FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF INDIAN TV STARS_FEELINGS MAGAZINE_SEP. OCT. 2016
Misplaced Lens Cap

blake kathryn
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me

⁂

#extradirty
wallacepolsom
Xuebing Du
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸

pixel skylines
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"

Product Placement
will byers stan first human second
Cosmic Funnies
dirt enthusiast
Sweet Seals For You, Always
Today's Document
Game of Thrones Daily

Andulka
tumblr dot com
Stranger Things

seen from China

seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States

seen from Australia

seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from Malaysia

seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from Türkiye

seen from Malaysia

seen from Malaysia
seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
@reverseswing
FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF INDIAN TV STARS_FEELINGS MAGAZINE_SEP. OCT. 2016
T. V. OUT. DIGITAL IN._FEELINGS MAGAZINE_JUNE-JULY 2017
INDIA GETS UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH MOON
FEELINGS MAGAZINE - AUG - SEPT 2019
15th August 1969. The day India announced its arrival on the highly coveted and prestigious platform of space research and exploration. On this day India, for the first time ever, unveiled its space programme. It was an achievement, which was hitherto, pride of only a handful of elite countries. Since then, till date, India’s space programme has evolved into a colossal mission of conquering the ultimate unknown – the space.
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) is the nodal agency which plans, designs and executes India’s space odysseys. It is credited with launching telecommunication satellites, weather satellites, navigation satellites within earth’s orbit. More recently it has achieved the honour and the distinction of sending a probe to the Mars (Mangalyaan). The mission, which has been prolonged till the year 2020, catapulted India into the exclusive league of select nations such as USA, Russia and ESA, which have undertaken similar successful missions to Mars.
India’s tryst with the Moon
India’s tryst with the Moon began in the year 2008. The first ever lunar mission, Chandrayaan 1, was ISRO’s maiden attempt to be up close with a celestial object which has been for eons an integral part of India’s ancient mythologies, religious beliefs, children’s books, fables, fairy tales, and of course the grand Bollywood.
Flying just 100 kms above the surface of the Moon, Chandrayaan 1, made the ground-breaking discovery that South pole of the Moon has water. This historic discovery laid the foundation for ISRO to plan its next, more colossal and more ambitious mission of landing an unmanned probe on the South Pole of the Moon – Chandrayaan 2.
Poles, the Final Destination?
Since Galileo Galilei’s first ever observation of the lunar surface in 1609, world has come a long way in exploring the moon, its surface and its secretes. Beginning with the launch of The Pioneer in 1958 by USA, there have been numerous Moon missions carried out by various countries, including the historic Apollo 11 mission. So, is it that the scientists have understood rest of the Moon well enough, and they are now focussing on the poles, especially the 1250 kms vast South pole?
Explains Dr. Mayank Vahia, former Director of Nehru Planetarium, Mumbai and currently Dean of School of Mathematical Science, NMIMS, Mumbai, “First and the foremost we need to understand why is man so much interested in the Moon? Because we want to eventually live there and carry out missions to other planets from there. There have been 150 odd missions so far to the Moon. So, by now we know quite a lot about the geography, topography and minerology prevalent there. We also have very good understanding of how Sun’s radiation interacts with the Moon. We know a great deal about the Moon’s central equatorial region since many of the missions have landed there and many of the probes have explored that region. So, it’s time to focus on specific areas such as the poles, and especially the South Pole, which holds many promises.”
What’s for the Common Man?
After an initial hiccup, when the launch had to be aborted due to a technical glitch, Chandrayaan 2 was successfully launched, bringing oodles of laurels for ISRO. With this India has certainly reinforced its ‘astronomical’ capabilities and become a player to reckon with in the game of space exploration and dominance.
But come to think of it, has this mission, the discoveries, the glory, the accolades, benefitted the common man in any way? In the past, beginning from the launch of India’s first satellite in earth’s orbit – Aryabhatt – way back in 1975, ISRO has done some commendable work in earth observation, communication, weather predictions, navigation et al which has touched and transformed lives of ordinary Indian citizen. But, can we say the same about Chandrayaan 2?
Says Dr. Vahia. “Chandrayaan 2 has nothing to do with the common man. IT will not have any impact on common man’s life…. Like humans, nations also have ambitions and desires. Countries need something to look forward to, something new to achieve….. It makes them progressive. Missions like Chandrayaan 1, Chandrayaan 2, Mangalyaan, are part of that ambition to conquer space which is the last of the great unknowns.”
Taking the ‘pole’ position?
Of late India has been indulging in various kinds of space ventures and missions, some of which have been quite ambitious. India has been leaving no stone unturned, having created new benchmarks in space technology and exploration. By going for the Mars and the Moon, India is vying to match up to big players like USA, China and USSR, in this field, and trying to take the ‘pole’ position in the space race.
“India’s space programme, right from Sarabhai’s time, has largely remained utilitarian,” says Dr. Vahia. “It is designed to develop technologies to help Indian citizens. 80-90% of ISRO budget goes into INSAT and IRS missions, which are strictly utilitarian. The remaining small percentage of the budget is utilised by ISRO for space exploration; going to Moon and Mars. So as proportion to ISRO’s resources, it is not a major amount. Second thing is at some stage Moon will be up for sale. And at that time who will be able buy what will depend on whether you are present in space or not. it is therefore important that India has a place on the Moon so that when the Moon is divided between rich nations, India should get its fair share of material from the Moon. Till date explorations to the Moon and the sun etc. were controlled by individual nations and all nations are bound by United Nation’s international treaty. But now private players are coming in who are not bound by any treaty. So before they divide the Moon amongst themselves and leave India stranded, it is important to that India should know where its interest lies on the Moon, and make sure that it has a capacity to assert that right, and collect materials that it wants.”
