Friends are those who share our popcorn at the movies, and the ones who help us laugh it off when we fall. Friendship is what calms the raging sea within as well as sets the fire ablaze. Perhaps the best paradox one could think of.
Think about it, when we have people around us who encourage us, who nudge on our shoulders when we are falling prey to the mundane everyday life, we must realize that he or she is a friend! When we are stopped from doing something foolish, when we are appreciated for what we do, and when we are guarded when required, we have friends. I don’t want to categorize friends as good ones and bad. Friends, undoubtedly, are the best!
Let me speak frankly, I have not made amazing friends as others have. Yes, I mean it. I feel, (this is extremely on a personal note), that good friends are gifts and they are not made, they are kept! Treasured.
There are so many people who we call friends, and who turn out to be troublemakers – well, I do believe, they are friends too. I feel those who share their time with us and those who invest their efforts to be with us are friends. They may have different intentions and may want to harm us. However, if we are clear in our conscience, they are friends!
To me, each person has a part to play in our lives. Good or bad, someone being in our lives has a reason. Today, let us take all those people who claimed to be our friends and those who “stabbed” our backs. Let us heal by calling them, friends. It is because of them that we learned how to be and how not to be. It is they who taught us that life is not a bed of roses and that this world is a competitive one!
Today, let us break the norms of who our are friends are. Let us heal by calling them our friends too – I truly know for a fact that they perhaps taught us much more about life, gave us life lessons than any of our true friends ever did…
To the strong ones,
To the bold ones,
To the ones less understood,
To the ones who’ve got it all easy,
To the ones who’ve not,
To the ones who dream big,
To the ones whose dreams are simple,
To the bold ones, the gold ones,
The high heeled ones, the kurti ones,
The long haired ones and the short ones.
The tall ones, the stout ones,
The big ones, and the not so big ones,
The ones with curves and the ones with abs,
The ones with scars, the ones who fight wars,
The ones who are in sarees,
The ones in a pilot uniform,
The ones who teach, to the ones who nurture.
The old ones and the newcomers,
To the glam ones, to the ‘fam’ ones,
To the social media bombs; to the
Perfect round roti ones,
To the early ones, to the late ones,
To the best mom nominees to the
Perfect dog-moms and full-time rom-coms!
To the flat bellies; to the love handles.
To the nerds to the dancers,
To the daddy’s princesses to the black hoodie rebels,
To the writers, singers, poet, to the home-makers,
To the neighbours, teachers, friends, sisters and mothers,
To the wives who never complain –
To the wives who do!
To the feminists, to the rare ones,
To the loud ones, to the silent ones,
To the lovers, to the psychos,
To the angel in every girl’s real glow.
Happiest Women’s Day to the best of souls,
God’s creation of beauty, power, elegance,
efficacy, intelligence, patience, motherhood, wisdom.
And a lot more than this world could ask for.
Happy Women’s Day to the ones appreciated,
The ones less appreciated,
The ones who do it for themselves,
The ones who do it for the world.
Happy Women’s Day to the strength of
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
A Poem by Aakanksha Dinah Thomas
This piece of script is something that we have all spoken to ourselves. Something we have all grown up believing in some way or the other. We have all experienced, despite being the bright, sexy, scholarly, open, competent, intelligent smart woman many have come across! It’s alright. As long as you know who you are, where you are from, and where you are headed; your purpose, your calling, your belief, whatever it may be, you are good to go!
It’s time to pause and ponder on the various things life has shown us and how we’ve evolved as women, individuals, and human beings at large! Being human has its share of insecurities, and it is up to us how we come right through.
So let’s start by saying: “To me, I am my master…”
I hope you appreciate reading and connecting to how my life has been as a girl who has grown up to be a woman, a writer, a partner, a better daughter, a better sister, a mom, and a better individual. I hope this helps you recollect some of the thoughts you have also grown up believing/being and understand that no matter who says/does what, you are you, and that’s ALL that matters!
So here I start…
I am who I chose to be and I have no regrets whatsoever. I have grown up hearing things that were far beyond my understanding, far beyond what I ever wanted to be. I am caught up in the web of what the world calls “right,” “perfect”. This is how a girl must be “well mannered, not swearing, not laughing too loud, not doing the things she feels is what she wants to do.
