The Rainbow Shade of Love - When Like Poles Attract

                             

There was a gentle breeze as she checked the time of her watch , only to be distracted by a woman approaching her with confidence and a perfume that shook her nasal nerves . She came and asked her which way to go to the supermarket . As she gave her the directions, she grasped the hands of her boyfriend so tightly that he dropped the phone on the ground and locked eyes with this riveting woman who was standing before him. Both the man and woman stood enamored by her, her svelte figure, her confident feminine demeanor and her enigmatic presence on the whole. An entire minute passed by as the lady took as much time describing the direction so that she can finish recording the image of the woman in front of her , even as she was distracted by the sweaty palms of her boyfriend who was equally jittery and disturbed. 

The lady left , as the girl and the boy looked at each other even as they tried to hide their sudden tsunami of human lust that shook the shores of their conscience. The effect of the phenom that just left almost rattled the bond they shared between their hearts. 

Welcome to the quirky world of Humans where even love has acquired a race and color of it's own.

In line with this blog's foundation , to harness the power of 'word' to give the readers a good whiff of a reading experience, here I am, finding the confidence to write about the world of Homosexual people , the world of the Rainbow Sapiens in the eyes of a man who believes his love life can be more satiated by a woman .

Physical attraction is not love 

It is surprising and alarming how we react to the concept of beauty and how often, pathetically we misjudge the whirlpool of emotions triggered out of physical appearance to be the sacred emotion of love between hearts. It is normal to be attracted to someone, when they tick the conventional or perhaps accepted parameters of beauty/handsomeness. The right sharpness of the nose,the right fullness lips and the right eyes , the right complexion and the right figure/physique. These days, thanks to the amount of exposure, celebrities are given a run for their money as the common man and woman have access to all products and information to present themselves like super models. But at the end of the day, love between hearts is different from the beauty that catches the eye. Beauty is a limited variety. It is because a majority of us are normal , that we find the gifted ones good looking. But this is not Love. On this premise, read further. 

What is the 'the right kind of love' ? 

People , however smart or dumb , can understand certain emotions such as hunger , fear . Also , love...lust and the ability to find someone good looking . But one hits turbulence only when they fail to interpret their own natural mental yearnings. In an "ideal" world , we are all raised to embrace the concept of a man to be with a woman , only because of their undefeated ability to consummate their marriage and beget progeny . It is as raw as I can describe. These days , we can be made happy , by anyone or 'anything' , if you get what I mean.  But, to show someone how much they love the other person, by using nature's power to create an extension of their own body by copulating and begetting a child is beyond words and can be made possible only when the masculine and feminine energies meet.  Well , there is adoption, test tube, surrogacy and what not , but I am talking about the 'standard' route here. The problem arises, when a person's heart misreads the beats and assume the recognition of a physical attraction of another person to be 'love' and digress from this 'standard' route and sail for pleasures with someone of the same gender.

   

No Judgements - Simply CoExist Effortlessly

Families go through such mental hell fire, when their children 'come out' or when they get to know about it accidentally, the avalanche of quagmires that one goes through , is beyond the grasp of human mind and emotions. I used to wonder, what made these people make the choice they had made, but I couldn't get answers. And I left the urge to investigate further, as one can't decipher how the human brain and heart is wired. It is so unique and so similar , a paradox of it's own. I used to be mentally aghast, confused, but came to terms that at the end of the day, people live and the die the same way and there is no point reading between the lines, when each person's journey is a book of its own and each person is a different author, though their genres may match. While, I have found the moral fiber, to  respect a person for their own choices in religion , food and clothing, I am still yet to come to terms when one exaggerates this particular choice of theirs and is too desperate to flaunt it. More precisely, in my personal opinion , if one recognizes themselves to be one of the 'rainbow' brigade, be a sport about it and live your life gracefully without guilt. The need to display it as though it is some kind of rebellious force of nature , is what makes it a taboo and people on either sides of the camp get offended .  Let the campfire burn on its own circumference even as the waves come and leave the shore . Exist on your own boundaries. Men who gift a diamond to a woman will never understand the reason or emotion of a man , who sees his love for another man out of the spectrum that is emanating from the same diamond . Some men see the diamond, some see the rainbow. It is ultimately the light of love that determines the vision. It is absolutely normal , as long as choices are not being forced upon vehemently , in a desperate need for existence.

