Winning or Losing?

                                              

Quarreling spouses beware
don't be like India- Pakistan
and the game of hockey, "the national game"
when changes were proposed in  the rules of the game
both agreed, secretly happy
that the other would suffer....

Yet it was not one
but both who were hit
when artificial synthetic fiber turfs
replaced the fields of natural grass

What suffered most though
was the game of hockey itself
as art and artistry of
the subcontinent on field
gave way to the speed
and stamina of the Europeans!

The change in ball and sticks
meant economic losses as well
as overnight the manufacturing hub
of the game's sports equipment
moved from east to west!

In families, it is the very institution
that gets hit and suffer when spouses
subtly encourage children to disregard
ignore, disrespect the other parent

Children can play one against the other
to have their way, if demands turned down
spouse  thinks that he or she has won
when in fact  as a unit, collectively
they have lost miserably...

Note: The introduction of synthetic surfaces has significantly changed the sport of field hockey. Since its introduction in the 1970s, competitions in western countries are mostly played on artificial surfaces. This has increased the speed of the game considerably, and changed the shape of hockey sticks to allow for different techniques, such as reverse stick trapping and hitting.

If Only.....( A Micro Fiction)

"They will open the door to take the milk, that is our time!"
"Okay", she said
"You say okay but you are very slow.The last time you delayed and I also had to slow down.They caught both of us and put us back inside."

Sweety and I like to roam outside. After all, we don't want to be tied down inside the house all the time. It's a lot of fun to catch the pigeons flying around when they come within reach.Most of the time we don't get to catch them but the thrill is in the 'trying'. We have to be vigilant though.There is this ferocious guy who sometimes bark at us and we have to be quick on our feet.

Last Saturday, Sweety listened to my advice and sped out of the front door like a rocket. It was I who couldn't run fast enough and had to go back inside. But Sweety never came back.I learnt from the discussions that they were searching for her all over the place.After a  day I heard them say, Sweety was killed by a speeding car! Oh God it's terrible! Ever since she left, I have lost my rhythm and drive.Life is no longer fun...I don't try to run out of the house anymore. For a few days , I meowed and meowed searching for her in all the rooms and crying desperately for her.

If only I had not taunted Sweety and challenged her to run faster. If only.....

Pink - Questioning Stereotypes

It's nice to see
the few rare movies like Pink
that question stereotyping
of women in Indian society
Pink cuts at the very root
of Indian prejudices and hypocrisy
when it comes to girls  vis-à-vis boys

The story is of 3 working girls
living together in the  national capital
it's not denied in the flick
that the girls enjoy their freedom
work hard,  have fun
live life on their terms

The question posed is
if a girl has had a couple of drinks
and is generally having fun
in a group at a party
does it also mean that
she has  no choice
but to say 'Yes' to sex as well
even if feeling 'No'inside ?

Yes, thinks the  boy and
forces himself on her
only to be hit by a bottle in the eye
as protest, in self  defence...

All hell then  breaks loose
for the girl and her friends
as she had hurt and injured
not just another boy at a party
but one from an elite, connected family

Watch saga  unravel
in a gripping court drama

In a towering presence & performance
is the big B himself as lawyer
holding audience in spell
with his rich baritone voice...

The stereotype of bulldozing the victim
intimidating her by questioning her character
suggesting   that "a drinking girl asked for it"
are  all questioned & challenged in this timely flick
sans crass commerce &  misplaced song- dance routine

What comes out loud and clear
is that a woman's body is her own
that  no one can trespass or outrage -
that even a prostitute has a right to say 'No'
as does a wife to hubby when not in the mood...

Apart from Amitabh and Taapsee Pannu
all cast and crew deserve special mention
the producers and director can be truly proud
of a thinking product that will be long cherished!


Note:

Pink is a 2016 is an Indian courtroom drama (Hindi film) directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, written by Ritesh Shah, and produced by Rashmi Sharma and Shoojit Sircar.

Cast includes Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu,Kirti Kulhari  Andrea Tariang,Angad Bedi, Raashul Tandon and others.

I

Captivating Lines from Here and There- 11

• Negativity is not intelligent. It is always of the ego. The ego may be clever but it is not intelligent. Most politicians and business people are clever; very few are intelligent.Whatever is attained through cleverness is short lived and eventually self defeating. Cleverness divides; intelligence includes-  From the book "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle
• If you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy- Khallil Gibran, poet
•  What managers expect of their subordinates and the way they treat them largely determines their performance and career progress
• How people treat you is their karma, how you react is yours- Wayne Dyer, author
• Employees to be reliable should give up vices, become industrious,develop ability. They should be courteous, disciplined and ever willing to carry out orders-  M.K.Gandhi
• People unknowingly sabotage their own work when they withhold help or information from others or try to undermine them lest they become more successful or get more credit than 'me'- "A New Earth"
• Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently- Henry Ford,Industrialist
• Excusites-The failure disease :   Four common forms of excusites are health excusites, intelligence excusites, age excusites and luck excusites- From the book "The Magic of thinking big"by David Swhwartz
• Never underestimate your own intelligence or overestimate the intelligence of others- David Swhwartz
• Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity- Seneca,Roman philosopher

Valley of Their Dreams

In the meeting of “Write Club" on September 10th 2016, the event coordinator Satpal Darynani discussed an interesting concept of micro fiction. It is also called hint fiction or flash fiction wherein a story is told in less number of words, meaning it is a short short story.

The idea makes sense given the reducing attention span of today's modern readers. Initially we were asked to write the story in 3 lines ( 25 words). Later we were asked to write the elaboration of the story in 200 words. I am giving below the 200-word version.

Vivek and Nisha were excited to go to the Kashmir valley for their honeymoon. Both of them held the valley as a heaven on earth. As the day of the wedding neared, Nisha was in a state of day dreaming and wild imagination, full of excitement and wonder. Oh the seven heavenly nights prior to the wedding! Nights engaged in dreaming with hardly any sleep! And the pictures in  the dreams were the same; fun and frolic with her beloved Vivek- throwing snow balls at each other, skating together, drinking warm ginger tea from the same glass.

Finally, the wedding ceremonies were over; the guests had left and it was just the two of them on the flight to the place of their dreams.The first three days were as heavenly and exactly as Nisha had imagined. Then it happened. While skating romantically on the icy region at around 6 PM in the evening; they had come in a group. Vivek, the coward, he disappeared….

Rest of their lives remained as cold and icy as the valley of their dreams.

Fishing in troubled Waters

Politicians overtly and covertly
ignite passion and  violence in the masses
and then request for peace and restraint

the irony of it all....

A Tip for the Confused Student

Being a student
can be tough and confusing
particularly today
with so many more choices
"Should I listen to dad
or ask the teacher
or simply do what
all my friends are doing...?"

Just listen to your heart
your higher self
for guidance and light on
real  purpose of your being...

You will then be aware
of your true self, gain insight
of  what you do naturally, easily
and effortlessly, in a flow....

Something that doesn't
ever feel tiring or boring
something that doesn't cause upset
and you hardly notice
when obstacles emerge...

Having found the path
go for it unconditionally
no matter what others think
or even what your head tells you
simply listen to your heart
and your heart alone!