ठरते बहुतेक वेळा. म्हणजे विद्यार्थ्यांच्या बाबतीत म्हणायचं झालं तर त्यांना परीक्षेत अभ्यास आठवेल का याचं टेन्शन असतं पण तरीही त्यातल्यात्यात त्यांच्या वेंधळेपणात कुठेही कसूर रहात नाही. अगदी परीक्षेची सामग्री नीट घेण्यापासून ते ओळखपत्र, परीक्षेत व्यवस्थित पेपर लिहिण्यापर्यंत सगळ्या गोष्टींमध्ये यांचा धांदरटपणा दिसून येतो. अशा लोकांच्या बेजबाबदार वागण्याची किंमत त्यांच्या परीजनांना भोगावी लागते याचं त्यांना सोयरसुतक देखील नाही. शेवटी काय तर माणूस स्वतःच्या स्वार्थाचाच विचार करतो. मला तर अतिशय राग आहे अशा लोकांच्या आप्पल्पोटेपणाची. त्यांच्या जगाचे ते राजे, सगळं भूमंडल फक्त यांच्या अवतीभवतीच फिरत असल्याचा यांचा फाजील गोड गैरसमज. आपल्यामुळे समोरच्याला केवढा मानसिक त्रास सोसावा लागत असेल याचा थांगपत्तासुद्धा अशा लोकांना नसतो मु...

I was disturbed yesterday after a conversation I had on the internet with a new acquaintance over sexuality, roles of men & women in society, action and intention over using a term like Rapist. It all started rather weirdly after being asked by him if I would meet him for a conversation. Since he was a stranger I joked I would meet him if he's not a serial killer. To which, he responded, he is not a serial killer but a serial rapist which left me rather shocked. I asked him about his casual reference and usage of the term, and he replied saying he pitied me for my brooding over using a term about which he said he had no bad intention. I wonder if there is a good intention of ever using a term such as Rapist? What followed was a rather maligning attempt by him over my capabilities of lame justifications I would be doing in my life. This is how women are abused, silenced and tormented in internet world by men. If these statements made by men do not qualify as a potential ra...

My 16-month old daughter wakes from her nap and cries. I pick her up, press her against my chest and rub her back until my palm warms like an old family quilt. “Daddy’s here, daddy’s here,” I whisper. Here is the island of Oʻahu, 8,500 miles from Syria. But what if Pacific trade winds suddenly became helicopters? Flames, nails, and shrapnel indiscriminately barreling towards us? What if shadows cast against our windows aren’t plumeria tree branches, but soldiers and terrorists marching in heat? Would we reach the desperate boats of the Mediterranean in time? If we did, could I straighten my legs into a mast, balanced against the pull and drift of the current? “Daddy’s here, daddy’s here,” I whisper. But am I strong enough to carry her across the razor wires of sovereign borders and ethnic hatred? Am I strong enough to plead: “please, help us, please, just let us pass, please, we aren’t suicide bombs.” Am I strong enough to keep w...

क्या हुआ जो युग हमारे आगमन पर मौन? सूर्य की पहली किरण पहचानता है कौन? अर्थ कल लेंगे हमारे आज के संकेत।  #दुष्यन्तकुमार आज मुझे खामोशी की आवाज़ सुननी थी। मगर कही सुनाई नहीं दी। रोजमर्रा की जिंदगी में इतने सारे हादसे होते रहते है की उनका महत्व कम हो गया है। उन्हें बार बार दोहराने का कोई फायदा ही नहीं। पहले किसी दोस्त को मन की दुविधा कितनी आसानी से बता दिया करती थी मैं, आज उसी दोस्त को मेरी बातों का बोझ न लगे इसी विवंचना के कारण मैं खामोश हो जाती हूँ। कितनी अजीब बात है की हम में से कई लोगों को एहसास तक नहीं होता जिंदगी की इस टेढ़ी-मेढ़ी झंझटों का और यदि एहसास हो भी जायें तो उसमें से बाहर कैसे निकले ये एक नयी पहेली सामने आ खड़ी उठती है। कुछ साल पहले तक मुझे खुदसे बहुत शिकायत होती थी की मेरी जिंदगी किसी और की तरह क्यों नहीं है। जैसे मैं किसी और को अपने नजर से देखती थी तो उनकी जिंदगी मुझे बड़ी परिपूर्ण लगती थी और खुदकी बहुत कष्टप्राय। यह एहसास श्री. मुन्शी प्रेमचंदजी की कहानियाँ पढ़कर द्विगुणित हो जाता था। फिर धीरे- धीरे बात ऐसी समझ आयीं की ना ही किसी और के सुख से हमें अपने दुखों का क...

'Shut your eyes and see', wrote James Joyce. And what is it that we shall see, sadly no one wrote a manual for it. Why is it that some people can see things the way they are while others just fail to look beyond the superficiality we are presented with? I wish there were an easy answer. As I sit here, writing behind the computer screen wishing for a boon to understand the mechanism of finding answers to the many questions that plague my existence, it's hard not to feel dejected and cynical about expressing it. A friend sent me a quote about Zero. It reads as follows:  The terms 'void' and 'zero' do not imply that nothing is present. 'Zero' is a point from which the scope for progress is infinite, and 'zero' is complete in itself.  It's this nothingness I am afraid of, aren't we all? There is a vacuum inside us that we all fear. Some people go insane trying to figure out the meaning of this void that dominates our psyche. Oth...