Meet the 'Devil Stereotype' $ 'its allies'

Image Source: racerelations.about.com

Introducing “A Confused Modern Liberal Guy”

He’s wearing a cool T-shirt paired with a low waist jeans; quite an accent he has with fluent English. He was spotted in an up-town restaurant hanging around with some other cool dudes. Now, what’s wrong with checking out hot chics in sexy dresses? Ofcourse, that is natural for young people…

The same guy after several years down the lane…

He’s sitting in the same up-town restaurant. But this time, he is here to meet a girl. Yes! A prospective wife! What? He is not looking out for some hot chic wearing a micro mini. How can he? Tradition and family values are not something unheard of, right? No! No way does he mean that he is not concerned about looks. But hey! He just means that a girl wearing exposing outfits hardly has any regard for culture and values. 

The Hypocrisy, Huh!!!

Introducing “The Half intellectual Chauvinists often mistaken as chivalrous”

Here is a man dressed in a Raymond suit; he is educated, well-behaved, witty and smart. He even pulls the chair for the women sitting across him. The problem arises when he meets a woman wittier and smarter than himself. No! A woman as pretty as her could only be a bimbo. How dare she come up with ideas more intelligent than mine? The beautiful damsels are only meant to be the eye candies. How dare she speak over a man?

Oops the Ego! Slap, Slap..

Introducing “An Understanding Potential Partner, only till he is actually NOT”

Here is a guy meeting a prospective wife. A girl dressed in a simple salwar suit with a long pleated braid touching almost her lower back; a girl with such low key appearance should not be an ambitious one; or so he thinks.

“Yeah! I mean, I do understand. It is difficult to take care of the job as well as the family. Hats off to all the women, who manage everything so well!”

“Thanks. Good to know that you are so supportive. My job, actually, is in shifts. So, it would be great if we would share the responsibility of the daily chores.”

“Yes! Why not! But, you know, may be, you would not need to work. I have nice prospects of a fat salary hike and money would not be an issue. You would not need to work yourself up. Working in shifts is not really an ideal kind of thing for women. You understand, right?

Alas! The Illusion! Crack, crack…

Introducing “The Arrogant Naïve who are loudmouths”

Here are the men who think they have got every right to comment on the appearance of every lady, whosoever! They do not spare the Bollywood Divas nor do they stop passing comments on the passersby. Too fat, too thin, too dark, too plain, too tall, too short and the list may get longer. Only if they could see themselves in the mirror, before passing comments on every girl around.

Sigh! Brace the loudmouths!

These are just a few examples of the judgments that are passed on women based on their appearance. Take a look at some of the startling figures that the Nihar Naturals #IAmCapable survey conducted by Nielsen India reveals:

a. 69% of men agree that their judgement of women is based on their looks.

b. 64% of women agree that the judgments passed on them have affected their ability to reach their true potential.

c. 70%of women agree that majority of judgments on women are from family members or friends rather than strangers.

d. 72% of women agree that working women face more judgments on their looks or their clothes than housewives.

Time to break the stereotypes…

“I’m breaking stereotypes based on appearance by sharing my experience for the #IAmCapable activity at BlogAdda in association with Nihar Naturals.”

Old is Gold :)

The art has a great power to influence our souls. Be it any kind of art – Writing, Painting, Dance or Music.

The art has the power to reach our sub-conscious brain. It has the power to heel, to transform and to create.

Music is one form of art which is within the reach of almost everyone without exceptions.

For me, music is liberating. I don’t know how it is able to produce the effects, but I am aware that it has a tremendous impact. It is curious that different kind of music appeals to me at different times depending on the mood.

Slow and soft music is always welcome. But there are times when I feel down and at such times I like to dance on some modern bollywood numbers. Sufi music to me is a real bliss.

And in case of music “Old is real gold”. There is a kind of peace and content that I feel listening to the old classics.

The song “Hawa bhi hai jawan jawan” from the movie “Nikah” is my all time favorite.

Yet another favorite of mine is “Aj Jane Ki Zid Na Karo” by Asha Bhosle.

“Abhi nahin Ana Sajna” by “Sona Mohapatra” is also a treat to the ears.

This post is inspired by Indispire Edition 104 No one can hate music as it uplifts your mood accordingly. Which genre or one is your favourite? You can dediacte the post to a form or an artist too. #MusicBringsLife

*Tring Tring"

Image Source: pixabay.com

After five months of separation, it seemed, my husband had already been over the whole thing. I, however, was still trying to cope up. Time and again, my mind kept revisiting the past. I decided to burn the memories to get rid of the past. I opened the cupboard to destroy the memorabilia; I rather found a modern phone. It rang….Tring Tring…

I was skeptical but I picked up. A voice came from the other side. It was a familiar voice…

“Hey you! Put on some party music there!”

“Sorry! Why? I don’t want to.”

“You don’t want to, may be, but you need to!”

“I would rather sleep.”

“Sleeping won’t help.”

“What possibly can?”

“Get off your ass; Put on some bright make-up, make a few moves and dance like crazy.”

“I can’t move. My entire body seems frozen and so does my brain.”

