Two Minutes to Midnight

There is a theory that should the entire history of the earth be condensed into a single day,the human race would only make its first appearance as late as two minutes to midnight.The first strains of bacteria, the very first form of life would appear only at 2 p.m.The Industrial revolution would’ve taken place mere 5 seconds to the end of the day. When such a vast span of time is put into perspective, nearly over 4 billion years, it is almost dizzying to think how indelible a mark humans have left on this planet in such a short span of time!

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If one were to observe a graph illustrating the pattern of growth of human population, one would see that it took us millions of years to reach the first billion in 1850 but only a another 50 to reach 2 billion. It would seem that the graph is fairly sturdy up until the 1850s at which point it begins to grow exponentially. This sudden and rapid growth can be attributed to the various advancements made in healthcare and technology. People are stronger and healthier and live longer. An unfortunate result of these medical advancements has been an ever growing population which has led to the coinage of today’s ever ready buzzword ‘overpopulation’.

The earth is currently home to nearly 7.5 billion humans and is showing signs of strain. The resources that the planet has to offer are no longer enough to fuel either the needs or the ambitions of mankind. There is a rigid dichotomy that is faced while discussing this issue; on one hand the resources are being over used by the poverty stricken nations to simply fulfill the needs of their population and conversely the more affluent nations overuse these resources for production purposes.  Consequentially,the earth is exhausted, depleted and can no longer support such a huge population. This ever growing population not only has an adverse effect on humans ,but also the planet, which is struggling to maintain its vast ecosystems and its wide diaspora of flora and fauna.

This rapid destruction of all that is beautiful on this planet has contributed to an emerging sense of gloom and doom. Heretics proclaim the end of the planet, statistics put forth by scientists paint a dismal picture of the environment, and online forums create ‘Doomsday Clocks’ which show that we are mere seconds away from  absolute obliteration. Global temperatures are rising, ice caps melting. Habitats of various exotic species have been completely annihilated, several animals are either extinct or endangered. Conferences, meetings and deals are held to discuss the fate of the planet. Words such as ‘ozone depletion’ ‘CO2 emissions’ are casually thrown about as if the inevitable doom is years and years away. We feel all powerful, benevolent, even, stating that we care for our environment and that it is us who can save it. It is commonly felt that being the most influential species on this planet, it is the responsibility of humans to become the saviours of this planet and save it from the doom that awaits us. We have recycling and reusing. We create emission norms, deals are signed preventing excessive use of chloro-flouro carbons. We feel that we are the salvation.

Interestingly enough,there are a few who feel that this concept, this notion is just an exaggerated sense of humankind’s hubris, our exaggerated sense of self-worth . It has been a habit of humans to dream and think big. It has been the making of human civilization, helping us reach across the stars. But some are of the opinion that it could be what breaks us too. Caught up in our arrogance, and stretching the limits of what we can do, we have managed to upset the delicate balance between nature and artificial creation. Nature has been decimated and reduced to nothing while man made creations reign supreme. So in a way, the destruction and doom that is so near is actually the earth purging itself of all unsavoury elements. Conversely, it can be said that it is not us who is destroying the earth, but the earth which is destroying us to purify itself once again.

Either way, we must understand that ours is a shared planet, it is not ours solely to use and abuse. It is also the home of thousands of species of plants and animals who have as much claim on our beautiful planet as we do.

 

 

To Buy or Not to Buy!

One of my dad’s favourite weekend pass-times is reading the newspaper back-to-front. Sipping his third cup of tea since the morning he sighed,” The amount of ads in this paper is ridiculous. Is this a newspaper or a pamphlet?” A newspaper, solely made for the purpose of being a medium of information has now been commercialized to the extent that there are no less than 9-10 pages dedicated simply to advertisements of all sorts!

We are bombarded by advertisements as soon as we open our eyes. All around us there are colourful images enticing us to buy products that we really don’t need. Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards and mobile phones, there is no respite from them. Naturally, these advertisements have a considerable amount of impact on society and plays an integral role in shaping norms about what is acceptable and what isn’t.

