INDIA IN 67 REPUBLIC YEARS…

Candles Online

India turned into a sovereign democratic republic on the 26th of January, 1950. That is a significant date in the historical backdrop of India as well as in the cutting edge history of the world. On that date one-6th of the global populace, living in India got to be distinctly masters of their fate and embraced a democratic form of government with all-inclusive adult establishment and control of law.

India’s flexibility was an immediate trigger for the procedure of decolonization. Also, India’s decision of majority rules system significantly extended the democratic territories in the world.

India had made considerable progress from that fateful day in January 1950. The nation has advanced tremendously in many fields of the human attempt. It is most certainly not conceivable to describe in short for every one of the accomplishments of the nation amid the last sixty-four years. Subsequently, I have chosen to concentrate on…

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Are You Hanging On The FB Cross ?

Are you on FB right now? Scrolling down your news feed or updating your status? Or maybe making an intense, thought to provoke post? Are you thinking Ruining? When ? How ? Not me! I am perfectly happy with my FB. But tell me, won’t you be coming back every few minutes to check how many likes? How many comments and how many Love Spams? And then you will analyse each comment, who made it, what was said, why was it said, what was the open message and what was the hidden message in that open message?

Being on FB is like bearing your own cross up the hill and then climbing on it. Now all you have to do is just wait and one by one they will drive those nails into you, making you stay up there and watch you bleed. And they will cheer you, they will applaud you making you the martyr. Those Unseen barbed wires chafing you and making you wince even as you sit in your plush chair and sip that yummy coffee while looking at your screen which has your FB feed displayed in front of you.

Social Media is amazing. Trust me when I say that I, to a great extent is equally addicted and had my share of Love and Wow Spams. And somewhere in between them and comments, I too succumbed to the FB mania. I wanna share with you the things that I discovered about FB. Think of them as the nails that are being hammered into you.

1. When on FB, nothing remains private. Period. You might change your security settings to bare minimum, but, sooner or later, your information, location, friendships, relationships, work history or pictures will be seen by someone you don’t intend to know. When on social media know that: Nothing stays private when online.

2. Everyone is a Political Pundit. Nothing on FB is more inflammable than politically fueled ranting on walls and status updates. Then begins the comment war. And yea, how can we forget the memes, the stickers, the gifs

   ….Freedom of speech is for all, but when on your newsfeed, it turns into a voice booming in your ear, provoking you to speak, voice your opinion and keeping quiet seems more like an insult to boot. The best way to avoid them is to silence them by using the hide button on your feed so that you won’t be drawn back to see what Tom, Dick and Harry said, and yes, more so if Harry is your friend and Tom your arch enemy. You know what I mean, how we are bound to stand up to our enemies and by our friends.

3. I love babies, I love cats, and I have to make a post which won’t happen cause I am busy liking their pics on FB. Yes, I find them ridiculously cute, but just how many bunnies and unicorns I can like before I decide I am done and must get back to making my post. I mean my mum needs me to go shopping, my aunt wants me to help her with some bills, my domestic help wants me to teach him some English, so it’s time to decide that those few cute puppies won’t drop dead without my like spam. They will still be there when you get back. I promise.

4. You literally know everything and anything about your friends. Besties share everything, right? But do you need to know it all about the 350 friends on FB? Cause you know, they will post just about anything that comes to their mind from the kinda coffee they had to what was their doc’s diagnosis. Am I the only one feeling that my friends are posting just about more than enough? Must we share event waking moment on FB?

5. My wall is not your Dumpster! We have all had that. That one friend who will post most embarrassing pics and videos on your wall and when you log in you’re like NO…. Then you start the cleaning up, untagging, deleting and finally end up changing your setting to no one can post on my wall. But of course, by that time the damage is done and the image you are so conscious about is damaged already.

