can you vish?

Imagine you are visiting a cafe. You sit down at a table. A waiter offers you a menu card. You order an orange juice without sugar. Ten minutes later, the waiter returns and serves you a glass of orange juice. You take a sip. You realize that the juice has sugar. The waiter has either forgotten or ignored your request. Now, if you are someone who is uncomfortable with confrontations, you would probably curse your luck and have the juice with the added sugar. But most people would choose to raise the issue with the waiter. They asked for a product and are paying for it, and they are within every right to question if the establishment fails to provide what was promised. Forget raising the issue amicably, we have seen people taking to social media, ranting about how they have been deceived by some restaurants, who gave them chicken when they had asked for vegetarian food. Again, the customer has the right to demand what they want and hold the provider accountable if they fail to do so. Th...

  Since the ancient days of Stone Age Beside the river, flourished a village. Many lived and died within that sphere, Several forgotten, while some were held dear In this village, with its days long and balmy Lived a man who went by the name Swamy Devoid of duties, he wandered without a thought “Spare me your time”, to the villagers he besought Those who saw through, avoided him like a plague The gullible obliged, though his intentions were vague Perched on a rock, to those who listened he told his tales Two truths and a lie, blended well like fine cocktail Drunk on his tales, the crowd pondered to reward him how It was then decided, to gift him a healthy cow Swamy was pleased, the cow gave him plentiful milk He served hot tea, to the listeners and for all of that ilk His tales now turned fiery, and his crowd began to grow He shouted and screamed - "the village needed to know" The tales hit them hard, and the people did shudder Hot tea kept brewing, milk flowing from tired ud...

But your concerns come loaded with all sorts of conditions You first check who was wronged - their background and traditions Your heads bow in sorrow, for the kids buried in Gaza Yet your prayers miss the women, who’re stripped of rights in Khorasan You get enraged over cow meat, beating up people in dozens Couldn’t care less for your folks, whose homes went down by bulldozers You raise slogans for banning art, as your God was slightly ridiculed Yet your throats dry like a miracle, when your priests got those kids abused  Its a war or an invasion - if it’s “your people” who’re gettin bombed Just a rightful dispute - if the tables were indeed turned Why these conditions in your concerns, why be selective in your grievances? Would it cost to stand with the wronged lot - no matter the differences?  

 If you know me personally, you might also know that I am a regular at the International Film Festval of Kerala, held annually in December at Thiruvananthapuram (and if you don’t know me personally, just read the first sentence). A habit that started during my Thiruvananthapuram days in 2016, I look forward and try to attend the week long celebration of cinema - unless life or a killer virus gets in the way. Prologue Since the dates for the next fest are officially announced during the conclusion of the current fest, what follows is an year long wait. Nothing significant happens for the most part of the year, so let us skip ahead to November - when the registration opens for delegates. Yes, we know that there are over ten thousand delegate passes and registration window usually lasts days - still most of my friends (and I) hit the servers with a passion  until our registrations go through. Once that is done, the wait begins for the schedule to be released - where we would come...

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 longer at work, chasing the raise as reward. The boss denied the hike, they'd to grease the hands of those in power. People in power built a megashrine, seeking votes as reward. The masses denied the votes, they'd 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...

"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. ...

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...

You might have come across this joke that has been doing rounds for years now. Let me tell it to you nevertheless. It unfurls in a classroom, where the teacher is conducting an exam. The students are to write an essay on coconut trees. (What other topic to write on in a state named after coconut trees!) While all the kids went gaga over it, Veer was yet to write a word. Veer was not from the state named after coconut trees, and he knew scant about those. This is not to imply that his was a gone case. He decided to make up for his lack of knowledge in coconuts by leveraging his extensive knowledge about cows. This is how we wrote his essay: Coconut trees are good trees. We have a coconut tree in our backyard. My uncle ties our cow to the coconut tree in the afternoon. The cow gives us milk everyday. My uncle loves our cow very much... In a system that rewards on the basis of the number of words written rather than the sense it carries, Veer passed the test in flying colors. He later...