Being a Feminist, Belonging to Humanity.

Feminism gets a bad reputation. People who don’t quite understand, what it is associate feminism with something aggressive and exclusive: women-only and we-hate-men kind of vibes. While it’s really not that. 

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines feminism as: “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes”. It’s about equality and it’s about women doing whatever they want to do – without the society or any individual pressuring them into it.

Feminism at its core is about equality of men and women. So many people offer up the argument that women are not the “same” as men so there can’t be equality. In other words, because their bodies are different (many say “weaker” and smaller), and because men and women have different physical capabilities, these physical differences mean equality is not possible. The issue here is about equal rights and equal access to opportunities.  Men and women don’t have to be the “same” in physicality to have the right to equality. 

It’s about respecting diverse women’s experiences, identities, knowledge and strengths, and striving to empower all women to realise their full rights. It’s about levelling the playing field between genders, and ensuring that diverse women and girls have the same opportunities in life available to boys and men.

Being a feminist simply means believing in equal rights for all genders. It’s not about hating men. It’s not about women being better than men. It’s not about eschewing femininity.

-Suyash Khanna

Indian Army Day

“Thi Khoon Se Latpat Kaya, Girte Hosh Gawaate bhi Bandook Utha Kr, Das Das Ko Ek Ne Mara”

‘Indian army’ is not just a title but an emotion. Who doesn’t want to serve their respective country, in terms everyone does but the courageous one are present to protect the country. The condition that they survive are unreal to find. January 15th, the day when our soldiers are given that statement of particularity. Since 1949 our country celebrates January 15th as Indian Army Day. Soldiers are the one who serves the country in every situation and every manner possible. Though few times the situations are even worse, from blood freezing in their veins at -50 degrees Celsius to not bothering in deserts where barely life exists. They are selflessly present there to give us the peaceful sleep which they never get the privilege of. They leave their family to protect their first family, their mother, their nation. A war that takes one's child, one's father, and one's husband but that son, that father, and the husband stands with pride and smile serving the country as a martyr.  

“Kat Gaye Sar Humare Par Kuch Gam Nahi, Sar Himalaya Ka Humne Na Jhukne Diya” 

The one who lives fearlessly is the Indian army. The one whose priority is the nation is our very own Indian army.

Till date many ups and downs came in part but the certainty that the army follows is the pride that our country carries. Facing terrorism from a country like Pakistan and the uncertainty by the Army of China, our soldiers have always been ready. They have proved it every time that they exist, and the country matters. Today Indian army is the 2nd largest, and the 4th most powerful military in the world as the unity of the soldiers . Our soldiers hold never-giving spirit for our country. History shows and speaks a lot of itself that what our Army is for us and our country.

Keeping this pride in your mind, let's salute our soldiers, the one who served, is serving, and the one who will make the history in the future. So that the coming generation must take pride by saying, Yes, I am from India and the army that stand.

-Kanhaiya Kumar.

Don’t degrade yourself to impress others

Since the day we are born, our whole life is focused onto impressing others. From our childhood we are taught to fit in the ‘SOCIETY’ we live in.  Sometimes, we are not free to follow our passion and cannot do what our heart wants just to fit in Societal norms. We are very much bound in the fetters of society.  If we do something different from perceptions of the community then we will be isolated from it until and unless we prove ourselves.

World only salutes the rising sun. Some  of the people think that only women suffer from the boundaries set by the society. Well, that is not true! Women suffer, so do men. From initial years of their life, boys are told have control over their emotions, not to cry in front of others and always be available. I’m not talking about feminism and patriarchy here, that’s not even the topic, all I mean is not to give special privilege to a specific gender.  Well, coming back to the topic, give your time to those who really need you, but always beware to not get used by someone. Having faith in yourself will give you courage to do what your heart says. In the beginning, everyone will surely criticize you but once you achieve something, the same criticizers will appreciate you. They will soon start following you and this is the reality that has been happening since ages. All we have to do is focus on our goals and put efforts to make our wishes come true. Last but not the least is not to waste your valuable time to impress anyone except yourself.

Life is yours and so, you are your own leader.

-Divyaditya Singh

                                              

 

 

 

 

Wisdom is to make the right choices.

One should be clever enough on how to choose while making choices. Computer based technology has been created to help humans and make their work easier with efficiency. It is to help the generations to come up with innovations. This platform help us to learn, teach, and explore.

The manifesto was initiated to connect families, friends living near-and-far and to stay updated about each other. In the beginning it was the best way to get connected and stay in touch with their loved ones. Sharing of thoughts, life events, photos ideas and information was made easier. It has helped in building virtual networks or communities to a great extent. Chatting and sharing opinions on any topic got easy.

But soon the users got addicted and it lead to unlimited chats and dependency. Personal information started leaking as current location and status. We earlier used to call our loved ones but nowadays it has become just a short message wish over social media. We have become very much dependent upon notifications on social media to remember the birthdays of our loved ones. Instead of playing cricket in the evening, it has changed into playing electronic games. It is easily noticed that the new generation is at a point where they do not respect other’s time and carelessly wasting theirs own time too. It somehow impose the new generation to believe what they see on networking sites. They are very much fascinated by the unwanted stuff posted on social media. Computers and social media are platforms where everything is posted but one should be definite to what he chooses to learn from them. 

Be sure to choose the right stuff by which helps you to get motivated and inspired in times when nobody else do. Don't loose your real identity in race of the fake world.

-Bhavika Nandwana

Who am I, What do I do ?