Advertising agencies use nothing short of psychological warfare to sell their products. They consult actual psychologists and analyze human behaviour and their tendencies before doing something as simple as rearranging the cereals in their store!  And advertisements are not confined to only direct advertisements, there are celebrity endorsers whom the producers feel have a considerable sway over their target audience. Once the brand is attached to a celebrity, its value goes up considerably. In fact, I remember a friend of mine ordered a hoodie/jacket simply because it was attached to a certain celebrity and was completely unaware that it was for the cause of creating awareness  about a rare manifestation of cancer! Oh, the irony. The only thing that  the hoodie managed to do was sell, the type of cancer still remains unheard of despite the hoodie practically flying off the shelves.

I personally feel the  worst part about these advertisements is, or frankly what makes them so convincing is the fact that there all these beautiful people advertising these products. With their pearly white teeth and winsome smile they manage to persuade someone who has never knitted in their life that all that is missing from their lives is a collection of 100 spools of thread in different shades! The art of  dramatization and the ability to make a product appealing, rather, indispensable is what makes most brand s a hit.

This constant advertising leads us to have a rather materialistic approach to life. We measure the worth of things by their brands rather than their actual quality. And that is definitely not a healthy approach to have. It also perpetuates the creation of  a society which takes things at face value. It helps further widen the gap between the haves and the have nots. Primarily, it leads to the creation of a shallow society which cares more about brands and prestige rather than a person’s character. We often judge people by looking at the brand of their clothes, their phones or even the breed of their dog!

I recently read an essay by Elisabeth Morris. Called the ‘Tyranny of Things’ the essay went on to describe how obsessed we are with owning things and that even simple things such as children’s birthday parties too cannot be complete with the receiving and giving of gift. Friendships too are cherished solely because one enjoys the company of others but also by gifts! She also went on to explain how we no longer own thing, instead, they own us. We are possessed by them and our days are marked with their upkeep, polishing them, dusting them, collecting them! What then is the use of such things, which give us joy for such a small time and then go on to clutter our homes and hearts. We cannot throw the things away so we cling onto them reluctantly. True joy can only come from unclutering and cleansing our homes.

This perfectly describes our predicament; we are tied down by things and cannot function clearly unless we cut all ties from them. Now, I’m not promoting renouncing all world possessions and going and meditating in the Himalayas. All I mean is that one should take out the time to think whether or not one really need the product before impulsively purchasing it!

 

Kaleidoscopic

 

Reveling in the joy of a rare free period all of us sat in our favourite spots on the stairs leading to our classroom. Casually chatting, the topic turned to the unfair and rigorous Formative Assessment system of testing which CBSE follows. A friend, the token rebel and challenger of authority, went on to explain why he thought this system was absolutely useless and redundant and did little to impact our education with the help of choicest of words.  All of us laughed and the topic soon shifted to what had happened to the unfortunate soul who had brought her phone to school and forgotten to submit it.All good things must come to an end and so did the free period. The next period was History and a project had to be submitted as an FA(formative assessment). And when the teacher asked the most dangerous question,”who hasn’t brought the project today?”, I turned back smirking, half-expecting the rebellious friend to have already started arguing with the teacher. Instead, when I turned back I was met with and unexpected sight! There he was, his project on his desk and a complacent smile on his face ,the very picture of obedience. Seeing me look utterly confused he simply mouthed,”She likes me.” and winked. I was bewildered. Here we had a person who had not even five minutes ago passionately advocated banning the FA system and was now eager to submit his project complete with illustrations and extra credit questions simply because he felt like he had a reputation to uphold! This incident although seemingly insignificant and everyday made me realize an important thing; people are never the same.

I found an interesting quote on the internet which I feel manages to perfectly convey the human predicament perfectly

I am not what I think I am. I am not what you think I am. I am what I think you think I am.

