I speak for

Dear Ira,

Writing another one of those letters. A letter from a mother to her daughter, from a woman to a girl, from one human being to another. Time and again incidents around us are a stark reminder that we have to look out for ourselves and for each other. We women have to find the strength in we. The new year's eve mass molestation case in Bangalore reiterates the safety concerns for women. But what strikes me as a greater concern is the way women folk have reacted to it. There are some poignant , thought provoking reactions, some jingoisms and then some reactions where the onus of safety is completely on the woman and how she should have the common sense to not do things that can put her in harms way. I want you to know Ira that yes, you are responsible for your safety but you are not responsible for someone else's hideous misbehaviour. You have to be smart to know where to go and how to handle situations but you are not responsible because another human being forgets to behave like one. I want you to know that Papa and I intend to enrol you for some self defence course (guess by the time you get around to reading these blogs of mine, you would have already been enrolled:)); because we want you to be prepared to deal with such people but we don't want you to live in fear.

You are a little girl today and tomorrow, you shall be a young woman. But you will remain our little girl. We want you to be brave, strong, smart. We want you to embrace life for what it is, to be loving, caring and giving. This poem is for you and every other little girl around.

Love,
Mamma

I speak for myself

I speak for all women

Learn to say, "No",

Learn to say, "Enough".

Let your voice be heard,

Let your rage be seen.

Break those stereotypes,

Break those shackles.

Dare to dream,

Dare to speak.

Go, travel the world.

Go, live your life.

Be brave, be smart,

Be confident, be assertive.

Know your rights

Know what is wrong.

Do not give in,

Do not give up.

Find your calling,

Find yourself.

Discover the wild you,

Discover the 'child' in you.

Strike that conversation,

Strike that fire within.

Beat that mind set,

Beat those expectations.

Carve your niche,

Carve your path.

Journey untrodden roads,

Journey unexplored ways.

I speak for Ira,

I speak for all girls.

For all of you

For all of you nursing a broken heart.
For all of you in pain, in a daze.
For all of you who are lost,  confused,  bitter.
For all of you suffering in health,
Physical or mental.
For all of you trying to break away from the shackles,
For all of you mourning the loss of someone close,
For all of you anticipating the worst.
Hang in there.
Time will hopefully heal.
Scars will remain. Memories will stay.
You will grow but stronger.
You will come out more resilient.
Embrace this moment, embrace the power within.
Life will go on.

#talkaboutwhatisbotheringyou #findthestrength #forallofyou

#microblogging 

Accidentally yours!

Dear Life,
Monday morning be mundane, be boring, be sluggish! Naah, not for me. Just walking out of the famous malleshwaram orthopaedic clinic. Right ankle ligament tear, thanks to a weird fall on Saturday evening.

Multiple x-rays rules out a fracture ( am I glad or what) and then, a very nice doctor did some bending of the foot and took an x-ray to check for ligament tear! Bingo, there it was. Been advised two weeks of rest and restricted movement and here I had plans for busy social days ahead.

Things will go on, rest shall happen and ligament shall heal. All in good time.

Sprains, tears, miniscule fractures have an affinity towards me. December 2014 saw me being casted in a rohit shetty kind of movie where my auto drove fast near maramma circle, lost balance, rear wheel in air, me out of auto with my left palm on road, being dragged for few seconds...minutes...no idea! Turned out to be a fracture of the thumb and needed a cast for about 6 weeks. I went to the doctor after waiting for a week, because the pain seemed tolerable. But just post the accident, I was unable to gauge the damage and so picked myself up, sat in the auto and went and attended the SHEROES summit 2014 edition. Then by lunch, when the swelling did appear and sense prevailed, I took the cab and got home.

Besides the story that I can tell my future generations, what was a learning was to deal with those 6 weeks believing , All is well! Attended a wedding, some parties, emceed a Gala charity dinner for an NGO that works in the area of education and work continued. The funny thing is when people saw the cast and said, "Bechara, khub betha naa. issshhh... bachcha o choto, khub koshto" ( poor thing, must be painful, baby also small...very troublesome moment). In reply, I said , yes, but will cribbing help me or Ira or Prashant or the world. Ira was about 7 months then but Prashant was completely taking care of her, to ensure I had rest. I only carried her when she insisted.

The bane of being a strong woman ( mental, physical, combi of both... whatever you want to choose) is that we are often required to explain that strength or even show that the strength is a result of some sacrifice crap. But the fact is it is not...I have an allergy to being over dependent or bechari types. I am not perfect, ofcourse there is pain, there is discomfort...but life is too precious to spend time cribbing. And when accidents are part and parcel of life, you may as well take them in your stride.

So, looking forward to the next two weeks. Some interesting meet ups, planning a farewell party, attending some talks! Bring it on I say...One step at a time Ouch...that ligament hurts :)

Accidentally yours,
M
#accidents #life #grateful #crib #existentialtruths