True India

(This is something I wrote 9 years back as a school kid which got published in the prestigious 'The Hindu' newspaper besides Times of India's NIE)

India, land of beauty,
Where there is unity in diversity.

She extends from mountains to plateaus,
And from polluting cars to autos.

Where people lead a simple life,
Love their children, disrespect their wife.

People have belief in rituals,
When the chief reason is various castes hate to intermingle.

Where men take pride in their manhood,
Kill the animals in the woods.

Where the range of exotic dishes meets no end,
Here adulteration is a famous offence.

I am sure you will wonder,
What I am saying is next to plunder.

But mind you, this is not the India of my dreams,
This is the real India, which I have revealed.

URL: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/quest/200208/stories/2002081001960300.htm

Unearthing real beauty

Beauty has been a topic of discussion since time immemorial and various scholars and thinkers have offered their perspectives on what real beauty according to them is about.

"Beauty and folly are generally companions"- Baltasar Gracian

"It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But ... it is better to be good than to be ugly"- Oscar Wilde

"The absence of flaw in beauty is itself a flaw"- Havelock Ellis

"Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it"- Confucius

"Beauty in the flesh will continue to rule the world" - Florenz Ziegfeld

It is, however, left to our discretion to define beauty for ourselves. Im sure many will differ on my viwepoint thats about to follow, I would love to here and understand your perspectives too..My definition of beauty is as follows:

" Real beauty is a mix of generous amount of inner beauty and miniscule amount of outer beauty. None of the two can exist in isolation in today's context.Both need to coexist though in varying degrees to bring out the real beautiful you."

What is real outer beauty?

"Had the price of looking been blindness, I would have looked." - Ralph Ellison

Being drop dead gorgeous...having symmetrically placed features in just the right shape, size and dimensions....possessing the stereotypical perfect figure of 36-24-36..... having a soaring 'oomph'-o-meter...... being a prototype of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan?

Real beauty is actually that; that exudes an aura of 'pleasantness'. A graceful, presentable personality. You donot have to be gorgeous to be beautiful rather you should be 'presentable' to appear beautiful. A person deemed to be 'ugly' can also look beautiful if they tweak their visual appeal as per the situation. Presentation is an art mastered by few. Real outer beauty according to me is the art of presentation and can be acquired..its in your hands!

"Beauty comes as much from the mind as from the eye." - Grey Livingston

Inner beauty is the true you- your inner self unleashed. A heart cleansed of its vices to metamorphose into a beautiful mind. All of us have the goods and bads residing within us. There are some inherent beautiful traits within, untouched by evil where positivity resides. Thats the inner beauty. None of us are divinely pure and hence our goodness represents our inner beauty.

Im talking here from the viewpoint of common people like you and I who are repostiories of goods and bads, are physically appealing and unappealing. I am seeking real beauty in a contemporary and realistic context and not painting a utopia where inner beauty personifies Mother Teresa and outer beauty Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. We are the people who inhabit the terrain between the two ideal extremes of beauty. We are mix of positives and negatives. We have our moments of goodness and moments were Satan dominates and we become the Devil's advocates. Inner and outer beauty are coloured by our deeds and an extension of our demeanours.

Real beauty hence is a potpourri of the presentable external you and the holy inner you!

"Beauty deprived of its proper foils and adjuncts ceases to be enjoyed as beauty, just as light deprived of all shadows ceases to be enjoyed as light." - John Ruskin

This is an entry for the contest 'What does real beauty mean to you?' presented by Yahoo India, Dove and IndiBlogger. Check out the Yahoo Real Beauty site.

If you have liked the perspectives and ideas in my wrtiting and consider it worthy of your vote please like it on facebook here.
and if youre a member of http://www.indiblogger.in/ then please promote it.
I need your support. Thanks! :)

Evolution....a must!

Wowowo...what a rollercoaster ride life is...how much time does it actually offer you to sit back and reflect on the happenings? It just moves on at an unimaginable pace catching you unaware at the most vulnerable moments. There are times you would not even realise and you have already drifted into a situation. What a magical potion?!

Kids grow up so quickly that you might often find mothers exclaiming, “I didn’t realise when my kids became grownups!”, individuals mature to master different situations and situations mature individuals. You also develop the understanding to value certain joys of life and at the same time devalue the nonsensical trivialities that surround you at times.