I was constantly told that ‘I am fat’ AND fat is ugly.
I was constantly told that ‘those kinds of clothes were meant for the leaner girls’.
I was constantly told that ‘I will be judged by the size of my jeans’.
I was constantly told that ‘I should not speak to the opposite gender’ and as I did not, I was bullied and kept away.
I had my girl-friends’ who kept doing things they probably did not like, to seek attention from people they “thought” was constant. I am guilty of the same too! I have wept in those closed trial rooms cursing myself for being the size I am- have wasted money on products that I thought would make me a little MOREfairer, I have cried myself to sleep, like many of you have.
I have had boyfriends who abused me for things I never understood. I still don’t. I let it all happen. I let it all happen because I believed that was what was meant to be. I let losers decide what I am supposed to say, what I am supposed to wear, what I am supposed to think, and what I am supposed to do. I let gravity pull the whole of me down.
I closed my mouth as I laughed because I was too conscious about my teeth! I used to wear baggy clothes to try and cover that extra flesh that hung from my waist and thighs and arms and where not! I scolded myself for craving chocolates and cakes and everything I loved only to be deprived of things I really really really loved. Just like many of you have.
I have so much inside me that I need to take out. Too much hatred. Hatred towards the mind that I have inside my head that does not allow me to cherish the life I have inside me. I wish I could plunge into my inner spirit and shout out loud to STOP IT. But I cannot. I know it, and it hurts even more.
Stages of life that hurt me like a knife slowly but surely penetrating deeper and deeper into my skin, things that I want to erase and never look back at – today I feel it was just ME.
It was I who taught myself to be a silly girl listening to people who have nothing to do with me whatsoever!
It was I who closed the doors and painted those mirrors black.
It was I who shied away from looking at how beautifully and uniquely I have been made.
I feared those dark clouds that made those terrible, terrible noises inside my brain screaming freedom, and as I liberated myself from those paths, I became ME… An incomplete tale of how to be and at times, how not to…
Well, I am part of this generation where phones are smarter than people and no one cares! I don’t mind being a part of this era, but what bothers me is how selfishness has taken a toll on young minds.
Honestly, I believe that my values determine my worth! Therefore, it is a big deal for me to hold onto those small things that perhaps youngsters today may simply close their eyes to. As a Literature graduate, I learned in my class that morals and values build us as humans, and disregarding them for whatever reason would be utter suicide!
Already we have reached a saturation point where no one has the time for anyone. Everyone is too busy making online friends that they are losing out on real friends and family! I am witnessing that everyone is too busy making a wall around themselves that kind of is like an entrapment of virtually connected human beings who give no heed to whatever happens to someone else! Values today have come down to simply writing about them on blogs and Facebook timelines!
Talking of today’s value systems, from the language the young minds are exposed to, to the kind of novels and movies that are released, everything has advanced for the worse. Storylines are more violent and “to the face” and literature has lost its serenity. Vulgarity is misinterpreted as “open-minded” and families are looked upon as “burden”. The Church has become the weekend destination and the workplace, the Holy sanctuary! No one likes the idea of commitment and the importance of holding on. In fact, there is no “holding on” business at all these days. All of us are too busy running the race. Little do we realize that the race is a never-ending one and that we need to take a pause somewhere, sometime, or else we might just go out of breath!
Not only talking of all those endless joys that we kind of miss out on today, not about those family dinners, not those sandcastles we built back then, not those silly tea parties that happened in the late evenings; I am talking of those small things that we don’t value today! Those small expressions of love and gratitude, those honest hugs we gave our friends, those real birthday wishes, and those impeccable hides and seek games; we are missing out on a lot more than we could ever imagine!
We are a generation where the mother has no time for the child and the smartphone babysits a child; a generation where the father is equivalent to an ATM card; a generation where friends are no more a source of trust and love; a generation where love is lost more than found; a generation where the value of goods go up but not ours!
We are a generation that can make a difference, unfortunately, we are just not bothered. Well, let us be! It’s what we are here for. We must make sure we live according to our morale and believe that it is the only way to lead a generation that may be even worse!
Do me a favour and
Look me in the eye
Let the time fly; today
Let's let our hearts cry.
Out loud on how it
Might be to be with you
And you with me
To be the one we've been waiting to be.
