Lesser Thought

Mirza Waheed in his second novel, an out and out love plot pays an ode to the Kashmir valley and its ruin. Waheed was widely appreciated for being brutally honest about how his motherland, Kashmir has fallen in the face of military and militancy in his first novel, The Collaborator. In his second work he has taken a more subtle way to bring about the dichotomy of beauty and war against the same backdrop. What is intriguing is the journey of two young people in love, the introduction of nature’s elements distinctive to the valley and the unfolding of destruction the guns brought. A young papier mache artist, Faiz is ache stricken from the very first word of the novel. A lurking hollowness in his being is the foundation of the intense love he will later try to fulfill, both for his land and the girl of his dreams. He is pre occupied with the silhouette of a girl he assumes he is destined to be with. On the other end of the old city of Srinagar, lives a girl, Roohi, also in hope of meet...

Some time ago, I came to know someone who was vulnerable in more ways than I was. We spoke less, silence filled many moments together and yet it never felt wrong. Over months, we understood one another in depths we didn't know we could. We were exposed to aching parts of the other, we didn't exactly know how to handle or heal. While we were trying to shed our apprehensions and fall into a beautifully miserable trap,  not everyone was welcoming towards the comfort we came to share.  It wasn't easy,  to be everyone's cause to mold and shape. To be questioned for being present for someome with many layers, unknown and vaguely disbalanced by life's scenarios. It was hurtful to see the ones I held closest to walk away,  despise and disapprove of my choice to stay. But I remembered one lesson through the hurt.  Never dissapoint the one that accepts you raw and naive. I stood by longer than I could and my emotions allowed but maybe it wasn't meant to last. And when I f...

In the recent decade,  almost all have taken to expression and promotion through media.  People from several professions, ages, social understandings and status have established themselves as promoters and catalysts of movements and revolutions.  Social media has provided a medium of message transmission at the largest scale. The smart have used it to push their motives, good, bad and ugly alike. Influencers have mobilised consumers, set trends and tried to spread awareness. An incident becomes news within seconds. A vast majority jumps onto an opinion within minutes, justice is dispensed a few hours later and promoted with hashtags that trend a few days.  While Notre Dame was burning down,  people were already on their instagram accounts posting about it,  praying for the building to sustain.  When Sudan was starving social media enthusiasts were quick to showcase solidarity with blue display pictures.  Kashmir Lockdown made them shift to red and...

Recent death of a leading Bollywood actor has yet again stirred the nepotism debate amongst journalists, audience and the industry itself. The example of nepotism this time, like always, turned out to be the Dharma productions tycoon Karan Johar. Johar wasn’t only targeted with accusations of involvement in the high profile case but also harassed for introducing only star kids in his projects. Although Karan has given big breaks to many star kids all through his two decade long career, he has also introduced many “outsiders” as they are now being labelled. Self proclaimed providers of justice on social media have come out to attack Johar and his way of running his highly successful business, using Rajput’s death as a pawn. While netizens mourned the actor’s untimely death and promoted mental health awareness in the first few hours of the incident, the focus was redirected to the problem of nepotism eventually.   Within a few days it was a full blown attack on the biggest names of...

A critically acclaimed Netflix original Orange Is The New Black, starts a conversation we all need to have; most importantly America. The issue in the spotlight is incarceration at the dawn of the show’s first season. It gradually shifts to a holistic view of life for immigrants and minorities in the greatest nation of the world. The treatment that prison inmates across the states receive is unacceptable and there was undoubtedly a need to question the system in place. One of the first web series to be made, OITNB became the face of not only Netflix but also a larger, more necessary revolution. ‘Incarcerated people deserve the power to exercise their basic rights too.’ As the show progresses, the focus shifts to the stories of more than two dozen women, serving time in a minimum correctional facility. Certain moments throughout the seven seasons stand out to the viewer. They showcase deeper emotions and symbolize greater meaning than you can absorb the first time. In a particular...