Why the Rover?
Sending rover to explore the South pole of the Moon was, in a way, a masterstroke by ISRO. Hitherto, there are only 3 countries which have successfully rolled out rovers on to the surface of the Moon – USA, USSR and China. But none have been to the South pole. India is the first country to explore one of the most difficult terrains of the Moon via a rover. By driving a rover on the Moon ISRO managed to cover a large area and gather minute data, which would have been difficult flying around the Moon.
“If you take a mission which lands like Apollo 11, you can barely cover a few 100 meters around that place,” explains Dr. Vahia. And if you have a purely robotic vehicle it again has its limitations. But a space mission capable of landing on the Moon, and exploring it with the help of a rover meant ISRO had better chances of achieving its targets. The rover covered large expanse of land, which was not easily visible from earth. So rover gave us a better idea of the South pole region.”
How Hard is Soft Landing?
It is one thing to have a mission circle around a celestial object for several days and months, and quite another to land on its surface and carry out explorations. Soft landing on any planet or celestial object is the most complex and challenging part of any space mission. It entails most precise, extremely meticulous and exceedingly painstaking programming of the lander, and then of the rover. Dr. Vahia explains what goes into achieving soft landings on a celestial object like the Moon.
“ISRO is one of the finest space agencies in the world with a track record of minimum errors or mistakes. It has done its homework down to the centimetre. Once you come close to the Moon, you have to slow down enough so that the gravity of Moon captures you. Once this is achieved, ISRO has to make sure that Chandrayaan 2 is in correct trajectory so that when the lander is sent down, it lands at the exact place where it is programmed to. ISRO has the knowledge of what kind of environment exists where the lander is landing. Too sandy and the rover can sink. So, care has to be taken to ensure that the footprint of the rover is big enough to avoid sinking. On the other hand, if it is rocky, the rover can topple. Now, coming to soft landing specifically, the mother craft releases the lander. The lander has rockets at the wrong side of it meaning when the rockets are fired the speed of descent gradually decreases. However, the gravitational force of the Moon accelerates the fall. So more rockets are fired to decrease the speed. The touchdown is as gentle as if you put a paper on the ground.”
Is Chinese Mission Comparable to Chandrayaan 2?
China made its first successful rover landing on the Moon in the year 2013. So in that sense, they are ahead of us as far as Lunar expeditions are concerned. Currently too there is an ongoing Chinese mission on the Moon. That mission is also a rover mission just like Chandrayaan 2. So, is Chinese mission and Indian Chandrayaan 2 similar to each other? ISRO maintains that both the missions are fundamentally different from each other. But how?
Explaining the difference Dr. Vahia says, “China has landed it’s probe on the side of the Moon which is not visible from the earth, also called the dark side of the Moon. It is the first country in the world to achieve the feat. Moon is locked towards the earth. We can see only one side of the Moon. Chandrayaan 2 has landed on this visible side of the Moon, more specifically, the South pole. It will be in continuous contact with the earth. Their mission cannot be directly contact from the earth. So they have to have another mission which periodically goes behind the Moon, talks to their rover on the ground, sends instructions, collects information, and then when the mission comes back to the other side it relays the data to earth. Their rover cannot directly talk to their people on earth. While Indian scientists will always be in contact with the rover, whether it is New Moon or Full Moon.”
1 Lunar Day, Good Enough?
1 day on the Moon equals to 14 days on earth, which equals to one cycle of the Moon – Full Moon to New Moon. Next 14 earth days or 1 Moon Day is equal to next cycle of the Moon – New Moon to Full Moon. ISRO has planned the roving mission for a period of 1 Lunar Day. It means, effectively, the lander and the rover will remain active on the surface of the Moon for 14 earth days beginning 7th September. With the kind of agenda that the two have at hand, it seems 1 Lunar Day is not enough to get desired results or achieve decided targets. Or is it enough?
“Well, it all depends on what all ISRO aims to achieve,” says Dr. Vahia. “They probably have kept the full moon- new moon cycle in mind and designed the mission for 1 Lunar Day. See, these Lunar crafts are run by solar cells. Astronomically speaking when there is full moon on earth there is full moon on the Mon too, and when there is New Moon on earth, it is new moon for Moon. During New Moon period the rover and the lander will run out of battery power. So probably ISRO wants to run one cycle from Poornima to Amavasya. As far 14 days being enough, this is not a recovery mission or a mission to understand whether we can live on the Moon or not. So in that sense 1 Lunar Day should be enough.”
Chandrayaan 2, eventually a space debris?
Having a lifespan of just 1 lunar day, the rover and the lander of Chandrayaan 2 would lie silent and defunct on the surface of the Moon, just like hundreds of other objects left behind or discarded by past missions on the Moon including probes that crashed on Moon’s surface after completing their mission, 3 rovers, 6 US flags, cameras and other trash. The leftover adds up to a mind boggling 167 tonnes. So, will Chandrayaan 2 be an addition to the list after it completes its one year of mission, or become a space debris endlessly floating around the Moon? Dr. Vahia signs off with his comments.
“After completing its one year mission in space, Chandrayaan 2 will eventually either crash on to the surface of the Moon, or ISRO may send it out into free space. But it cannot definitely come back to earth because it is not designed for re-entry. There is no radio-active material used in or carried by Chandrayaan 2, so crashing it on the Moon’s surface or even leaving it there in the space is not a problem. If it keeps floating around Moon then eventually it will become a space debris. However, it is highly unlikely that it will pose any problem for future Moon missions. The reason why space debris is a problem around earth is because hundreds of missions have gone up and even a paint flake floating around is a nuisance. But the amount of material floating around the Moon is relatively small therefore right now it’s not an issue, but in future it can be a problem.”