Confused? I was too. But really pondering and thinking made me realize that it meant our personalities are based on our understanding of how people perceive us. In other words, it can be said that we see ourselves being reflected in others. We look at ourselves through other people, a sort of mirror that reflects back to us the other person’s perception.Personalities are complex and a culmination of ideas and thoughts and experiences and something inexplicable. But a person’s personality is never stagnant, it is ever changing almost kaleidoscopic in nature.  People have the ability to shape their personalities in accordance to different circumstances. Their personalities have multiple facets, different shades. It makes me wonder how many different versions of ourselves exist in the minds of those we know. People often change their behaviour or demeanour when they’re with different groups. I’ve seen people who enjoy street food like ‘aloo tikki’ or ‘pani puri’ become food snobs and experts in French wine in front of their sophisticated peers. If we feel a certain person thinks we’re funny, we make the effort to go out on a limb and ensure that we remain witty throughout the duration of our conversation. And the interesting thing is, the other person  may not necessarily feel that you’re funny but just because you have an inkling that they feel that you’re funny you’re almost compelled to be funny around them.

I feel that is what makes humans so unique. One would like to believe that our personalities are at the very core of us and are thus nearly impossible to alter. The core of our personality might remain  the same but our behaviour is rather fluid. There are different shades to our personality. And I feel that is what makes human beings so beautifully complex.

What do you think? Do people change with circumstances or do they remain the same no matter what? Let me know in the comments down below.

Encyclopedias:My One True Love

The most important thing to know about me is that I love to read, be it fiction or fact, as a result, my room is overflowing with books and I have to spend hours trying to sort them and keep them away properly.  One such expedition led me to uncover an untouched section of my bookshelf and I found my collection of encyclopedias! One of the oldest books I own happens to be an encyclopedia. This particular book is not so much as so an encyclopedia as much as a 200 page long(short,rather)version of world history. This was history from early humans right up until the 21st century all condensed within just 200 pages. And what wonderful 200 pages they were, from the index to the appendices.Turning the pages and looking at the vibrant illustrations were my time machine. I jumped from the time when Vikings conquered distant lands to the French Revolution. It was a truly magical experience, and a revelation of sorts as I realized that there was more to the world then my own little one.I now knew of distant kings and their empires. I knew that the Incas  grew squash and potatoes ,that Egyptians believed in the sun God Ra. I knew of the Crusades and I knew all that there was to know about the unification of Germany by Otto von Bismarck. This used to be one of the best parts of my day, opening the encyclopedia and poring over the pages visiting different and exotic pages till the time I was convinced that I could replicate it almost word-to-word. The credit for awaking love for History within me completely and absolutely goes to the encyclopedia and my parents of course who thought that their 8 year old child would enjoy reading about graphic descriptions of human sacrifices made by the Aztecs!

My second encyclopedia,however, was an encyclopedia in the true sense. It talked about almost everything under the sun, from cars to insects to geodes to planets. It was a truly beautiful book. Packed with vibrant illustrations and rib-tickling cartoons, it made learning so much more fun.  In fact, I was so attached to them that rather than approaching google for my answers, I preferred using my encyclopedias. What a stupid kid I was. I could have saved my precious time while making a presentation on different types of mushroom by simply going on google rather than spending an hour trying to scan pictures of mushrooms from a considerable number of encyclopedias.

Of course, my obsession had just begun and was not going to stop at just 2! What a measly number. So naturally I went on to buy so many more. One of the most memorable ones out of thee several that I had bought later on was a pocket sized one which I could carry everywhere with me! That was probably the thing I loved the best about. It also had a sort of pop quiz at the back on various topics such as history, geography, science etc. My friends were often subjected to trivia quizzes. I pity them. It was only when I coerced my parents into partaking in my quizzes( I was pretty good quiz master) that the finally drew the line and I wasn’t allowed to carry it around with me anymore!  I do pity anyone who knew me back then, I was your quintessential pompous know-it-all. Although, to be fair to myself, I did know quite a lot of trivia for an eight year old (haha)

I was a pretty introverted kid and unlike kids my age I had no interest in climbing up slides the wrong way around, standing on swing sets and other such dauntless acts. I was happy to sit in a corner reading. In fact, my closest companions were my massively impressive collection of encyclopedias and Enid Blyton books. Now that I think of it, that was a pretty odd pair. Nevertheless, these books have played an integral part in shaping my personality and have made me an indispensable in trivia quizzes. Jokes apart, I think encyclopedias are one of the best things ever and every child should at least one. It certainly makes for a colourful, imaginative childhood!