Love, let's set the pace this time
Let's let each other stay this time
And not drift away like last time.
Let's hold us close and just stay, hold on to this time!
This day, hold me close, so close;
Can we seal this hour?
This is no one's loss
But our own, what's the cause?
Let's not try to win this time
Let's just hold on to what's real
In search of something pure
Something honestly honest, am sure!
Something the world may never accept
Something the world need not.
Something just you and I feel
Something just you and I breathe.
Something just you and I understand...
Something just you and I... Accept.
Do me a favour and
Look me in the eye
Let time fly, today,
Tell me how much this means to you
Tell me it's the same as I feel
Tell me that this love is just as real!
A poem by Aakanksha Dinah
We are all forgetful time and again of how in a race we are caught up and how we have evolved from being socially, emotionally, and interpersonally bound and attached, to being detached from even our very own selves!
Time has come, my friends, to look into the scene and pave way for a generation that does not need blog posts and articles to know and “learn” what it is like to smile wholeheartedly and be happy overwhelmingly. The problem with us is that we don’t have the time for the little, beautiful things that truly add value to us – we are constantly after the greater things, unaware of the fact that the smaller things are the very fragments of the greater things that we are so eager about!
The power of little things like being grateful and smiling at one another is forgotten. Values are not valued anymore and old school is shamed for no reason. Old school, however, teaches us to be productive, active, happier, and patient; giving us important life lessons like being honest and keeping good people around us. Old school teaches us the importance of staying put and grounded. Old school also teaches us that “old school” is the place you will come back to in the end. To never forget your roots.
We are constantly in the dilemma of whether or not to listen to the age-old lectures of our elders or go with the flow of this peer-pressured life. We tend to take the shorter, more “fun” road over the possibly right one. However, there will be a point in time when we will finally realize the importance of that “right” road and maybe that moment will be one when nothing really can be done about the lost time, energy and opportunities.
Life is too short to just go with the flow. Life is too short to not smile. Life is too short to not experience. Life is too short for detachments. Life is too short to realize later the things that mattered. Life is too short to worry over the split milk.
So, smile and take that old school lessons seriously; travel through the road where things are much clear and happier. The road in which worries are just part of who we are and not the destination in which we need to invest the whole of our lives and peace in. The old school IS the new school.
This Valentine's Day remind yourself that you are important too. You matter to yourself and self-care is one of the most important ritual you need to follow. Love a little harder, a little deeper, a little bias, a little selfish because you deserve it. Your personal welfare has a lot to do with how you survive in this world, how good, bad, ugly are your relationships and how progressive you become.
So take some time off, breathe, meditate, pour yourself a glass of wine and sit with yourself. This time is all you need to rekindle the inner you and remind yourself what you are, where you're from and where you aim to go. Your destiny is in your own hands.
YOU are the most important person for you. So get yourself that break you so badly deserve and Valentine yourself this Valentine's Day. Love yourself a little, you deserve it.
Show me a deeper meaning;
A deeper meaning to self love,
Show me a deeper meaning;
A deeper meaning of a simple smile.
Show me the darkest depths of
Simplicity and meanings merging
Into a bond of harmonic symphony:
A foundation of mutual understanding.
Is this all to life?
To breathe and to be mundane, and still
Have unpleasant memories clogging
The good ones and the better ones
Ruining the fun more often than not!
Rather not you find rest in yourself
Than pour your heart to the darkness of man.
For you shall be more sensitive,
More poise, more lively, more You
In who you are than
In who you are looking for in someone else.
Dream like love is eternal
Live like it's made to wither.
For time shall test the deepest desires of
Man and woman and it shan't lie, I can tell.
Mere satisfaction of lazy minds
Coming together for various needs
Physical, emotional and spiritual,
For this can be called a need:
So show me anything deeper than
Loving yourself, knowing yourself
Better than the Universe knows
Each grain of sand scattered in
This vast wide world of ours
Where time is all, and time tests all.
For time is love, and time is life,
And time is what you and I are made of, right?
Poem by Aakanksha Dinah
Is it the soft whispers or
The loud thunders in the night?
Is it the calming sea shore or
The rigid uphill ride?
Is it the shoes that no longer fit or
The dress I outgrew of?
Is it the cute smile and a toffee or
The time and again craving for the coffee?
