Lost

A young starlet recently decided that life was too painful a journey. So she took the 'easier' way out. Thousands take their lives every year, leaving their near - dear ones lost and completely hopeless. But was this girl special? I don't think so, but being a celebrity comes with a price tag. Every news writer, reporter, blogger believes they have the birth right to comment on them. Death isn't gruesome enough, infact allows for a scope for more masala. Well, I don't stand in a position to judge because I am sort of guilty too. Sort of , because I intend to discuss the 'problem' and not 'her problem'.

'Suicide'may be a grim affair but the term is thrown around unabashedly. I have been reading and keep coming across words like 'coward', 'loser', 'ungrateful'. What we forget is people who do take the extreme steps, are, in that small window, from 'deciding a happy life isn't for them to actually hurting themselves' are hardly themselves anymore. Most of them are depressed and need support. Maybe they are too proud to ask for a shoulder to rest their heavy heart on, or they just don't have someone. Something as simple as 'I miss my family as I am extremely lonely' to 'my sweetheart doesn't want me anymore' can be a very strong trigger. Calling this an act of cowardice - isn't doing justice to the situation. Not all of us are born equal. If this can be true for our social standing, physical features, then why not our mental strength. Maybe some of us need more love and support at times.

I read this today morning. A blogger was comparing a street beggar's will to live with that of the deceased starlet. I was disturbed at the thought. When we suffer, it is but human to think that your pain and hurt is at the very pinnacle and nothing can be worse. Preaching how many farmers take their lives over failed crops that year has nothing to do with the issue at hand.

I don't have a solution to the problem. But I believe, letting your guards down in times of need and asking for support, will keep you from shoving yourself into eternal darkness.

A rainy affair

The queen of seasons is already here. By here I mean the green city - Bangalore. It hasn't arrived empty handed, but brought the king of fruits - mangoes - with itself. Doesn't it make for a perfect picture, you sitting at the window and the succulent yummy mangoes to give you company. The fruit has a seductive vibe to it. So, no wonder, where I thought I will discuss the rains, I very smoothly jumped to mangoes.

Sticking strictly to rains, this weather presents an irresistible charm. The grumpy clouds overhead, the uncertainty of whether it will rain (or not), the hidden desires that come to life when you grow conscious of a pair of eyes on you, while trying to make your way through the puddle bana swimming pool. One has to admit that through the autos that refuse to budge on a super rainy day, the overflowing gutters right outside your doorstep and the frizzy limp hair that makes you look like a sad version of you, there is a certain romanticism involved in the entire monsoon story. Blame it on the Bollywood movies or the cheesy novels, the weather promises an ambiguous start to a new affair.

I have always wondered what is this sweet mystery surrounding it? What is it that makes us despise it so much and still never get over the love affair? Maybe I never want to unravel it, maybe I never want it to cease, maybe I want to keep the doors open to fresh beginnings, unfamiliar avenues and novel experiences.

 Photo credit: tst_99