“Dancing lets off some heat. You might de-freeze. Give a damn try!”

“It hurts. I can’t get over the pain. Will it ever get better?”

“Surely, if you would let it get better; if you give yourself a second chance.”

“Second chance for what ?”

“Second chance to live your life completely; second chance to stand up on your feet and walk with a head held high; second chance to be happy.”

I smiled; because, by this time, I had recognized the familiarity of that voice. My alter-ego was perhaps wiser than me.

I put on my earphones and danced like never before. Because I was free; because I could still be happy.

Image Source: pinterest.com

Inspired by Indispire Edition 102 You dig up a time capsule you buried years ago. Instead of memorabilia, you find a modern phone. It rings.... Complete the story! #timecapsule

"The Picture of Dorian Gray- Review"

‘It is a tale spawned from the leprous literature of the French decadents- a poisoned book, the atmosphere of which is heavy with mephitic odors of morals and spiritual putrefaction’, wrote the critic from the daily chronicle.

I just finished reading this book. This book is an absolute work of art. The abstract art that will make you fall in love with it despite of the poisonous nature which it actually has. The book will intrigue you about your own hypocrisy and the hypocrisy of the society. This book will remind you that words do have the power to silently creep into your brain and leave an impression which may change your perspectives. But as the Author rightly says “There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written or badly written. That is all.” This book is brilliantly written.  

Of all the characters Lord Henry interests me most. Some character in the book at some point gave him the most suitable title of “Prince Paradox”. His theories about love, beauty, youth, art and romance will stir you to think. They will intrigue you. You may not agree with what he has to say and yet you may not find the exact words with which you may want to counter him. His theories are vicious and yet alluring. You would not take these to their face value and yet, you would not be able to turn them down outright. At certain points, I found him disdainful of those who are less privileged in the matter of riches, luxury or beauty. An intriguing character, that has the power to influence you if you are not sufficiently equipped with a wisdom of your own. The Protagonist of the book, Dorian Gray, as it seemed to me, starts out being noble; to curious; to ravenous; to ignoble; to vain.

The book is more of a work of art than just a story. The beauty of the book lies in its audacity and its precise jibes at hypocrisy of man’s nature.

All in all a wonderful read and mesmerizing work of abstract art. 

*Quick Eggplant Recipe*

For those who do not like baigan (Eggplant) like me, here is one quick recipe with eggplant that I just tried and it was good!! And plus point is- it is so quick and you don’t even need much ingredients.

So, it is called baigan bhajja, which is basically a bengali dish.

INGREDIENTS:                 

Oil

1 Big size eggplant

½ cup chickpea flour

For marinating

2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon amchur powder

½ teaspoon red chilli powder

½ tea spoon garam masala

½ teaspoon chat masala

METHOD:

# Cut the Eggplant into round slices each about half an inch thick (Use a big size baigan to get full size rounds; I had the small ones so my slices are tiny rounds)

# Put the slices into salted water for 10 minutes and meanwhile, prepare the marinate by mixing all the above spices.

# Put the slices into the marinate mixture.

# Now, cover these slices into chickpea floor on both sides (you can also mix some breadcrumbs in the chick pea flour if you want)

# Take a non-stick pan, use minimal oil and shallow fry the round slices.

# Cook from both sides and then take out from the pan.

# The quick and tasty baigan bhajja is ready. You can eat it with roti/ bread or even as snack.

Here it is : )

Because Sometimes it's needed to talk!

Activity: iCALL (Initiating Concern for All) is a telecounselling helpline initiated by the Centre for Human Ecology at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.We provide psychological counselling to individuals facing emotional distress. Our team is comprised of full time Counselling Psychologists who hold a post-graduate qualification in psychology. Our services are available from 10 AM to 10 PM from Monday to Saturday. When one calls iCALL, one can expect complete anonymity and confidentiality and patient, non-judgmental listening from a trained and sensitive counsellor. Our goal is make quality mental health care accessible to one and all from the comfort of one\'s home, while maintaining complete anonymity and confidentiality.

Details: N/A

Support: Counselling, Helpline, Suicide Prevention, Crisis Intervention, Domestic Violence, Mental Health, Career Guidance

Note: We are looking for help from the blogosphere to help raise awareness about the services provided by iCALL. We also want to engage the web community in a dialogue about mental health to help destigmatize going for counselling. Lastly, connecting with brands/organizations who would like to be associated with and support our cause would also be helpful

This post is a part of BlogAdda's Bloggers Social Responsibility (BSR) initiative. I am exercising my BSR. You can too with three simple steps. Visit http://www.blogadda.com/bsr/ and support the NGO's.

The Music of the Siren!

