Vidya Shankar's Blog, page 7
December 15, 2018
De-lightful Darkness
Darkness, definition of de-light,Tell me, why are you feared?Is it because in your depthsLie encrusted, shards of painful memories
So fiercely true and unjust,
That can pierce open a volley of emotions,Which, when unleashed, can cause The carefully sewn profile of Civic pretenseTo be ripped apartArousing a plethora of reactionsUnwarranted? — Vidya Shankar
Photo courtesy: Shankar Ramakrishnan
www.facebook.com
So fiercely true and unjust,
That can pierce open a volley of emotions,Which, when unleashed, can cause The carefully sewn profile of Civic pretenseTo be ripped apartArousing a plethora of reactionsUnwarranted? — Vidya Shankar
Photo courtesy: Shankar Ramakrishnanwww.facebook.com
December 12, 2018
Rudolph's Christmas
What is Christmas
Without some good old carols?
So, tapping my feet and wriggling my shoulders,
Heartily I sang
That ever-popular Christmas song of Santa’s favourite
Red-nosed reindeer, Rudolph.
“Then all the reindeer loved him,”
…
Then? Only then did all the reindeer love him?
Only when Santa chose Rudolph with his nose so bright
To guide his sleigh that night?
Vanished like vapour my cheery carolling chirp,
And ‘stead spouted a sweep of fury.
Bullied, discriminated, isolated,
All because Rudolph was not of the pack,
Different of features, not dank and dull?
Christmas! Harbinger of joy, giving and loving,
Do you claim back the gifts you bestow on humanity
When the trees are down and the notes of music fade?
Is that why reindeer packs of the nose so dull
Gather again to laugh and call names at
The Rudolph of low vision
And the Rudolph of blue spectrum?
Christmas, don’t go yet, please don’t leave… but stay on.
Stay on, so that the glittery fairy dust of sharing and caring
You sprinkle upon us in the last month of the year
Does not turn into bland sand when comes the turn.
Stay on, so that mute Rudolph can have a say,
While taking a victory stride with his lame-of-leg Rudolph pal.
Stay on, Christmas, and help Miss.Rudolph toss away
Fear of suppression and unfairness of treatment
So she might, with pride, flaunt her womanly strength.
Stay on, and give a shoulder to devastated Rudolph
Struggling at the line of poverty to find hope and happiness
In the abundance of gratitude.
But, most of all, stay on, Christmas, for young Rudolph,
Whose tender heart nasty friendlessness has wrecked,
Stay on to heal, befriend, love,
Oversee that it is not laughed at but laughed with
As, in all the reindeer games, Rudolph joins and plays with glee.
Vidya Shankar
Written for a poetry competition themed 'Christmas is All About...' hosted by Poetry 24/7
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2004206249616945&set=p.2004206249616945&type=3&theater&ifg=1
www.facebook.com
Without some good old carols?
So, tapping my feet and wriggling my shoulders,
Heartily I sang
That ever-popular Christmas song of Santa’s favourite
Red-nosed reindeer, Rudolph.
“Then all the reindeer loved him,”
…
Then? Only then did all the reindeer love him?
Only when Santa chose Rudolph with his nose so bright
To guide his sleigh that night?
Vanished like vapour my cheery carolling chirp,
And ‘stead spouted a sweep of fury.
Bullied, discriminated, isolated,
All because Rudolph was not of the pack,
Different of features, not dank and dull?
Christmas! Harbinger of joy, giving and loving,
Do you claim back the gifts you bestow on humanity
When the trees are down and the notes of music fade?
Is that why reindeer packs of the nose so dull
Gather again to laugh and call names at
The Rudolph of low vision
And the Rudolph of blue spectrum?
Christmas, don’t go yet, please don’t leave… but stay on.
Stay on, so that the glittery fairy dust of sharing and caring
You sprinkle upon us in the last month of the year
Does not turn into bland sand when comes the turn.
