And so i Thought and Said

Ramayana: The Alternate Perspective

2017-12-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

And with this, I do not want to offend anyone's religious sentiments or sensibilities. I duly apologise in advance because this post is aimed at asking a few logical questions and if you still want to feel offended- Please be my guest!

So, we have been raised in a way that for most of us the most visual encounter of Ramayana has been courtesy Ramanand Sagar. We have grown up thinking of Ravan as that demonic figure with that exaggerated laughter who was the idle embodiment of evil.
Soorpanakha was the evil sister who tried to seduce Lakshman and got her nose and ears cut in response.
Vibheeshan was Ravan's brother who ditched him to be with truth and went and told secrets to Lord Rama,
Lord Rama, the quintessential avatar of Lord Vishnu was the epitome of veracity and everything sane.

So, the bone of contention was that Ravan abducted Sita Maa (Lord Ram's wife) and kept her at his place. Though a few television serials have shown that Ravan tried to desecrate the sanctity of Sita Maa, as such no literary evidence is available for that (Confident because I have read Ramayana).

Enough for the backdrop, now the questions:

Soorpanakha was Ravan's sister, so if somebody cuts the nose of their sister, how do you want the person to react? Do you want him to sit quietly and pray to lord or since that time there were no court of laws as such but separate kingdoms, how should Ravan have reacted?
Don't you think that cutting somebody's nose because they tried to "seduce" (and not force themselves upon you) a justified act of retaliation? The reaction could have been way diluted
Vibheeshan, such a traitor he was that he went and opened up against Ravan to Lord Ram. Like it is usually said that he was a righteous person, maybe he was just too scared and wanted to save his life!
How could Lord Ram trust Vibheeshan and crown him the king later? If someone could not belong to his brother how credible can that person be?
Now, just because someone in his kingdom said something against Sita Maa, was it justified on Lord Ram's part to ask her to undergo an Agnee Pareeksha ? Couldn't he have trusted her and acted in a more mature manner by reasoning out with the said person? Being the "maryada purushottam" that he was, shouldn't he have worried about Sita Maa's "maryada" once!

Now there are a few corollaries to some of the aforementioned points:

Maybe Soorpanakha was just too embarrassed on being rejected and hence created all the propaganda! Ravan, no matter what, should have at least once confirmed what had transpired. Simply abducting someone because of your vindictive feeling is not justified at all.
The great Vibheeshan, I feel that he is the only one whose effigy needs to be burnt! Even if (like it is usually projected in the serials with no mention in the text) he had been a tormented kid, first it gets hard to believe that he was tormented so much and still given adequate luxuries for living; anyway, even if he had been so tormented and his life was beginning to improve, he was easily the most opportunistic character because he realised where the power was going to shift and hence did the deed!

(Confused Genius feels that things have been portrayed out of proportion in the television serials, The text still offers a lot of unanswered questions and maybe it is high time that we do not just believe what is being shown to us till we are fully convinced of it.

Remember: There is always an alternative perspective)

The Practical Recourse!

2017-03-08T03:25:00.001-08:00

Somedays you are just too tired- you are just on the verge of giving up. From the outset it might seem to others that what is it that is making you give up now when you have been through worse and yet held it on for yourself; if so much then, then why this small insignificant thing now?

Ummm well, ever heard of breaking point? It is precisely the same thing in life too. You keep stretching yourself and stretch and further but then one day a small speck of a thing just lets you lose.

It is like somehow the person is losing hope that things will be fine. It is not like you have a bad day, it is like you have killing days and then one day among them gets bad and you are like, why the hell is it me all the time?

It is foolish to think that people will understand you there because all they end up saying is that everything will be fine! So, the people will say, He is giving you all this trouble because He wants you to be strong. Oh! C'mon what does He plan to make me into- a mountain, iron, steel or what? Then there is another logic, about being positive and thinking that nothing worse will happen!

Well yeah, that works- it works to frustrate you to the full and the moment you think, "ab aur bura kya hoga- well there you go! You have something even bad coming your way!"
You see who asked you to challenge the God almighty!
Dear people, believe me this does not work ever because it is too dark for the person that consolation only makes him realise that his life has been screwed up. You can always show you are with them, support them too but it is such a vicious circle that it just gets worse.

The thing is dear all who are feeling low right now, just stop being strong and OK okay. Nothing comes out of it but for you pretending to be strong and killing yourself every day crying alone. The frustration builds up, facebooks and whatsapps of the world add to your agony further because you seem to realise that- "sab bura mere sath hi q ho raha h!"

So, here is the thing people, the Truth- you can be negative and screw your lives, give up on hope, be sad all the day and doom yourself or you can be positive, be strong, keep holding on, screw yourself with positivity and then doom yourself.

The crux is that when in a bad situation, you are doomed anyway so just try and pick up as many smiles on the way as you can for you do not know what further doom the tomorrow holds. It might not come tomorrow for sure but if you think it will, none will be able to stop it for you.

Hope for a better tomorrow is the only option you have and sitting back and wasting time is something you cannot afford. So move on and work because MAYBE it will be a better day!

(Confused Genius needed the detox! And since the heavy stuff needed to end on a lighter note, try saying this- Koi mere dukho ko nazar q nahi lgata!)

I Leave or You!

2016-10-19T01:03:00.001-07:00

There was this Supreme Court verdict about women separating men from their family and the feminists had something to frown upon!

So there are a few points I would hence propound and you are free to consider my audacity as mean and illogical!

1) When a girl leaves her family after marriage, more often than not they are so excited about starting their new life that the thought that they would be leaving the family does not come to their minds- which implies that it is an act done of one's own volition.

2) Further to point 1, had it been the case that the girl was forced to leave her home by the groom or his family, it would have been equivalent to abduction or forceful restrain which is punishable by law.

3) The case in specific over which the honourable Supreme Court has passed the verdict is for a situation encompassing coercing the spouse to either render the parents homeless or leave them to fend for their own- which is not justifiable even on humanitarian grounds.

4)Understandably the tradition defines the act of the girl leaving her parent's house and move to the in-laws' but the same has not been questioned yet. I think that if need be (considering all the uproar that has been caused), the same can be challenged or an otherwise situation of the guy moving in with the girl be discussed between the two parties. This would definitely require some revolution to happen but if we are not comfortable with the verdict in question, then let there be one!

