Life in Covid lockdown

A long list of goals, achieved and unachieved targets, life running at a faster pace than ever thought of , everyone around seemed interested in their own set of goals to be achieved, a robotic lifestyle, a monotonous life, doctored designed perfect as a movie weekends , a social media page to blabber on half understood topics or an insta profile to display pictures of even shopping…controversies on religion, politics, criticism on top, business happening on phone calls,Emails, WhatsApp and suddenly… an invisible stranger barges in lives of billions, trillions across the globe.Just a month ago,nobody would have imagined such a state of affairs would be changing in our lives and to such an extent where nothing remains same.Life, Living and Livelihood every bit going on toss. Reboot the system ,that’s what was expected out of the first 21 days lockdown. Although corona virus played havoc in various parts of the world, every country thought ,it wont be so serious in our part of the world.Contradicting theories, it equalized the all barriers of caste, creed, gender, religion, nation and completely brought each and every person on one ground.The ground zero level.Once again ,nature showed us that inspite of differences, clashes, division of thoughts, philosophies, ideas, faiths, we all are tied in one string of humanity and humaneness.Nothing ever can surpass the compassion of being a human and being connected.Although there are some positive sides to the COVID SITUATION , families staying together to getting time for being with each other, there are innumerable problems that have surfaced .Not all families, relations are truly in gel with one another, not every house has that space of being together for 24×7 inside the smaller cross section, not all shelters have the comfort of cooling, food availability or things readily there for survival.It is a very critical as well as unique situation, wherein people from all sectors of life, all sections of life will have a unique impact on their lives , businesses, work , lifestyle, relations.Few villages are happier in locking themselves up from the rest of the world, they are self sufficient, away from technological advances and satisfied with their own bread and butter alongwith the roof on their head. Irrespective, they are not dependent on anyone outside their village.Migrant labours on other hand, are the worst hit by this calamity, stranded away from their homes with no guarantee of normalcy nor any finances,they cannot go back neither stay at their place of work. Their families used to survive on their earnings and now everything comes to standstill.Small businesses , Small scale or Micro financed units or companies will suffer the most in these times of economic shutdown, with all orders being lost, cash being stuck, payments being blocked and no chances of getting started with the same condition. Their infrastructural costs and other viable expenses will make them go to start point of their business.Medium core or mostly the medium scale industries, companies will have a setback for few months, but will survive from the lockdown problems and their loss will be subsequently managed and recovered by their operations, sales opening up.

They can manage their expenses by cost reduction, man power reduction, process changes or overall monthly target changes for the next quarter. All this leading to a lower fiscal rate and resulting in an economic slowdown will gain its own decorum with new policies and stands taken by their management people.Large scale industries will have different impacts depending on the kind of business they are into. From software to IT sectors, it shall be growth anyhow, whereas many FMCG, essential commodities, will have an average rate of growth.Startups will suffer again unless they diversify and start with something new which shall be the necessity of situation.The ones who shall rule the world’s economy will be cream layer of global industrial sector, from Pharmaceuticals,AI’s Softwares, Infrastructures, Development sectors, Military artilleries, and many such giant players for whom COVID hasn’t created difference in their personal life and not affected their question of survival…Amidst the black & white of life, artists, creators, writers, painters, shall create exclusive and extraordinary things to cherish and value in future. They are the ones who will keep you alive,in times of distress and their works will be the inspiration for many lives who shall need motivation to come out of the pandemic that hit the world in 2020.

THE LONG FLIGHT OF LIVING

In the long flight of living, it has been a tussle , a whole long transformation of ruffling feathers , plucking old ones, growing the new ,trying to still maintain the speed and focus of flying with all energy and magnitude and in this journey, many a times wounded get the   wings, bruised are ends , where hardly one gets time to repair, mend or let the wounds dry.

The journey goes on without stopping, with every bend bringing more challenges and showing more impermanence of life.

 

Unachievable goals, difficult roads, storms , or hovering clouds, thorns pushing out of every circumstances often shred the skin in ways where one tries to protect the family keeping  them intact.

