Breaking the Mold: Rediscovering ‘Tamasha’ and Choosing Your Own Path

To each his own. Eight years ago, when the movie "Tamasha" was released, I watched it in the theatre and found it difficult to sit through the movie. It wasn’t because I could connect with it at a very personal level and I felt sad, but it was because I was bored to death. The …

Feels like magic! Finding friendship in unexpected places

Credit: popsugar.com Yesterday I watched a short film The Star Host from Feels Like Ishq, a series of love stories recently published on Netflix. Though I am not a sucker for mushy stories, something about the movie made me feel good. Maybe it is the travel hiatus for the past two years or the uncertainty …

Tanishq Ad Controversy: A religion issue or a gender issue?

What defines Bharat? My teacher would ask and we would scream in chorus- “Anekta me Ekta ”. In times like now, in this pandemic, when the only one thing we require is unity and compassion, when a brand comes up with a collection that is a mixture of all the traditional forms, what can be …

Indian Matchmaking: Oh no, did we forget something? Oh yes, growing up!

As a part of my job, that is writing, I imagine a lot. Today, I would like you to imagine- life of a kid, not very old, about 5-7 years only. What do they do? Well, they just exist. Everything else is done by their parents. From making sure they eat on time to take …

Bulbbul: Narrating Indian misogyny through an old folklore

SPOILER ALERT!! For some reason, while writing this one, I am reminded of a dialogue from the Hindi movie Tanu Weds Manu: “Bhaiya, kya hai na, jo aadmi hota hai wo marne ke baad bhoot banta hai lekin jo aurat hoti hai wo chudail ki chudail hi rahti hai.” (A man turns into a ghost …

My favorite songs: Old School Love Playlist#1

I have been using music to concentrate on my work ever since I was in school. I always found myself struggling to focus due to the cacophony of several television sets in the neighbourhood. Yes, there was a time when entertainment was not very personal. I fell in love with my headphones almost two decades …

Why I think Indian women are the most vulnerable to mental health issues?

Can love exist without respect? This is a question that I always find myself pondering upon. I come from a place where love was found in abundance. Whether it’s my own family, my friend circle, or neighborhood, there was no dearth of well-wishers. I never had to face any discrimination based on my gender or …

Women’s Day Special: 30 songs for everyday situations women face

Enough of sad, angry and depressing posts. This post is a bit long, but I bet you would thoroughly enjoy it. We go through so many things in course of our day- a nearing deadline, maid on leave, criticism from family, unable to take time to meet your friends, no time for hobbies. Life is …

Why should boys have all the fun?

Let’s play a game. What word comes to your mind when you hear these words- “Flawed” Character? “Flawless” Skin? Interestingly, these are most commonly used to describe women. The only thing ‘flawless’ we can see in a woman is her beauty and anyone who doesn’t conform to the society is ‘flawed’. Totally unrelated but today …

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (O heart! it’s difficult)

It’s been months and I desperately wanted to write something. Searching through some random prompts, I stumbled upon this one- write about a song that’s on your mind this week. I closed my eyes and tried to listen to the in-built jukebox I have in my mind and I came up with this: tu safar …