The Moonstruck Mystique...

When I told my 3 year old a story of a mommy and child going out, she quickly asked ‘Does the mommy have two legs?’ I said ‘Yes’. She remarked, ‘My mommy has one leg when at home and two when we go out. For her that is normal. As a teenager there come a time when she thinks less of me because of my physical issue. But I hope that by then we normalize these physical differences enough for people not to make an issue of them. I have never met a child who has found me ‘different’. They are only curious to know what the difference is. Never to weigh it down. Let me also mention in the same breath that most adults I meet are quite unlike that. The first thing that people notice is that I walk with a limp. In a few seconds they’d have formed an impression about me in their minds. I can feel the vibes. And as our initial conversation progresses, I can also sense how the other person slowly begins to see the person behind the amputee. While I am quite used to this and do not find it unn...

It's been 25 long and eventful years today since my near fatal accident due to drunk driving by a truck driver and my amputation. Being a little girl then I would never have thought about the future but if my parents were to be told that this is where their daughter would be 25 years later, I guess they'd take it. There's no better joy in the world than making your parents happy. As a mother myself, I cannot fathom the pain a parent goes through when faced a situation of their little child having to undergo an amputation. The only positive then was that the infection didn't spread above my leg and amputating it at the hip meant I could still be alive. Today I’d like to appreciate the wonderful life and the amazing people I have been gifted with.  Having lived a fair share of my life in the cosy comforts of Dubai, moving to India gave me a cultural shock. The roads didn't have proper sidewalks, bathrooms weren't easy to use, monsoons were torrid cuz my ...

For the past four days the main social issue that the average man in India (and Indians abroad) has been talking about is Anna Hazare and his fast unto death towards seeing the Lok Pal bill come into effect. It might also be the most googled keywords in the past week. All of a sudden, the whole nation seems to have taken notice. Yes, by far corruption is one of the most pressing issues facing the nation today. People seem to be frantically raising their voices in support of the bill and calling for meetings and candle light vigils to express solidarity. But I am really not sure what exactly we are supporting. I mean yes, everyone wants corruption out of the system. But what is lacking is clarity of thought. We need not follow the crowd. I truly appreciate people who are against it and don't worry about expressing themselves. They are only bringing out a standpoint we might not have realized. Of course, it is a fancy thing that in a matter of hours we have realized our duties and r...

 It has been a long time since I wrote anything in my blog. It wasn't but for a want of ideas. More so because I had so much to say. Today there are so many grappling issues that I can think of. Yet I am not sure if my writing them here really serves any purpose at all.   There is the problem of corruption that has formed cobwebs all over the nation. There is not a single person who hasn't been affected by it. It exists at every level only in different degrees. Then there is child abuse, caste, reservation and gender issues, poverty, inflation, the financial and social divide as the rich get richer and poor become poorer, lack of basic amenities for a huge part of the population, the poor standard of education and so on. Actually, anything. Everything. Name it and we have it! But I shall talk of all except one at a later time.   I am a physically disabled person and don't feel bad about saying it. Whether I was born with it or whether fate changed its course, it isn...