Thanks!

PS: In this modern world, how many of us are even living with our parents anymore! I left my hometown way back in 2008 and when I get married, I will move on to a different place which most probably would not be my in-law's place because my "would be" would also be living somewhere else. Why are we unnecessarily taking offence then!
Had it been for those poor ladies against whom this verdict has a possibility of getting mis-used, the hue and cry would have been justifiable but for us who already are in a different zone- it is nothing but a mockery of the believes we allege to stand for!

(Confused Genius has said it all under PS! Read that only as the epilogue.)

Full Circles- Prologue

2016-08-28T11:06:00.001-07:00

So I was doing this random Facebook stalking and I came across the post of someone who had been lamenting over how his parent did not want him to get into the same profession as his since he (the parent) had been so "honest" and "dedicated" throughout and yet how none was appreciating him for it.
Co-incidentally the parent had been notoriously known in all the circles for being a really corrupt (taking bribes in the name of "development funds" which co-incidentally developed the properties for him) person who did not even leave the people from his own profession when it came to being considerate (read less corrupt or honest). This particular person, left no stone unturned in using whatever little power he had to ensure the best for his family at the cost of others while parallely ensuring that he keeps blowing the trumpet of how "honest" he had been.

But you see, life is like that and karma comes in full circles so now this person is at the receiving end for some reason and suddenly all morals have started to come into picture for him.

The point I want to make is simple- what goes around comes around because sadly infinity is imaginary and hence there is no black-holed vacuum which would engulf all your mis-deeds.
Everyone, each one of us would try to oppress the one lesser in power and crib about the one who is stronger than us.

All that philosophy being fine, what baffles me the most is the shamelessness with which people start complaining about their misfortunes due to others- do they even for a second not remember what they did?

Personally, I rejoice when I see the wrong being done coming back to the wrong doer- they deserve it, why do I pity them or why should anyone else for that matter pity them.
And, it is for this precise reason I feel that let God take his time sometimes because if I settle it up right now maybe the worse that could have happened would not.

So, let the devil in you wait and watch as the Good Lord unleashes His fury upon those!

(PS: This is as the heading says a buildup for what would be coming next! How or what would you want in the next is something I am opening up to suggestions from you.
Confused Genius is expecting some really wicked suggestions!)

I Do Not Care

2016-08-12T02:46:00.004-07:00

Once upon a time, in a land close by lived a family who cared a lot- they cared about each other, about the world, about the neighbours, about what people said and since they cared so much, they had their share of happiness and tensions and they "just lived" thereafter.

The family had multiple generations and then after a few of them were born a boy and girl who grew into rebellious (read dillusional) teenagers who did not care! Now, they did not care and hence whenever someone asked them to do something or gave an advice, they simply shrugged telling that they did not care.

Then came social media and they started posting updates and images about them not caring and they kept telling the world that they did not care at all, that they were the "yo" people who were different. Slowly, this trend caught up and everyone started not caring and telling everyone the same.

Surprisingly, every one thought they were different from the rest- well yeah like the rest billion people on this planet!

But, then was born the "enlightened one" who raised the question- if you do not care, why do you even care to tell :P

So, well actually- if you do not care why do you care to post it and wait for likes. If you were a total "non-carer" you should have simply turned a deaf ear and a blind eye too to other people.

Your Facebook page should not have cried for likes and comments and long sentences describing your profile pics!

The point is, it is easy to say that you do not care but too hard to accept that you do. Because caring makes you vulnerable and we feel that being vulnerable is weak- but folks believe me, if you embrace your vulnerability, there is no bigger strength.

How?

I think that should be for you to think!

And yeah also, you know why the enlightened one questioned- because he was too sarcastic in his deeds to have many friends and why that- because, well long story leave it!

(Confused Genius is starting to write again after a very long time so her blogs would take time to reach the level they used to be. She accepts she isn't that good right now and hence would appreciate- well err do whatever you feel like! I do not care :P )

PS: I am loving this open ended thingy ( Devilish Grin)

In Your Face!- The Friend Checklist

2016-02-02T04:38:00.000-08:00

Dear All,

It has been like more than my usual posting time since I last posted in September. This was unusually bad of me to have neglected this particular blog since it was the first one I ever had and it did and still continues to provide me the maximum audience I have.
So, that makes me look really bad to myself because that is not how it should be. And so, my sincere apologies to "And so I thought and said".

Anyway, so you all must have had a lot of friends, like minimum 10 of them and that is really really good for you because you should have a lot of people to hang out with. Yes! I just said that and I know it is mean but the reasons I can explain pretty well.

You see, how do you define friends? Someone with whom you can share everything you want to and you know you will not be judged. Your friend is someone who stand by you through thick and thin and do blah blah things for you.
So positive na! Such beautiful way of defining friendship which is actually another way of defining people who "have helped you or will help you".

No take a look at this, just go through this checklist and tell me how many people pass it.

Well, they know when to shut up and give you your time to heal
They are not always saying you are correct, they chide you when you are wrong
They may not stand for you but they do stand against people who are against you
They simply cannot move on when you are not OK!
They expect you to be honest and sometimes when they know you did hide something, they do feel hurt
You have not been in contact for long but when you do, it is always like you have been talking daily
Well they do not really ask you for something, they order you and it has come after serious thinkings if you would be comfortable doing it
Basically, they do value you

If anyone scored even 5/8 in this, he/she is your friend as in a real friend. Else, they are just acquaintances you made while walking through this path called life.

I know this might fall harsh on many but that is how it is, maybe it is high time that we started valuing real relationships and not get ditched by some people and pass this statement," Aajkal to sab hi aise hogae hai!"

Because my darlings, "Sab aise nahi hai", we just made the wrong choices, that is it!

PS: Just make sure that all those who passed this test know that they did. A loving message from you to them will make them feel good and maybe you get one message back too!

Cheers!

(Confused Genius is feeling super proud that she has this small number of friends who totally qualified this, But, she is waiting for you to give an even acidic test at it :P )

Confessions of a NOT-HOT Girl!

