V- Voracious

There lived a poor man in a small town in the state of Gujarat. He worked as a laborer in various fields; dug wells did whatever menial job he could find. Doing this, he made 5000 a month but given the demands of his family, he always fell short of money. No, his family wasn’t greedy but he had four children out which three of them ate the food the amount of two families in a month, in just one week! It was only after when their fourth baby was born, and the increase in the abnormal weight within the first year made them realize that it is in the family. His first daughter is normal and isn’t overweight. But the second one, Yogita (age 5)weighs around 34 kg, next one, Anisha, (age 3) weighs 48kg and his son, Harsh, who is 18 months old weigh 15 kg.

Source

These children are addressed as ‘sumo babies’ by the neighbors. The man in the house makes every possible effort to make his family feed as much as he can. The children start making noises and cry as well if they feel hungry and aren’t fed at that time.

The mother stays in the kitchen all the time and gets frustrated as well sometimes, but then realizes how frustrating it is for her children to not being able to meet their hunger. The children are hungry all the time.

“Yogita and Anisha eat 18 flatbreads, 1.4kg of rice, two bowls of soup, six packets of crisps, five packs of biscuits, 12 bananas and a litre of milk daily. And their extreme hunger means their mother Pragna Ben, 30, spends most of her day making their meals. She said: "My day starts with making 30 chapatis and 1kg vegetable curry in the morning. After that, I am again in the kitchen preparing more food. Their hunger never stops. They demand food all the time and cry and scream if they’re not fed. I am always in the kitchen cooking for them.” Read more: https://www.naij.com/423311-parents-of-the-worlds-heaviest-children-tell-their-story.html

 The family did get a little help from the government and got the weight loss surgery done but it didn’t help much and now due to lack of funds, the father is now going to sell his kidney in order to make a fund for his morbidly obese three children’s treatment.

Initially, when their daughter was weak, they fed her more and more, due to which she got indulged in the habit of eating voraciously.

The man feels helpless. He can see how harmful it is going to get for his daughters in the future and yet the only option he is left with, is feeding them day and night.

When I discussed this with a couple of people, their response kind of shocked me. People suggested, that the family to give their children to an orphanage or ask anyone to adopt them or simply send them away rather than selling the kidney! Sometimes, I feel how can people simply suggest of abandoning the child when they are parents themselves! I fail to put myself in their shoes and understand their perspective. Parents do every possible thing that they can in the world, for their children. Sending them away would be the last thing to do! 

All I wish for the family is to get the right treatment for their children and find a solution to overcome this huge problem.

You can read more about it here and see the video below:

Cheers
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Welcome to my Blog! This A to Z Challenge, my theme is ‘Let’s see the other Side’. Through this theme, I'm trying to giving voice lot of things that go around us and yet I can't do much to bring about the change. I feel, sharing my thoughts in my space here will somewhere make someone think and bring about the change we all want to see!
where I’ll be sharing about the daily nuances that we’ve been seeing in the same way since 1990’s! (:P) But this time you’re going to ponder over it a bit differently.

Feel free to express your thoughts and I'd be all ears!

I hope you have a great time here!

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I- Identity

Recently, I met a girl who goes door to door to give salon services to people right at their home, trying to meet her ends meet. The pricing of her products is way cheaper than you can ever expect but the work she does is beyond excellent!

Getting your arms and legs waxed at as low as 200 bucks! What, is it 1990 or something?

Yup that’s true and now you can close your wide open mouth!

She’s married right now but didn’t stop with her work. There was a lot of hassle that her family had to face in getting her married. Why you wonder? A couple of reasons there are.

One, she is black! And by black, I mean a shade just lighter than hair. Two, she has a big scar on her face because of an accident she met when she was a child. And it hasn’t healed as yet. Enough reasons to not get tied, right?

After stuffing tons of dowry, she finally got married. Like every one of us, she too had lots of dreams. She wasn’t very fond of her work and thought of quitting it after marriage.

Source

But fate had different plans for her. Her husband made good money but didn’t give her a single penny. And on top of that, she couldn’t produce children. Her in-laws kept saying bitter things to her every now and then and once tried to burn her as well, for she wasn’t good looking, she had scars and now she couldn’t give them their heir! Basically, she was good for nothing in their family and there was no use of her in the house.