THE CRUSADER OF ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE
FEELINGS MAGAZINE, APRIL - MAY 2017
Meet Kruti Garg, a conservation architect by profession and a die-hard heritage lover at heart. Young and dynamic, Kruti is Director of Conservation at the renowned architectural restoration firm Abha Narain Lambah Associates (ANL), Mumbai.
For the past 11 years, Kruti has executed several projects in Mumbai and across India which has given a new lease of life to the heritage structures. Forming part of the long list are the likes of Royal Opera House, Town Hall, Prince of Wales Museum and Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) building in Mumbai, Jai Vilas Palace Museum in Gwalior, Bharatpur Museum in Rajasthan etc. Currently Kruti is busy working on five projects in Rajasthan, the Bombay High Court in Mumbai, the Teen Murti House and Bikaner House in Delhi, and a few more projects in Punjab.
While restoring and conserving the heritage glories of India is her full time job, there is one thing that Kruti does which distinguishes her from the contemporaries in this field, and puts Kruti in the special league of conservation architects.
Kruti is the crusader of creating awareness among common people about the significance and the need of protecting India’s architectural heritage. She believes that “heritage is part of the people and people are part of heritage”, and it is therefore necessary to make them feel one with the heritage.
Excerpts from the interview.
Tell us about yourself and your work.
I am a Conservation Architect with Masters in Architectural Conservation from the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi. I have been involved in the field of heritage conservation since past 11 years and have worked on a range of projects the latest being restoration of Mumbai’s Royal Opera House and Asiatic Society. In pursuance of my passion for heritage, I have been closely associated with the Kala Ghoda Association since 2010, heading the Heritage Walks section for the annual Kala Ghoda festival. I have choreographed many heritage walks at the festival which are informative and fun at the same time. This year I designed a first of its kind interactive installation dedicated to the heritage of Mumbai city when it became a visual medium of interaction for the visitors through art.
Conservation architecture is not everyone’s cup of tea. How did you get attracted to this field?
Although I was always interested in history and old architecture, a rendezvous with altered, restored and adapted space, the story of reviving a dying fort by breathing a new use to it and ensuring its character spoke the same language touched me so much that I knew this is what I want to do. To me, architecture not only teaches you how to create buildings or spaces; it also lays down the foundations of exploring and making your own design principles. Applying these principles in the realm where future and past collide allowed me to explore freedom of creativity, technical expertise in the uniqueness of breathing life into old buildings and creating spatially conducive environments well integrated and infused with the historic character of the building to enhance its architectural quality, retain its integrity and increase its lifespan.
How is being a conservation architect different from being an ordinary architect ? Obviously the basics remain the same, but isn’t conserving and restoring heritage sites quite different from simply constructing a building?
A conservation architect by education is someone who has achieved a Masters degree in the field of Architectural Conservation after having completed B.Arch, which allows you to develop specific skills in assessment, interpretation, management, formulation of policy, and documentation of culturally significant places including buildings, sites and cultural landscapes. It sometimes is more challenging to deal with an existing building or space which has been envisioned by its creator and has undergone changes since. As a conservation architect you should be able to combine expertise in technical and aesthetic principles of architecture along with material integrity and authenticity to impart or retain the character of the space which is iconic to its identity.
Where does India stand in comparison to other countries with heritage wealth? Are we a country with maximum heritage wealth ?
While India stands 7th in the world amongst the countries having the maximum number of world heritage sites, I personally believe as a nation we have a lot more than just a few listed world heritage examples which not only give an insight into the history and the traditions of our past embedded in the built forms, but also have been testimony to the rich and varied cultural heritage of our country.
What is your opinion about the heritage conservation efforts put in by the government? Are they good enough?
Although we can always ask for a little more, the Government is taking increased initiative towards the conservation of the built heritage in our city and this increased awareness has been beneficial towards setting standards and policies for the restoration of our heritage.
You have been the curator of Heritage Walks at the globally renowned Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. What is your objective behind these Heritage Walks?
Creating awareness towards our heritage, engaging people with their heritage to me is as important as it is to work in the field of conservation, which is why I have been associated as a curator and heading the Heritage Walks section of Kala Ghoda since 2010. These walks have been the forerunner in creating new and varied and interesting interactions highlighting the history and story of Mumbai through a magnifying lens delving into details and aspects making them more interactive and experiential. I have choreographed the walks, wherein we cater to a selected number of audiences. The idea is to reach out to a larger section of the society and this was achieved by merging two arms of culture – art and heritage through an interactive installation.
What does ‘choreographing the Heritage Walks’ mean ?
Choreographing would basically mean designing the flow of the heritage walk which includes the topic of expertise in that walk, the route and the narrative based on the theme of the walk. E. g. I have designed walks like food history and Irani cafe’s, walk highlighting the role of freedom movement in Mumbai, walk though the historic market areas, heritage cycle rides, etc.
What was the interactive installation that you put up this year at the Kala Ghoda Art Festival all about?
My art installation, which was titled ‘Inner Reflections’ and put up at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, literally placed the visitor in a silhouette of heritage buildings in a reflective medium across the city reinforcing its very ideation that “You belong to your heritage as much as it belongs to you”. The installation was all along Rampart Row (the road in South Mumbai on which Kala Ghoda Festival is held) along the art stands which are fixed there. There were 28 panels which were part of the installation mounted on these each of which was nearly 10’ long and 4’ in height. Each panel depicted a style and harmony in architectural language, e.g. there were two Art Deco panels and then Victorian Gothic panel depicting Victoria Terminus a.k.a. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) and the BMC building.