2015-09-18T02:02:00.002-07:00

We usually keep reading about boys being friend-zoned and how girls play with their feeling- intentionally or unintentionally. Then there are jokes about bad guys getting all the good girls and good guys remaining forever alone. Then the long sentimental messages about how a beautiful girl rejected someone's proposal and how the guy kept portraying her beauty all throughout his life. Another in the series are the images where true love shows two perfect looking models hugging and coochee-cooing with each other. Then there comes the so on and the so forth!

In all these, we usually forget to mention the girl who is simple, not really hot (say not hot at all), maybe not very beautiful (maybe she is but not all made up) too, who is always by your side and hence forms a part of your gang. She, is a bit tomboyish sometimes and sometimes she is just not too girly or high on attitude. Sometimes she is sweet, most of the times she is normal and sometimes she is super mad too.
Sometimes she is the one who stands on her own, maybe not looking for a guy to come and validate her existence. Sometimes she comes out as manly to you or maybe just too strong.
She cracks jokes and gets cracked on too and she takes it all happily. She shares the bills equally. She is your "bro"! She is so much like you that you take her to be a guy; so much that you forget that at the end of the day she is a "girl" too!

Guys! it is not just the good guys, it is the good girls too who end up being forever alone. None values their "normalcy"; yeah they are not really a prize to show off; yes, they are just too sweet to show attitude; yes, they are just too mature to act kiddish and yes, maybe they are just too smart to need your support- BUT! they are females too!

They still have that soft emotion inside them, they also want to be wooed; beyond their tomboyish look there is a feminine heart. And yes! they do feel jealous when you go about appreciating other girls in-front of them. Because maybe they love you too!

The problem is that you always fail to see them or maybe sometimes if you think you have seen, you choose to ignore!

Now read Not-Hot as Friend-zoned and you will know what I meant!

Honestly Honesty!

2015-07-23T04:02:00.003-07:00

Honesty, If I end up defining it honestly will turn out to be the one word for "lack of opportunity!"

You must be thinking that I must be out of my mind to be writing such thoughts publicly esp when placements are going to be around the corner soon and all of the firms, yes all of them will be on a lookout for virtuous "honest" candidates!

All the honest guys there kindly raise their hands! This social experiment led to people looking at each other in disbelief!
No one was really sure if they could actually put their hand up for the coveted, awaited, debated, opinionated, rated and whatever-ated alleged virtue!

The question is, can we be honest even when the opportunity lies in front of us?
Can we, dare to dare to think (yeah I wrote dare twice!) about losing the opportunity to excel just to be moral?
Can we be courageous enough to bear all the pressure and opposition that will come along?
Are we strong enough to stand alone?
Can we afford to become a loser only so that we may face ourselves in the mirror?

Most importantly, does the man/woman in the mirror actually exist?

For most of us, the answers would be Yes for an interview and No in reality!

Leaving it on a loose end! Completion comes from you!

Are you willing to take the risk and be honest?

(I have been, and I know it kills you and leaves you far far behind)

(Confused Genius is surprised when people crib about politicians and corruption, she has seen children cheating for getting the first seat in the class!)

Importance of Being “A-theist”

2015-05-04T08:33:00.001-07:00

Sunday, usually is the day when I prefer spending the whole day reading; the first half reading the news paper and the second half, reading anything I lay my hands upon. Today, I read an article about an atheist who went about defying the customs emphasizing on the futility of the multiple hours people waste worshiping and performing rituals.

I, have been for a part of my life an atheist, I was very much a devoted worshipper before that and presently I hang somewhere in between. I do not deny the existence of God, not because I know of it but because I do not consider it to be a topic to waste my time thinking about. If He is there, He can well be and do His work like I am doing mine. I respect Him because maybe I have been told to do so or maybe because I believe in Him. One thing for sure is that I respect Him.

I do not prefer sitting in the rituals, I do not really follow the day based customs of cutting your nails or washing your hair and I do not offer Prasad or big donations (let alone big, I do not offer Rs 10 even) to the temples. Yes, but I do not mind offering flowers after I have bought them from some lady down the road.

I silently criticize people for being absurd enough to pour milk (heavily laden with water) on an idol but I do not argue with them on this absurdity as well. After all, their alleged devotion is running someone’s home, feeding his family.

I do not go to temples usually, but whenever I do, it is more of an outing but I do not actually mind paying gratitude for something good that has happened to me. What is wrong after all in sharing my happiness?

The atheists challenge God’s existence, the theists believe in it unquestioningly and I am the Mathematician who challenges why 2+2=4 not called 5 and yet believes in it.

I personally believe that there is no harm in placing your faith in something, even if it is a lifeless idol; worshipping it is not wrong either because it is our faith that keeps us going. As long as it is not affecting any of the people around negatively, anyone is free to exercise their right to faith.

But the line has to be drawn where it starts hurting anyone. Superstitions are what need to be condemned, hypocrisy of worshipping idols while tormenting His people is something that needs to be done away with.

And, for the atheists, well you can definitely go about your theories, firmly believing in them while not mocking at people’s faith. There is nothing wrong in reasoning out but condemnation of a thing as insignificant as worshipping an idol, I personally do not see sense in it.

Well, let me just state this with no offence to anyone that it is comparable to the recent ban on a food product since it ended up affecting livelihoods. Condemning idol worship will actually affect the livelihoods of artisans whose sole business is making statues.

The importance of being an “A-theist” is that just like the way it is written, it can be seen both as a theist and atheist. You believe and you still question; you do not believe but still you do not unnecessarily question. Basically, you do not really condemn anyone for their faith in or against it.

The point is, people need something to believe in, the theists believe in Him, the atheists believe in Not-Him and the rationales, well someday they will officially name it “A-Theism”.

(Confused Genius has already babbled a lot, hasn't she? Do not expect the expert comment now :P)

(PS: I have no opinion on the beef ban, I might sound to be playing safe but the only thing that concerns me here is the economic consequence. If enough livelihood options are provided to the affected, I do not think anyone should have any qualm. And for those who have one option less to eat, Namaskaar!!)

The Hairy Girl

2015-03-23T10:24:00.001-07:00

As odd as it may sound, I have no qualms in accepting the fact that I am a lazy bee who can go without waxing for months together and still roam around wearing bermudas irrespective and oblivious "by choice" to what people might be thinking about me !
In short I do not care about people who have time as futile that they would waste it commenting on my hairy hands and legs.