Appeal to Mankind 

There is enough for all of us to live as the world is a big place. In this day and age when machines and Robots have started controlling our lives, amidst human presence, the need to preserve the 'human' in ourselves is of paramount importance. While the thought of someone making a choice such as this might be disturbing to near and dear, one should realize one thing . No one forcefully turns gay/lesbian . It is a natural reaction of their mental and physical state of being , and as humans we have to embrace our evolving spirits. In more direct terms , I am stating that there is no gain in evaluating that being a homosexual is a right thing to do or not , just because it has crossed one of the fundamental preferences of the human race. Let people remain in their own shades, and not be too obvious about it. As,we are still grappling to build a world where people from different religions and castes , find it a challenge to live in a single society , let us not further keep diving the human ecosystem due to such kind of deviations which is an outcome of the unstoppable evolving human race. In this month of pride, I am showing my support to those men and women out there, who found love in the rainbow shade with a simple request to people on both sides of the concept of Love - Live and Let Live.  

Things only an Indian Will Understand - Everyday Indian Stories

You don't need to be brown skinned to understand this, first things first. Uff . Of all the things that greet the Indian eye , somewhere on top of the list is the skin tone. In spite of the repeated calls of wisdom from various religious texts that attachment to a gross physical body is pointless , the advertisements where people magically turn white , as if they have been dipped in wheat flour rules the aspirations of a helpless majority of the subcontinent. While the Western folks have found a way to use their skin tone to their advantage, still the desire to appear mayonnaise skin toned is a hidden ambition among many. Ironically, our dusky skinned celebrities themselves endorse these skin lightening products sending a message as though being white means being attractive. While , I fully agree attractive things are indeed bright, and being fair skinned does grab eye balls, it doesn't call for this much reverence.  Let me make one thing clear y'all , India being one of those places where the Sun constantly keeps blowing kisses, one does get warm and the skin does appear like a roasted pappad , but that is indeed our natural shade. Imagine a whole world full of fair skinned homo sapiens. Then us Indians will also be trolled like the chinese 'ming tongs' and korean 'ding dong lees' , where everyone looks the same.  We Indians, who take pride in diversity , should come to terms with their appearance, the way God intended.  

I was wondering how much humor was present in our lives, that we tend to ignore like the nose between our eyes, one must take the effort to tell the world , some of the funny yet everyday traits of us folks. Take for instance, when a cousin or someone who lives outside India visits our place, one does get cranky on what they will be getting from there.  This is an acceptable trait, but funnily , families go into Wars in Indian households when an outbound person brings home the local sonpapdi or mixture , instead of foreign chocolates, perfumes. I am not brazenly alleging that Indians are cheap , but one does hear a story or two of how fights happen within families, where the unsuspecting foreign relative made the grave sin of not having brought anything foreign when they visited their home. Things become deadly if they didn't buy even the standard sweet-spicy snacks and they  bring a packet of fruits. On the other side, assume one does bring the foreign purchase, guess what the first thing our folks would say - " darling , why take this much strain, you could have just come just like that" , even as their eyes grapple to focus on each other as their hands were checking out what's in the cover. 

From the homemaker queen running to cover herself with a dupatta when she is wearing a nightie, when someone rings the bell , to the oblivious tired man-of-the-house who displays his man-parts while wearing a dhoti , one will be surprised how certain behavioral patterns are so common across our households.  Oh these things do crack me up big time . I have literally seen how hawk eyed some women scan the lady in front of her, to assess what new gold ring or bracelet she is wearing. The lips talk, but the eyes literally scan each other , to the envy of body scanners in USA airports. The obsession with jewelry , and how it is seen as an unparalleled parameter of judging one's prosperity is another innate Indian dubious trait. This is in fact even observed among men, but not to the extent of their female counterparts.Nearly all localities will be having jewel shops, with banners of successful actresses adorning gold, silver , platinum , diamond jewels all over them that is almost alien like. And there will be some of those, who wear all possible malas on their necks, showing their deep affinity towards religion. Some people go to such an extent, that I wonder, when these people walk , and it rains, they will turn into a human tree, thanks to the seeds of different plants that they sport as malas. One does find extremes as they breathe some air in the subcontinent. 