The Nation Wants to Know-Have Serials Gone Too Far?

An ordinary evening in my house entails the family sitting around the dinner table, eyes glued to the television. As a result of this television shows and movies have become an inseparable part of our day to day routine. The possession of the remote gives one incredible power; to choose what the entire family watches. More often than not, I find myself staring at the T.V., watching the usual Indian soap opera. And boy do they know how to be over-dramatic! Evils plans are hatched while the vamp shells peas in the kitchen in a bid to usurp the heroine and gain control over the house and the money. Usual side characters are the vamps sidekick, a discarded aunt who has nothing better to do than scheme and plot the entire day and just create trouble in general; then there is always an impossibly old great(∞) grandma who has seen everything and occupies an armchair in the corner of the room; and most importantly, the confused husband who has no idea of what’s going on under his roof and appears occasionally just to assure the viewers of his existence.Our protagonist is always the sweet simple bubbly girl next door who wants nothing more in life than to cook food for her family and dress up in heavy silk sarees and decked up in the blingiest of jewellery. On the other hand, the vamp/antagonist is always a woman of ambition and surprisingly almost always glamorous. It’s almost like glamour is directly proportionate to evilness. The better dressed you are the higher the chances of you having mixed salt instead of sugar in my halwa(dessert) to ruin my reputation as the masterchef/best daughter-in-law ever.

Jokes apart, these serials do more harm than good. These serials have a large audience. Ranging from housewives to their little kids who watch these shows with them. And with such a huge audience comes huge responsibility; a responsibility that most serial makers conveniently ignore. Most of these t.v. shows focus singularly on getting the girl married off and her becoming the best daughter-in-law. The ambitious women are evil because God forbid a woman be anything other than a roti-making machine. In a feeble attempt to appear modern, they try and introduce fierce, independent women who fizzle out as soon as they fall in love. All their ambitions disappear just because they think they have found their to be husband. Women are constantly degraded and domestic violence is excessively normalized. The woman is to be lauded for her extraordinary will power and the fact that she keeps quiet just to protect the family’s ‘honour’. And it doesn’t just stop at soap operas. Most of the so called comedy shows promote degradation of women as something that is funny. They find it acceptable to laugh at people just because they are fat rather than creating content that is genuinely funny. Sometimes the content is downright nonsensical. There are people who turn into ghouls and vampires. A character once even turned into a fly! There are people living in mansions who’re struggling financially, the heroine’s make-up is always impeccable even when she just got out of bed, she wears heavy sarees to bed, the mother-in-law is always hell bent on destroying her daughter-in-law’s life. People dying and then coming back to life is another classic. They were washed down a river and found by a village of plastic-surgeons because suddenly their entire face changes(new actor playing a popular character because the previous actor quit) and they return on the anniversary of their supposed ‘death’ that had been planned by the antagonist. I bid you adieu, common sense!

While many people claim that such shows are just for entertainment and not to be taken seriously. But who is to tell the 5 year old that it is never okay to hit anyone to degrade them? Who is to tell the 7 year old girl who plays pretend-marriage with her neighbour that this is not all there is to life. These shows leave an indelible mark on young kids and normalizes things that should never be normal. There have been instances of youngsters getting influenced by Bollywood and thinking that the only way to woo a woman is to harass her. The look at their idols wooing their heroines by stalking them and pestering them till they finally say yes. For them, no is never a no, it can turned into a yes after enough pestering. And film and serial makers, alike, need to understand this. The T.V. industry needs to undergo a dramatic change. People need some good content on their T.V. We deserve as much.

At least Sarabhai vs Sarabhai is back! That was a brilliant show!

 

The Great Indian Dream

Like every nation’s middle class, the Indian middle class also has a dream; The Indian Dream, if you will. The dream entails the parents sending their kids to the renowned IITs or AIIMS.  The dream  also includes cheap travel tour package to Singapore-Malaysia,a shiny new car and a 3BHK flat with utilities,but that is besides the point.