I sometimes question myself, why do we females have to wax ? Why is our beauty defined by something as insignificant as body hair. Why is being lady like equivalent to someone who is not in her natural form.
I will not say that I break the norms, well it is something even I acquiesce to but why have I learnt it this way? Why can I not go around to parties with all those hair and still look hot or attractive for that matter!

Why do guys have the option of women liking them bearded but I have never seen a guy who prefers women with body hair. Why are we being typecast into such a shallow definition of beauty, nice sharp features, a bit towards fair skin, all made up, everything in place dolls ?

Sometimes I really have the urge to break these conventions but then I am so scared about not looking good that I end up following all these.

Why can I not have bushy eyebrows and that "like moustache" hair on my upperlip. Of course my hormones will not let me turn into a man but why so much of pains.

Believe me, no matter how much we preach, for most of us beauty is just skin deep! After all, if is is not a sight for your eye, it will never turn into a delight for your mind !!

Life is such a paradox, sometimes you cannot do something about certain things and all you do is "eat the truth and go for waxing" !

(Confused Genius has an appointment this week !! Meanwhile she is enjoying the hairy phase of her life)

Beetching !!

2014-11-29T00:10:00.000-08:00

I say it with double 'e' instead of an 'i' because that explains the level of perplexity this thing has caused in my life. There are certain trends that I have observed and I would like you all to kindly throw some light on them for me. The trends are as under:

We bitch about the ones we have stayed and observed a lot.
We stay a lot with them and that is why we bitch about them.
We have observed them enough in our stay with them and that is why we bitch about them.
We bitch about them and that is why we observe them all the more.
We bitch behind their back but we are all so cloyingly sweet with them when they are there.
Bitching for us is a statement of fact but that is what we feel about someone (and expectation is that it be taken as universal)
The person we bitch with is bitched about in front of the one we just bitched about.
We bitch in front of one and all with the assumption that we are the only ones who are doing things "idhar-udhar" (being the messenger).
Bitching helps us to vent out our frustrations is a popular opinion ( not necessarily true).
Bitching seems to have become our national pass time.

Now, you people must be thinking what exactly has gone wrong with my head that I have suddenly began a people bashing spree. Well, actually, this time it is not with people but with me.
I had been cribbing about people a lot lately and then suddenly one day I got so irritated with my own self.

I realised that my time was getting wasted in these useless pursuits and the ones I was bitching about were actually having fun. In short I was giving myself more reasons to be incompetent by wasting my time in bitching.
That very day I decided that I would stop it forever. There is no harm in sharing your feelings but getting obsessed with finding faults with someone spells a disaster.
And most importantly we have to take sides. We cannot be this side and that side too like a spineless rubber ball which keeps changing its track.
We are humans and thankfully most of us have a very rigid spine.

So, folks it is high time that we stop behaving like rubber balls. At least we should be clear about our likes and dislikes and stand by them if we cannot change them. And most importantly, let our hatred be the fuel for our betterment with a promise to ourselves that we would not be what we hate in others.

(Confused Genius has learnt the difference between venting out frustration and bitching. Maybe you should do it too!!)

Random STUPID stuff

2014-11-21T01:13:00.000-08:00

OK! so I had been forcing myself to write something for long now and there was so much of sheer stupidity around (and inside too) that I could not but delve into the deeper realms of being stupid.

Seriously, how can anyone for that matter be this stupid, as in really really stupid type. So stupid that the word "stupid" finds the person stupid.
Now let us define stupid in a way different from the usual largely perceived meaning.

Dictionary defines "stupid" as someone who is unintelligent or dumb witted or moronic. Well I define stupid as someone who does not suit my taste !
Stumped! Aren't You ?
But that is exactly what we always do; right!

Oh this guy has always to do this thing, such a stupid one! (So, what's your problem, is it affecting you in any way?)
C'mon don't be stupid, buy this phone! (Why are you being stupid in forcing him to pay "HIS" money for your choice, just let him do what he wants)
Are you stupid you haven't seen this series before! (Yeah, I was busy doing some productive work instead of burning my eyes.)
How stupid of him to have said that! (Well maybe because he felt it right.)
He always has to give every answer, what stupidity! (Well by the traditional definition, you are the one who is stupid.)
She always has to indulge in those stupid fashions! (The last SHE checked, it was her life.)
She is a girl, definitely stupid! (Stereotypical Male Chauvinism is what I smell here.)
He is always acting like a dude, how stupid! (So, you want you can act like one too.)

And the list goes on..

Sometimes, I really feel that the world is inhabited not by some of the brainiest of the species but STUPIDS because every person finds the other person stupid.

Now people, just hang on OK. Don't be the judgmental monsters what you actually are not supposed to be. No one needs your suggestions or opinions and if they do, or they will at any point of time, they will come and ask for it.

Do you really have so much of free time that you keep observing around and forming opinions about people whom you do not even know properly.
I am seriously amazed at the intellect of the people who attract you so much that you spend a major chunk of your time thinking about them.

But then, they might be thinking about you because poking nose in other people's business seems to be our national business.
C'mon utilize your time for yourself. Invest in yourself so that you are able to do some good for you.

And finally, the parting words:
START minding your own business and STOP being STUPID!

(Confused Genius has hereby pledged (after writing the last sentence of-course) that she would simply delete the STUPID term from her dictionary and stop being a STUPID)

Am No Serious !

2014-09-15T12:16:00.001-07:00

I have observed that some of the most peculiar of my thoughts come on a day before an exam I am totally clueless about. This may actually lead to an implication that I need exams to be creative; kindly refrain from thinking so.
Actually, I was thinking that jokes are always good till the time they are on you. You might be making fun of someone but the moment you know that someone did the same to you, you are furious. People have this tendency to take themselves ultra seriously, just like they are the Sun of this universe and the whole world revolves around them.

Please don't take this comment to be sexist but females in general suffer from this "taking myself seriously" syndrome or should I put it this way; the said syndrome is found in them more often than not.
I will not comment on anyone as such but I can give my example. There have been instances where I have acted as if everyone is noticing me. C'mon, I am no Megan Fox to be noticed by one and all. Also, sometimes I end up speculating that people are plotting against me; as if I am the female lead of some daily soap with every one after my life.
Now that I have stopped taking myself so seriously, I realize how foolish I had been but am happy to have something to laugh at.
But this isn't the only breed friends. There are some outright attention seekers who end up driving you nuts and you know what I mean when I say so.
Then there are the ones who feel that God, the Almighty is obsessed with paining them. Do you really think that He does not have better things to do.

