ना दर्द खामोश था
ना ये दुनिया बहरी
बस सरकार ने रुई
मुफ्त में बंटवा दी थी

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You see tan, I see travel.

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Last night, as our family sat around the end of the year bonfire, someone talked about the Ship of Theseus and its paradox. About identity and its components, about what is left when everything has been replaced.

As a child, I was tempted to delve into the philosophy of such ideas, postulate complex solutions to thought experiments that challenged the mind and intellect.

Last night, I suddenly realised that the philosophy of the paradox was immaterial. We were allowed to choose the solution that made us happy, the answer that gave us the most joy.

It did not matter whether the ship retained its identity or not. So long as it made us happy, every answer was okay. Every answer was valid.

And thus began my new year. On a note where happiness and joy and bliss mattered the most. Everything else was just background noise. And so is my wish for all you folks...that you find the answers that make you happy, and the wisdom and the strength to let everything else fade into the background. Happy 2021 everyone! It's gonna be a bright new year!

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Buildings Are Fine

Your buildings are fine
The structures you dream of
The pillars you erect
The monuments you demolish
The rubble, the concrete, the bare
Memories of places and times
Baked in bricks
Churned in concrete
Reinforced in steel
Reduced into dust
And ashes
And perhaps a tear
Your buildings are fine
The magnificence transient
The glory a lie
The legacy a trap
And the pain that lingers
And lingers
And lingers on
Your buildings are fine
But the people
It’s the people
Who are not okay
Not anymore
Not in a long time

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Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you will lose. To the ones you love. To the ones you hate. To the World. To yourself. And it is okay. All you have to do is survive. Stay. Live. Don't die. Not today. Not the day after. Not until there is a tomorrow (and I promise you there will be). And you can see it.

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21 Days of Hope

As the lockdown around the world eases, we are entering into one of the most critical phases of our lives.

For a lot of us, this is a do or die situation.

We need to find radical ways to keep going, keep pushing and keep surviving until this crisis is in our rearview mirror.

There is nothing more radical than hope.

We never deem hope as a practical tool. We never consider it the bare essential.

But it is. A necessity. A life skill. The single most important thing that differentiates between survivors and those who throw in the towel.

But hope isn't easy. It isn't an instinct we can summon at will.

We need to learn to harvest and harness hope. We need to practice hope. We need to make hope work.

Let's learn to hope in ways we have never done before. And let's hope that life will follow.

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As we all practice social distancing and take health precautions, we also need spiritual survival strategies to make sure that we stay safe, sane, resilient and happy. Here are a few things we can do to make the best of these troublesome times.

1. Break a few patterns. Do something drastic : These are unprecedented times pushing us towards a radical reset. Pay attention to the signs and start learning to break out of comfort zones. Break routines. Do things you love. Do things you have never tried before. Don't just read a book, try writing one. Don't just play with your kids, try creating something new with them. Don't just cook, try a recipe you'd have never dared to try before. Do something different, daring, drastic!

2. Or Don't Do Anything At All. Relearn to be Useless - For a whole lot of us, being useless is the most radical experiment we will ever indulge in. So, why not do it now? Why not use it to redefine how we justify our existence? Why not break out of productivity trap and do what we want? Or just do nothing at all! Remember, boredom can be the fountainhead of creativity.

Every crisis is an opportunity. But only if we are willing to use it as one! :)

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An Open Letter to My Right Wing Friends Who Are Scared of Losing Friends

I know a lot of RW sympathizers these days have been appealing to separate 'politics'' from 'friendships', urging all of us to not lose friends (having suddenly realized that relentless hatred may have consequences). But you know what, this is not about politics. This is about you being a terrible human being. This is about your hate and bigotry. Stop blaming your politics to hide your personal biases and monstrosity. Because
your Right Wing ideology doesn't make you a bigot. Hate mongering does.

I am a Leftist if that is term you use to brutalize and attack my brethren. I am an Urban Naxal if that is the label you use to disintegrate the unity of my country. I am a Liberal. I am a Muslim. I am a Dalit. I am a student. I am everything you think is in the way of spreading your vile hatred and toxicity. And I am not afraid to lose friends. Because I don't choose them based on their politics. I choose them based on their decency, humanity and compassion. And if you don't make the cut, it is not because of your politics. It is because of you.

(Read full letter in caption)

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I, Bigot
You must have resisted me
On the streets, in the office, in your house
In front of rubber pellets and tear gas
Against a system that refuses to understand

I, Bigot
You must have felt me
Slither in your imagination
Stoking fear of the imaginary ‘other’
Turning your conscience into a gooey, stinky sludge

I, Bigot
You must have met me
Maybe you have been me
But now its all a blur
The world is burning
And you are trapped
In here
With me

(Read the full poem in caption)

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Life is not a movie is a common refrain. But what if it really were, and we just refused to acknowledge it? Art, after all, imitates life, and what is there to say that the best movies we may have watched and love are not a reflection of our own lived moments?

(Full text in description)

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