Image Source: www.imgmob.net

Once upon a time, there lived a man named Henry in the island of Madagascar. Henry was a fisherman. He raised his family on the meager income that he could get from fishing and farming. Henry had a son named Nicole. Nicole was very bright in studies. During the day, he assisted his father in catching fishes and spent the nights learning his lessons and reading literature. Henry felt very proud of his son, but, he also felt disheartened because he had very limited resources to sponsor his higher education. Soon, the time passed by. It was time for Nicole to get into a college. After years of saving, Henry could only afford his tuition fee.  But Nicole had to move to the city for his education and his expenses included the hostel fee as well. Henry was sitting by the sea-side; little pearl shaped tears rolling down his eyes. He did not want his son to have the kind of life he always had. He wanted him to see the world beyond the fishes and the sea. But sadly, he did not have enough money. Just then, Nicole came running from behind and settled on his father’s side. Henry had not eaten anything since morning. So, Nicole had brought some fried rice along with him. Nicole wiped his tears and broke the news of his getting a scholarship in the city university for studying art and literature. Henry couldn’t find any suitable words to express his joy. He patted his son’s back and cried with joy. The father and the son duo then celebrated the occasion with the Nicole’s-home-made fried rice.

Nicole was sent off to the city for his studies while Henry continued his life in the town; fishing and farming and saving money for his son.

Six months passed. It was vacation time for Nicole. Henry was overwhelmed to see his son after so long. Nicole told him the stories of his life in the city. He promised to take his father along once he finishes his study and gets a job.

Nicole had missed the sea and the fishing while in the city. So, the next day he told his father to take rest and let him take care of the work. He went for fishing on his boat. He was amused at the sight of sea after so long. He was in a playful mood, so he decided to stay in the sea for a longer time in the evening. When he was busy playing with the fishes, he heard a faint sound of a soft music playing somewhere on some far end. He was tempted to the sound of music and rowed in the direction of the sound. He was a little amazed by the fact that there was no-one to be seen in the reach of his eyes but the music was growing a little louder as he kept rowing in the direction of the sound. It was deeply captivating; it was some kind of magical spell which was attracting him. He kept going in that direction. Soon the soft music, probably a violin, was accompanied by a sweet enchanting feminine voice.

It was getting dark. Henry had still not wakened up from his afternoon nap. While Nicole was going deeper and deeper into the sea, Henry was still asleep.

Though it had been a sunny day, all of a sudden, it started raining. The sound of thunder woke up Henry. Rubbing his eyes, he got up from the bed. He called out for Nicole but there was no reply. He looked around but there was no sign of Nicole. The rain was getting heavier and the thundering louder. Henry got panicked and set out in the heavy rain to find his son. He took out a boat and proceeded towards the sea. There was no-one in the sight, yet he kept going further.

Nicole had gone too far into the sea when it started raining. He was accustomed to the sea and its myriad ways of surprising humans. But this time, he was not equipped to handle the crisis in the absence of his father. It was a totally unexpected thunderstorm. The waves in the sea were rising higher; and yet, in between the loud noise of the waves and the thunder, the sweet feminine voice was still audible to his ears singing a song which was a musical delicacy to his ears. It was some magical music which made him forget about the rising waves and the thunderstorm and made him constantly chase the source of this music.

The rain and the dark were making Henry lose track of where the boat was heading. With the growing darkness, nothing was visible anymore. The sea was getting unruly. Finally, with a heavy heart, Henry decided to get back.

Nicole had lost the track completely and he was struggling to keep the boat above the rising waves. The Music was growing louder and sweeter. Soon, the boat was thrashed by the waves and crashed into pieces. However, a part of it was still able to stay afloat and Nicole was hanging on to it tightly. By this time, he had known that he was in big trouble. He, however, thought that there must be some land close by since the music was very closely audible by this time. He just hoped to reach there as soon as possible.

Henry was trying to keep himself positive by praying but he was not having a good feeling about any of it. He was trying to control his negative feelings, but, then again, he was giving into bouts of cry after a few minutes of being positive.

Nicole’s boat was almost into shreds when he hit a small piece of land. The source of the sweet enticing music was standing right in front of his eyes and the source was even more enticing than the music. A feminine figure with a curvy body with long brown trusses and fair skin gave him a hand to make him stand up on his feet. She had worn minimal clothes and her skin was more beautiful than the music coming out of her mouth. Nicole kept staring at this fairy like creature while she kept singing her beautiful song.

She kept holding his hand and moved towards a giant tree. There was a little hole in the bark of the tree, she pulled him inside. There was a small tree house inside which housed a violin made from wood and a carpet made of the grass. She made him sit along in the tiny space available. Nicole had so much to say and ask but all he could do was listening to her sweet melodious voice and worship the fairy sitting beside him.

“Once upon a time,

I was bestowed with a gift,

Of the song and the rhyme;

My music was melody,

I swam in the ocean,

And sang for the fishes,

My music for them was a magic potion;

My music was my secret,

To sing for a man was prohibited,

And then one day came a surreal prince,

Falling in love with him became my greatest regret;

I sang for him when he played with my body,

From then on my gift became a half curse,

Any man who crosses by my song,

Is captivated to its symphony and mirth,

He is trapped,

He is subjected to die…

This is my story..

I am the Siren..

The singer of the melodious song of Death..

Nicole was slowly going into a sleep state. The lullaby soon ended. But there was no waking up from this lullaby for Nicole. It was the last song of his life… ‘The Song of Death’ from the House of ‘Music of the Siren’. 

Image Source: en.wikipedia.org

P.S. In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous mermaid like creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.