Every year, millions of students sit for the  JEE Mains examination out of which only 10,000 are selected to attend the prestigious institute. Each year the question paper is tougher than last year’s and the competition more cut-throat. The sheer number of students who sit in for this exam makes the institute a distant and improbable dream for most students. The toughness of the exam coupled with the vast competition is something that makes this an almost unacheiveable feat. Yet students are forced into this rat race even if it is against their wishes simply because the general belief is that getting into an IIT is equivalent to a successful life.

If this isn’t bizzare enough, several coaching institutes have sprung up to help you get into IIT. And since we’re talking about India, the absurdity doesn’t stop here. There are coaching institutes which help you get into the coaching institute that helps you get into the coaching institute that will help you get an admission in IIT! Entire towns have sprung up that cater just to kids who are preparing to get into these coveted colleges. Students are sent miles away from home to study in these coaching hubs. Life isn’t too easy there. Kids spent almost 18 hours a day just studying and are so burnt out that they can’t even think of doing anything else. A majority of the kids who attend these coaching classes neither have the apptitude for nor interest in Science or engineering at yet are forced to prepare for this exam because it is the right thing to do. And these institutes aren’t cheap either. Most of them cost a bomb and often parents have to take loan to make all this happen. This places great financial burden on the parents and the children often feel guilty because of this. All this becomes too much for the kids and in some extreme cases kids as young as 14 end up committing suicide because they’re afriad of disappointing their parents.

The kid is at no fault! At no point a 14 years old life should they have to be so stressed that they resort to such drastic measure! Adolescence is a time wherein a person should try and evaluate him/herself and try gaauge their areas of interest. It is a time where kids should be allowed to do and work for whatever it is that they want in life. They should be taught to be responsible yet given a free reign to make their own mistakes and learn from them.

The question still remains; whom does the onus lie with? The answer is simpke enough;ideaology. It is still believed in India that opting for the Science stream is the only way one can guarantee a successful life for one’s self. That is far from the truth! It’s 2016; new avenues are opening up. There is so much more that a child can do! Engineering and medical are not the end of the world. There are lawyers and authors and web designers and comic book artists and musicians and code developers and bloggers and youtubers and athletes. There is so much that one can do. You could probably end up doing a job that probably doesn’t even exist today.

It iss important for parents to talk to their kids and try to understand what it is that their kid wants to do in life. Who knows? Their kid could probably be the next Presley or Bill Gates! Just listen carefully and support them no matter what. They will do brilliantly in life. And after all, it is your child’s happiness that is of supreme importance not his/her JEE rank!

 

Average Day in Ad(i)’s Life

The scene begins, it’s just a normal day in the shopping mall, people are strolling leisurely, just having a good time. All of a sudden, a person wearing a lab coat appears out of nowhere, brandishing a mic in front of an unsuspecting citizen’s face,” Kya aap jante hain aap ke daat mein kitne kitano hain????” (do you know how badly germ infested your teeth are?).  His lady friend, the one whom he had finally convinced to watch a movie with him, throws her tall Non-Fat Latte With Caramel Drizzle™ on him and stalks off.  The poor guy still in shock from being publicly humiliated, manages a shy no. He is then magically transported to a lab filled with important and busy looking ‘toothpaste’ scientists who have state of the art tech. Our protaginist is just as bewildred as you are. All he can think is, “What did I do wrong? I swear I brushed this morning.”He tries to smell his breath, but to him it smells perefctly ordinary. They whisk him off to a place with huge screens and several menacing buttons, he is placed in front of the screen, and a picture of his teeth flashes on it. Slowly, his teeth begin to degenerate, they look like those of serial paan(tobaccco) eater. He gasps, “Arrey nahi nahi nahi! Yeh kya!!”(Oh no what is this?). The very official and learned looking scientists say,” We are totally scientists. We know what toothpaste does. Also this is what your teeth will look like if you don’t use xyz toothpaste.” The poor guy is scared out of his wits. He says,”I’m so sorry. This is the only toothpaste brand I’ll ever use, please let me go.” Once the scientists are convinced, they let him go but not before they give him a lifetime supply of their toothpaste.