She couldn’t go back to her parents. They wouldn’t take her. She didn’t have the audacity to leave her husband.

With a lot of courage, she decided to start the parlor services by going door to door, so that she could have something in her pocket. But there too, she couldn’t try her luck much! Even after being a pro, not many people wanted to get the services done by her because of the way she looked! What will others think? What kind of people do we call in our houses? The ladies of the society, what will they make out of us if they come to know about it? And so on...

That was the reason behind charging peanuts from her customers. At least, in the lure of cheap services, they would give her some work!

It took a really long time in the neighborhood to accept the way she was.

But because her work was good, she kind of survived and now keeps busy all day. She leaves her house at 11 in the morning and comes home at 9. She has a new identity now. An identity she created for herself.

Anyone who wanted to call her would ask in the neighborhood for the ‘ugly, black parlor girl, one who provides services at cheaper prices’!

And she didn’t mind any of it for she was getting work and that is what mattered!

And there I was, so much pinched, filled with so much agony about how shallow have we become as humans! I saw her struggle, I saw her commitment, beyond the color and the scar, I saw the desire in her to make a good life and for that, she was willing to go any level. But none of that helped. Because most of her clients couldn’t look beyond her skin tone!

We only see what is shown and never look beyond that. We only think about ourselves and crib if things don’t work our way. So much blessed we are for the kind of life we have and still we don’t feel happy! I read this somewhere and it makes so much sense, that I’d like to share it here.

‘People were meant to be loved and things were meant to be used. We live in times where things are being loved and people are being used!’

Can you resonate with this post? Tell me more about it!

Cheers

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This A to Z Challenge, season I’m going to give you a ride and take you to all the places untouched! My theme this year is ‘Let’s see the other Side’, where I’ll be sharing about the daily nuances that we’ve been seeing in the same way since 1990’s! (:P) But this time you’re going to ponder over it a bit differently.

Stay tuned to find out what's more in store!

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Let's see the Other Side: Theme Reveal #AtoZChallenge

A to Z Challenge is like the biggest mela that happens once in a year round the globe! The baap of all the challenges has become such a massive affair not just because of the huge numbers that sign up for it, but more so because the madness it creates and the thrill it brings around the globe. And believe me, the number keeps on rising every year!

This is the third year in a row of my A to Z experience, and I can’t be any happier. When I participated the first time, everything was haywire. There was no theme, no posts scheduled and no planning at all. And yet the challenge was fun! That's the magic of AtoZ!

The second year, I chose a theme and scheduled a few posts beforehand. Choosing a theme gives a lot of perspectives and makes your write ups more sorted. Sure, I was running behind after a few scheduled posts! 

And here I am for the third year now. I’m sure it’s going to be equally fun! As I am writing this, a kind of anxiousness is running behind my mind because I haven’t scheduled a single post as yet! 

Don’t know how it’s going to unfurl this year?! Until this moment, I was having second thoughts about continuing with this theme, but I think I'll go for it!

Now, time to reveal the theme for April AtoZ Challenge, 2017. Can we have the drum rolls, please!

My theme for this year is: 

Let’s look things differently!

Yes, this year, I want to bring out the things where we see things in a conventional way and yet every story has its own side, the one which we fail to see and draw conclusions. Every day, there will be instances that will bring us to the reality we all live in. By writing on this theme, I hope it will change things a bit, give new dimensions to our perspective and help us be those compassionate individuals who’re willing to be the change in our society and make it a better place!

Get ready to get on the magical ride of the daily nuances that happen in all our lives. If only, we pay them to heed and see on a positive note! Some will be happy ones while some would make you ponder for a lot of things that prevail in our society.  

I hope you enjoy reading the posts, as much as I’d enjoy writing them! Stay tuned!

Have a month full of reading and writing!

Cheers  

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Should I walk on you?

Source

As I stand here

On this long path 

Obscure, undiscovered and untamed

I see my whole life ahead

Waiting for me 

To unleash 

The possibilities

And make a life 

Full of dreams turning into realities!
Should I walk on you? 

There's a long way to go

And I should choose happiness 

Above everything else.