6. Then comes the English Massacre. Lol, I no, r8? B4 u tink tat, lemme tell u, we are living in Gen Next, and our texting, commenting, writing more in less time theory has poisoned our grammar, punctuation and spellings. This shorthand gets so annoying sometimes that it becomes incorrigible to understand what has been written. One day I had to write a formal letter and found myself using “U” for ‘You” and had to edit the whole letter. I know software like Grammarly have helped us a great deal, but, when in flow, we tend to avoid and just wanna voice our opinion ASAP.

7. Characters from movies. Each and every movie character can be found on FB. The Mean Girls, Pretty Woman, Man in the Iron Mask, V for Vendetta, name it and you have it. It all comes down to us deciding how we chose to portray ourselves on social media. Even if you chose no one, you would witness them. It’s like a sitcom, the lovers, the evil witch, the lone lover, the mum, the step mum, the sister, the agony aunt, they are all there, contributing to the drama. If you keep a close eye, it gets quite interesting sometimes, better than daily soap opera. If you don’t like soap operas, re-evaluate your friend’s list and edit it.

8. That Phantom friend. Yes, I too have that phantom friend, who would like all my posts, comment every now and then but never IB me. I wonder is he/she a bot? I am thinking like why they just want people to know that I am friends with them when they never bother to connect really. Is it all about being more socially active? It’s all good till it stays there but then comes a day when they make a scandalous post and tag you in it. And you are like what? Why me? I wonder if I have any friends who would just IB and never let people know of our bonding.

9. The Scary Friend Request. Just yesterday I got a friend request from someone who has no mutual friends with me. I was like who is he? How he knows me? I racked my brains if I know him and sent him a message asking if he knows me? The reply was NO but just liked my profile. DUH, I can’t accept his request as I have a fear of the complete stranger, and I have been warned about the crimes of social media, so I denied that humble gentleman.

10. It brings out the worst in us. Have you ever realised that social media, especially FB, brings out the worst in people? We end up scavenging through the pics our exes posted, wanting to take a sneak peek into their current lives. We stalk people we don’t like too, just to find their weakness and shortcomings, if they have more enemies that are our friends. Not just that, but FB, makes it way too easier to criticise, condemn, and humiliate just because we are hiding behind our screens and not looking into the eyes of the other person.We can’t see the pain in them or the tears in them. I don’t understand the need to scrutinise and spy only to judge and then embarks them.

11. Religious and Nationalism Posts. The ones where you are tagged in the post made by an Indian for a Pakistani or an update made by a Sikh for an Islamic. They are the ones that make it look like you are part of a WW III. Anyone and everyone will comment, even the ones who weren’t tagged, even the ones you never know. All are touchy when it comes to Religion and Country, it’s a personal hit and abstaining from participating is cowardice. And let’s admit there are some cruel individuals on social media, who can take it upon themselves to express their criticism even when it is not necessary. That is the main reason why social media is not a safe place for children and young adults.

    Overwhelming

    Some negative comments can really push people off the edge. Facebook is just a perfect tool for cyber bullies to target their victims.

12. Ruins Progress. Let’s just look at a hypothetical situation, here you are finally deciding to drown yourself with the information for your next history test when you hear a ding. And would you look at that, it’s a notification from Facebook! Because Facebook so easily disrupts your concentration, it weakens your comprehension, accordingly ruining your long term memory. As a result, your intellectual development is halted and

    you

    Thinking is inhibited. You can only imagine how constant disruption can damage you on a mental level. I am getting so many

    notifs

    right now that I have chosen a new window and won’t open it till I am done with this article.

13. It makes impossible to have real life conversations. Social Media means the death of one on one talk. Yes, it allows me to connect with a friend across half the world or talk to my cousin in a different time zone, but won’t allows talking to your own mother and brother.My mum is constantly asking for my time, and after doing all my work and stuff the time I have goes to looking at my screen. Recently she got unwell, and I realised that all my friends online, put together can’t make up for her. I have altered my ways now, and like to talk to people looking at their face, in their eyes, and I know it, sometimes when they say “I am ohk”, their eyes are telling a whole different story, whereas the talk online leaves a lot of room for misunderstands.