Stay on, so that mute Rudolph can have a say,
While taking a victory stride with his lame-of-leg Rudolph pal.
Stay on, Christmas, and help Miss.Rudolph toss away
Fear of suppression and unfairness of treatment
So she might, with pride, flaunt her womanly strength.
Stay on, and give a shoulder to devastated Rudolph
Struggling at the line of poverty to find hope and happiness
In the abundance of gratitude.
But, most of all, stay on, Christmas, for young Rudolph,
Whose tender heart nasty friendlessness has wrecked,
Stay on to heal, befriend, love,
Oversee that it is not laughed at but laughed with
As, in all the reindeer games, Rudolph joins and plays with glee.
Vidya Shankar
Written for a poetry competition themed 'Christmas is All About...' hosted by Poetry 24/7
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2004206249616945&set=p.2004206249616945&type=3&theater&ifg=1
www.facebook.com
December 8, 2018
Cabbie kid
I had hailed this cab and as I got in, I noticed the person at the wheel was a kid. Curious, I started a conversation with him.
He said he had completed university and was looking to study further. In the meantime, wanting to do something different, he drove the cab. Yes, he did have a valid driving licence.
His father though, did not approve of his driving and it was not because of his age. His concern was that their folks looked down on his son.
The lad, however, was very clear about what he wanted to do with his life. And what he didn’t want to do too, like subduing his dreams to comply with the false prejudices of people.
Anyway, it would be only a few months more before he got into another phase of serious study. Moreover, his cab-driving was in itself a great learning experience, what with all the various people he came across every day.
So, what did he learn from his observations?
People were insecure, avaricious and, sadly, very egoistic. Loans, real estate, jewellery, best deals and judging people seemed to be the invisible, uncanny web that bound all these strangers.
Friends? Pastime?
Yes, but none he wanted to hang out with. He loved solitary excursions into rustic environments and watch birds.
Was his cab-driving experience making him bitter about the human race?
No, not really. In fact, he actually found human attitudes very amusing.
Such maturity for one so young, I reflected.
By then we had reached our destination. He said that it was not every day he came across someone with whom he could have a simple conversation, from one human to another. I said the feeling was mutual.
We thanked each other, bid goodbye and went our different ways.
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Dec 08, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/7b8769be-7633-4326-93b4-b107b130e8ca.aspx
#TheQuintessentialWord #FlautistofBrindaranyam #
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
He said he had completed university and was looking to study further. In the meantime, wanting to do something different, he drove the cab. Yes, he did have a valid driving licence.
His father though, did not approve of his driving and it was not because of his age. His concern was that their folks looked down on his son.
The lad, however, was very clear about what he wanted to do with his life. And what he didn’t want to do too, like subduing his dreams to comply with the false prejudices of people.
Anyway, it would be only a few months more before he got into another phase of serious study. Moreover, his cab-driving was in itself a great learning experience, what with all the various people he came across every day.
So, what did he learn from his observations?
People were insecure, avaricious and, sadly, very egoistic. Loans, real estate, jewellery, best deals and judging people seemed to be the invisible, uncanny web that bound all these strangers.
Friends? Pastime?
Yes, but none he wanted to hang out with. He loved solitary excursions into rustic environments and watch birds.
Was his cab-driving experience making him bitter about the human race?
No, not really. In fact, he actually found human attitudes very amusing.
Such maturity for one so young, I reflected.
By then we had reached our destination. He said that it was not every day he came across someone with whom he could have a simple conversation, from one human to another. I said the feeling was mutual.
We thanked each other, bid goodbye and went our different ways.
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Dec 08, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/7b8769be-7633-4326-93b4-b107b130e8ca.aspx
#TheQuintessentialWord #FlautistofBrindaranyam #
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
December 1, 2018
Meeting myself
My husband and I were dining out when a lady walked in. She didn’t notice us but we remembered her as someone we used to know.