 
Hardly all these such efforts are realized , the fact is the zeal to move forward, the confidence of fighting inspite of not being acknowledged, the selfless support and patience of 24 hours extending to 7 days and 12 months a year continuously exhausts the energy of self.
There are moments when the flight seems the last , the faraway sky seems to embrace our pains and struggles, yet the closed ones near us never realize or notice.
The long exhausting journey wishes moments of understanding, some moments of realization which remain unnoticed and unheeded.
The long laps of flight turn the wings weak, which cannot hold the rough weathers now, due to continous exposure to rough weathers and because never did they been cleaned, covered, given rest .
A life too depletes such with negligence when all paths suddenly turn down and forget to let the soul breathe.

 

 

It is a transformation to break free from all shackles, from all chains that have pulled the wings in different directions, letting the bird to forget it’s own flight and instead follow the journey of survival.

It is time ,to mend ways, to realize, to know, to understand, to see through, to accept  this struggle .

As an eagle too can live upto 70 years and for that it has to go through the painful process of transformation after 40 years.
Either one fights self, wins , overcomes and then survives as a fighter and warrior of life or else succumbs to surroundings and gets eroded in the flood of life .

This isn’t the fear of physical pain , it is the transformation that  creates turbulence within, either leading to a rebirth of self or leading to the  usual  end .

AN INTUITIVE HEART

 

 

 

Mind is the dwelling of our intellect and Heart is the abode to our feelings and realization.

An intuitive heart speaks of life as it feels not sees . It proclaims about love not as an emotion but as a part of its own existence. This intuitive heart grieves of the socio political situation and the conditions of the poor and destitute in our society. It shrieks when thousands watch helplessly the pitiable state of affairs in this world and still remain unaffected to selfishly cater their own greed.

It is overwhelmed when let free and dances in congruence with the clouds to cherish and absorb the beauteous nature.

An Intuitive Heart speaks about anything and everything that affects its being but  often remains unexpressed and unspoken . Such thoughts are usually left to perish inside  like the walls of a caged mansion.Intuition as known is the sixth sense which is invisible like the air we breathe and yet exists around us not appearing in any form  to the common eye and perception. This is the strength  that  works as a third eye , a kind of power make us evolve further.

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When intellects speak of the logical mind and the different levels of knowledge gathered by reading and learning, pioneers of art have proclaimed intuitiveness to be the most effective way of delving into any situation and resolving the issue , as it is one of unique and different ways than the usually calculated process.

Politics & Religion

Politics, Religion & Spiritualism should never be mixed together. Each has its own perspective and ideology. And never can the same person have similar set of these three ideologies in congruence to another.

Ideally politics should work for the growth and prosperity of a nation and its people.

Religion should bring peace and compassion along with discipline in people following any sect or religion.

Spiritualism is for individual progress and evolution of mind, body and soul irrespective of any religion.

History has always given us a reason to look back, pause for a while and introspect about the shortcomings and repercussions of so many errors done in past,but do we have the time and the heart to listen and learn?

Politics and Politicization has changed the look of the world forever. It is power and money that counts. With new players as the corporate world entering into the games of these ,it is becoming more and more futile to rely on any kind of organizational structure. Where masses gather ,there are bound to be clash of thoughts and intentions, so what is it that can change the situation? Of this world and our own nations?

Humanity – That is the sole answer and the common thread which can keep us sane and together. And will that be in form of any organization? No.

It has to be our sole conscience which will keep the essence alive .

Let us gather the scattered dust

Life is impermanent and so is everything in the world! It doesn’t take more than weeks to transform a living place into a realm of  mourning prayers .

Last few years have seen the worst when disaster has stuck Syria, leaving the historical and beautiful cities of Syria into a land of ashes and crumbled buildings. The ruins speak of a rich and glorious past yet today they are in mud. Every such country which has echoed its broad-mindedness and grace of embracing the balance of life is slowly turning into a different land .

