Kahani Kahtam Hai Ya Shuruaat Hone Ko Hai!

"I am a dreamer. I am crazy. I am experimental and adventurous. I want a beautiful life. Please let me live the life I love", said a girl trapped between an egoistic male lover and her desire to live like a human being, to live with freedom, to live with dreams, to live for herself.

Wrong? Selfish? Feministic? 

Thinking? Yes? No? May be?

Whatever. This is the reality which thrives in the nook and corner of this world among men who consider women their trophies and properties, men who are highly 'educated', men who are 'settled' well.

These thoughts make me wonder - what is education? what is being human? what is living? The idea of controlling and imposing on another person, seems so heinous in the world, that sometimes one questions the ideals of love, relationships and, being together in solidarity with each other.

People change, we are told. Situations change, we are told. The world changes, we are told. We change, for good and for bad. I wonder then what it is to live. May be I am thinking too much because my heart kind of literally shook when I saw one of my closest friend pour her heart out; the moments when she was not 'allowed' to do certain things, when she was told that she cannot evolve, she cannot live. "Behave properly". "Don't dance crazily". "You cannot take up this profession, it is not for women". "What will people think?" "You have to be like I expect you you to be".

No, this is not from a man who is from a small village somewhere. No. He is educated. He has travelled. He has a good job. This is the reality that shows the real face of gender inequality that is eating our society inside out.

But do we give up? No. When she told the above words to him, I felt proud. There is this girl who dares to dream, who wishes to live, who wishes to be.

And dare you, no one in this entire world has the right to judge her. No. 

She has all the rights to FLY. 

She is indeed a DREAMER.

You ask me why?

Because inside this strong exterior, lies a heart which saves for the community, which encourages her cousins to live up to their dreams, which has fought very hard to be where she is today in a male dominated society and profession. But did not give her. Continues to believe. Continues to fight. Continues to live. TRULY. CRAZILY. LIVELY. Challenging and taking a stand within your family is the hardest thing to do. I can go out and do all the developmental work. That is easy. This isn't. 

Friend, I Love You yaar. Crying with you has been the best experience ever. You give me courage. You give me hope. You give me strength. You show me what it is to be courageous. 

Thank you for sharing you with me. We will live through everything, dancing and singing at the top of our voices; not just today, but for our entire lives. 

Jab buddhe honge, mil ke sadkon pe gayenge aur pagalon ki tarah dance karenge. Dekhna tu! Yeh mera promise hai tujhko. :D

Kahani Khatam Hai. Nayi Shuruaat Hone Ko Hai! Sapnon ki Udaan!! :-)

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Freedom Matters - Documentary - Feat. Kailash Satyarthi & Ms. Kalki Koec...

Freedom Matters - A call for action against human trafficking'

A small effort from our team to highlight the grave issue of Human Trafficking, featuring Noble Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and Actor Kalki Koechlin. This documentary is dedicated to each one of YOU with hope and faith that you will take at least one step towards eradicating this gravest human rights violation.

#‎KalkiKoechlin‬ ‪#‎KailashSatyarthi‬ ‪#‎FreedomMatters‬ ‪#‎TheStorygraphers‬

For more info, you can visit our blog- aht-freedommatters.blogspot.com
Thank you :-)

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Believe In The Magic Of Kindness!

Watch this 14 minute short film to believe in the magic of kindness. You will be hooked till the end!

:-)

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The Relationship Conundrum

One of my very close friend is dealing with a serious relationship crisis. I know for sure that no matter how many of us are there to offer her advice and words of consolation, she is standing alone like that lone warrior in the battle field. The only difference here is - she is not just fighting this battle with the outer world, but it is also a battle with her inner self. And let me tell you that I am boggled by her strength and courage. She is indeed a warrior. She is fighting with it each day.

This situation triggers many thoughts in my mind about life and its most important element - relationships. A while ago, my best friend complimented me - you build relationships when the world is running after building networks. The context was a bit different from what we are discussing in this post but it gave me some perspective on how important yet difficult it is to nurture any kind of relationship. 

Today, when I see distorted sense of relationships around me, I wonder as to what it is to be yourself? What does a relationship truly mean? Is it possible to preserve your individuality amidst this journey of life? Or is it a matter of transition? I say distorted because it does not match with my understanding of relationships. I see people getting into and coming out of relationships like getting into a shopping mall and coming out of it after shopping. I see people wasting their life around failed relationships. No, I am not judging. I have and will always respect individuality. After all, being human is about respecting and accepting the differences.

Here, I would like to share with you one of the most treasured values I have gathered from my parents - how do you nurture a relationship? Any relationship? My parents are complete opposite beings - one organised and disciplined, while the other not so disciplined and organised; one who leaves no space to express warmth and kindness and the other who is not so expressive. But I have grown up seeing how well they have accepted each other's differences with respect. They try this every day, even after 25 years of their marriage. For instance, how papa arranges for all the things mumma wants to distribute in a  shelter home or how mumma organises the chairs in the living room because even though it does not matter much to her, it matters to papa. Over the years, I have also seen them developing certain traits of each other. For instance, how mumma now likes to keep everything organised and how papa prepares the morning tea for both of them because mumma likes to have it in the bed. All of this has given me one important lesson for life - a relationship is built on mutual acceptance of differences and respect, always.

So, what do we do when we are faced with a failed relationship? Not that I am an expert but I understand that it is a battle with your inner self; it shows you many traits about yourself which you did not know existed. I read somewhere - the hardest victories are against yourself. Seen in the context of relationships, it indeed is true. Today, when I heard my friend speak about the conundrum between her heart and mind, I could sense something - the desire to preserve her individuality; not for her family or the world, but because it mattered to her. 

May be I am mixing up a lot of things here and it is not making much sense. But through this post, I just want to convey this small message - the person who deserves you is the person who first and foremost makes you a little bit more of you each day. He or she is the person who takes your flight higher and who lets you be. There need not be any sense of any communication. That person essentially walks with you, always, irrespective of the physical or emotional distance. We may call it love or whatever, but the stories that are worth intersecting their paths are the stories which are first and foremost built on a strong sense of accepting and appreciating individuality.

Cheers friend! I know you will sail through. Thank you for teaching me about individuality and respect today. 

Oh and you always have my wishes and love. Let us sail through this dancing and singing, like we always do! :D

Love,

Pankhuri :-)

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