can you vish?

The child raced to finish homework, dreaming of chocolate’s sweet reward. The parent denied the bar - the kid had refused veggies for lunch. The parent lingered late at work, chasing the raise as reward. The boss denied the hike, had to grease the hands of those in power. People in power built a megashrine, seeking votes as reward. The masses denied the votes, they felt the crunch of the missing notes The masses ignored the hate around them, eyeing a spot in heaven as reward. God denied the masses their spots, they’d dined from the forbidden pots.

Last day, I had the misfortune of interacting with the husband of one of my cousins at a family event. Since we’ve already established my feelings toward him, let me clarify that he is not an evil person. It’s just that our ideologies and outlooks toward life could poetically be described as Yin-Yang—completely opposite, with no common ground. That’s fine; everyone is entitled to their vision, as long as they don’t try to claim their vision as the only correct one and attempt to shove it on others who haven’t asked for advice. After exchanging pleasantries, we got down to the “real talk.” He started by asking me why I am still sticking around here (India) and not moving abroad. To set the context, he has been working in the Middle East ever since I first met him at my cousin’s wedding, around fourteen years ago. His wife and kids, who used to live with him, recently moved to Canada, possibly to settle there once he retires. Of course, moving abroad seems to be the trend (or even the no

I am a planner! I like planning things in my life and spend numerous hours researching, analyzing, and comparing different options in front of me to choose the right one. Of late, I’ve realized that even if you choose an option that feels like the best, life’s infinite twists and turns often end up presenting you with something completely different. Nithya and I, like many other like-minded and equally privileged people, make it a point to explore a new corner of the world at least once a year—a piece of earth far from home, where the language, ethnicity, beliefs, culture, or food differ from what we know. This year, when we (and by we, I mean me) started planning, our top destinations were Japan, Georgia, and Vietnam. I put in the hours and created itineraries for each of these places. Drafting itineraries is the fun, exciting part of travel planning. The boring, exhausting part is the visa process and document collection. Both Japan and Georgia required numerous documents, some of wh

"Why do we work?" I’ve often wondered. "For self-fulfillment" is an argument I’ve frequently heard. But I’m not so sure about it because, with work, come commitments, responsibilities, and deadlines. You almost always work for someone. That’s well known in the case of 9-to-6 office workers, but it holds true for most other areas as well. Are you a singer? You sing for those who pay for your concert tickets or stream your songs. Do you play a sport well? You play for those who cheer from the galleries. Do you create sculptures from sand or stone? You build for those who can afford to pay. It’s alright. Resources are limited, and every activity costs us something. And money—well, money comes from those who appreciate what we have to offer. That’s how the world works. As a society, we’ve grown up hearing phrases like "Do what you love," but in reality, it’s more like "Do what will get you money." Life is about living and enjoying the things you love

Inclusivity is a popular term in modern-day discourse. Quite literally, the term inclusive refers to the habit of including everything or all types of people—irrespective of their backgrounds, beliefs, or personal preferences—as long as one’s actions do not cause harm to anyone else. Inclusivity is relevant because it ensures equity, social cohesion, and diversity of thought, which is why most modern-day progressive societies aspire to be as inclusive as possible. So that everyone feels welcome. So that no one feels left out. If you have watched Modern Family, you might know what I am talking about. The show has taken the example of a family and has beautifully incorporated inclusivity into it. You see a divorcee, an interracial couple, a homosexual couple adopting an orphan child, a person who loves dogs living with a person who doesn’t, and your good old traditional family—all living in harmony. Sure, they have their differences. But nobody belittles anyone for their choice of life.

In a bizarre and appalling ruling, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that a man engaging in “unnatural sex” with his wife doesn’t amount to rape, even if it’s non-consensual, as long as the wife was not below fifteen years of age. Upon encountering this disturbing news, I couldn't help but wonder how many levels the observation and the ruling of the court were wrong. The term "unnatural sex" would be the first point of contention. With the Supreme Court striking down the outdated aspects of Section 377, sexual activity between consenting adults was decriminalized, irrespective of their gender. Whatever was previously described as “unnatural sex” has been legal ever since. The fact that the MP High Court uses the term “unnatural sex” to refer to anal sex even in 2024 is unfortunate and problematic. The second point of contention is the observation that the consent of the woman is immaterial in the instance of marital sex. Even though marital rape is not recognized by

 Recently I came across a reel on social media that featured a glimpse from a Michael Jackson music video. Several users had commented under the video, of which one caught my eye. 'No disrespect to any other artists, but Michael Jackson is the greatest artist to have lived, ever,' - said the comment, which had gained validation in the form of likes from thousands of others by then. The comment got me thinking, was it truly the case? Michael Jackson is undoubtedly an artist of legendary status with millions of followers who grew up tapping their feet to the catchy beats of his songs - there is no donut about that. The controversies that surrounded his personal life in his last days disregarding, he would continue to be remembered as one of the world's greatest artists. But, is he really the world's greatest? Or, more importantly - is it possible to determine who the greatest artist ever was? Before I lay down my reasons to contest the aforementioned claim, let me admit t

Context: Deepinder Goyal, the CEO of Zomato, recently announced a "Pure Veg Mode" with a dedicated "Pure Veg Fleet" identified by green boxes. This fleet will only deliver from vegetarian restaurants and won't handle meat products at all. While Zomato claims this caters to strict vegetarians concerned about food origin and handling, existing packaging already keeps orders from different restauarants separate. So, does this new green fleet solve a problem? India is grappling with increasing societal polarization, a kind of dark age. Introducing a color-coded system might create further division. People who already discriminate against meat-eaters could use this to target them. Furthermore, housing societies with existing, illegal vegetarian-only food bans might extend them to red Zomato deliveries. I would not be surprised if a mob attacks a delivery person, alleging they placed meat in the "holier than thou" green boxes. When that day comes, let us rem