How I wish, life had been simple without the politics of power and the conflicts of mind and riches? A common man is worried more about his daily bread and is far away from the politicization of created and misrepresented news , yet the continous harping of wrong inputs and distorted facts have ignited minds into flames which can burn the world without doing good for any,yet the ones who hold the matchstick to this pyre are unmoved.

Remember if a hand tries to burn somebody else’s house, his own shelter gets burnt,it is the law of nature, devastation brings destruction for one and all.

It is too late to realize and gather the scattered pieces of this maze which can bring peace together,but let us hope this sense shall prevail soon.

 

 

 

Story Awards

Whoever you are, wherever you are, World Pulse believes it’s time for your voice to be heard!

World Pulse publishes stories sourced directly from you, our community of changemakers. Every week, we release new calls for stories to get you talking about the issues that matter most. We believe everyone has a story to share, and that the world will be a better place when women are heard.

WorldPulse is currently running Story awards opportunities. See here : https://www.worldpulse.com/en/voices-rising/story-awards

With every contribution, real stories and new ideas rise from the ground up. New audiences are inspired to connect with you and take action, and lives are changed through the power of voice.

• Your story stands to get featured on Time e magazine .
• You may be selected for a $100 honorarium
• You may become a featured storyteller on WorldPulse.

WORLDPULSE is a  growing social network connecting over 25,000 people from 190 countries with one mission: to create a world where all women thrive—one click, one comment, one connection at a time.

Read one of my stories recognized by Worldpulse about Sisterhood /mentorship.

https://www.worldpulse.com/en/community/users/soumya-vilekar/posts/69955

 

SAFECITY- A unique mapping platform

“UN Women states that 1 in 3 women face some kind of sexual assault at least once in their lifetime. But in our experience, the statistic in India seems to be extremely high. A rape occurs every 20 mins in India.Yet most women and girls do not talk about this abuse for a multiple of reasons – fear of society, culture, victim blaming, fear of police, tedious formal procedures etc. As a result women keep silent and this data is not captured anywhere but the perpetrator gets bolder over time and we accept it as part of our daily routine. This leads to under communication and under reporting of the issue”speaks Elsa D’Silva,founder of SafeCity when asked about the role of this mapping site.

SAFECITY is a a platform that crowdsources personal stories of sexual harassment and abuse in public spaces and the data which is anonymous, gets aggregated as hot spots on a map indicating trends at a local level. The idea is to make this data useful for individuals, local communities and local administration to identify factors that causes behaviour that leads to violence and work on strategies for solutions.Since its launch on 26 Dec 2012 it has collected close to 10,000 stories from over 50 cities in India, Kenya, Cameroon and Nepal.

It is known that women aren’t safe when they are moving, traveling, commuting or sometimes even near their own houses due to various factors of harassment. There hasn’t been any such kind of initiative in India which led to an united platform to act against this kind of behaviour.

Read about the whole report on https://www.worldpulse.com/en/community/groups/leadership-group/posts/69663

For any kind of emergency ,contact the helpline links

Twitter for discussion – @pinthecreep

Twitter for reporting sexual violence – @SafecityIndia  #SafecityIndia

Facebook – www.facebook.com/safecity.in

Instagram – pinthecreep

Missed call (India) – +91 9015 510 510

 

WILDLIFE SAFARI FOR KIDS

Summer vacations bring a lot of challenges when it comes to handling kids! The scorching heat at its best and our hyper energetic kids wish to roam or delve in endless activities.

Wildlife safaris are a great option during such time,as the proximity of nature and wildlife brings about a new dimension to their growing knowledge and imagination.

Yet it is not feasible or possible everytime to sneak out thus from our routine job and duties.

There is yet another way which can keep our kids at bay from the electronic gadgets and develop their motor and co ordination skills.

Recently ,Flintobox  launched a play-based activity kit ‘Wildlife Safari’ to creatively introduce children to wild animals and their habitats.