A witch sewing darkness in light of the moon,

I know spells in ancient languages,

I brew potions, walk through abandoned passages,

I bathe in starlight, wearing the glow of Moon,

For I sleep without dreams when it's noon,

I'm Eve in the Satan's garden,

I wait with the nightingales, for my pardon,

I sing with them,

For the Roses that lay dead.

I cry softly besides the Wolf and the rabbits laying on my lap,

I thirst for blood as it craves bare flesh,

It's neck on my shoulder, on it's back rests my face,

I try not to hurt them as it tries to do the same.

We have dark desires, buried deep inside our graves,

In the moonlight together, we make the darkness fade,

Neither Pink nor Purple nor Red,

Our love is of the most beautiful shade.

No promise of kindness we make, still no birds fly,

Beauty of the darkness, in a starry night sky,

Sinners we are, but not in pretentious dress,

We wear no veil of kindness,

Laying naked in our darkness,

All our sins scattered into the wind,

For the whole world knows, whole world has committed sins,

Our beloved's sins we un-see,

In love trying be a sinner and try not to be.

-Akshita Singh

Single chapter doesn’t define the whole book.

You've entered a new decade but still processing 2020. It feels like everything is falling apart and that is terrifying. Those who assured never to leave, no longer exist within your vision. Time has changed and so them.

I hear your whispers asking ‘where did the time flew?’. People are passing by talking about the New year's eve and you are stuck faking the enthusiasm. In a generation that has glorified the 'fake it till you make it' thing is where you want to adjust and not get judged. And when you introspect, you find yourself in same blurry mess. Surrounded by the piles of deadlines, unopened messages and cancelled plans with friends who wish to see you. I wonder how do you tell them that you're not depressed, that you're not romanticizing your sadness and that you're just tired ?

There are days when your sadness consumes you. There will be struggles and there definitely be disappointments but there will also be days when you'll laugh hard that your stomach would hurt.

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For those happy days you must believe in yourself. I than assure you that the upcoming days will fill the cracks of your heart. You are reminded that you're not alone because you're loved and  someday you'll find that love. So Stop! Stop rushing so hard to find it, relax and don't rush yourself out by chasing someone who doesn't care. You're not half, you're a whole. There is more to life and you to yourself than your doubts that people makes you question on your self-sufficiency. Alone or not, we are all together in this and there still remain warm days to come.

The bad news is yet to pass. Celebrate the endings, for they precede new beginnings. Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right in the new decade.

- Abhimanyu Singh Nirban

It is always the performance which counts: Nana Patekar.

Vishwanath Patekar alias Nana Patekar, an Indian film actor and writer, philanthropist and filmmaker who turned 69 on 1st January, 2021. Belonging to a middle class family, he struggled a lot and challenged himself before finally working in Hindi and Marathi Cinema. When he was 28-years-old, he lost his father, and within two-and-a-half years of that, he lost his first son.

 

Life was never so easy as before coming into the acting profession, Nana did odd jobs like painting Zebra crossings, painting movie posters, etc., to earn a living. He gives credit to the Bollywood actress Smita Patil for his entry in Bollywood as she knew him from Pune and took him to Ravi Chopra for a role.

He started his acting career performing on Marathi stage at the age of 5. But in his initial days in Bollywood, he had to face discrimination for not being a 'handsome hunk'. He said “I know I am not beautiful and handsome but I wanted to make my performances beautiful. Always let your work talk for yourself”. His first film was ‘Gaman’ (1978) after which he did several small roles in Marathi cinema. He acted in various award-winning plays including Hamidabaichi Kothi and Purush. Nana also worked as a commercial artist and visualiser at Strusa Advertising.

In 2013, Nana was awarded the Padma Shri award for his dedication in the field of Films and Arts. Nana along with Irrfan Khan, is the only actor ever to win Filmfare Awards in the Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Villain categories. he won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the film Agni Sakshi. He won another National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Parinda (1989). He then won the Filmfare Best Villain Award for his role in Angaar (1992). In 1995, he won the National Film Award for Best Actor as well as the Filmfare and the Screen awards for Best Actor for his role in Krantiveer (1994). He also won his second Filmfare Best Villain Award for his role in Apaharan (2005). In 2017 he won the Filmfare Marathi award for best actor for his performance in Natsamrat. To perfect his role for Prahaar, he had undergone strict army training for 3 years, and in the early 90's, he was given the Honorary rank of Captain.

Never the less, Nana did playback singing in the films “Yeshwant” (1997), “Wajood” (1998) and “Aanch” (2003). In 2016 and made his debut as a producer with the film “Natsamrat.” Around 40 years after making his acting debut, in 2017, he did his first commercial for ‘Vikram Tea.’

Nana believes in simple living or lifestyle and is a philanthropist.Nana has also lent his service to the Indian Army, including a stint during the Kargil War. In 2015, Nana Patekar, along with actor Makarand Anaspure, started a non-governmental organization- Naam Foundation. The foundation works for the welfare of farmers in the drought-prone areas Vidarbha and Marathwada in Maharashtra. In 2015, he also distributed cheques of ₹15,000 to the families of farmers from Vidarbha region and from Latur and Osmanabad districts of Marathwada

He also carry passion for cooking. He can cook for more than 150 people at a time. He also has a signature dish to his name- ‘Nana Prawns.’ He gives credit to his mother for his cooking skills.

Nana Patekar always comes out as a versatile performer in whichever role he ever put his hand. His hard work and learnings from struggle made him a renowned actor. With due respect we pray that god bless him a healthy and a life full of positivity ahead. Wishing him a happiest birthday from his fans side.

-Ridhika Dayal Das.