Happy 44th Mom!

I hope you've had an amazing day and I hope that I've also had a good day cause of the summative but if I have, I owe a lot of it to you. Whenever I see a map any more, I remember your persistent words " do the map, its easy to do well in" and when I get full marks in that map, I just think of you and go, god, I have a smart mother. I still remember my first monthly ever, where you taught me pol and I got full and I came back and I hugged you and I was so grateful. Even though I don't say it a lot and certainly don't behave like it, I'm thankful to you for a lot of things. Right from the moment 16 years and one week ago when I, like the difficult child that I am, put you through 12 painful hours of labor, you have been going out of your way to make my life amazing. Whether its simply getting me a muffin every time you go to roots, or getting me a mac for my birthday you'll do anything to see me smile. Right here, right now, I want to take this moment to tell you how much I appreciate all of it and how much I love you.
Not many women can say that they've raised a little girl for two years on their own while their husband was away in another city. Not many bosses can say that they touched their protégés so much that the day they left the company, was the day that the latter also decided that they didn't want to work there if the boss wasn't there any more. Not many wives can say that the reason their husband is successful is because they taught him how to study 20 years ago. Not many mothers can say that they have attempted to climb a peak with their family and succeeded. Not many people can say that they have changed lives. But you can.
You've always been an exception. It’s so easy for people to get swayed by staying in 5 star hotels and being in the company of powerful people. But not you. It’s so easy for mothers to come back home from work and proclaim they are too tired to do anything but sit in bed, but not you. It’s easy to lose your patience with a daughter like me, but you don’t do that either.
I remember all the crazy stuff we've done, from walking to galleria three years ago to buying that leather jacket after 4 seconds of looking at it, it was the most rash purchase I’ve ever made, but it was worth it. From watching the dancing fountains in Dubai to posing for endless pictures until we both agreed we looked good. From laughing together and cracking stupid jokes to almost pushing you off the bed when I sleep with you. Now if I had to write every memory I have with you down, this movie would probably go into the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest movie and that would be because of my video alone.
So mom, thank you for being an inspiration and being the most thoughtful, loving, kind, assertive yet soft and beautiful woman I know. I love you to the moon and back.
Happy birthday.

Alchemy of Waves

The water lapped against my feet. It was a beautiful day with cool breeze lightly blowing, the kind that lifted the tips of your hair, but not the kind that gave you goose bumps. The high tide causing the waves to crash against the shore was a sign of danger for some but to me they looked like they were inviting me to come and play. It was early morning and though the sun hadn't shown its glowing face yet, the sky was still light and colored with a host of different shades, as though painted freely with hands of an imaginative five year old. The shouts and shrieks of children as they dived into the waves and let them envelop their gigantic arms around them broke the silence that was otherwise only broken by the sound of the gentle movement of the sea…

Smiling quietly and basking in the beauty of my surroundings, I then realized how odd I must look just standing there, staring into space. Quickly tying my hair up into a tight pony tail, I ran into the water just as the mother of all waves came crashing onto me resulting in my losing my footing and being thrown onto the beach like a helpless starfish. Disoriented for a second but recovering quickly, I laughed, probably out of relief and invigoration, watching as the people around me squirmed in the mud, trying to get up before the next wave came. Squeals of excitement filled the now warm air as wave after wave drenched us, doing nothing but just building up our adrenaline levels. Spluttering and coughing as a wave took us by surprise we would struggle a little to get on our feet but always managed.

I hadn't been on the beach in years, but I had always reminisced about it and sometimes I wondered why that happened. As I lay on my pillow that night, devoid of all energy and excitement, I smiled when I realized why. 

Dismal Delusions of Directors

The standard norm for the portrayal of Indians on American sitcoms is that they’re skin color is dark, they have an uncanny accent which sounds suspiciously like a badly disfigured South Indian and are always subject to making fun of Indian culture. Factually speaking, Indians are known as proud, self-respecting and yes, brown people all over the world. American sitcoms however, delineate them in a completely different light.

The most common example one can take is from the Big Bang Theory where Raj (an Indian) is one of the five main protagonists of the show. Raj had a psychological fear of speaking to women and has an accent which you wouldn't a single Indian speaking in anywhere in the world.  He is often shown talking to his parents through a webcam where they keep him updated on their sadly misinterpreted-by-the-American-director’s, ‘Indian’ lives and who he should marry, in the same outlandish accent. If you look at today’s generation of Indian parents and their twenty- something children, especially those who are living in the US, you will hardly find any or maybe no parents who pressure their kids into marriage. Raj is also known not to like Indian food, refusing to eat it when the group buys it for dinner. This brings to light Raj’s dislike for his Indian heritage as he claims he is sick of curry and rice something that he has apparently had every day of his life while he was in India.

Another example can be taken in the form Principle Figgins from Glee, where he is seen to be talking in the same ridiculous accent, the same stereotypical appearance and the same misconceived behavior and gestures.

These are just two of the many Indian characters who are portrayed in the same norm. In reality, these conceptions of Indians are really not true. It’s undeniable that Indian’s can be loud and unruly sometimes but judging them by that and not looking at their sophisticated and well behaved population, isn't fair. Also, Indians can be white. So to the directors, “Go get a reality check.”