Wildlife Safari adds the fun element to learning with its experiential activities. Designed for the age group of 4-8 years, the box has a story book, a game, a puzzle, a binocular as well as an engaging art activity! The box teaches kids about animals and birds from across the globe along with exciting wildlife vocabulary. Each activity is designed catering to different developmental skill sets in a child which includes coordination, cognitive and gross motor, creativity, exploration, language, and social skills. This makes kids engrossed with meaningful content and keeps them away from TV and screen addiction – which is what most kids succumb to during summer vacations!

Flintobox produces theme-based subscription activity boxes on Early Child Development for children between 2 and 8 years. 90% of brain development happens by the age of six. Early experiences and positive interactions during the age of 2-8 years determines the overall development of children for years to come. Every month, Flintobox delivers at the child’s doorstep, exploratory and play-based activities to teach concepts and help him/her develop skills/habits. Flintobox also has theme-based activity kits for 2-3 year olds (Colour Carnival) and 3-4 year olds (Jr. Colour Scientist). The products are completely designed by game designers, montessori and pedagogy experts and child psychologists. Crafted with kid-friendly materials, the box is shipped all across India with COD available in certain areas.

More information can be found on : 91-7695857799

http://www.flintobox.com

or at: care@flinto.in

 

 

 

 

 

What type of artist are you??? Have you ever wondered?

Where has the ink of conscience vanished? The zeal of expressing the social injustices done on humanitarian grounds , which always found its way through the fine nib of a writer’s pen is somewhere lost.

Novels and stories spoke about the prevailing conditions of society and brought about many changes in the mindset of people ,by instigating them to think about the rights and wrongs. Often stories from such novels were considered to be of revolutionary thoughts, thereby reflecting the ideas and character of writers of those times.

Indian literature has been one of the finest and richest ,depicting true facts from the intricacies of life. Being diversified in languages and culture ,although within a single country, we had variety of literature. Besides the intense romantic poems , poetry has seen another facet ,which was revolutionary. The true replica of historical and political scenarios were expressed with precise manner , written with a flame to create an utopian world. That zest and zeal has got lost somewhere . Artists still create art, brushes move on the canvas, pens scribble much often on the blank pages,yet the essence of truth and reality is absent.

The efforts aren’t enough to create a change nor adequate to inspire the dreaded people of a nation. As artists we have the responsibility of infusing into people and society alongwith depicting the true picture of life and politics.

Controversy is the child of today , but controversies are more materialistic. There is a thin line between controversial and revolution . One attracts attention due to erratic behavior ,disposition while the other raises voice against injustice and iniquity.

What type of artist are you??? Have you ever wondered?

Through the hourglass

Since ages, through the hourglass, time has witnessed change in the society, while  Darwin’s law taught us of human evolution with developing intelligence along with changed bodily structure, we are yet to completely learn ,soul too plays an important role in the history of evolution.

An invisible, unknown entity, whose abode is universe and innumerable galaxies where it dwells is yet to be understood by mankind,soul is considered to be the most important topic of research in recent years.

Metaphysics , a latest branch of science, speaks on such topics but tries to find logical reasoning behind the same.

Ancient mythology and scriptures had illumined us about this essential part of our life.

Without a Soul, a human has no life.A body even though a mechanism, remains devoid of life without the soul.

If the body is dead, then does the soul die?

Nay, it skips out of the human cage and bondage .Then,is the body lifeless, because without soul, the body has no meaning ? If so, then why does the body gets hurt in pain ,if it is devoid of life? Millions of questions can struggle inside our phenomenal brain mapping , yet we lose the thread of this eternal question.

Whatsoever the logical reasoning behind this, the fact remains:

The beauty of a soul lies in the acceptance of its existence. The kind of love , a sufi feels for his Divine , is realized only through the rooh/soul.He who sings in the darkness of life and glimpses the eternal light penetrating through the dark sky , manifests the Divine and its bliss.

“Kehta hai man , kar qubool har dua meri , ae khuda

teri rahmat mein chipi hai meri zindagi

naa karo qubool toh koi gila nahi

bas nazre inaayat karna, mujh par

ae khuda….

yahi iltazaa hai … har pal, har ghadi”.