We had been good friends but due to some misunderstanding, we started avoiding each other. Soon after, she had to move to another city, which brought a convenient closure to our relationship.
Or so I thought. Because, though we had drifted apart, there were times when, just out of context, her memory would be triggered, leaving me feeling queasy and irritated. Much as I tried to ignore that feeling or push it away, it just wouldn’t go.
That’s when I learnt that the world and the people we meet are but a reflection of what we are. If something or someone causes unpleasantness within us, the fault lies not with them but within us. And that requires healing.
So, from then on, whenever that annoying feeling came over, I acknowledged it and did some self-interrogation. And as I found answers, I took them into consideration.
That evening, when I saw her again, I realised I wasn’t getting that irritated feeling anymore. In fact, I couldn’t even recollect why we had fallen apart.
Now, the big question was – do I go and meet her? “Why not?” I thought. After all, she had helped me meet myself. But what if she didn’t respond positively to my approach? Well, if that happened, I didn’t have to bear the brunt of it. Where I was concerned, my going forward to meet her was a step away from the bitter past. If my conscience was not clear, I would still want to go incognito.
So I rose from my table and walked towards her. Imagine my joy when she noticed me and met me halfway with a smile!
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Dec 1, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/03425e7c-5bbb-4b42-be48-a556a8cd3459.aspx
#TheQuintessentialWord #FlautistofBrindaranyam #
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
We had been good friends but due to some misunderstanding, we started avoiding each other. Soon after, she had to move to another city, which brought a convenient closure to our relationship.
Or so I thought. Because, though we had drifted apart, there were times when, just out of context, her memory would be triggered, leaving me feeling queasy and irritated. Much as I tried to ignore that feeling or push it away, it just wouldn’t go.
That’s when I learnt that the world and the people we meet are but a reflection of what we are. If something or someone causes unpleasantness within us, the fault lies not with them but within us. And that requires healing.
So, from then on, whenever that annoying feeling came over, I acknowledged it and did some self-interrogation. And as I found answers, I took them into consideration.
That evening, when I saw her again, I realised I wasn’t getting that irritated feeling anymore. In fact, I couldn’t even recollect why we had fallen apart.
Now, the big question was – do I go and meet her? “Why not?” I thought. After all, she had helped me meet myself. But what if she didn’t respond positively to my approach? Well, if that happened, I didn’t have to bear the brunt of it. Where I was concerned, my going forward to meet her was a step away from the bitter past. If my conscience was not clear, I would still want to go incognito.
So I rose from my table and walked towards her. Imagine my joy when she noticed me and met me halfway with a smile!
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Dec 1, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/03425e7c-5bbb-4b42-be48-a556a8cd3459.aspx
#TheQuintessentialWord #FlautistofBrindaranyam #
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
November 29, 2018
Name Me Right
My mother had once alarmed meBy saying that I had almost been given
Another name.
A name that a grand-aunt had suggestedAs per the astrological charts,Confirming to the day I was born.
It was a good name, no doubt,But somehow my mother didn’t take a fondness to it.
(I don't think I would have, either)Her daughter was all that that name meant,But her precious daughter was something more too.
My mother was nothing but the daughter-in-lawWhose voice was supposed to be unheard.And when the senior matriarch pronounced an edict,All that the others could do Was to nod in agreement or mute their say.
The stroke of destiny, however, was dealt by my fatherWho refused to comply with the decree.I was his darling daughter and none but he could name me, he said.His statement was more pronounced than the solid tone of his auntThat she yielded with a whimper.
By now, the others had found their voicesAnd suggestions poured in.“The name is too small, give it a prefix or a suffix,”they said.“What about adding a ‘h’ to it to make it fuller?Or interchanging the letters to make it sound Similar, yet different?”
But my father would have none of this.He knew what he wanted his daughter called,And I am mightily glad he stuck by itAnd not any other.
People say that it was my father’s audacityTo make his voice heard that gave me my name.But I believe that it was my mother’s silent loveThat spoke louder than all the hollering That gave me a name I could live by.