Why you feel the need to involve common people in heritage conservation?
About 20 years back, heritage was merely understood as monuments where one visits as a tourist, interacts with the space momentarily and forgets about it… We almost always neglected that “We the People” engage with heritage in many ways and have always been a part of its existence, sometimes being a part of its functioning and going there every day, sometimes passing by, sometimes living in it, sometimes through stories and sometimes just being around it. But surprisingly, it has failed to develop a connect or a feeling towards our heritage therefore alienating us from our spaces and places reinforcing a barrier with our heritage. This is why I feel that we can protect our heritage only if we feel for it and connect with it.
To what extent do you think your unique initiative has been successful in creating awareness about heritage preservation and conservation among common people?
Participants and visitors do show their interest in the conservation of structures and being from the field it enriches their experience not only by knowing the history but also by understanding the technical details, the process of restoration and the stakeholders involved, which gives out a message that the efforts to conserve these structures stem from us as citizens. After all, when there is awareness and when one strikes a connect with history, it does make a difference in one’s approach towards heritage whether intangible or intangible.
How did the visitors at Kala Ghoda Festival react to your installation?
Since it was a reflective installation, people interacted with it differently. Some tried to recognise the building, some would try to locate these buildings in the city and surroundings, and almost everyone stopped and clicked a selfie at this point with their own reflection.
You believe that heritage is a part of the people and people are part of the heritage. Please explain.
Just like how the city is in constant motion against the backdrop of the heritage buildings standing tall with people coming and going, my installation depicted the same motion which changes with every frame and the visitors become a part of it. As one walked along the Rampart Row, the installation of artistically juxtaposed cityscape of Heritage buildings in Mumbai reflected the symbiotic relation of the citizens with their city. The installation aimed to celebrate “you” who became an integral part of the installation reflecting exuberance, vibrancy, dynamism and mobility… all of which signifies the essence of Mumbai.
Your views on importance of protecting, conserving our heritage.
We strive for a better environment within our homes, we have an immediate connect with our roots and traditions on an individual level. If we extend our sensitivities towards our cities as our homes, towards our roots which are tangible forms right in front of us as our cultural heritage, we can symbolize that development and conservation are two sides of the same coin and the heritage buildings can greatly benefit and impart a sense of identity in a mutually respectable way.
GUJARATI POEM - Gujarati language is slowly and steadily losing its sheen and shine. Through the poem, the language narrates her pain, and appeals to the Gujaratis to help her survive the test of time.
હું, ગુજરાતી ભાષા.
શું મને જોઈ મલકાયા?
કે મને જોઈ શરમાયા?
હું, તમારી માતૃભાષા.
શું મને જોઈ અચરજ પામ્યા?
કે મને જોઈ ગુંચાયા?
હું, તમારી રોજિંદી ભાષા.
હું, ગુજરાતી ભાષા.
હું, તમારી માતૃભાષા.
નરસિંહની વાણી, નર્મદની કહાણી.
મીરાનું ભજન, બાપુનુ કથન.
અખાના છપ્પા. કલાપીની કવિતા.
હું, ગુજરાતી ભાષા.
હું, ગુજરાતની ભાષા.
હું, ગુજરાતીઓની માતૃભાષા.
હું તો થઈ જૂની વાણી.
હું તો થઈ જૂનવાણી.
મને બોલવા, મને સમજવા,
મને વાંચવા, મને સાંભળવા,
ના કોઈ ઉત્સુક, ના કોઈ ઈચ્છુક.
હું, ગુજરાતી ભાષા.
હું, ઍક ઝબૂકતી જીજ્ઞાસા.
હું, પળ પળ બૂઝતી આશા.
હું, તમારી માતૃભાષા.
ક્યાં ગયા મને વખાણનારા?
ક્યાં ગયા મને બિરદાવનારા?
કયાં ગયા મને પ્રેમ કરનારા?
ક્યાં ગયા મને સાચવનારા?
હું, ગુજરાતી ભાષા.
ગઈકાલની સંસ્કૃતિ.
આજે બની ગઈ આકૃતિ.
શું આવતીકાલે બસ યાદગીરી?
હું, ગુજરાતની ભાષા.
હું, તમારી માતૃભાષા.
અમીર ગરીબમાં નથી કર્યો ભેદ.
સહુને આપ્યો છે સમાન પ્રેમ.
સમયનો આ છે બધો ખેલ.
વીસરાઈ જવાનો છે મને ખેદ.
હું, ગુજરાતી ભાષા.
છે મને આજની પેઢીથી આશા.
નહીં કરે ઍ મારી ઉપેક્ષા.
રાખશે મને જીવંત હંમેશા.
હું, ગુજરાતની ભાષા.
હૂ, ગુજરાતીઓની માતૃભાષા.
FAMILY MAN 2. INDIA’s FIRST ‘BI-LINGUAL’ WEB SERIES ?
Great story. Fantastic acting. Superb casting. Excellent music. Smart writing. Classic action sequences. Technically flawless.
Family Man 2 on Prime Video, while carrying on from where Family Man 1 left off, undoubtedly raises the benchmark it set in Family Man 1.
Well, it may not be setting any precedence in any particular aspect of web series making - like action, drama, cinematography, writing etc - it certainly surprises the viewer with overwhelming emphasis on Tamil language.
To begin with, the disclaimer is in Hindi, English and Tamil. Well, one may think since the story line involves Tamils, it is advisable and prudent to give the disclaimer in Tamil language as well. Fine, point taken.
Lets move further. The first episode begins with dialogues in Tamil language !! One waits… waits… waits… waits and waits… to hear a dialogue in Hindi.