From bus drivers and jaywalkers openly spitting on the roads to men covering themselves as they sneak a leak on corners of roads, and some curious pathetic people who creep up on them to see if "they were doing better than him",  to cows raining shit on roads and car drivers literally pressing their asses on horns , a foreign national who had been accustomed to a certain set of rules and cultural ethics will find the typical Indian landscape so disturbing . Funnily, we are the ones who claim to be culture champions , as we mock at the West for their lack of culture, when merely they were just sporting more skin publicly , drinking more often and questionably getting into numerous physical relationships just for the sake of it. Being Indian , doesn't have a standard definition and no scholar of sorts can define the Indian fully in a single sentence. From food habits, where North Indians literally eat, sleep , walk and cover themselves with Roti , and South Indians blow themselves up with varieties of Rice,  to dressing styles where women up the north have mirrors on their dresses covering their heads with sarees and women down the south have bangles on their hands and sarees that flaunt their waists, the differences in preferences in everything create a world of their own. We are a world of worlds . All this being said ,there exists within the country,  a group of morally relieved folks who don't like to be pinned down to any custom just because they belong to a clan and they do more of what makes them be comfortable. They do what appears logically right and morally comfortable to them and unfortunately these people get judged for their non adherence to popular values & customs and for being culturally nonchalant. This creates a rebellious attitude in them as people fail to see their good hearts, altruistic gestures, pragmatic ethics and merely judge them for not mimicking their tribe's expected standards.  And the list goes on. 

It takes a certain level of maturity and mental acumen , to be cautious of one's own identity, as one tries to not overdo their identities, even as they accommodate people with their own self imposed certitudes . This is precisely what adds impetus to the statement , when I proclaim that , being an Indian does harness one's mental assets more than the larger population across the globe. If you are an Indian, you will be smiling and nodding as you give yourself a pat on the back of how nice an "Indian" you are. If you are a Non-Indian, I am confident, you will be constantly kept on your toes as you wade through the country during your travel. Nevertheless,  we have a tangible level of humanity and values left in us , and thanks to our smorgasbord of identities, there will always be someone out there to help you just because you are their "clan"  ; and some  , who simply will lend a hand because you are an Indian first, and even some special ones, who recognize you as a human before your national identity. India is a country full of such richness in everything , and one day our people will also be rich by the coin, a country free of poverty and challenges to food, shelter and Education.

Jai Hind !

From Braces to Bravery - A Satirical Take on my Surgery

Nobody wants to get injured or have surgeons, practice their art of medicine on their mortal bodies. But , when it happens , the experience is redefining at so many levels. Given that, I have my own private nest in this online jungle , (my cherished blog) , I wanted to put to words my experience and the 'lessons' that dawned  on me out of this knee surgery i had - I have ensured to make it a light read. Do not assume it will be sympathy seeking sorrowful one, but rather, an eclectic usage of words to describe an experience satirically :) 

Warning, there will be some graphic descriptions, however encapsulated with some humor for the benefit of the reader.

It all started that bright sunny day when I was engaging in some sporty activity ,an organizational effort in an extension of promoting bonding among colleagues outside the confines of the otherwise mundane office interiors. The inevitable happened, at the least expected time when I injured one of my crucial ligaments carefully hidden between the complex knee bones. I understood something was amiss , but thanks to my mental composure, i didn't throw a fit. I realized , this was not one of those things i can carelessly dismiss as "i will be alright , imma superman" etc and relieved myself from the ground to directly visit a local ortho hospital near my home. The doc assessed to my relief that it was not a bone fracture but a muscle injury which should heal itself , given that I didn't do any stunts with my legs. While the news of a non-fracture was gratifying , the unknown muscle injury , the suspense and the pain, the occasional buckling of knee made my mind lose my peace and the logical me was back in the hospital to put this to rest. The Doc said, only an MRI could confirm the injury , its extent and further action though he correctly identified the root cause. An ACL injury. It's sheer genius and miracle of the larger force, how aesthetically constructed our bodies are, with all the blood, bones and muscle each holding the insane human mind in a mould of flesh meant to be around just for a 100 years. 