— Vidya Shankar
www.facebook.com
November 24, 2018
Grindelwald rises
November 16, 2018, the second movie of the Fantastic Beasts series, ‘Crimes of Grindelwald’ released world over and like most fans, I too had pre-booked my tickets.
Wearing my Harry Potter tee and wrapping my Gryffindor scarf around my neck, I presented myself at the theatre with my Muggle husband. The place was filled to the brim with excited enthusiasts. Most were in the queue buying popcorn and other snacks while some others gathered in groups, taking selfies and talking.
Several like me had come in Harry Potter clothing. While my t-shirt pointed to ‘Platform 9¾’, there were those that displayed the ‘Deathly Hallows’ sign or proclaimed ‘Always’ (sigh!). We Gryffindors paced about wearing our scarlet house scarves with pride and exchanging smiles acknowledging our kindred spirit. The girl in a green Slytherin scarf swaggered around, looking daggers at me and my fellow Gryffindors while the yellow-scarfed Hufflepuffs and the blue-scarfed Ravenclaws added colour to the place with their presence.
But once the doors opened and we entered the sanctified hall, we became one. Together we raised our wands and shouted in unison when the name of our queen JK Rowling came up on screen. Newt Scamander and Jacob Kowalski got a roaring welcome and the loud applause that went up when Johnny Depp/Grindelwald made his appearance was enough to bring the roof down. However, though Jude Law too got his fair share of cheering, it might take more than one film for him to be accepted as Dumbledore.
End of movie, we all filed out speechless. The ending had got our tongues tied. But that has not stopped the theories. But knowing JKR, she would never commit herself to such a deviation from established facts without much thought.
Thus begins a two-year wait till the third edition comes up with more revelations.
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Nov 24, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/1ee5f487-ee9e-4437-af75-a05c1a215a54.aspx
#TheQuintessentialWord #FlautistofBrindaranyam #FantasticBeasts #CrimesofGrindelwald #HarryPotter #ProtectTheSecrets
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
Wearing my Harry Potter tee and wrapping my Gryffindor scarf around my neck, I presented myself at the theatre with my Muggle husband. The place was filled to the brim with excited enthusiasts. Most were in the queue buying popcorn and other snacks while some others gathered in groups, taking selfies and talking.
Several like me had come in Harry Potter clothing. While my t-shirt pointed to ‘Platform 9¾’, there were those that displayed the ‘Deathly Hallows’ sign or proclaimed ‘Always’ (sigh!). We Gryffindors paced about wearing our scarlet house scarves with pride and exchanging smiles acknowledging our kindred spirit. The girl in a green Slytherin scarf swaggered around, looking daggers at me and my fellow Gryffindors while the yellow-scarfed Hufflepuffs and the blue-scarfed Ravenclaws added colour to the place with their presence.
But once the doors opened and we entered the sanctified hall, we became one. Together we raised our wands and shouted in unison when the name of our queen JK Rowling came up on screen. Newt Scamander and Jacob Kowalski got a roaring welcome and the loud applause that went up when Johnny Depp/Grindelwald made his appearance was enough to bring the roof down. However, though Jude Law too got his fair share of cheering, it might take more than one film for him to be accepted as Dumbledore.
End of movie, we all filed out speechless. The ending had got our tongues tied. But that has not stopped the theories. But knowing JKR, she would never commit herself to such a deviation from established facts without much thought.
Thus begins a two-year wait till the third edition comes up with more revelations.
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Nov 24, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/1ee5f487-ee9e-4437-af75-a05c1a215a54.aspx
#TheQuintessentialWord #FlautistofBrindaranyam #FantasticBeasts #CrimesofGrindelwald #HarryPotter #ProtectTheSecrets
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
November 17, 2018
Dignity of labour
My domestic help’s daughter was married earlier this week. It was a wedding I took great pride in attending.