So, if all these nails have been driven into you, then you have become a martyr, and you are hanging on the FB cross just like me. I know how you bleed, I know how it hurts and pains, I know that you will die(deactivation) and then be resurrected(reactivation). And yes, just like any martyr, you will have followers and disciples, who will be hanged with you for the mere crime of supporting you(reported). But you can always choose not to wear that thorny crown and step down from this cross. Just maintain a balance in real and FB.

Marco Melgrati Images

Marco Melgrati is a freelance illustrator based in Mexico City. He specialises in creating small illustrations that show the sad truth of modern life and how blind we are to the realities. People will have different opinions on the topics that Marco covers in his work, and that’s fair enough. But we can all agree that he’s got a talent for reading between the lines and expressing himself in his work, props to him.

1. Love your enemies

2. Self Made

3. Solving problems: logic or instinct?

4. Social Media Narcissism

5. Modern love

6. Be whoever you want to be

7. No more privacy

8. Becoming trapped in work

9. Karma

10. Learn to use it better

11. Power and politics

12. Learn to forget, you are Capable

13. What happens to America?

14. Should be love.

15. Everybody needs somebody.

16. Pay attention!

17. Influencers and followers

18. The human cost of deforestation

19. War in the name of God

20. The language of the new media

21. War is closer than you think

22. Vanity

23. From Consumerism to capitalism

24. The hazards of optimism

25. Smartphone addiction

26. The Pinnochio of Politics

 

27. Social Media Confessions

28. When we say we are Bookworms

29. Think before you mess with it.

30. The Fearless Opportunist

31. You don’t need a miracle to change your job.

32. The Hard Way Out of Afghanistan

33. Always Be Ready When Inspiration Strike

34. European Central Bank Steps Up Financial Pressure On Greece

35. Relationship Status: Complicated

36. Financial Advisors Banned for Tax Fraud

37. Drugged Happiness

38. Syria Civil War

39. Global Warming

40. Future of Europen Union

Hey You…

Like a Snake on Sandalwood, to you, I Cling
Why is this Madness, what is this Thing
Is it turning to Love? I wanted just Fling
But now I am Happy, I Dance and Sing

You’re my cake and my Cherry, My Icing
If I am a Phoenix, then you’re my Wing
You’re what I Need, you add that Zing
Of Rose and Of Guns, The Love Bite Sting

Message me na baby, gimme a Ping
Just asking for a Call, not a Diamond Ring
You’re different every Moment, Some Mood Swing
Baby, I am your Queen, You’re my King

If mirror could speak the truth

world4womencom

I was in 4th grade when I  read the story of “Snow White “.  Beautiful story, isn’t it?   Every character is still fresh in my mind.  There was a step mother character who was evil and lived with the only intention of harming her step daughter and the central character “Snow White”.  And along with this evil intention she had an obsession of talking to mirror and expecting an answer pacifying her false notion of being very beautiful, in fact the most beautiful. “Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s beautiful of them all” she used to question her magic mirror.  But the answer that her mirror gave made her go green with envy.  Answer was “Snow White” and the drama unfolds.

But I wonder what if the question was the other way round “who is the ugliest?” Or even better if the mirror could speak the truth.  That wicked…

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Demonetization or Demonization – 14 days into PM Modi’s cashless India

On The Bog

Allow me to begin by offering a Grand Salute to the Man of the Millenium, Shri. Narendra Modiji, for constituting this meritorious evolution to curb the menace of money-laundering, black money and terror financing.