You see there is this "why me-try me" quotation; I'll give the reality check here, it is the same with everyone; just that the situation and set of problems faced is different.
We think our lives are different, unique and what not; OK it is but in the way we think. You take a survey and you will find that it is more or less the same. A very close to heart example, the time you think you are feeling sleepy in a class, just look around, there will be many more.
So basically, you are NOT the ONLY one doing it, there are many more.

So, let me just conclude, a bit abruptly though; all you there, Kindly refrain from taking yourself so seriously, no one else does (TIC).

(Confused Genius is taking this thought of her's very seriously; really once again :P )

The Complaint Syndrome

2014-08-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

A writer's block can be one of the most frustrating things for someone who keeps writing. I have been experiencing one for some days now. Have already tried to draft more than 10 blogs but have ended up in deleting them midway.
Oh, am actually complaining now! Well, whats so special about it because this is what we all generally do. Complain !
We are perfectionist at that. You give us a situation and we will find a fault with it. You will not be able to even delve into the depths from where we will emerge with a sense of achievement, oh yes we just found it!
But don't you worry, you are like us only; you will find faults too.
You don't really have to look around to complain, they are as easy and obvious as some that I have listed below:

1) Why couldn't I get up early, darn this "alarm" : C'mon, whats wrong with the alarm here

2) God! why is this watch running so fast: Seriously ?

3) People like him/her spoil it all by being punctual always: (Amazing right!)

4) My friend is in such a habit of complaining : (Really, so what are you doing now)

5) You see this institute is good but lacks infrastructure: Believe me, beggars aren't choosers and by the way, who asked you to join and waste the seat in the first place.

6)The job is good but you see they take a lot of work from me : Oh, so you though that they will pay you for showing your face

This list is not exhaustive, you can post the ones you have experienced in the comments below.
The point I want to make is, we spend most of our time complaining about how bad a situation is but we do not care about improving it.

Believe me, that alarm can wake you up, the watch can actually slow down; you can be punctual too and most importantly you can stop complaining too. All you have to do is Work on it.

So folks, next time you go about complaining about something, before you open your mouth, just make sure that correcting it has actually gone beyond your scope.

(Confused Genius just realized, she had been complaining too; oops!)

Dear Maa

2014-08-21T11:12:00.001-07:00

Dear Maa,
It is going to be two weeks soon and am happily studying here. Though I find it awkward when people ask me if I miss home, I'll be honest in saying that I fail to answer them. I do not know if I miss you people or not. You see, there is a lot to learn here, lot to achieve and I do not want to miss out on anything.
Well, this was what it seems on the outset, if I delve deep into my emotions, I find that I had been doing all this, making myself busy with thing so that I forget the feeling of being away from home. I miss the morning breakfast at 8 and how I used to force you to sit with me while I get ready. I feel really bad when I see that its lunch time but still I am in no situation to count the hours for it to be 5:30. I miss it at 6 p.m. when you used to be standing out waiting for me. I miss the Sunday's national breakfast of poha.
I miss the crazy fights we had and how I used to call from office asking nani to make rajma chaval or kadhi chaval.
I miss those late night studies when I used to keep you awake just to check that I do not doze off. I miss the infinitely many stories I had to narrate every day without fail, the stupid science fiction laden dreams that I had and you used to make fun of.
I remember fighting with Vibhu whenever she came back and the phone calls made. I remember how every Saturday evening there had to be a discussion about me going out in shorts; my only savior being that we are going by car.
I remember how Dad and me fought over the T.V. remote only to realize that we both wanted to see a news channel, though a different one.

Life here is different and I know it will be totally different from now on. I will not be the kid I was so happy to be all these years. I will have responsibilities that I will have to fulfill without fail. I will be a grown up.

A midst all this, there is something that will never change and that is the bond we share. I miss home a lot, just that I try to forget it but you see sometimes, its better to let that tear drop.

Yours Lovingly
Confused Genius

The new life and some takes..

2014-08-15T05:51:00.001-07:00

So, its almost a week at IIM Indore, Mumbai Campus and since I haven’t written any thing for almost a month; I feel that it is my moral obligation to write and enlighten the world which had been so deprived of some food for thought.
The weather here is as fickle as any chameleon can get, the sky changing colors every now and then and you getting drenched in the rains, all wet and then within ten minutes you have all dried up due to the pinching, dense sunshine.
Assignments are pouring in and the freshers had been a blast. The past week had been so busy that these four days’ off seems absurd.
In the midst of all these, I am actually enjoying what people call the “perks of being at a premier institute in India”. I would thus share two most peculiar ones with you and in italics will be my take on them.
1.Suddenly I realised that people have started believing in my talent. The question mark on my abilities is gone just because I happened to garner a seat in a top notch institute. Well, does that make me special ? I was always the same. How can the measure of abilities be subjected to cracking an exam.

2.I am the new “GyanGuru” in the market. People have been coming to me to ask how I studied. To be frank, I do not know , I was just studying my way. I do not know how accurately it will apply to some one else.

Please See: there are some genuine ones who actually believed in you from the day one and knew that you would make it big but we are not talking about them at the moment.

So, you saw how attitude changes. Suddenly you are turned into a demi-God, the omniscient , the shining star they could have at any time laid a bet on.

Dear People, seriously ?
Grow up!

We here are still normal people who have been selected because the panel just saw something in us which you had failed to do. Also, a major factor being that it was our day that day.
Stop giving our examples to other kids. They are different from us and might be even better. Also,just because we are here does not make us any better. What will make us different at some point of time will be the amount of hardwork and knowledge that will be put in by us and our faculty. At the end of the day, it is all about nurturing yourself, which if someone fails to do even here will not be able to go far.

Remember, No Tata or Birla or Gates went to a big institute. They just had the will to work.

And as Thomas Elva Edison said,” Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work”.

I hope you got the point.