Evolution & growth is a very obvious aspect in each being’s life and is imminent too. We move from a particular phase of life to the next which involves not only changes but also adjustments which are garnished with its share of bouquets and brickbats! No matter how much we might be surprised or might not like how life is progressing, it still is indispensable.

Imagine life just continuing the way it always was! To get up each single day of life and do the same things without any anticipation, anxieties, excitements of the unknown and what tomorrow might bring? Just being a kid always or an adult always or old always? Would we enjoy then? Certainly not! Its better not to know how life changes and progresses than have a realisation of it! Awareness is simply an indicator of the monotony of a mundane being. It is best to always be in a state when you say commonplace stuff like, “Life seems to be always flying...moves on so fast”

My marriage has brought in a whole world of difference to my life and my very existence. Many joys hitherto unknown! The joys of togetherness, the loved special moments, caring gestures, crazy pillow fights, leg pulling and arguing for nothing make up our very peppery and sugary relationship and we simply love it!

‘Its all in the mind’ as a loved one rightly says.... :)

Changes abound...

Ever imagined how suddenly can life transform...take a 360 degree turn...resulting in a shift of priorities, aspirations, expectations and deliverables! From being a carefree, reckless, unsure, clueless girl to a careful, confident,determined and ambitious lady....the switch is comforting and worthwhile. Its an unconscious process; operating at a subliminal level; catching you unaware.

How does a girl transform into a lady? What causes this change? What brings out a different side to you?

Last six months have been beautifully fulfilling and made me smile to myself every now and then....I feel so many changes within me as a person....I have suddenly started thinking differently, have become a lot more caring, more open to taking up responsibilities rather I would say I have come to accept that I too can take up responsibilities....

Love.....this beautiful four letter word which has been the subject of discussion, debates and expression since time immemorial has redefined my being. People say love makes the world go round, breaks all barriers, is blind, is selfish, is impatient and what not..But I say that love for this one special person has made me more patient, made me a little selfless, made me love many more people, brought sense to my otherwise haphazard world...A world far structured, far sane and worth living in :) Every single moment is special with this special person around....

Today, I stand at the threshold of making a new beginning...starting a new life..... It brings unsolicited fears, fills me with curiosity and at the same time beckons me towards itself. It is human to be afraid of change but all my fears take a backseat with the very presence of this special someone.The experience of transformation with a special person is extraordinarily comforting....

I am waiting to take the plunge.... :) :)

Time....As I see it....

Time is considered to have healing powers, a sign of acquiring wisdom, a tool for better understanding and what not.......In my short span of 24 years....I have heard a lot about the power of time......experienced its power many a times and yet to experience its power in many ways....I dont know what makes up the phenomenon of " time being the best healer" but I sure know that some wounds donot heal.......and even time seems to act wary of healing them......

We often hear inspirational dopes on time, its healing prowess, it filling the gaps, it being the answer to all our questions....but have we ever wondered who and what is this time? We dont even know the gender of it....and yet we instil so much faith in it.....Is it constant? does it bring you close to your goals or move you away from them???

Time is nothing, but a window we perch ourselves on to see things go past us and to see things come close to us......we witness the spectacle on this constant, intangible framework.......which will always stay put no matter where you go.....It aint a vehicle, but a defunct piece of furniture lying in your store room......serving no purpose....just witnessing the passage of hours, days and years.

It is you who decides your time. You are the one who can manipulate and dictate your terms to time and not the other way round. We are not constant, we are tangible, we are ambitious, we feel emotions and it is us who are the best judge of how and when can these so called healing powers of time, heal our world or define the world around us.



Time....is in your hands.... :)

Reflections.....

For a blog named Elixir of Life.....not a very befitting post first post.......

But this is the best I can express now.....

So here it goes....



A new face, a new place, a new world, an enchanting beckoning.....
Enamouring smiles, expressive exchanges, endearing vows......

Togetherness unparalleled, trust unchallenged, love unbridled !
Compatible chants, melodious laughter, mesmerising touch......

The doldrums now, rejections abound....leave me in the reckoning
Unpredictability of tomorrow, Insanity of today, to it all.....bows

Tried patience, trembling breaths, shattered sanctity.....now all unriddled
A laughing stock, butt of jokes and all forgotten.....youself you cannot vouch!