Independence Day

 It’s so strange and ironical that we have back to back Independence Days , two countries forever entwined like twins by hate and a common border . Every day we breathe and live the same air but are sworn enemies on and off the cricket ground and hockey and then we have a fresh whiff of air via Olympics. The strapping Jat Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj have scripted history and their mothers have so beautifully sealed it . The purity and innocence where they both claim to be the mother of both and are happy for them and their sons. It speaks volume of the magnanimity and the large heartedness of these village ladies . 

It’s the same here where in my village they all remarked that he’s also just like us and is a mason ( mistry’s ) son and is a worker just like us . He’s worked in the fields and is pendu like us . This association across borders of human bonding is just so beautiful. Every single day , I text my best friend who is closer to me in distance than my own parents in Chandigarh but it’s impossible to meet her . Majority of the country populations wish to meet , visit , have trading partners and just mingle . We are two countries that can benefit each other but because of  two sets of politicians this side and that side we are made to believe that we are out to kill each other.

Countless governments have come and gone , all fighting over Kashmir and believing it’s ours and no one in the end remembers that once we are gone land remains and we vanish into oblivion. Yesterday and today’s katha from Darbar Sahib , stressed again and again that wealth has no master .

Our entire life we keep on hankering , running after wealth and try to get more and more of it and then we die do you think that the wealth we have accumulated cries for its lost master ? In the bigger scheme of things all that remains is our name and what goodwill we have left behind as karma . These two sporting giants will forever be loved and remembered for their mothers who brought them up so well and brought a cheer and a smile to our faces . Isn’t that true freedom across borders ?

Our founding fathers who were from one country , educated , having deep roots together and our finest having roots in Karachi and Gah , who together fought to free themselves from Colonial rule , then were pitted against each other to be brutally divided , killed , and scarred forever , envisaged two nations born with ideals which have been lost forever . What shames today ,is the rape and torture and murder of a young doctor who was just resting and has been gang raped and brutally killed , and then they talk of equality , where we are afraid to sleep . In shame , and in despair and pain I welcome the Independence Day and the only sliver of hope is that Vignesh will get her silver today and that would be retribution to all the killed , raped , sexually assaulted girls who still fight for the country and system .

As , the chowkidar of my village said , till we don’t hold boys responsible , this  will continue because all everyone says is Sanu  ki? 

Age old Problems

 No one prepares you for getting old and it’s the toughest for us women . Suddenly anything and everything that can go wrong hits us , every bone creaks , everything is falling and all joints make different noises as if there is a symphony in us . AI is so smart that its bombarding my feed with shortcuts ,steps to make my life healthier , how to seize it back  and to ensure longevity , and to also beat all my ailments for a 15 day free trial period and then to pay! 

Before I know it my heart isn’t healthy thanks to a healthy addiction to cheese , thyroid has crept in and knees ache and my back makes more noise if  I happen to get up too fast and don’t even talk about how tough it is to sit on the floor cross legged , I wish I was like the fakir from TinTin. Sometimes the bhogs test every gluteal muscle of mine and then getting up is another story .

Then it further confused me that should I go with the new age , yogic , holistic approach to saving my crumbling hormonal mess or go the newest gen x scientific inject yourself with a cocktail of vitamins , an IV drip or sit in an  oxygen bar , and then fast , cleanse myself to oblivion. 

So I went with the old as time , yogic holistic approach to life and restore my health , by drinking every masala , condiment in shots , with jeera water , to Dhanya water , to Chia to drinking umpteen amounts of green tea and not eating paranthas and just being conscious of my intake . All that happened was an increase in crazy smells and constipation and some crazy diarrhoea!my conclusion was that the only way that i could lose weight or keep myself in check was by walking to China , getting the tea leaves and drinking it or going to the Americas and getting the chia seeds . The yoga wasn’t for me , the lazy dog , or the lazy sit on the chair yoga for beginners, this punjabi soul was just too round and anti yoga! 

With all these ayurvedic concoctions , I went natural with my products too , the hair oils was so pungent it was as if I had applied mango pickle to my hair , and it didn’t go away , the hair didn’t get saved , the grays definitely remained and there was thinning and no thickening ! Trying to buy the ayurvedic , natural ,organic , pure products were just burning a hole in my pocket and didn’t help with saving my skin . The other modern laser injection , Botox , filler , exercise and do Pilates and eat my greens , intermittent fasting wasn’t me . My soul needed the cake and the momos and the golgappas and the occasional parantha and the cheese and the pizza .if this was cutting my life short by a  few years what was I going to do with the extra few without being happy along the way? 

The Curious Case of Reels

 Every day brings forth new surprises and I think I have seen it all with my grey hairs but then something new happens that makes me believe in the balance of life and how advanced we have become . There is a certain hubris that I have that I know it all ( I know and can hear see the smirks on you all ) but I honestly think that we are advancing and the rest of the classes aren’t ! But this happened with us last week in our sleepy village that is on the cusp of rapid construction and development . We have an old aunty who colors her hair jet black and is of some nondescript age , for the better part of last year we thought she was a Hindu and come Eid and we realised that Gudiya with her trademark bindi was a Muslim . Life kept on moving along and seasons changed and this year as  bad luck would have it , all the help decided to leave at the same time , one was in love and had had to go back to Ayodhya to get married . His story is for another day , the cook and his wife had to go away for a marriage that they just couldn’t miss. The entire household was staff less , minus any work force and all the ladies were lamenting that how would we survive?!

And Guddi Aunty , had to go back to Gorakhpur in the midst of all her rozas and fasting because of an important court case . So , when we asked what was the emergency as only she was leaving and  Toofani ( her husband ) wasn’t going ? So in all her mighty loud voice that is louder than her timid body she told us of her daughter in law  who was dancing and putting Bhangra and making videos and uploading on Facebook and making money 

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The entire community was up against her and they frowned upon her not following the norms of polite society. She was so upset that the bahu was dancing and posting content and influencing other girls and her entire community was in an uproar . So her son had filed for a divorce and married another lady , had two boys and had flown to Oman to work and in the meanwhile because the judge was ruling on a Saturday she had to go and pay the final divorce amount of 1 lakh.

Isn’t this all interesting and more exciting than any serial airing on Zee network or any Pakistani play? So she went to Gorakhpur , paid the money to the ex bahu who had become so modern and was baring her legs in a short pant , drove a motorcycle and had cut her hair . On top of it she had the audacity to be nice to Guddi Aunty and had offered her chai and samosas!

It so seems to be an episode out of Mamla Legal Hai , the number one legal show on netflix! This is how the society exists and we are truly moving forward. It’s such a mix of simple yet complex human beings, we embrace technology as if its our second arm but hesitate to break the traditions and impose all restrictions on women because in India , honor lies only with women . If her own son was making money with reels would there have been a divorce? Till the verdict is out , progress was made by the judge where he gave a substantial amount to the child to be used when she is of legal age.