Heaven on earth

In my opinion Kashmir is not the heavenly place it is touted to be. The place I stand in can be rightly termed heaven on Earth. I am talking about Uttarakhand, a state that is so beautiful and picturesque that it attracts people from all around the world. I’ve had the privilege of visiting this place twice, once to scale the Kedarkantha peak and the second time to explore the Har ki Dun valley. I happened to go right after my exams and to be honest it was the best decision I’ve made so far. Words cannot really do justice to what I experienced here. It was infallible. Let me give you a description of my journey.

We arrived at our base camp Sankri, a small village known for its tea stalls and ‘baba noodles’. (otherwise known as magi) From  my balcony, I had the stunning view of the mighty Himalayas , looking as pure as ever. What captured my attention the most here was the friendly nature of the people. They were so talkative and inquisitive about what city life was like and moreover were always ready to help. As we began the trek the next day, I was both excited and a little scared. I had scaled heights before but then again you can’t help but have butterflies in your stomach when you’re on the verge of starting something new. We walked past wide expanses of coniferous forests and I was enjoying it thoroughly. It was so silent and serene, I felt like I was at peace with myself. Lord Byron rightly said, “There is a rapture in the pathless woods.” When you’re in the forest, your thoughts become more clear, you gain different perspectives and you really begin to appreciate life for the little things. Besides, I  was hiking with a group of people who were older than me and they proved to be pretty insightful as well. As we went higher, we came across plenty of streams and rivers. The water here is so fresh, it tasted divine. You feel like you’ve merged with nature. For this brief period of time, I forgot about all my worries. I was content and satisfied.  It felt good to be away from the city lights and skyscrapers for a change. The tents became my second home. We learnt how to light a fire, cook and basically survive in the wild. The mountains in the backdrop were a vital source of inspiration for us to finish the hike.

What sets the place apart from the others I have visited is the fact that it is so green, blue and white. There are no shades of inbetween. That’s precisely how clean it is. There is some kind of strange magic in the air which does not permit you to leave the place. On our way back, we passed Oshla village known for its monasteries and cute houses made of granite tiles. We spent some time interacting with the kids of the village and also played cricket with them. The place has an amazing appeal to it. Given another chance, I would definitely come back again.

Growing Up

Growing up is an inevitable part of the endless circle of life. Even though we'd all like to claim that we're still kids at heart,no matter what our age is,lets face it guys,we  have to mature at some point.(or maybe not :P )
So recently,I went about asking random people what growing up meant to them and got a couple of interesting responses.

1."Growing up is being able to watch A-rated and uncensored movies.Something that I longed to do as a teen"-Probably the most cliche answer one could give,I thought.

2."Growing up is getting lesser hours of sleep,and getting hit by insomnia more often"-this person is definitely a workaholic :P

3."Growing up is replacing good old cartoons like Flinstones or Jetsons with shows like Game Of Thrones and Suits"-gosh,I really miss those.

4."Growing up is getting more conscious of your physical appearance,something that we were least bothered about as a kids"-very true

5."Growing up is eating less candy and drinking more coffee"-couldn't agree more

6."Growing up is more gaming,especially FIFA"-thanks for letting me know,my aversion towards FIFA keeps increasing by the day.

7."Growing up is hating pants"-this guy won me over,by far my favourite response,hahah!

Have a good day :D

Broken

We are all helpless, shattered souls, living in a world of misery.
 More often than not, we don't know who we are or the purpose of our existence.
 We recognize ourselves based on the opinion of our peers and family.
 We begin to lose our self-identity and self-worth.
How important is it to appear in the good books of others?
To be approved by Society?
Why is it that we lose our inner soul to people who claim to be our so called 'soul mates'?
 No one knows what one is like from within. Everyone is flawed.
We have no right to judge why people act the way they do, for there is a reason behind everything. Even though it might be unknown to the rest of the world.
 Circumstances force us to change and make us people we don't want to be.
Who would have imagined  a day like this would come.
A day where confessing seems to be the only outlet to get rid of this horrible, tormenting feeling.

On RAPES AND MORE..

                                           

We live in a so called ‘democracy’ where everyone is given a chance of  expressing their views and opinions ,yet none of it is actually taken into consideration or spurred  into action.We live in a society which is so unsafe for women that even stepping out of the house now seems like an extensive task.We live in a country so rich in tradition, where women are deemed to be ‘goddesses’ but in reality are not given the respect they deserve.We live in a world filled with hypocrites.

