My nation awaits 'Moral Renaissance'

The Delhi gang rape on 16th December' 2012 along with a series of incidents that followed this barbarous act, have drawn a very shabby image of our country's state of law and order in front of the whole world. The brutal act of six men raping a 23-year old girl and assaulting her along with a male companion on a moving bus has not only shaken the entire nation but has galvanized mass protest against 'crime against women' in India. 

The Indian youth stood unitedly for the safety of the women of the country. The policemen across the capital and the higher authorities could not adapt to the outrage. They were not sensitive or empathetic towards the youth who was out on the streets of Delhi, supporting and protesting against this heinous crime. While I pen down my views, I feel a cold shiver as this thought strikes me, "What if all this happened with me?"

Quite honestly, we can not even imagine this villainous offence with ourselves, our sisters, our mothers or our female friends. But deep inside our hearts we know, it could have been any one of us in place of that 23-year old girl. A hero in true sense, she fought with fortitude and unfortunately passed away this morning after undergoing emergency treatment in Singapore for brain and gastrointestinal damage from the assault. 

Including the top government officials of our country, the entire nation has mourned her saddening demise. She is in the prayers of one and all, may God rest her soul in peace and give strength to the bereaved family to deal with the loss of their beloved daughter.

What haunts the protesters and the women of this country still is, the accused are still alive, although their death would have not cured the victim or pacified the masses. It is high time and justice must be given. The police officials, committee personals and the ministers were seen promising to the nation via media of better laws and governance. It would be seen in the coming year when all these suggestions would be implemented or when "you" go out and let your daughters go out without the fear of being raped or assaulted by anyone.

Real Celebrations of Life

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 33; the thirty-third edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is 'Celebrations'

If we were to go by the dictionary meaning for Celebration it says, "to observe (a day) or commemorate (an event) with ceremonies or festivities or to make known publicly or proclaim or to perform with appropriate rites and ceremonies; solemnize". 

Need I say the moment one reads these words, images of the respective meanings take us down the memory lane to our favorite festivals, our birthdays, our promotions, achievements, targets met, house-warming, new assets, a new born in the family, foot-tapping music along with dance, delectable delicacies and last but not the least weddings! 

"Celebration" in simple words signifies manifold joy and triumph in numerous ways. Behind all these special occasions goes a lot of preparation, hard work, sincerity and mostly a lot of purchasing. Would it be appropriate if I call it a journey? A journey of anticipation. With each passing day you are one step closer to exuberance. We all know what awaits us. A special day over-flowing with smiles, near and dear ones around, aroma of joy in the air, rosy-cheeks with glistening eyes, plentiful camera-clicking, guests dressed to perfection, ceremonies/festivities/achievements/additions elevating the present state of being. 

A moment when you are uninhibitedly enthusiastic. 

But this reminds me of the childhood joys, when I used to play with my friends and the excitement that followed with the winning score. It reminds me of the grey clouds and rains on a winter night. How can I forget the act of bunking college for movie plans with friends. My first kiss reminds me of how my heart skipped and tickled at the same time. The moment of getting a surprise from someone. Being appreciated. Receiving compliments. Praying and wishes fulfilled. First bike ride. Ironically these moments do not require any preparation and are little celebrations of life without any decorations. They can not be artificially created or planned. They can be felt as we live each day, as we grow old.

But how many times have we paid any heed to the these little celebrations? How many times have we clicked ourselves candidly and admired it? Ever looked at your childhood albums? I am sure you will find many such moments captured. 

As we grow older, our heart gets lured with the grand celebrations in life. Which is absolutely not wrong, the nature of "celebration" is such that as years pass by we eagerly wait for these significant days in our lives. Undoubtedly they are memorable and popular. But what we overlook is that the "real" and spontaneous joys(celebrations) of life are unlimited and can be relished anytime without any anticipation or preparation. They are as special as our festivals, as our achievements, weddings, new assets. They are gala in nature too if rejoiced effusively!

So this festive season, I have a sweet and simple wish - May we celebrate the festivities of life and not just the festivals/days in a year. 

Happy Celebrating!

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Introduced By: Google, Participation Count: 02

"Leisure of Life"

As one grows up, he starts to set goals and gets trapped in the vicious circle of responsibilities and expectations. No doubt, life offers a lot of opportunities to celebrate and rejoice. But the frequency of such occasions varies from one individual to another or may be at our perspective. A carefree state of mind is difficult to attain. Since the time of birth, a person starts learning. The learning continues till he dies. While you learn to do things, you realize time flies and you are an adult. Other phases of life demand a lot of decision making and a grown up you. Either life changes or we change ourselves with time. The word leisure is remotely related to being carefree, like a child. It is only subject to things like watching television, surfing Internet, listening to music or may be talking to friends over phone. Materialistic things, outings only give us momentary pleasure and satisfaction.

It is not the distortion which prevails in one's life, but in one's mind which steals away the enthusiasm and charm from the adult. Not always you will come across people who are trapped in this lifestyle and who are busy with a monotonous schedule. There are some exceptions who not only believe in living life to the fullest but also in rejoicing each and every moment of it. Being stress-free and uninhibited becomes a natural act for such people. After a little bit of introspection, we would all agree that the "little me" is alive in all of us. We just need to connect and bond with our inner self. A healthy mind and an easy going full of life attitude will drive any individual with great zeal. But, after this realization do we really go for a makeshift? Are we really going to condition our stubborn and reluctant brain to become 'carefree' and experience a leisured life? We don't have to try any of these mind-tactics to enjoy or experience joys of life. It can be derived and felt from ordinary moments of life. It is the peace of mind, sense of being content and the urge to relish life which leads to inner happiness or leisure in whatever we do. A happy heart does not require extraordinary thinking or planning to enjoy life; it just needs an innocent, curious and excited you.