My domestic help, K, has been working for our family for more than 25 years. In all that time, we have never treated her as a ‘servant’. And she too has always been dignified in her approach.
K knew what was expected of her, which she would deliver with all sincerity. She has never used her economic disability to ask for favours and whenever she required monetary help from us, she would repay it to the penny.
On our part too, we respected her pride and never made her feel small because of the economic divide.
K is an integral part of our household, being with us through weddings and deaths, through joyous moments and the not so ones.
Recently, I was casually talking about her to a friend. I had been upset with K over some triviality just as I would have been with any family member, and I was telling my friend about it. Imagine my surprise when my friend condemned me for being a ‘slave driver’.
This friend was a self-proclaimed activist for the downtrodden hence her prejudiced view. We did have an argument in which I had to explain to her that economical constraint was not the same as being downtrodden.
K was definitely not downtrodden. Yes, she was uneducated (because of the social backwardness prevalent during her growing-up years) but she didn’t allow herself that excuse. She chose to be independent by doing what she could to share the household finances with her husband.
And by employing her as helping hand for my domestic duties, I was actually helping her give her daughter a good education that she was denied and now, the dream wedding.
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Nov 17, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/48118262-f0d1-4c2d-89f6-25e0c99b3a58.aspx
#TheQuintessentialWord #FlautistofBrindaranyam
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
My domestic help, K, has been working for our family for more than 25 years. In all that time, we have never treated her as a ‘servant’. And she too has always been dignified in her approach.
K knew what was expected of her, which she would deliver with all sincerity. She has never used her economic disability to ask for favours and whenever she required monetary help from us, she would repay it to the penny.
On our part too, we respected her pride and never made her feel small because of the economic divide.
K is an integral part of our household, being with us through weddings and deaths, through joyous moments and the not so ones.
Recently, I was casually talking about her to a friend. I had been upset with K over some triviality just as I would have been with any family member, and I was telling my friend about it. Imagine my surprise when my friend condemned me for being a ‘slave driver’.
This friend was a self-proclaimed activist for the downtrodden hence her prejudiced view. We did have an argument in which I had to explain to her that economical constraint was not the same as being downtrodden.
K was definitely not downtrodden. Yes, she was uneducated (because of the social backwardness prevalent during her growing-up years) but she didn’t allow herself that excuse. She chose to be independent by doing what she could to share the household finances with her husband.
And by employing her as helping hand for my domestic duties, I was actually helping her give her daughter a good education that she was denied and now, the dream wedding.
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Nov 17, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/48118262-f0d1-4c2d-89f6-25e0c99b3a58.aspx
#TheQuintessentialWord #FlautistofBrindaranyam
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
November 10, 2018
Dialogue in the dark
When my nephew said that he was going to take my husband and me to a restaurant where the dining experience would be in a totally dark room, we reacted with scepticism at the weirdness of the theme.
It was only when we went there that we realised it was not one of those crazy-themed restaurants. It was dining for a cause.
Conceptualised by Dr Andreas Heinecke in 1988 as an event to create awareness on disability and diversity, ‘Dialogue in the Dark’ today is an international network that not only works to increase tolerance for ‘otherness’ but also to provide employment for the visually impaired.
Still not sure of what to expect, we nevertheless deposited, as per the requirement, our watches, mobile phones and bags in a locker and stood, as instructed, one behind the other with our right hand on the shoulder of the one in front of us. We were also given the typical white probing canes which we held in our left hand.
Thus readied, we entered an enclosure that was pitch dark. Our guide, who was waiting for us inside, extended a firm and loving hand, welcoming us to her world. In that hour and a half, the idiom ‘the blind leading the blind’ had a totally new and beautiful connotation.
What we ‘saw’ in that darkened gallery was something we-with-the-sight hardly notice in our daily life. We ‘saw’ sound, taste, smell and feel. We ‘saw’ trust, love, laughter and caring. We ‘saw’ that the differently-abled did not require sympathy, that they had abilities we lacked, that they were as capable of normalcy as we were.