Dejected, he manages to find his way home. He opens his front door and collapses on his bed. So much so for that first date,huh. Just my rotten luck. As soon as he shut his eyes, the horrific image of yellow rotting teeth flashed before his eyes. “Well,”he sighed,” might as well try out the new toothpaste.” So he steps into his bathroom, turns on the tap. As soon as he puts the toothbrush on his teeth,the door of his bathroom bursts open, and a reporter with flowing hair and a smirk appears. ” Kya aapke toothpaste mein namak hai?”(does your toothpaste have salt in it). “Curiouser and curiouser”, he mutters under his breath. “No”, he manages to utter with his teeth gritted. “Toh, use abc toothpaste! It has salt in it which gives you a lot a benefits, none of which are actually scientifically proven. But then, why wouldn’t you believe me. I’m just a creepy woman who somehow got into your locked house.” “Okay, I’ve had enough of this today. Get OUT OF MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW!”

“Okay okay I’m leaving”, and with a swish of her hair, the reporter vanishes.

Exhausted, he collapses on his bed and crashes out. Thee next day, he wakes up to a huge racket being created downstairs. “I swear to God, if Guptaji is extending his balcony again, I’m going to have words with him!”. Still clad in the clothes he was wearing yesterday, he makes his way to the compound of the flat only to find a huge platform with people standing all arond it chanting” Daag acchein hain, daag achein hain”(stains are good) Cursing and swearing, he manages to elbow his way to the front of the crowd only to find people in labcoats standing in a front of a washing machine.

Holding a megaphone in one hand, the labcoat clad gentleman bellowed,” Ladies and gentlemen of Kasant Vunj, we are gathered here today to witness something that is nothing short of a miracle! An absolute marvel, I tell you! Today, we are going to clean a t-shirt so well that it will be cleaner than it has ever been before! And all thanks to our miraculous detergent. So are you readyyyyy?”. The crowd roared. . “So, who’s going to be our lucky contestant? You? You? Well, it’s none of you, it’s the resident of flat no 618” As luck would have it, it was our protagonist. “Well. That’s a pleasant surprise.” “So,” the scientist questioned, with a disarming smile on his face,” Are you ready to witness something absolutely sensational?” Before waiting for an answer, the scientist’s assistant appears, snatching his t-shirt from him, and handing him another one to wear. The t-shirt then disappears into the washing machine with a great deal of fanfare, and an even greater deal of cheering. After what seems like an eternity, the t-shirt emerges, spotless and blindingly white. “What?”,he exclaimed,”what did you do? My t-shirt was blue, you knucklehead.” But no one seemed to care. The scientist concluded,”I’m a washing machine scientist, and on behalf of my colleagues, I would like to thank you all for being gullible enough for believing that this is a real profession. Also, don’t forget to use our new detergent!” The crowd, still excited, dispersed.

Just when he thought the day could get no worse, he was rejected at his job interview for not being fair enough. He had had enough of the absurd  dream that was his life. He finally broke down in the toilet, screaming,” Could my life be any worse?”

Suddenly, the bathroom began to glow, and a man with a face glowing bright like a tube light appeared, a tube of cream in hand. ” Fear not, friend for I have the solution to all your problems! All you have to use is this fairness cream. Because complexion matters more than qualifications. Also, don’t forget this deodrant. It’s a real ladies’ charmer.”

Desparate, our protagonist decided to use the deo and the cream. Soon after harps started playing. The job interviewer came running to the washroom begging him to take the job. He had no shortage of lady admirers, they formed lines just to catch his glimpse. Life was wonderful once again.

Absurd? Yes, but that’s just an average day in Ad(i)’s life.

this post is a satire on ridiculous Indian advertisements

Deconstructing Feminism

“Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings.”

―Cheris Karmarae

The internet is a wonderful thing; it has led to people becoming aware both socially and politically. This sudden increase in awareness has in turn produced several aggressive activists, who are hellbent on destroying every social construct while there others who are gentler and try to bring more pertinent issues to the fore.