Now it may seem hard

But that's the right thing to do

For they say

If it's good, it's never going to be easy!
Should I walk on you? 

I tried

A lot,

But can't anymore! 

Why does it feel so difficult? 

Choosing your own happiness 

Why does it sounds 

so Selfish? 

I know

I won't be happy 

If it stays the way it is.

Sure we need to 

Pay the price 

For things we choose

for Ourselves! 

Should I walk on you? 

~G

Linking with Friday Reflections

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Angels into Demons

The moment I close the doors

Of my room,

And am left with me all alone

The room is filled with nothing but gloom!

The angels that were dancing in the daylight

Get all melancholic, laughing at my plight

That’s when the demons come out in the dark

And show me the reality that is so stark!

‘You’re good for nothing’

‘Nothing good have you ever done in your life,

Not a single thing’

‘You will have to wait more for your happiness’

Thoughts like these bring out all the snappiness!

No Facebook newsfeed, no tweets on Twitter,

No snaps on Snapchat, and no updates on Insta,

Nothing seems to distract away the vicious thoughts

Nothing that can vanish away the woes, no friends, no folks, not even siesta!

The more you’ll lock up yourself,

The more you’re going to get trapped

Go out and breathe away the fresh air

Glow in the sunshine and get all wrapped!

And then I open my heart

And walk my way, for a new start

Finding my inspiration, with hopes held high

Walk past the demons with relief and give a sigh!

 Cheers

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Bitter Sweet Life

The other day this thought crossed my mind. And it made me realise things change so fast around us and we don’t even notice. But when realisations strike, it obviously gets too late!

So many things change when we grow up. And we become the kinds we never thought we would. Our circle gets limited. We become less understanding and more judging. We give less and expect more. For every ounce of stuff done around us. We’re always surrounded by things neck deep that we barely get time for our loved ones. And so, we don’t call them either. Rather, wait for the other one to make an effort and if the other doesn’t, it becomes our birthright to blame them for being busy and not calling us or not making an effort.

Convenient, isn’t it?

From the times in the school, when sharing about your first crush, or first boyfriend or the many firsts, that used to be the highlight of the day, without which we wouldn’t be able to digest our food, and was the top priority to get it out somehow, to the times when we fight our scariest demon... all alone! And the worst part is we start hiding things. Coz of the fear of being judged, or probably to display that our life is perfect. That we know how to deal with stuff around us!

I don’t know what is it and more importantly, why it is like this!

Things change. Relationships change. Priorities change.

|Something that once seemed so evil becomes the only drug to keep you going.

I, for one, used to be the most caring person around. I used to think about others before myself. I still do. I used to be the one making calls on birthdays to wish the person not-so-special (I've stopped doing that), the one who was always ready to sacrifice and suffer, the one who’d never put herself before anyone else, the one who couldn’t live without her friends, the one whose yapping used to be her thing, the one who couldn’t resist sharing the minutest of details happening in her life. Sharing the particulars of the most silly things that can happen in one’s life, to obviously the ones that are truly worth sharing. And today, when I look at myself, I feel so different. Part of that person inside me has taken a slow death!

I barely text my friends, let alone call them. And I don’t even regret that. If someone calls, it’s fine by me. But that urge to take that extra effort, it doesn’t come. I’m still figuring why?

But the good part is during this process, the ones who are truly yours will always come to you and that makes you happy. Really happy.

Recently, I saw this word and it resonated with my state of mind so well that I want to share it here.

Yes, sometimes I feel Exhaustipated!

I don’t care about things and I feel okay about it! People, who know me well, know how strange it is for me to feel this way.

And this year, the resolution that truly is the highlight and the one I’m religiously working on, is to ‘Speak less’! Yes, you heard that! Loud and clear.

Not that I’m trying to change who I am, but trying to change certain habits that have been doing more harm than good! And no one is responsible for it, but me. Whenever I end up feeling bad, I realize it’s all because of me that I felt the way I did. I’m not blaming anyone, nor am I pointing fingers at anyone, all I’m saying is there are certainly things that I should change about myself, coz no one but me will be the one getting hurt the most!

And in between, I look forward to discovering more of myself. I’m sure it’s going to be worth it.

I think it’s enough for today. Tell me about yourself.