We ‘saw’ fear and vulnerability pacified by someone deemed incapable of strength.
We ‘saw’ with eyes not blinded by ego and prejudice.
We ‘saw’ life as it should be.
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Nov 10, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/04ec33e0-8873-40b9-91d1-f978023367fa.aspx
#IamNotAshamed #TheQuintessentialWord #FlautistofBrindaranyam #DialogueInTheDark #disabilityawareness #disabilities
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyam
www.facebook.com
It was only when we went there that we realised it was not one of those crazy-themed restaurants. It was dining for a cause.
Conceptualised by Dr Andreas Heinecke in 1988 as an event to create awareness on disability and diversity, ‘Dialogue in the Dark’ today is an international network that not only works to increase tolerance for ‘otherness’ but also to provide employment for the visually impaired.
Still not sure of what to expect, we nevertheless deposited, as per the requirement, our watches, mobile phones and bags in a locker and stood, as instructed, one behind the other with our right hand on the shoulder of the one in front of us. We were also given the typical white probing canes which we held in our left hand.
Thus readied, we entered an enclosure that was pitch dark. Our guide, who was waiting for us inside, extended a firm and loving hand, welcoming us to her world. In that hour and a half, the idiom ‘the blind leading the blind’ had a totally new and beautiful connotation.
What we ‘saw’ in that darkened gallery was something we-with-the-sight hardly notice in our daily life. We ‘saw’ sound, taste, smell and feel. We ‘saw’ trust, love, laughter and caring. We ‘saw’ that the differently-abled did not require sympathy, that they had abilities we lacked, that they were as capable of normalcy as we were.
We ‘saw’ fear and vulnerability pacified by someone deemed incapable of strength.
We ‘saw’ with eyes not blinded by ego and prejudice.
We ‘saw’ life as it should be.
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Nov 10, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/04ec33e0-8873-40b9-91d1-f978023367fa.aspx
#IamNotAshamed #TheQuintessentialWord #FlautistofBrindaranyam #DialogueInTheDark #disabilityawareness #disabilities
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyam
www.facebook.com
November 3, 2018
Not in the head
While I am not authorised to make claims to medical diagnosis, no one can deny the entitlement I have over my physical and mental health. Thus, when I went into depression following a hysterectomy I had undergone earlier this year, and didn’t know why I was behaving quite hysterically, there was one thing I was sure of. It was not in my head.
Since all things ‘negative’ are automatically associated with an idle mind, that was the most frequent comment I heard besides the “You have much to be grateful for, so why?” statement. But whoever made such comments didn’t live with me and so had no way of knowing how occupied I actually was.
In fact, it only encouraged me to explore more about mental health. I read widely about it and voiced out my symptoms to anyone who was willing to listen.
To my surprise, I found fellow feeling from people I’ve known quite closely for many years and hadn’t once suspected they were suffering.
The tales were all pretty similar to mine, right from an affliction of hormonal imbalance and symptoms of depression to reactions of close ones. And then the silence and the stigma. Because this was not only not the mental illness brought on by a neurochemical deficiency but it also concerned women’s health.
With almost 8 out of every 10 women today going through female-specific health issues, shouldn’t there be more awareness about the psychological repercussions of gynaecological conditions?
After all, the word ‘hysterectomy’ comes from the Greek ‘hustera’ meaning ‘womb’. ‘Hustera’ is also the source of the word ‘hysteric’ that came about from the belief that the neurotic distress was brought on because of a dysfunction of the uterus.
Which makes me ponder, are most medical practitioners overlooking something?
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Nov 03, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/8a515a91-7...
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
Since all things ‘negative’ are automatically associated with an idle mind, that was the most frequent comment I heard besides the “You have much to be grateful for, so why?” statement. But whoever made such comments didn’t live with me and so had no way of knowing how occupied I actually was.