(Confused Genius is loving all the attention and wants to enjoy it, but then there are cases to read and assignments to do, so she will just make use of the opportunity at hand and start working; of course till the point where her work will speak for herself; well that’s the plan)

Football-Shutball

2014-07-14T12:05:00.001-07:00

Now that the world cup is over, let us have a reality check. Now, because we all are done with what we did and so, looking back and smiling (feeling foolish maybe) is the only option left.
So here is the checklist of what we did incessantly but could have done without or what we just became.

1) Hourly updates: brings me to the question, "Were you watching or flaunting?"

2) The two players that I know: you see the match has to be between them only.

3) The headline that was to be: well you had to post that status update anyway.

4) Go "whoever" Go: again, the star player featured in the player to watch out for on the first page of newspaper.

5) Football dolls: suddenly the girls knew so much about football, going about supporting teams they hardly knew 3 players of.

6) The goal talkers: these are the men at office who would suddenly chip in and start talking about the single goal they saw.

7) The 4th umpires: Ok, refrees! Ready with their takes on everything that took place.

8) The genuine ones: who actually saw it, knew it, enjoyed it and did not have time to post.

9) The Observers: the ones like you and me who saw, observed and smiled.

( Confused Genius knows that many of you will be pissed off post this but then there is just one thing to say, eat the truth and drink)

The Strong Girl : 10 Point Checklist

2014-05-27T12:36:00.001-07:00

I have usually wondered as to what it takes to be strong, to stand alone rather than being a part of the crowd going wrong; to take a stand and to stand on it, more so when you are a girl.

It is a man’s world; no matter how many women there are, they always fall short of the men they have to handle daily.
The softer (I refrain from calling it fairer) sex, the more patient one; the as the serials portray it, “the idol of sacrifice and perseverance”, what if it takes a stand. What if it challenges the norms? What if it is not submissive? What if it can shout back? What if it can look into your eyes and say, “Do not try to fool me, for I mean business?” What if it decides to be the rebel, the non-conformist?

Ideally, there should not be an issue but practically there is a big one. There has been a traditional role defined, a typecast and any deviation from it is so not acceptable.
People (read men) will definitely not be comfortable but things do not end there for then comes a scenario which can shake you down to your very existence.
So, mentioned below are some of the castigations that the “Strong girls” have to face every day. If at least 5 match, congratulations; you are in the elite league.
And for the guys, if atleast 5 of the undermentioned are things that you have not done, you are in the elite league as well and you have all my respect.

1.Your daughter is not My daughter: This is for the males out there who have daughters themselves but do not think twice before maligning your image. You see, you just used “yaar” while addressing someone and that has made all the difference.

2.She puts all that make-up for office: Do you know SPF40 is actually not makeup! And well, even if it is; who cares! Plus, request you to go through the Lakme catalogue.

3.She has an affair with that guy: You are that petty coquette who ends up in a relationship with almost every guy you even said hello to. And see the double standards, the guy with such an image is the great “Love guru” but girl, you have to be conservative right.

4.She is a bonehead: Don’t know about her but evidently you are. The brain has no bones and the head is a boner for all, irrespective of the gender. Whoever coined the term!

5.Man! She abuses: So what, even you do. Oh, it’s the competition you fear, don’t worry she has better thing to do.

6.I know what type of a girl she is: Well, what are the types of girl that we usually find. Kindly share the knowledge and expand our horizons.

7.Office is not like cooking food at home: And who for that matter said cooking was easy? You ask me, Mathematics is easier.

8.Such a cry baby: Little do you realize that it requires more balls than you all collectively have to shed that tear in front of others without the fear of being judged. And any day a tear-jerker is better than a heart patient.

9.How are you dressing up: Well just the way the girl you dreamt off but couldn’t get. Really sorry for that.

10.You know why she got promoted: Well obviously she worked hard and smart. Why, is there any other way you know of or might have tried?

So folks request you all to kindly stop paying so much attention to us and making us feel like a celebrity. Obviously we love so much of attention but then like all celebrities, we have personal lives too. We know we are simply irresistible, one of a kind species but then we are hard to get. Why waste your time dreaming about us day and night. Don’t you have other things to do because we certainly have.

(Confused Genius has already said a lot. She knows what it takes to be a strong girl, well it takes your life.)

When I said NO to an Aloo Paratha !!

2014-05-10T20:40:00.001-07:00

As weird as it may sound, I actually have been saying a heart busting NO to the aloo parathas; No thanks to the flabs (not abs) I am beginning to have.

As a girl, I cannot just let go of the ever pounding weight. You may call me fussy but then, even though not a Kareena,I would be more than happy with a Konkana atleast.

Anyways, you all know how tough it is to say NO to an aloo paratha. It almost questions your Indian origins. That butter gliding over the hot surface so lovingly seduces you and you just want to go for it. But then, the flabs you see !!

Now, that we have had lots of paratha talks, let me just draw an analogy; did you ever realise that the person shouting at you is just like an aloo paratha. All heated up, blaring in your face and anger flowing on him just like the melting butter.

Shouting back seems to be the most viable option, but then what does it give you ? A burnt mouth (too hot to handle) and the guilt post that (oh! My flabs; why did I react in this case).

So, do not waste your energy like that. The people who shout are the ones who know that they cannot say something substantial.
All these years of my life, I have realised that the voice starts rising when you realise that the person infront has outdone you in the logic (PS: it is mostly but not always).

So, when you are already winning the argument, why shout?

And since you cannot always resist an aloo paratha, wait for sometimes and then one day, gulp it down with tea.
Which implies, pinch silently and not punch, if you know what I mean !

(Confused Genius has been pinching people silently these days, or as we say; mauka dekhkr chauka marna. The devil inside never dies but then that is where my angels hide.)

Mr Pee-Body and Miss Poop-see

2014-04-13T05:29:00.001-07:00

There was once a joke about Indian people urinating anywhere and everywhere. So true it was, wasn't it.

Many of us, am very sure, must have exercised this right to pee freely many times. Needless to say that this is one of the most frequently exercised right.

We (esp males) can urinate anywhere. You stop the bus, you stop the car, you are in the market, you are standing next to the public urinal (you won't do it in the urinal).

As a child while going on long road journeys, it used to be a great pastime for me to count the number of "uncles" found urinating on the way. Hilariously, the count exceeded 20 always.

Obviously for people to put up photos of Gods on walls or posting the very common, "Gadhe k poot yaha na moot", there had to be a solid reason.