Have you ever done this? Tried to change something about yourself and the way it turned out to be? 

Was it good? Was it worth the try? Share with me all your wisdom and I am all ears here!

Does this post resonate with you? Let me know either way.

Cheers

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8 Things 2016 taught me

2016 had mostly been a rough year for many of us. For me, it was good in a lot of aspects, yet was quite sluggish towards the end. The joy 2015 on the writing front was nullified in 2016 :P. There were some great travel stories, fun, surprises and a few lessons which I would want to take forward. Sure I am going to share them here on myspace. C'mon, now let's explore them.

1. Your family is the one only who truly loves you the way you are. Everyone else will always do/say things against you at one point in life.

2. No one really cares about things they say they do. 

3. Your work always speaks for you, more than ever you can say for yourself. Love doing it. 

4. Commitment is important. It will always make you a better person. A better version of you. 

5. No one but you can help yourself. Love yourself and discover the power within you. 

6. Try to limit your words. Yes, it's coming from me (:P). This year, I shall be looking towards the art of speaking less. 

7. Observe people around. Watch out their actions. Be more vigilant. This is something, I really really need to learn. Being gullible hasn't been a very positive thing for me. I just believe what people say or show. But there's always more to it. Which I fail to understand or simply just ignore. 

8. Fight for your dreams. At the end of the day, they'll be the ones that will give you peace of mind. 

Writing sure is therapeutic.

I feel happy after writing. And I shall be doing it more often now. Enough of going into the space of not writing!

Looking forward to a lot of things in terms of writing in 2017, which I couldn't do last year. Happy New Year.

What were your lessons from the year gone? Anything you wanna share? 

Happy Reading

Cheers 

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Climb

Linking with Haiku Horizons

Cheers

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Haiku is a traditional form of a Japanese poetry that consists of 3 lines, following a 5-7-5 syllable rule (first and third line 5 syllables, middle line 7 syllables). They don’t necessarily have to rhyme.

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Late-twenties crisis: Are you having one? #MondayMusings

Somehow, I’ve started speaking less.

It surely sounds like a relief to the people around me but this thing is kind of taking a toll on me. It is affecting me big time.

Sometimes I wonder am I moving towards depression? What is it that is going wrong in my life? Or what is it that is bothering me so much?

Everything, almost everything around me is in good shape and yet I don’t feel that joy. Even if there is a sense of happiness, it is temporary.

I don’t feel like going out, I don’t feel like meeting my friends and even if I do, I barely speak with them and I mostly prefer to stay mum. And yes, I do cry for no reason. Tiniest of things affect me, my sensitivity is at its epitome! All of it is so UNLIKE me! Countless thoughts revolve around the orbit of my brain and it’s difficult to find an escape. These thoughts are usually negative.

I’m turning into a woman I don’t like. My zeal to do things seems to flicker, the emphatic nature that I have seems to fade away, finding joys in others joys seems like a task, I get unhappy with what I have and wish for things (not necessarily materialistic) that others have!

All this is because I’m speaking less. And I don’t really know why! I always have expressed my heart out, talking to people has been my forte, and meeting them and feeling good has always been on my plus side! And now, suddenly, it seems incomplete.

I know it in my heart when I’m back to my usual self, all of this crap will go away!

Not that I have a lot of free time, a lot is going on but that volition to be good, do things, entertain people, be the heart and soul of my friends is languishing.

Yesterday, I met a dear friend after a really long time. And she was busy on her phone mostly and I was bored and thus ended up being on my phone! Again so unlike me!

I was home after being at my mum’s place for a couple of days and coming home meant happiness, it meant seeing my husband after a while. It was bliss. I loved having him around and things were going pretty smooth between us. And yet, I got pissed on such a petty thing. And spoilt my mood. And mind you, he was nowhere at fault. It was all in my head, all the futile, baseless thoughts that I keep having, that botch up everything around me, every time!

Is it depression? Are these the symptoms? Or is it the late-twenty crisis? Or are my planetary situations a bit deviated from their paths (if only there is a sound reason behind it)? I don’t know it yet and I don’t feel like finding out either!

The situation is not that worse, but it’s not good on the other hand! Something is bothering me, I just don’t know it yet!