In fact, it only encouraged me to explore more about mental health. I read widely about it and voiced out my symptoms to anyone who was willing to listen.
To my surprise, I found fellow feeling from people I’ve known quite closely for many years and hadn’t once suspected they were suffering.
The tales were all pretty similar to mine, right from an affliction of hormonal imbalance and symptoms of depression to reactions of close ones. And then the silence and the stigma. Because this was not only not the mental illness brought on by a neurochemical deficiency but it also concerned women’s health.
With almost 8 out of every 10 women today going through female-specific health issues, shouldn’t there be more awareness about the psychological repercussions of gynaecological conditions?
After all, the word ‘hysterectomy’ comes from the Greek ‘hustera’ meaning ‘womb’. ‘Hustera’ is also the source of the word ‘hysteric’ that came about from the belief that the neurotic distress was brought on because of a dysfunction of the uterus.
Which makes me ponder, are most medical practitioners overlooking something?
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Nov 03, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/8a515a91-7...
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
October 27, 2018
Imaginative reading
There is this group of book lovers who meet every Saturday morning for an intensive reading session. Every week there is a theme and the participants read books relevant to it. Readers often carry their own read, but one could even pick up something from the pile at the spot. The reading usually goes on an hour and a half after which the readers have a circle time.
Much as I love to, I don’t often get to attend this book reading. This time, however, because the theme was ‘Imagination’, the food that we writers thrive upon, I decided to go.
I didn’t carry a book to read, so I went up to the stack of books on display. My eyes fell on three books and, surprisingly, all three were for kids aged six and above. I didn’t hesitate to borrow them.
During the circle time, while JKRowling’s ‘Very Good Lives’ and children’s classics like ‘Alice in Wonderland’ came up, the rest of the titles discussed were for kids aged six and above.
Think of it, all that fiction lined up in bookshelves are an offspring of imagination in some manner or the other. Yet, inadvertently, all of us gathered there that day had chosen to read books meant for kids.
Though we didn’t talk about it, I wonder if everyone secretly felt the way I often did - to be done with adulting and be a six year old again. To be free from the sensory and take solace in the illusory. To not be inhibited but be unabashedly proud of who I am. To run unperturbed, squealing in delight with my arms wide open.
Maybe, just maybe, delving into pages meant for tender minds was our way of reaching out to the child in us.
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Oct 27, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/e56bb2ec-7ed3-427b-86f9-a8c50fbb7450.aspx
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
Much as I love to, I don’t often get to attend this book reading. This time, however, because the theme was ‘Imagination’, the food that we writers thrive upon, I decided to go.
I didn’t carry a book to read, so I went up to the stack of books on display. My eyes fell on three books and, surprisingly, all three were for kids aged six and above. I didn’t hesitate to borrow them.
During the circle time, while JKRowling’s ‘Very Good Lives’ and children’s classics like ‘Alice in Wonderland’ came up, the rest of the titles discussed were for kids aged six and above.
Think of it, all that fiction lined up in bookshelves are an offspring of imagination in some manner or the other. Yet, inadvertently, all of us gathered there that day had chosen to read books meant for kids.
Though we didn’t talk about it, I wonder if everyone secretly felt the way I often did - to be done with adulting and be a six year old again. To be free from the sensory and take solace in the illusory. To not be inhibited but be unabashedly proud of who I am. To run unperturbed, squealing in delight with my arms wide open.
Maybe, just maybe, delving into pages meant for tender minds was our way of reaching out to the child in us.
Vidya Shankar
Published in The Gulf Today / Short Take, dt Oct 27, 2018)
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/e56bb2ec-7ed3-427b-86f9-a8c50fbb7450.aspx
Here's my first book! An ensemble of poetry and photographs.
Click the link below to watch a 30-second promo video.
https://youtu.be/5BhbjMaIwpk
You can buy it at this link:
https://notionpress.com/read/the-flautist-of-brindaranyamwww.facebook.com