And then, the ladies why should I leave you, you have this obsession to keep the toilets as filthy as possible, not flushing your poop or just leaving behind that used pad of yours. And how can I forget, some had this habit of urinating in the bathroom.
Also, as funny as it may sound, sometimes the way the potty had been done (spreadi all around), I used to wonder what the girl had been doing (TIC).

I remember how insanely I went about putting self written and really demeaning posters in my college hostel so that girls got some sense.

And this was not restricted to the college alone, I have observed the same in big parties too. All dressed up showing off the jewels, but when it comes to the toilet sense, well we score negative, a zero is still a big score.

And how can I forget, the common ground for both the genders, the trains.
I seriously fail to understand, what pleasure people derive out of urinating next to the urinal and not flushing their "potty"!
Scientists should really research on the thrill the formers derive out of leaving this adventure for the fellow mates.

And yeah, when it comes to the poor little kids, cmon now;they are made to pee in the washbasin many times or on the toilet seat.
Sick parents I must say!!

All these, people of affluent families with great degrees to their names. Shameless indeed because we end up blaming the not so educated ones for spoiling it all.

We blame about the lack of public toilets, we blame about the lack of cleanliness there, we blame "people" for leaving a mess in there; little do we realise that the people are actually us.

Its high time that we realise that putting on all that makeup and dressing in suits isn't the "it" thing, a cleaner you has much more importance than that.

(Confused Genius is thinking about floating a party soon, the Aam Shauchalay Party ; maybe that will help)

The Mail Syndrome

2014-03-25T10:07:00.001-07:00

I had been receiving a series of mails pointing out to the discrepancies that exist in the system. Most of them, unlike what the code of conduct says, were meant for slandering. I actually smiled on realizing that some of these mails were exchanged between the people sitting in the same office; and many times next to each other.
Hilarious as it may sound, this is true of what we define as the "Office Culture", because irrespective of it being a private or public or whatever possible sector, people exchange mails as frequently as the pleasantries they exchange on meeting someone.
So, based on my observations and experiences in addition to what I have heard from people, these are few categories in which I have finally divided the people who mail

The Mailers
Just like we have bloggers, we have Mailers too. These people have this unparalleled knack to write such big mails which are sound specimen of their exemplary vocabulary. It seems as if they have all their office hours devoted to writing a mail alone. That writing a mail is an art, is something that these people believe in earnestly.

The Pokers
This is the second breed and generally a commonly found one. These people have this habit of poking their nose in others' business. Suddenly they will chip in from the cc list and start responding; irrespective of whether the matter concerns them or not. They have their views and they believe that people should know them.

The Clueless
These are the ones who give random replies; sometimes they will be so high on logic that it will go beyond the matter and sometimes it will be just another gibber.

The Pseudo Boss
There are some people who really love passing orders. Oblivious to their stature, they just have to command and mind you if you do not follow them.

The Bashed
These are generally the people at bottom of the ladder. Listening "pravachans" for all the commitments they never even heard of, let alone making them.

The Forced Readers.
These are the ones uselessly marked in the mails. They are gettin it just for the sake of it, the mail does not really matter to them.

The Letgoers
Finally, it is us; who read and write, feel bad and feel funny too. But at the end of the day, just let it go for office tension is not supposed to spoil our day.

Jokes apart, it is really a sorry state of affairs that we need to mail to get our points through. That the level of trust has gone down so much that we need to put it all in writing. That people sitting next to each other mail and that mail is more to make a mockery of the other one.

Maybe it is high time that we should grow up and take work seriously. A mail will not get you the appreciation if the work is still not done.

(Confused Genius feels very happy at the end of the day when she finds that she has got most of the work done without mailing much. Maybe its time that you should start feeling the same too.)

Maa..

2014-02-15T22:56:00.001-08:00

I just did something worse enough to make my mother cry, when she discussed the same with me, I hardly had tears in my eyes that she hugged me back and it was back to normal again.

Mothers, I do not know what they are made of and honestly, this blog will not be one of my best because the topic am touching, well none can put it in words. It will be all so generalised even though I will share my experiences alone, but then I guess thats what mothers are, all so same but unique in their own ways.

As a kid, I remember her teaching me ABC, i wonder how much of patience she had to keep teaching when the results would have obviously taken so many months to show.
Also, the birthday party; she used to make all those decorations and the usp used to be the decorated "chaadar" she used to make all by herself.

The mothers know everything right and in my experience, they are always right (My mom is always right I do not know how but she always is). They understand us the best but when growing up comes, it seems the opposite to us.
But its not so, they still do, just that we fail to understand that. I can give you a simple example, I was coming back from office and I just felt like eating "halwa" , I still wonder how she got to know it because back home, the halwa was ready and waiting for me.
And yeah how can I forget the numerous times I realise later that what she said of a person was true.
Also, she makes sure that even when it is the birthday of any of us, the other sibling feels equally loved even though the birthday kid makes special enough.

The love never gets divided and still each kid feels that mom loves her/him more.

Talent !!

That umbilical chord was long cut but somehow the connection still remains.
They are the ones who know even if you do not show.
And then they are the ultimate apostle of love.

How can they forgive so easily just because something makes the child sad, how can they know us so well, how can they sacrifice so much for us and still not say a word, how can they kill all their wishes just to see us happy. How can you be so perfect, how can you not falter. How can you be the world to us.
And lastly, how can you be someone even God seems so small against.
Mothers, you surprise me !

At this age, when I feel that some day I will be married and will go to someone else's place, when she and me would not be talking as much as we do now, I do not know how life will be like. That fight we have on a weekly basis, how would I live without that. I go to office every day and all the time am getting ready, I make sure my mother is sitting next to me. I wonder what I will do when she will not be there. Life will be too dull I guess.

Thats my story, I know yours won't be much different.

So, go and give your darling a hug. A moment of your love is all she needs.

(Confused Genius is definitely obsessed with her mother and she can go endlessly talking about her. But you can do something too, write in the comment below anything that you would like to share about your mother. I would love to know her too.)

Social NOTworking

2014-02-14T10:48:00.001-08:00

I had been talking to a friend one day when suddenly the topic came, he isn't interested for he does not reply to my whatsapp jokes, atleast he can reply with a smiley if not more.

