(Image: 2012Connection -The Maya Meeting)

I agree that my problems are nothing of the kind that kill people. That's why after each setback, I close my eyes and derive strength from these ordinary words put together into an inspirational quote by Nietzsche, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."

I have been struggling with some problems these days. I will not bother you with all my troubles, even though I know you are gleefully looking forward to hear all of them to glean some satisfaction from the knowledge that someone has more serious, severe, dire life problems than the ones that you are having. There is no need to feel embarrassed. Schadenfreude is a universal emotion, besides it is a good word to teach your kids if they aspire to take part in spelling competitions.

The first problem I want to share with you is about something I had done. I was a party to a fraudulent scheme in which I made a lot of money and then I got caught, but I lied and eased my way out. Though I am out of the trouble, the problem is that my conscience keeps pricking me relentlessly.

Another problem is related to a house that I bought for my parents with their life savings. It was a big house on a mountain. We could see snow-capped mountains from the rear windows and balcony. And when I looked down, there was a beautiful unfathomable deep gorge. After buying the house I remembered that unlike me my mother abhorred nature. She finds it a bit scary. I thought I would solve this problem by telling her to keep the windows shut, but then I noticed another catch. Although the first floor was spacious with an open living room surrounded by bedrooms, I realized my mom would have difficulty climbing the stairs with her troublesome knees. And the problem with the ground floor was that there was a thoroughfare - the main road of the town - passing through the bedroom. Has anyone ever owned such a house? If yes, how does one live amid traffic?  

And the last problem that I am going to unburden on you is even more complicated. I fell in love with a very rich guy because we shared a few eccentricities which I will not divulge here. I visited his home and saw that his other family members also did nothing and lived off only on their inheritance. The atmosphere in the house was also weird. Each one of them was lazying around in pajamas and looked overweight. The only person moving in the house was their butler, a maharaj, like the one we see in old Hindi movies, carrying tea cups in a tray.

Such have been my problems. I don't know how to deal with them. I assure you that I did not make any of up these like I usually do in my other posts. These are all real dreams. And whenever I wake up, I find my subconscious embroiled in a complicated contemplation over some intriguing dream. These out-of-the-world problems are more problematic than the real world problems. At least in the real world one can act and strive to fix the problems. Whereas after a distressing dream all I can do is go back to sleep in the hope that the dream continues and the problem gets solved. My only comfort is the belief that since these problems cannot kill me they will only make me stronger.

PS: If you were expecting real problems, I am very sorry to disappoint you. But don't lose heart, I just realized I do have a real problem, which I will write about in my next post.

(Via Evangelical Right)

India's main opposition party, Bharatiya Janata Party, has endorsed the re-criminalization of gay sex by Supreme Court, saying that they believed homosexuality is an unnatural act. It means that people with certain sexual orientations will be deemed criminals and will be either punished, or harassed by everyone and anyone including the state police.

FULL POST & COMMENTS >>

Friends, the edifice of patriarchal tradition in India is getting severe jolts these days from the new generation of girls and women who have become too forward and free-thinking to be controlled by their parents or in-laws. The equal-rights activists, also known as feminists have been hell bent at digging the foundation of our magnificent monument of male dominion. The good old patriarchs, who have always been the providers and protectors of women, children, and other cattle are now accused of engendering rape and violence against women. After every rape or sexual-harassment incident the feminists come out in droves like bees and start attacking the benevolent grandfathers, fathers, brothers, and husbands, who for centuries have kept their women undereducated and under surveillance so that they dutifully washed their underwear.

FULL POST & COMMENTS >>

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam

Where the deer and the antelope play;

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word

And the skies are not cloudy all day. 

Home, home on the range,

Where the deer and the antelope play;

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word

And the skies are not cloudy all day. 

I have been singing this song for the past few days as we have been looking for a new home in Dallas. And just like each time in the past, whenever we had to change our house, I am looking for my dream home, a quaint little house beside a creek or a lake, surrounded by weeds and big trees. And where not exactly buffalos, antelopes and deer, but squirrels, rabbits, and ducks would play. 

FULL POST & COMMENTS >>

Until a few days ago, I used to be mighty scared of Narendra Modi. The reason behind it was that I used to watch a lot of TV, which projected Modiji as an arrogant, Muslim-hating, self-applauding, patronizing monster. It made such an adverse impact on my psyche that I started having nightmares and hallucinations. Whenever I heard the word Modi, or saw his name or picture in print, I became jittery. Even when my husband called me moti, I would panic for no reason.

Eek!! Why do people upload such scary pictures?? (IBNLive)

FULL POST & COMMENTS >>