Feminism, in the simplest of definitions, is the belief that men and women are equal in all aspects. However, it has been twisted and manipulated and made into a definition that no longer stands for equality of the sexes but to show that one of the sexes is better than the other. It has been twisted to the extent that most women are now scared of calling themselves feminists because the image of a feminist has become of an irrational person who screams murder to men. They find the most trivial of issues and make them seem like they are pertinent when in fact they are not.

However, I still stand strong and proudly admit that I am a feminist. And we still need feminism. We don’t need feminism because the word ‘women’ has ‘men’ in it. Instead we need feminism because there are places where female foeticide is prevalent, because women still fear going out at night at look all around on the pavements when they  do step out, wary of each sound, each movement. We need feminism because female scientists are ridiculed, because it is women who are taught to be careful rather than men being taught how to respect women. We need feminism because men are told not to assault women because they are someone’s mother daughter sister rather than the fact that they too are  living beings and deserve equal respect. We need feminism because women are considered strong only when they renounce all things ‘girly’. We need feminism because men are force fed a toxic definition of masculinity, saying that they need to act tough, act ‘manly’. We need feminism because girls are taught that if a boy hurts them it means that they love them. We need feminism because women are not yet equal. We need feminism because men are not equal yet.

There are often instances of research papers being rejected purely because they’re by female scinetists. They are then very condescendingly asked to get their work approved and get their paper co-authored by their male counterparts jusst so the theory can have some ‘credibility’. Even in this day and age practices such as female foeticide and infanticide are prevalent and India’s female:male ratio is a deplorable 940:1000(as per census 2011). There are still instances where the female is paid less than their male counterpart despite them doing the exact same work and having similar qualifications. According to recent studies, an American woman earns 77 cents to a man’s dollar. There is still visible discrimination against women in the professional arena as well. Women are discouraged from being engineers, scientists, mechanics, politicians because they are only supposed to be a man’s area of expertise.

Most importantly people need to realize that all that feminism stands for is the equality of the sexes. Feminism is not about proving that women are better than men. It is something that every sensible person must believe in and strive to achieve, irrespective of whether they are a man or a woman.

I personally believe that everyone should think of feminism not as the battle of men pitted against women but instead a battle of everyone against every social construct that holds back men and women from achieving and developing to their full potential. For equality is all about equal opportunities that help develop each person’s full potential.

So that is feminism deconstructed and simply put:it is all about equality and nothing more!

What Came First-Chaos or Order?

I have a tendency to zone out in classes. I’m partially listening to the teacher, and I’m partially in a world of my own, living out improbable scenarios. The Delhi summer is an absolute torture. The temperatures skyrocket to about 45°C(113°F) and the rains bring no relief, just more humidity. As fate would have it, in this extremely oppressive heat, I had to sit under the ceiling fan that moved at an impossibly slow speed, doing next to nothing to cool the room. If possible, it only made it hotter, blowing hot air into our faces. Wiping the sweat trickling down my face, I couldn’t wait for the bell to ring, signalling that it was now time to move to the air conditioned library. But time too seemed to be in no hurry,and each minute felt like an hour. But then the teacher began to speak of something that managed to intrigue me enough to forget about the horrible weather. She spoke of how law and order was necessary for there to be no chaos. She said that the natural state of the world was to fall into chaos and madness, and law and order was the only thing that prevented it. But as usual my mind began to question it: does law and order emerge to due to chaos or chaos emerge due to lack of order?

At the face of it, both statements have little difference between them. But there is a world of difference between the two. One says that chaos is natural and the other says that it is order that is natural. Order and Chaos have a delicate relationship. They’re entwined together, and they’re both equally important. Chaos leads to law and law lead to chaos. The world survives due to in an intricate balance of both. If there are too many rules, there is no space for people to grow and blossom. And if there is too much chaos, there is no way people cannot function healthily. They’re both equally important, but the question still remains; is chaos the result of lack of order or is order the result of lack of chaos?

One way to look at it is that it is order that is the natural state of this world. Each atom has a purpose. Each animal, each tree, each rock has its own purpose and it is because of this continued order that the world manages to survive. It is only when man disturbs nature and try to assert himself and make his own rules that nature begins to crumble and the world descends into mayhem. Equilibrium exists until it is disrupted by new rules and new ways of life.