The recent rapes have created a surge of panic throughout the country but nothing has been done so far.To say the least,all the hype lasts only for a week after which it vanishes and we forget about the entire incident,or rather try to.And the families of the victims enter a never-ending cycle of striving for justice.(Sadly the case in India)

We have become so accustomed to the word ‘rape’ that whenever we read any article in the newspaper regarding it,we turn insensitive.Psychologists term this as ‘narcotisation’-wherein a  heavy dosage of negative news such as rapes or robberies portrayed on the front page of papers make users immune to the shock of such deviant action by wrong doers.It’s not that we don’t care,it’s just that we know we are helpless and can’t do anything about it. Campaigns are held after every heinous crime committed,but honestly speaking,what good does it do?Probably creates more awareness ,that’s all.It is extremely frustrating how everyone is so  easily let out on bail,irrespective of the  intensity of the crime committed.When will things change?When will we get answers?No one knows.

As unlikely as this might  sound,I just hope to see a brighter,happier future with a reduction in crime rate.I have nothing more to say.

This is a beautiful short film that I think everyone must watch.

Putting the jigsaw pieces back together

Being 'content'. The word has different connotations for different people. We are so occupied with our lives,so overpowered by ambition that we forget how to live. We lose opportunities and try to gain them back. We enter a constant cycle of struggle.Life is a series of journeys,they say. We are always trying to get somewhere ,without knowing what we really desire. But how many of us are actually happy during the transition period?How many of us have 'been there' and 'done that' when we really wanted to?

And then one fine day...

The scattered jigsaw puzzle falls back in place. The shattered pieces of glass are glued back together. The black clouds finally fade , giving way to a ray of light. You have just found a prudent solution to the major identity crisis you've been dealing with for several years. Monday morning blues cease to exist because you completely adore your work. Your 'monotonous' routine is now replaced by 'adventurous'. You are no more conscious of what people think about you.You have found a purpose and direction and the world seems like a far better place. You sleep well at night and have dreams that brighten up your day. The little things in life bring you immense joy. For instance,finding an unexpected piece of cake in your fridge.
Serendipity. Bliss. These are words that govern your life now.

If this is the case, you, dear reader,  are in the process of pursuing happiness. And if not,you need to find a way of getting there real soon.
Dare to dream and face reality,because no one can build your story but you, yourself. So you might as well build a good one.

-Varuna

Benefit Of Doubt ?

She ran through the dark alley and stopped for breath. It was around 1:00 a.m. Her cellphone was dead and she didn't know whom to contact. The only thing running through her mind was whether she would be alive tomorrow. Whether she would be able to live a peaceful,happy life like she had always imagined. Right now her life was at stake and little did she know what was in store for her. After collecting her thoughts,she decided to take the subway to 49 Wellington street. Perhaps she'd be able to find someone who could help her there?

She heard the footsteps approaching her. It got louder with every passing moment. With her heart in her throat,she mustered up the courage to start running again. Her heels were aching. She was exhausted after a long day at work. She only wished she had left her workplace a little earlier with her peers. She wouldn't have to go through this ordeal then. As she began to lift her bags off the ground,she saw the shadow of a man being cast on the wall. He was well-built.There was no way she would be able to fight him. She had lost all hope and was pretty sure this was going to be her last day.

He  paced forward. She kept moving away. He had a bewildered look on his face. He finally broke the deafening silence."Madam, I suppose this is your purse?You dropped it on the way."

As unlikely as this might seem in the real world,I think sometimes,just sometimes, we need to keep an open mind and look beyond what we really see.The world might not be that bad a place after all.

Superficiality

Frustrated,unhappy and highly disillusioned.

She woke up one day only to find herself in tears. "People are terrible,and bad things happen all the time", her mother had warned her on many occasions.She  never really thought there would come a day when she would be experiencing it herself.

We as humans,have an innate tendency of clinging onto  things or people that do us no good .We find it so difficult to think beyond them.Our mind is always pre-occupied with thoughts that are redundant ,thoughts which have no purpose,but still find a way of creeping into our brains,giving us sleepless nights.

People around  are always going to be insecure,insensitive and obscure.They will do literally anything (and when I say ANYTHING,I really mean it )to make you feel inferior and unworthy.There are times where you might feel exceptionally lonely,lost in thought and living in a world of your own,oblivious to your surroundings and everything in it.Trust me,that's normal.Do you feel like you don't fit in with the rest of  "them"? It's alright,great people never do.You might have committed some serious mistakes while judging people or while making friends,but that's fine as long as you have the courage to rectify and realize your fault.Somehow there is always a facade,a superficial veil that hangs around  a person which gives you a completely different impression about them.In reality however,they turn out to be the complete opposite and  probably even the biggest hypocrites.

Attachment kills,because change is so constant.As pessimistic as I may sound,these people will never change.The best possible solution is to move on ,letting go of all the memories.