Phew !!! It’s utterly confusing, and puts a doubt in your mind whether you are watching a Tamil web series or a Hindi one!!!
Then, after a good 8.30 minutes into the episode…. you hear Manoj Bajpayee uttering the first Hindi sentence of Family Man 2!!!!
More than 30% dialogues in the whole of second series are spoken in Tamil… some even in Jaffna (a city in Sri Lanka) Tamil accent… This aspect of Family Man 2 seems to be highly conspicuous and peculiarly interesting.
There have been many movies made in Bollywood with story line and characters set in and around South India. But these movies have used the native language to add fun element or in a way that is inconsequential to the main story, thereby neither distracting or confusing the viewer.
Here it is imperative to mention that while there have been numerous South India remakes in Bollywood, there are hardly any original Bollywood movies made till date which aim to cater the South Indian viewers.
Everyone knows that South Indian film industry is class-apart. They have always been original in every which way, and don’t depend on Bollywood to churn out hits and super hits. Well, there have been a few instances where South Indian film industry have remade Bollywood films in their language, but the number remains abysmally low.
Now, the question is, why use so much Tamil in a predominantly Hindi web series? One of the reasons could be to give authenticity to the story. Taken. It surely lands credence as well as authenticity. But what about those uninitiated in Tamil language? The Hindi subtitles that come along the Tamil dialogues, flip over rapidly before the viewer completes reading it. Pausing, reading and then continuing, unnecessarily increases the duration of viewing.
Whereas the reviews of the series have been lauding and applauding the art and craft of the makers, this overemphasis on Tamil language is not pointed out or discussed anywhere. Surprising indeed. I think those who have reviewed have either just glanced through the series or are well versed with Tamil language, and therefore had not to take pains of reading the Hindi subtitles.
So with Family Man 2, are we seeing a new trend emerging in OTT of bilingual series? Well, a good idea considering there is great audience polarisation as far as bollywood and regional content is concerned. With more and more such bi-lingual web series, one hopes the gap can be bridged.
2021
CLEAN INDIA JOURNAL_2012
DOSTI PEARL HOARDING
Reverse Swing turned 3 today!
RESPITE FROM RAIN https://www.instagram.com/p/CQiHgRFDfCt/?utm_medium=tumblr
Global Warming : The Slow Poison
The writing is on the wall. And the message is for us to decipher. Earth is heating up. Temperatures are rising. Sea levels are increasing. Glaciers are receding. Flora is withering. Fauna is dying… Nature is complaining. But her cries are falling on deaf ears.
Global warming or the climate change is the clear and present danger that’s threatening to wipe out human existence from the face of the earth sooner than later. The steadily rising frequency of natural disasters like droughts and the recent El Nino are clear indicators and harbinger of the bad omen. But the mankind seems to be turning a blind eye to the impending catastrophe which has the potential to wipe out humans from the face of the earth.
There are natural as well as human forces that contribute to global warming. Natural forces include variations in solar radiation, deviations in the Earth's orbit, motion of tectonic plates, volcanic activities, and ocean variability. Humans contribute to global warming by producing greenhouse gases that accumulate in the atmosphere causing unnatural and erratic climatic changes.
While natural forces are beyond human control, emission of green house gases can definitely be kept under check if nations rein in their ambitions and take sincere steps towards controlling the damage already done.
The Kyoto protocol is the right step towards this end. But it leaves a lot to be desired; thereby making the agreement virtually ineffective, and delaying the rectification process.
Not waiting for the nations to take the initiative, we, at individual level can do our bit by taking small but substantial measures like going green and moving to renewable sources of energy, reducing waste and learning waste management, planting more trees, eating local food, choosing eco-friendly modes of transport like train instead of plane, switching off electrical appliances when not in use…
Climate change is not a political issue that can be solved through diplomatic dialogues. It is not a problem restricted to certain country and its government. It is a global phenomenon affecting and touching the lives of all the individuals that inhabit earth.
It therefore becomes our collective responsibility and duty to contribute towards reducing global warming, in whatever manner we can, since it is the only way to ensure earth’s longevity and better future for coming generations. Let’s get going before the going gets tough.
SINGLE MOTHERS. REDEFINING MOTHERHOOD.
Joseph Rudyard Kipling, the famous poet, novelist, short-story writer and a journalist once said, “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made Mothers.”.
How true!!
A mother is an incarnation, a personification of the god Himself. A creator and a caretaker, she is the faith, the hope, the belief and the trust to her children whom she nurtures and nourishes with kindness and benevolence that’s unique and inimitable in this material world.
With a heart full of infinite compassion, she lives and loves to give her children supreme affection and adoration, insightful teachings and learnings, endless boons and blessings. Determined to ensure a blissful present and a bright future for her children, a mother meets every challenge, every difficulty, every adversity with grit, gumption and grind… with or without the support of her husband, friends, relatives in particular, and society in general.
Yes. With or without.
For a woman, who has her husband, and the world by her side, motherhood does not become a burden. The fact that she has people to assist and back her up in her endeavours as a mother, works as a cushion and gives her the much-needed mental comfort.
But the same cannot be said about mothers on whom single motherhood is enforced by destiny. Theirs is a different story all together. When single motherhood is not attained wilfully, it becomes a long and hard battle that the woman, more often than not, has to fight alone.
“IT TOOK ME FIVE YEARS TO REGAIN CONTROL OF MYSELF.”
Sana Dawood Shaikh, a real estate broker and entrepreneur, was a happy go lucky housewife till 2004 when she lost her husband, a self-employed civil contractor. The unforeseen demise left her devastated and her life in disarray. With two children, Danish and Shifa, then aged seven and five respectively, to look after, and with no source of income, the future seemed dark and blurred. After five years of going through emotional and physical turmoil, things started to turn around. Today she is living a life of dignity and pride.