Does this ring a bell with you? Have you felt something like this? What did you do? How did you escape? You gotta tell me! It really is affecting me!

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Free you, Happy You!

To the woman in my dreams

To the one, I want to be

I strive hard to come near you

But fail miserably in an attempt or two!

Handling situations

And fighting the odds with grace

Accepting things beyond my control

Make peace and be ace!

To love with compassion

And have the wisdom to fathom the world

To indulge in things and people

Living the life of inspiration is waiting to be unfurled!

To the long strides, I take

And the dream to take that perfect gait.

My head high and shoulders straight

Sparkling eyes, as I walk with aplomb.

To create magic in the words

I dream to stand out from the herd

Nothing in the world

Can stop inside that flying bird!

Yes, it’s a task

A journey through life

But I assure to meet you

One day, some day!

            - Geetika

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Reflections... Hello July

It’s been a couple of months I haven’t penned anything specific on my blog. A post a month here and there and I was done. Right after the giant A to Z, something got into me! I don’t know what? But I just couldn’t write... At all! Period.

Though I did write a few notes on my phone but they weren’t worth sharing with you guys. In the beginning, I felt guilty. For not writing. 

Every time I saw my laptop, guilt crept in. It felt as if it was calling my name and begging me to use it for writing! But I didn’t listen to it, obviously!

Few of my work got published, and I was happy to know and yet it didn’t do anything to my writing mojo! Strange, right?

And somewhere in between, me blaming the burning heat and the arrival of frugal monsoons, time passed, and so did my guilt.

Off late, I felt I had a lot of free time on my hands, only to realize that I wasn’t reading and writing. Then what was I doing exactly?

O yes, I travelled a bit, shopped a lot, had relatives over, so you see, I wasn’t that free as well!

Two months back, my mother had undergone a surgery. Knee replacement. So I stayed with her for a couple of weeks. She is doing fine but the initial few days when she was home, were difficult.  The amount of pain that she had to bear used to kill me. She truly is a fighter. And I am so lucky to be her daughter. I just wanted to make her happy, pamper her, do everything for her and give her utmost comfort. I did try my best, but obviously, the pain couldn’t be lessened.

After coming back, I was travelling again. This time to Kolkata. Mind you, it was the first trip I took with my MIL and SIL without my husband. And for my MIL, it was a huge step, travelling without her husband... but she did. And it was fun. Full of shopping, hogging street food, chit-chatting, rushing here and there, late night sleep and so on and like that the trip was over... only to make plans for another place, somewhere more touristy: P

Classes are back on track and it barely rains here. And I hate it. Results were out and my students performed well. I couldn’t be any happier.

And it’s July already! 6 months gone!!! I wonder where?

How did June treat you? And the remaining months?

P.S: I wondered if someone misses me from the blogging world when I don’t write. Has my writing made an impact on anyone? Who cares, if no post was shared in these two months? And in these moments of self-doubt, came a wonderful blogger and an incredible human being, rescuing me and telling me that she missed me! At least someone did!

Thank you, Parul. This post is dedicated to you. I hope not to go back in hibernation mode :P

Linking with Vidya Sury's Gratitude Blogshop

Cheers

Geets 

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O- Optimism

It was summer of 2007 when Rohan learned he didn’t make through his JEE exams.

He was devastated with no hopes.

All he had was Riya, his only saviour.

Next twelve months were all about hard work, perseverance and lots of motivation. He gave away his phone, cut down the break time, increased the study hours and cut all his contacts except Riya, his only source of inspiration and support system.

A year passed and so did Rohan with excellent numbers. It was for Riya and her faith in him that made him cross the boundaries he never thought he would.

Linking with A to Z Challenge 2016

Cheers
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I am participating in April A to Z Blogging Challenge and my theme for this year is Feelings and Emotions in 101 words. This year I'm also a supporter on co-host AJ’s team as wHooligans, along with Shilpa Garg, LuAnn Braley and Doreen McGettigan. Keep visiting, keep sharing and keep showing the love in the comments box ;)

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Year of Firsts that was 2015

As I sit with my laptop, thinking about how 2015 went by, the only thing that comes to me is how glorious the year turned out for me. 2015 was perhaps, the most resplendent year of my life, both in terms of my personal and professional life. It was a year that satiated the dreamer in me. Yes, there were specks of sorrows as well, but then what’s true happiness if there’s no sadness? And I am glad I could overcome all of it and didn’t let my fiery spirit die. There are so many things that I am grateful for, so much that 2015 has given me, of course, I had to jot it down and embrace everything around!