Chaos outside Petrol Stations

It  was around 20:15 PM on the eve of 8th November 2016 and I was jabbering around with a few mates at one of my locals.  All of a sudden my smartphone wouldn’t stop becoming an element of irritation, but not without a well-founded reason.  I was hoarded with messages and calls from friends & family informing me that India’s PM Narendra Modi has just declared demonetization of ₹500 & ₹1000 denominations.  I looked around and everybody was slouching into their smartphones. Hearing & watching people around me; scurrying off in the hope of getting rid of their denominations; it was a totally frantic affair on that evening.  At almost 1:00 am…

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Khaane mein kya hai? (What’s in menu- lunch/ dinner)

world4womencom

Hi Everyone,

We women have done exceedingly well in all fields but one question that we all struggled, struggling and probably will struggle for days to come to answer is ” Khaane mein kya hai?”.  In fact the most feared and a complicated question for all ladies who cook for their family.  I believe Greece’s economic woes might have an easy solution than our daily tryst with this seemingly easy and unimportant question.   Such is the impact of this issue on our minds that one of the leading spice brand in India has portrayed this situation in their advertisement campaign where they have shown a wife constantly having illusions of her son, daughter and husband posing this dreadful question “what’s in menu today?”.

Not only the question is tricky but working out solution to this problem provide our brains with much-needed exercise – Everyday,  which basically means we over…

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Welcome 2017

Time To Renew

by Sakhi

Perched on my balcony today and got a call. “Maám, your HDFC card is near to expiry date, and you need a to Renew it” I told him a “Yes, your services have been too good, and I would like to go for the Renewal“, and he was happy to do all the formalities and take care of things for me and then he asked me to fill the KYC form. A KYC form, a Know Your Customer form. They wanted to know me better, my necessities and prerequisites, my limits and my usage. I ended the call with an appointment to see him the following day.

I sat with the form he has left me to fill my eyes fixed on the word Renewal. You know what I was thinking? I was thinking that we have become so empirical and pragmatic in all walks of life that we can relinquish relations and people without any struggle to hold on owning to our false ego and fake pride, but we are not ready to let go a Credit Card Subscription.

Whenever I see, lovers have a tiff and then reconcile it feels like they just renewed their bonding. Like updating their rendezvous from silver credit card to golden and then platinum and then platinum plus. Like they are putting all the love and affection and fondness in a joint recurring account, withdrawing from it at the time of need, when they quarrel. Being a calculative person, it is my habit to see things in numbers and percentages. When my mother is unwell, I keep asking her to tell me the level of severity of the sickness in percentages to understand how much better or worse she got. It sorts many things for me to see this whole world in terms of one big bank and me the account holder. Keeping a log in mind as to what was credited and what was debited. What interest I paid, did I gain anything in the transaction? Maybe a single smile or one moment of feeling loved.

How nice it would be if relations had a Renewal facility as well so that we can just fill the KYC form and dive back into them. I have lost some splendid connections just cause I was not able to race with the world around me. I was never one to fit in nice and proper but struggled to maintain few close people close to me by investing my time and sentiments in them. I felt one day I will reap the benefits of never ending companionship and love. But the bitter truth is they all had an expiry date to themselves. And it doesn’t matter how many applications I put in for renewal, they weren’t responsive.

Come to think of it I was never the customer, I was always the service provider. Always giving, providing my services with no exception. I had only one fee, some understanding in return which was denied to me time and again. I wasn’t ready to let go of them easily, so I did the Know Your Customer thing too. I tried to know them better, and tailor cut myself to suit their needs. Trying to please each one and give them all that they were expecting from me.

After so much contemplation the conclusion I drew was that investing money is more beneficial than investing feelings and banks pay you back more sincerely and long-lasting than your own kith and kin. These are weird times we live in, nothing comes with a guarantee, the only one person we can depend on and be sure that it will be with us is the unparalleled Me, Moi and Myself.

Love is always bestowed as a gift —
freely, willingly, and without expectation….
We don’t love to be loved; we love to love.  –Leo Buscaglia

Love’s Trade

by Sakhi

Discover Love

Keep it all Above

Hold on with both Hands

Take it with you to Undying Lands

Memories Lost & Found

Sky reaching but EarthBound

Two Hearts beating in Sync

Capturing Passion in a Blink

Dying for Her, Living for Him

Paint his Fancy, Dance his Whim

Two Tears & Four Smiles, Keeping Books

Five Stolen Kisses, Two in corner, Three in Nooks

This is all there is to Love’s Trade

Rest is all a Chaos, a Charade