With moist eyes and a heavy voice, Sana talks about her struggle and tribulations. “I have been fighting this battle for more than a decade now. I can’t forget the day when within blink of an eye my world had come crashing down…. I went into a deep depression and was hospitalised. My children were suddenly left to their own fate. My father took them with him and got them admitted into a new school. It took me five years to regain control of myself. When I did, I realised I had to start all over again. There was no point in ruing over the past. I decided to focus on the future of my children. With the help of my family, I slowly and steadily rebuild my life. Today, I own a small real estate construction and broking business. My son is into sales and marketing whereas my daughter is studying hotel management.”
“THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO LOOK AT ME WITH DOUBT.”
Whether single motherhood is forced upon by destiny or it is a wilful decision like separation by mutual understanding; it takes huge amount of courage and determination for a single mother to stay afloat. It’s an arduous task to embrace the truth, make amends and move on in life leaving behind the bitter past. Positive support from the society, friends and relatives would make traversing the lonely road of single motherhood a little easy, but then, it’s not always the case.
“The support of the society in the general, and family and friends in particular is crucial for a single mother,” says Vishakha Shah, Business Director in a Digital Agency, who separated from her husband over a decade and half ago, and lives with her teenage daughter named Deeti.
“Single motherhood is still looked upon very apprehensively by Indian society. There are many who tell me I have done wrong by separating from husband. There are others who show excessive sympathy and call me ‘bechari’. Still some others become judgemental. There are people who look at me with doubt. I get all sorts of advises from those who think they are happily married.”
Echoing the thoughts of Vishakha, is Rochelle Kapoor, the owner of a cake shop and bakery who lost her husband in 2015. The demise left her solely responsible for raising her two kids Shanaya, now 15, and Shayan, now 10.
“I think our Indian society is by nature rather conservative. They come to a natural conclusion that because you are a single mother there are lot of things you cannot do. Financial independence, having your own car, dressing up… are things they cannot relate with single mothers. They even tend to isolate you by not inviting you to social gatherings because you are single while others come with their husbands.”
“I HAD TO BE STRONG ENOUGH TO MAKE UP FOR BOTH.”
It’s always tough in the beginning for single mothers. There is a vacuum created, which is extremely hard to fill in. At this crucial juncture of life, the single mother needs to be resilient enough to not only stop herself from drowning into the abyss of helplessness and depression, but also help her children tide over the crisis. It’s easier said than done but women like Meet Agarwal shows the way.
“It’s been almost six years that I have separated from my husband,” says Meet, a front office executive in an agency and a mother to ten-and-half year old daughter Hannah. “Life has been difficult since then as I juggle between my personal and professional life single-handedly. Family members do offer a helping hand but I have decided to not to take their help. I have chosen to be self-reliant. It has earned me respect, admiration and appreciation from society and family….. There are moments when I break down. But then I have only myself to turn to. I am afraid that if I share my feelings with someone, then they may take undue advantage of it.”
For Rochelle Kapoor, single motherhood means being mentally strong and emotionally balanced. “I stopped thinking from my heart and started thinking from my mind.…. After all, going down that road, would be an endless quest…. I had to be strong enough to make up for both. I told my kids that your father’s aim was to give us the best of life. So we have to make our lives fulfilling….self-pity will not get us anywhere…. My work has been god sent for me. My business is so challenging that whenever I felt that I couldn’t move forward I started working even harder.”
“EVERYBODY HAS A DADDY OVER THERE, I DON’T HAVE ONE.”
It’s not that only the single mother has to come to terms and start looking up to the future with renewed optimism. Her children too need counselling. Talking to kids, making them understand the situation, addressing their fears and apprehensions, is another battle that a single mother has to fight on her own. These children tend to go into a shell and quickly slip in to depression.
Rochelle Kapoor believes, her daughter Shanaya showed exemplary maturity in coming to terms with the loss. “Shanaya is smart and intelligent enough to channelize her grief into something productive. Once when I said why you don’t talk about what happened to dad, you never ask me anything…. she said mom what is the point? Asking questions will not bring back dad.…. As far as Shayan is concerned, there was a time when he stopped going to birthday parties. I wouldn’t understand, and used to ask him why every time he declined going to birthday parties? He was very reticent in the beginning but then after lot of cajoling he said because everybody has a daddy over there, I don’t have one.”
Asked what was her reply, Rochelle said, “I told him it’s okay…. Some don’t have daddy; some don’t have mummy. Some people choose to live separately…... These things happen in life, and one has to move on.”
Recollecting how her daughter was psychologically affected after her separation from her husband, Meet Agarwal says, “Hannah used to have hallucinations. She used to run amok in the house screaming in fear. She was around five years old at that time. At family functions, she used to feel very deprived when she saw other children of her age playing with their fathers. The sadness in her eyes used to make me cry…. I don’t earn big…. she is matured enough to understands this…. While I don’t say no to her for anything, there are times when she tells me mamma buy me this when you get your salary.”
“I HAVE BECOME MORE REALISTIC AND OBJECTIVE.”
Single motherhood, when forced upon, brings revolutionary changes in woman and in her life. She has to reinvent and rediscover herself so as to keep moving, keep growing and keep smiling. An imposed single motherhood brings out those hidden strengths, powers and fortes in a single mother, which probably, till that point in time, she herself was unaware of.
Vishakha Shah admits that single motherhood brought has out the best in her. It completely changed her perception, approach and attitude towards life. “It has made me responsible in many ways,” says Vishakha with a smile. “I am now much more careful and thoughtful in what I do and say. I have realised that the way I deal with life and react to circumstances, my daughter is going to imbibe the same. Single motherhood has made me look at my life’s goals very seriously. I have started valuing time more than ever before.”