Some official mail swaps, requisitions, financial planning and other formalities were underway when the day of the operation came. Thankfully, I was positive and undeterred by the fact that a trained surgeon will be drilling holes in my bones and practicing medical tailoring of my muscles that gave away due to fate.  The support staff came and started prepping me, firstly the operation gown. Whoa. it dawned on me that I was a patient . The medical gown is a strippers dress basically , giving a good glance of your body to any curious eye.The pressure of being prepped , wearing this semi-nude gown and being on a stretcher imposed on me the will to be more patient, when i was a patient already. I swallowed my pride, climbed onto the medical bed covering some pride i had left, and was being rolled out to the Operation theater to be greeted by an insanely cold antarctic atmosphere. For medical reasons, usually the theaters are maintained at cold temperatures. But, you can imagine how it will be for a Chennaite who literally can make omelettes in the air due to the heat, to be rushed onto such a cold place. I didn't know I can do snake dance so gracefully as i lay down shivering, the entire body from top to toe , thanks to my glamorous outfit. The anesthetic surgeon administered an injection( i must say , if i was a water balloon , i would be leaking all over the place for the amount of injections i endured in this experience.) , post which the lower half of my body became numb in seconds. I was stumped both by the medical marvel of how that happened and freaked out when i realized i will have no idea what was about to happen below my waist, given that i was still lying in a stripper gown. I am not mincing words here, but i was literally made to feel like the Christian God Jesus. My hands were outstretched to the sides, my legs apart and my body covered with some shoddy clothes , with needles at random places, people holding my feet and bright colorful lights blinding my eyes, but good enough for the docs to operate on me. The humor trait in me , is what keeps me going , as i was mentally blessing the doctors from the uncomfortable position i was lying down to perform the surgery successfully. I tried to not listen to what they spoke, but I heard every sound, and my heartbeat skyrocketed when I heard the surgeon once say 'somebody check the flap, it's not working'. It was a circus of emotions and realizations. While i lay there, with all medical instruments latched on to my body, i realized how all my acquired identity out of my daily life was snapped. My gold rings, my religious threads, my body hair that was shaved for not contacting infection . It dawned on  me that, eventually I am just another mortal human being and none of the various identities that i added on myself due to force of birth, habits,lifestyle, choices or circumstances  will last long when the last breath escaped from my body. 

Anyway, as much deep that was, let me re-shift focus back to the snake dancing semi nude young man who was at the mercy of the trained medical souls. The surgery happened for like an hour or something, various instrument sounds,medical gossip between the surgeon and the support staff, my own heart beat and body dancing to the cold temperature not to forget that my eyes were covered by a see through cloth and nose by an oxygen mask. I have never felt so powerless and weak as i was at the mercy of my own karma, power of my prayers and the skill of the medicine studied by the surgeon. I didn't feel a thing, as all the magic happened, and finally my knee wrapped up with medical bandages and braced by a tight but comfortable support brace. I was being rolled out of the theater as i heard the surgeons speak about the next incoming patient and almost felt insulted that my send off was not being recognized. At least wait for me to be out and taken care off yall ! Ha-Ha. Jokes apart, the team was very careful, skilled and trained and took good care of me, as the nurses who took a big liking for me kept plugging sachets of medical fluids every once in a while through the injected needle on my left palm. 

I lay there back in my room, unable to move my right leg, as my left leg was asking me to go out for a walk. I was physically dependent on my people for supporting from food  that went in to the body and food that went out of the body. I was humbled , grounded and administered a good dose of reality as I realized that, indeed just like anyone else, i am just another person and everything disappears immediately when my time comes . And that all the physical and worldly yearning were up to no good and that what matters is how effectively i am putting the life force inside me to its best use , that helps those around me through my existence. Merely, any one can make use of a gross physical body , taking pride in its gifted physical appearance and taking pleasure out of it's capacity to enjoy pleasure , but the universe didn't blow life into our mortal vessel just for riding through life across a span of 100 years.  We are alive for a reason and while we are alive, it only serves its purpose when we realize what matters most in our life and fulfill the same, instead of chasing success, sex, name, fame, glory , pride and all acquired parameters out of this existence. 

Now you all wish me a speedy recovery and let me also wish everyone reading this article, a life full of good health and purpose :) !

Until next time !