Alternatively, one could think that the natural existence of chaos is what let order to develop. I read somewhere that it is the tendency of the body to rapidly deteriorate unless it is dealt with and cared for in an organised manner. Humans have a tendency to fall into chaos and mayhem whenever there is no order or law. It is this feeling of a law that governs every aspect of each person’s life that prevents society from falling into disarray.Without law, people would be unrestricted to do whatever it is that they want to. This may have dual repercussions, the worst of which results in the crumbling of society, murder and just general disorder. It is chaos that is first and order is born out of it.

This is rather like the question, what came first the chicken or the egg? In the words of Minerva McGonagall, “..a circle has no end and no beginning.” The cycle of chaos then order then chaos again is endless. There is no way of determining what came first. Was the beginning of the universe ordered or was it chaotic? Did the planets and the stars form and align themselves in an ordered manner or was it all a matter of chance?  Is life on earth planned or accidental? Most of these questions have varied answers, each person has their own view! But what I’d like to believe that it is order that is the natural state of the universe. Chaos is merely the lack of order and not the other way round. So what do you think, what came first-chaos or order?

 

Nature or Nurture

Life is full of intriguing people. One such person is my sixth grade English teacher. She had an endless store of  stories and tales, each to highlight the importance of a certain value. But there is only one story which stayed with me.

She saved this  story for times when our class was being extraordinarily noisy and ill-behaved. Her face attained a grave expression, grim enough to terrify a bunch of noisy and vexatious 6th graders. Then in a solemn voice she began,” A long long time ago in a far away land, lived a little boy with his widowed mother. They struggled to make ends meet. But despite all that, the mother worked hard to get her son the best of everything. One day, the boy came back from school laughing.The mother was shocked. Her son was a solemn soul, he seldom smiled let alone laugh. Upon her insistent prodding, the son smiled coyly and from his bag took out an expensive watch. His mother was shocked! She asked him where he’d gotten it from. He then replied that it had been lying on his classmate’s table and he had just picked it up. Instead of reprimanding him, the mother started sobbing, feeling dejected that her son had to resort to such means to have nice things. So she worked harder and said nothing to her son. While the mother slaved away, her son continued to steal, unknown to his mother. The gravity of his crimes kept increasing. And soon he was caught, his punishment was to be hanged to death. As his last wish, he requested to meet his mother. Everyone was touched. And so his mother came, a weeping and sobbing mess, her arms extended to hug her only son. Her son ran towrads her, his arms extended too, but this time only to attack her, scream at her, saying,”..it’s all your fault, why did you never beat, never tell me that what I was doing was wrong? I’m here only because of you!'”

And then she resumed teaching as if she hasn’t just told us a chilling tale, something that stuck with all of us. And this story has often caused me to question-what plays a greater role in our life -nature or nurture? Would the boy still have met the same fate had his mother reprimanded him and told him that stealing was wrong, would he have had a different future? Or would his nature to steal, to loot and to plunder take over, leading to his unfortunate end.

Humans are so complex, our personalities even more so. Each of us differs from the other, no two the same. We may be similar to the others but never exactly the same. What makes each of us ourselves is a combination of innumerable factors- nature and nurture just two of them.

Each person has an inherent tendency, a dominant personality trait, something that we are born with. Some people are infinitely kind. No matter how harsh life is to them, they remain kind, a smile on their face. But the same people, the ones who have the capacity to be so kind have their spirit broken down by the world, and everyone around them.

So my question still remains unanswered – what does influence our personality more? For me, I think it is our nature that often triumphs. No matter your parenting, or where you come from, it is your inherent character trait that plays the most important role in our lives.

We often hear stories about how a person’s life changed because of their loved one. But stories of betrayal, murder loot and theft are heard even more often. People have betrayed those who showed them kindness or mercy. It is a romantic notion to believe that we can change someone, our love, our words can change what a person  is. Our love and words may make an impact but never are they enough to change someone. Our nature is at the very core of us upon which our personality is built. Changing what lies at the core of us is a near impossible task.

So yes, for me it is nature that emerges against all adversity, no matter our nurture.