For Sana Dawood Shaikh, single motherhood has made her what she could never have, had she been living under the shadow of her husband. “Financial management is the biggest thing that single motherhood has taught me. Previously I used to be a spendthrift. But now I have become very calculative. My thinking has become more realistic and objective as my business has given me more exposure and widened my horizon… I care for my children more than ever before. I have to prepare them to face the challenges of life. I don’t want them to go down in life like I did…. Previously I was overprotective. Now, I encourage them to think and act independently…. I want them to be responsible for their actions.”
“SYMBOL OF SELF-EMPOWERMENT. BUT A CRUEL ONE.”
Difficulties, hardships, adversities … mould, shape and redefine a person. This is especially true for single mothers. Those who have been living in a comfort zone before the misfortune hit them, suddenly find themselves at crossroads. To sustain themselves and their children, they are left with no option but to create sources of income. They have to work hard and give many sacrifices to keep afloat…. To keep moving ahead in life.
These single mothers are symbols of self-empowerment, agrees Meet Agarwal. She firmly believes that single motherhood has made her self-empowered. “I believe single mothers are so very capable and able that they do not need men to help them take care of their children or run the house. Single motherhood teaches you to be independent, financially and otherwise. The sense of self-empowerment, in fact makes me feel proud of myself,” she says with a twinkle in her eyes.
Rochelle Kapoor sees self-empowerment in a different light though. “Yes, it does make the woman self-empowered,” says Rochelle. “But I would say it’s a cruel form of self-empowerment. It will sound very funny but though being an educated, confident and independent woman myself, I had never gone to a bank, I had never gone to an ATM before. I had never filled fuel in my car before. I never paid light bills online. I had never done an online money transfer before I lost my husband. So yes, single motherhood has made me self-empowered, but come to think of it… it is all forced, isn’t it?”
“THERE IS A VERY THIN LINE BETWEEN FEELING SAD AND TAKING INSPIRATION FROM THE SITUATION.” : CHAHATT KHANNA
Better known for her role in Balaj Telefilms’ superhit daily soap ‘Bade Acche Lagte Hain’, and most recently having gained fame as Sanjay Dutt’s daughter in ‘Prasthanam’, Chahatt Khanna is a single mother of two beautiful kids Amaira and Zohra. An actor and a businesswoman, Chahatt is currently enjoying her single motherhood amidst the trials and tribulations that come along with it. Excerpts from the interview.
You took everyone by surprise when you, quite suddenly, announced your single motherhood. How did people around you react to the news…. Your friends, relatives, acquaintances…..
Nobody reacts on your face, right? Everyone will react behind your back. So, you get to know things. You get to hear a few things. It’s okay…. I don’t want to think on those lines… what happened, why it happened. I just know I am happy; my kids are happier and they are safe.
You were a mother before you became a single mother. How has this change transformed you as a person?
Yes, I am a changed person now. Single motherhood has made me stronger, more independent. My confidence has grown leaps and bounds. I had someone whom I could bank on. But now I know there is no one. So that has made me more resilient. I feel more comfortable in my life now. I am enjoying my space with my kids now. My perspective towards life has changed….. There is a very thin line between feeling sad and taking inspiration from the situation I am in. I believe in taking inspiration and make it happen. It’s up to you let yourself get pulled back by the adversities or have courage and move on. I have chosen the second option.
You have started a brand in your kids’ name.
Yes. I started this venture four months after I separated. It’s basically a brand from London which I have brought here. I have renamed it Amaarzo. It’s the combination of the names of my two daughters Amaira and Zohar. We are e-commercing it in India and Asia. It’s about women wear…. Everything in women wear. Clothing to handbags to purses…. Everything. I am doing this alone. I don’t have any partners. I am the promoter and the owner of the brand.
Single motherhood brings with its difficulties and struggles which give rise to negative emotions. How do you deal with it?
The struggle is with yourself, within you. It’s about getting out of that zone. It’s about overcoming it and moving on. You will feel anxious. You will feel angry. You will feel helpless. The challenge is how do you make yourself feel good about yourself. How do you love yourself back? How do you forgive yourself? You have to fight with yourself constantly. I am in a battle with myself continuously. At some point of time you have to befriend yourself again and move on in life.
You are a celebrity single mother. Other single mothers look up to you. Does it make any difference whether someone is a celebrity single mother and someone is an ordinary single mother?
Absolutely not. How does it matter? I go to the same café, I bring up my kids the similar way, I go through the same struggle in life. Maybe I have a different car, maybe I have a different phone. But how does that make a difference?
Are you part of any online single mother social groups or forums?
No… What’s that? I don’t even know about it… I don’t have time for all that. I am building an empire for my kids. Though it would be great to be a part of it. If I have time, I would love to do that. But unfortunately, I don’t have time for all that. I have couple of people contacting me for the same. But then I should have the time to visit or co-ordinate or even talk on the phone. I am highly preoccupied with acting and other things. I have my hands full.
Do you believe that single motherhood, for a woman, is a symbol of self-empowerment?
No. I don’t think so. Single motherhood and women empowerment are different things. It will be wrong on our part if we link both. Because not necessarily if you are an empowered woman you have to be a single mother. And not necessarily if you are a single mother you are a strong woman. They are two different things… Yes, when you become single mother, self-empowerment comes naturally. But that doesn’t mean you have to be a single mother to de self-empowered.
2020 - FEELINGS - VADODARA
ARE YOU WHATSAPP HAPPY?