Here’s listing below my learning’s, my gratitude this year-

1. It was a year of so many Firsts! My first post being published on web, first win at Writer’s Ezine, my first post winning at Blogadda along with being published at Women’s Web and attending a conference for the same, celebrating first Teacher’s Day, asked to review a book for the first time, receiving a gift from Secret Santa for the first time, first Tangy Tuesday pick at Blogadda, receiving the first bloggeraward, celebrating Friendships Day first time with Myself, having the first WOW post, being published at Story Mirror. Gosh! It truly was a year of Firsts! Not to mention my story and poems have made to the anthology this year which shall be published soon! And as I write this post, I realize there is a glow of happiness on my face, which I completely devour.

2. I realized as and when you grow, it’s hard to maintain that same level of your friendship alive. It takes lot many efforts for things to remain the same. But friends are the wonderful family one can ever have. They will be there through your thick and thin and I am so glad to have them.

3. When I read my reflections post of January this year, I found out about being so paranoid about my writing, and the ritual to maintain it. Today, I only laugh at it, but somewhere deep down, I am still worried, and yet there exists so much of gratification inside me for completing it religiously.

4. One thing that I am really willing to carry forward next year is the fact it is you and only you who can help yourself more than anyone in the world. There will be people who will try to bring their hands forward, but you can blossom only if you’re willing to. And that power lies inside you. As they say, to get something you’ve never got before, you need to make efforts you’ve never made before! Makes sense?

5. I learnt that if you’re quiet about something, and don’t have the habit of exaggerating too much, you’re going to be taken lightly! Yes. You heard me right! Anything, that you do, you constantly need to remind others what you did, otherwise they forget easy. But then I feel, it’s not always about accentuating what you do; it is more about doing anything that comes straight from heart! I am really confused on this. Any suggestions from you?

6. This year helped me learn a lot about myself, my family, and the dynamics about how things works, and it is all for good.

7. Technology, it does connect with the ones far from you, but takes you far from the ones sitting near you. I realized everything on social media (or may be most of it) is a sham! Nothing is perfect in the world. No one is. Egging upon sharing every iota detail of your life only makes you look desperate. Come out of the virtual world, and embrace the real world around you. I am not saying that it is bad, but getting addicted to it is bad.

8. In life, there is nothing gray for me. It is either black or white. This year I hope to discover the gray area as well. For my own good. It’s important to understand the politics that goes around you and in order to avert yourself from it, you need to move to the gray area and understand it first.

9. Family comes first, no matter what. It was a year of revelation for me. There were a few things where I thought my family would barely understand me, but they were way more ahead in taking action for the problems that circled me.

10.  I can never express the amount of love I have been showered upon this year. Boosting my inner self and having the confidence to take things a step ahead is what this year has taught me.

I’m sharing my #TalesOf2015 with BlogAdda.

How was your 2015? What is that one thing that you wish to take forward for 2016? Share with me and I’ll be more than happy!

Wishing you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Cheers 

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Do they work?

Do you believe in making New Year Resolutions?

Yes, of course I do! It was for these New Year resolutions only I strive so hard to be where I thought I’d be at the end of the year. When I look back, I realize, had I not taken these resolutions seriously, God knows, where I’d be wasting time?! These goals, they set your path and give you directions.. all you need to do is follow them. They keep you focused and make you devoid of all the distractions.. Well that indeed is a great power that comes with New Year resolutions. A few incomplete goals are carried forward for next year and the completed ones leave you with immense gratification.

I am waiting for the New Year to come, bringing new hopes and new goals to fulfil.

There was a time when I was very irregular with my goals.. they used to be there on the list, but were in an On and Off position! But not anymore! One thing that I have made sure post marriage is to be very incessant with my goals and New Year resolutions helped me keep them on track.

Do these New Year resolutions work for you? Why yes, why no, you got to write in the comments below ;)

Linking with Friday Reflections

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

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