Shocked, perplexed or whatever, I was exactly the same; how could whatsapp define someone's emotions for you?

Well, this being just one of the many similar conversations I have had, not to deny the fact that I myself have been a victim to something similar.

The pictures and posts on Facebook and the number of likes on them. Though very awkward to say but yes, many times I have felt low because of not getting so many likes on an allegedly beautiful picture of mine, many or rather most of the times, my posts do not get the much deserved response as compared to the poorly written verse that am sure no one would ever rate as good.

Am giving my example because this is the closest I have got to this, but its not about me alone. Many of us must be thinking secretly that its their story too.

And for the guys if they think that it is time for female bashing, then sir, you are no less. Let me please not mention that fake profile or that sexist joke.

Well moving ahead from the girl boy rivalry there is alot more to it. The holiday pics meant specially for updating; the Instagram to let people know what you are doing when through the medium of pictures; the status update of how you are feeling and alot more.

We all feel like some celebrity that the world must be dying to know about right (TIC) !

When people update feeling annoyed with so and so, its better they go and punch the person's face rather than updating and enjoying holidays should be more in actuality than the status.

I wonder someday people will start updating their "potty" colour and texture too and maybe how many times they went for "mootra-visarjan".

All this, to show the people what you are doing, and that too to the people who do not really care more than just liking your post/picture even when it has not loaded properly.

All this at the cost of those, who are sitting next to you waiting for you to lift your eyes off that wretch of the handset so that they might talk to you.

Social Networking, which was actually aimed at keeping in touch with the long lost ones is actually replacing our day to day actual life. The virtual world is becoming all the more real and close to us.
A shame it is, that sitting next to our friends or parents, we are chatting with the one online. The closest family member is the one who responds the most to my posts. The best friend should like all my pictures. Why did my acquaintance befriend someone on Fb when I do not like them ?

Now all this is ridiculous I know but then all this is true, isn't it ??

The point is, the virtual one is a great world, you can be what you want to be but then there is the reality where you are what you actually are.
There is no virtual reality.
Let the people close be not defined by your virtual networking parameters.
Let emotions prevail, let the reality be it.

(Confused Genius has thought quiet alot about this and has gradually started to reduce her daily dose of social networking, maybe its time you start that too)

Giving it back, NICELY !!

2014-02-08T09:18:00.001-08:00

It really happens sometimes that we are so stressed that there seems to be no way out. Every word seems to be a sarcasm and every action taken leads to frustration.
Almost each and everyone of us must have faced it some day or the other, little do we realise that most of this is self induced.
Obviously turning away your face from it is not the solution. Ignore and move on cannot be followed always because sometimes other people's action defines your success. No one wants to be bashed for what the other person did. But then, such is life dearies!

Anyways, coming back to self induced, yeah it is; hard to believe but true. I can say this because I passed through a similar situation too for some times. Then one day I realised that the major cause of my stress was jealousy.

Agreed there was nothing I could do to help it but then it was affecting me alone. And so I devised some of these strategies to give it back.
Since its all in mind, lets give it back to them in mind. So here we go:

1) Throwing water on the face : Yeah! throw it in their face. Sometimes you are just getting that bashing, all you are supposed to do is, look down; close your eyes and imagine throwing that glass of water on their face. Believe me you will die laughing, atleast a smile is guaranteed.

2) Close the shutters : Since its all in mind, close the shutters of your mind and yes the mind goes blank. Once its blank, whatever comes to you, it all bounces back.

3) Abusing : Not literally but yes behind and in your mind, use the choicest of abuses and make sure you use your native lingo. Nothing relaxes you more.

4) Retaliate : Yes, speak up and this one is not in mind. Speak up on face, make your point clear, you need to. Just because someone concocted a story, does not mean you will accept it blatantly. Speak up for yourself because as I always maintain, if you won't show, they won't know.

5) And lastly, let your only concern be you alone. Whatever the other one does, do not imagine that it is affecting you. There is alot that you might not be knowing and there might be alot that is not going to happen but you are thinking about it. So relax and stop imagining.

Dear all, life is all about living. It is all about what you make out of it. So if you have to live it ,why not it be a better place.

( Confused Genius has been practising the throwing water on face particularly, wonder she doesn't end up doing it in reality someday (TIC), but yeah with practise, she will be able to easily ward off that frustration that comes along. You try too.)

The Doll..

2013-11-24T05:33:00.001-08:00

People are such big monsters, some will keep committing heinous crimes, others will keep feeling outraged, none will actually act and all of them will collectively force me into inditing once again.

So folks, Mr Tehelka Tejpal is at our service again. He has got "naughty" with a girl of his daughter's age or as he says, he has simply indulged in drunken banter.
Thumbs up Sir!
You really are funny when inebriated. The girl seems like a toy isn't it. And such a great doll she makes, the hot new barbie, right!!
But should you play with dolls, esp when your daughter is one such too.

Never mind, you have all the right too; thats your life and with the clout you have; everything is just a game for you.

And its actually not wrong, the other day some men collectively played with one such doll.
You see, dolls come in varieties, the one you just tried playing with is a posh doll; then there are some tribal dolls too, the maid-doll, the school girl doll, the office going doll, the housewife doll etc etc.

You go to the market, you have so many dolls, and they come for free mostly. So you can easily pick your type of doll and have fun.
You can do it alone or with a group of your friends too.
And the amazing part is, you do not need to throw them away after a single use, you can do it repeatedly as many times you want.
So much fun, isn't it !!

And Sir, I do not blame you; there are sellers in the market.
These sellers are sick people like us, who let you get that doll. We let you chose and throw away because that wasn't our doll you chose.
We are a bunch of sick hypocrites who are too busy with our lives. We shout, we write but only after it is all done. And then, we forget it soon; because till that time there is another news to shout and write about.

Sick is us, because we have let you believe that you will walk away freely; we have unconsciously abated you and we aren't really bothered about it because ultimately, what is left mutilated is the DOLL.

And sadly, the DOLL isn't me or mine..

(The Indian is frustrated not because he is sad, its just a way of living, your food isn't digested if you do not get your daily dose of frustration.
Confused Genius, is happy because she actually vented out her frustration and screwed the perpetrator ... Maybe you should do it too..)