The advent of social media brought with itself a revolution in private and public interaction on the world platform. There came a paradigm shift in global communication as dependence on telephone and other devices as means of keeping in touch reduced drastically. This digital innovation transformed lives and lifestyles of people world over. What made these social media popular overnight was the emotional quotient that came attached with it. What words could not express, was now conveyed using signs and symbols. The ‘Like’, the ‘emojis’, the ‘tag’, the ‘follow’, the video, the audio… these options and real time transfer of data filled the void and bridged the gap between people and geographies breaking the time barrier.
But soon the flip side of these social media began to raise its head. The facilities that were given to make life happy and smooth, soon started getting misused. The freedom that these social media gave soon snowballed into nuisance as rogues and imposters joined the bandwagon. It became increasingly difficult to separate wheat from the chaff and innocent people started falling prey to tricks and cheating indulged into by the fakes that inundated the social media.
The most vulnerable to these pranksters are the celebrities. While the social media takes them and their fame to the remotest corners of the world, they have to deal with people who fake their identities, who troll them for their comments and views, who hack their personal information and what not!! There are many high-profile names from the fields of entertainment, politics, fashion etc. who have been targeted by these rouges making their life a hell.
WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and the likes whose main idea was to create an integrated platform of live communication and interaction across the globe, slowly became the means to harass, stalk, infringe, trespass privacy. To fight against this menace and to avoid, ignore unwanted people and unsolicited friends on these social media, the users began to use the facilities given by these media to their advantage. Dodging those intrusive messages and comments, has now become easy by smart use of special tools provided on these social media platforms, especially WhatsApp, which help you conceal your identity, your presence, help you limit your exposure, filter your contacts, block friends, delete unwanted comments etc. Let’s take a look at how you can make WhatsApp work to your advantage besides keeping in touch with your long lost and long-distance friends and colleagues and family members.
The blue ticks give the indication that you have read the message and this may create a problem if you don’t want to reply to that guy. The easiest way to avoid this problem is to switch to ‘Aeroplane Mode’ before opening the message. The sender will not know whether you have read the message or not until you open the App again.
Says Sneha Dave, 38, “When I downloaded WhatsApp, it really changed my world. But soon I realised its pitfalls, the worst being people questioning and objecting for me not replying to their posts even after seeing them. Soon I learnt to hide the blue sticks. I went to Settings > Account > Privacy > Read Receipts and unchecked the box. This solved my problem. But yes, with this I am also not being able to see whether others have read my post or not, but that’s ok. After all I don’t want everyone to reply.”
Shalini Vora, 29, an avid WhatsApp user, also indulges in such evasive activity on WhatsApp. He says, “WhatsApp is packed with some very handy but little-known features and facets that help you restrict your presence or communication with people you wish to ignore but still want to know about their activities. I keep a control over my last seen. I prevent my contacts from seeing my ‘last seen’ online by going to Settings > Account > Privacy > Last Seen.” However, just like it is with disabling the read receipts, hiding your ‘last seen’ prevents you from seeing others’ last seen too.
Shifa Merchant, 21, goes a step further. She has got a trick to see someone’s last seen while hiding hers. What she does is very simple. “I send out a text and then delete that person’s contact from list. After doing this I go to privacy settings and change the ‘Last Seen’ preference from ‘Everyone’ to ‘My Contacts’. This way the chat still remains there but the concerned person is not able to see my last seen detail.” Isn’t that great !!
Group Talk can be entertaining and irritating at the same time. The main problem with Group Talk is that you don’t have control over the chatter boxes who take ‘pride’ in being the most active members of the Group. Being a member of a Group that ‘talks’ a lot can be a nuisance, especially when you find 100 unread messages in Group Chat. While it is considered rude to ask these guys to shut up, you have the option to excuse yourself out of the conversation. Mute the Group Talk. Danish Shaikh, 23, who is pursuing a degree in Hotel Management tackles the problem thus : “My phone is an Android phone. Whenever the Group chat becomes too noisy, I hit the menu button and select ‘Mute’. The iPhone users can find the same option in Group Info section.” Well, you can Mute the chat for eight hours, one week or even a year.
Well, there is one more way to doge Group Chats, yet remain informed about the conversations happening in there. This is called staying selectively notified. In this you can avoid Group Chats you don’t want to be an active member of while also keep yourself updated about certain Group Chats that are of your interest. This is how you do it : Go to significant group chats. Tap on the name to see group info. Then go to ‘Custom Notifications’. There select from ‘Custom Message Alert’ for the Group Chats of your choice. But be careful to remember the alert tone that you have assigned to your favourite Group Chat.
Privacy intrusion is yet another menace that haunts WhatsApp users. There are always peeping toms who are more interested in others’ lives than their own. If you don’t want these people to read your messages when they pop up on your screen through the previews, you can always take things in your control and restrict the amount of information they display. IOS has a very straightforward way of doing this. Go to Settings > Notifications > Show Preview and you can force previews to show contact’s name only. Android users don’t have such a privilege but they can control the info appearing in the notifications by opening notifications in the main settings.
Profile picture or Display Picture, famously called DP, is definitely something to show off. Besides being your identification mark, it talks about your personality, your mood, your activities and what have you. Well, the flip side of it is that it may attract some naughty remarks and comments too. So does that mean you avoid having your DP on WhatsApp? No. There is a way to doge unwanted people from seeing your profile picture. Go to Privacy > Profile Photo and choose from the options ‘Everyone’, ‘My Contacts’, ‘Nobody’. Now the choice is yours.
Now that you got to know how to be a smart user of WhatsApp, use these tricks to the best of your advantage. We wish to all happy WhatsApping!!
2018 - FEELINGS - VADODARA