It is the presence of innocence,
The absence of hatred and
The allowance of certain mistakes
That made me – or…
The absence of nightmares,
The presence of day dreams and
The permission to be me
That made me? I don’t know…
When things were not fun,
I laughed and cried and was me.
When the same things were fine,
I did the same…
I don’t know how to put it
Gloom did make its way.
Smiles faded and so did time
And I am here like grandma’s old wine…
There are mornings I cry myself to work
And evenings I laugh with humans.
There are lunches I miss just to miss
And dinners my pillows and I share.
So, where is it all going?
To an unknown destiny or something…
Well, I know things are fine.
Not always but that’s also just fine…
So like angels we come and
Evils we live.
Like someone once said…
Well, never mind…
Poem by Aakanksha Dinah
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Life is a beautiful jigsaw puzzle that entraps a myriad of little things that make up for our state of being happy or upset with what is going on. It is not fair or possible to be all smiles all the time. Life is also about challenges, obstacles, sorrows, reasonings, failures, tears, losses, and a lot more.
It is up to each one to measure the amount of stress or effort to put into resolving and coming to terms with such situations. That is how and when one gets to be tough, strong, and a balanced human being. Only when we are struck by something out of the way will we realise that we need to find the way back home! Once in a while, when we are barraged out of the blue, with something we never expected to happen, do we learn to expect the unexpected. Only when the going gets tough will we ever know the importance of being tough. Those are the times we recognize and realise that we are stronger than we think we are.
Life throws a lot of things at us. A lot of – people, opportunities, resources, time, situations, outcomes. And depending on the choices we exercise, these opportunities, resources, situations could turn out either successfully or far from the way we ever intended them to.
Our choices design the consequences: at other times a different concoction of circumstances may create a path that we never expected – good or bad! It is when many of these things pile up, that we tend to feel that life is a trampoline, spread like the stars in space – now seen, now not: with no uniformity in the bounce yet perfect as only Nature in wild abandon can be.
The going, may I dare to say, will never get better. We must make the most of yesterday’s learning, today’s time, and tomorrow’s plans. Remember not to beat yourself up: for you did the best with what you could when you did and how you could have done it!
Failure is not the opposite side of success: instead, it is the stepping stone to find what works. And if a particular strategy didn’t, there’s a lesson learnt. In the distance you find waves rising and falling, birds soaring and swooping, tides ebbing and rising – there may be a lull for a while but the pattern resumes and never ends.
While you fix your focus ahead, a glance over your shoulder will remind you of the several tough times you have already crossed to get where you are. Keep treading along life’s journey knowing that you are fully equipped, perfectly poised, and absolutely ready to grasp your dream and make it true. Ships are not built to stay harboured in ports. Welcome the tough times with the same thrill as when you scale up the mountains: for those are the ones that will lead you to the pinnacle you’re aiming for.
Trust your struggle – keep moving and focus on the goal. Sure, life is tough – but then, so are you and soon you will see how beautifully you have grown through whatever you have gone through!
I am a girl with witty talks and gritty thoughts!
I am a smart cookie and a bold rookie…
I am a girl, not tired of exploring but tired of not.
I am a girl, weary of everything but ready for anything.
I am a mix of salt and sugar, good and bad, sod and God.
I am the Redeemer and the convict- of my own silly, klutzy, yet beautiful mind.
I am poison and remedy - with a vision to die for but not consistent enough to get there.
I am an ass. A lazy ass, a badass. An ass that does not like to be moved.
I am a warrior, a soldier who does not like wars. I am an artist who shies away from colours.
I am a magnet that attracts anything. And everything. Closer.
I am a design of nature.
I am literature and science and a bit of theology.
I am more God loving than fearing.
I take things seriously but not totally enough to depress myself.
I am loud with the lipstick I wear and bold with the words I use, the clothes that I choose.
I walk the way I please and sing Hillsong like Rock!
I am a whirlwind, a symphony, the calm in the storm and the fire in the ice.
I care. I dare.
Lay bare in the words I share.
I am an influence – gentle, simple, sharp, wild, happy, wilful… good, evil?
Does it really matter?
As long as I know who I am…
I am a writer with a pen and deep thoughts !
Poem by Aakanksha Dinah
Art of How To 