A Small Victory

A few days ago, seething with rage, I put up the below status on facebook.

"Sexual harassment at workplace. Heard of it. Read about it. Television, newspapers. But never had I thought that I would learn about it from someone so close. A reputed company. She was told it was employee friendly. Seemed like it. Good work culture. Friendly colleagues. Satisfied with her job. Until recently. When he joined as her boss.

45 year old. Young. Dynamic they called him. Until recently. When he started showing his true colours. An appreciative pat on the back that lingered on the back for more time than necessary. Calling under the pretext of silly excuses like showing him how to mail. Really? How to mail? At such a senior position? Then came the leering. Checking out. Eyes hovering all over the body making you feel disgusted.

But she thought it was only her perception. We women, sometimes even ignoring what is so blatant in our face. What-if-nobody-believes-me fear. "Let me just avoid him. I will avoid going near him' - she reasoned to herself. And then it took no time for his hands to reach inappropriate places. The disgusting smile on his face. 'You should keep your boss happy' - the intention behind this comment I need not elaborate.

She talked around. She was not the only one. Four of them had faced the same. Amusing. Educated women. Independent. Yet kept quiet about this. Well, are they to be blamed ? Finally, they gathered courage to speak to the management. And what does the so-called management do? Ask him point blank if he did all that. Hah!! Who are you fooling? Which goddamn criminal agrees to his crime?

His masterstroke - 'They are like my DAUGHTERS. Wow. Like wow. Where are we safe if you have fathers like these? Weren't these same words said by that man who was recently captured on camera in the aircraft? Similar words. 'Like my daughter.' The words echo in my ears.

He was let off with just a warning. Just a warning for a complaint about harassment by not one, but four women. All four of them have been told to avoid being with him in his cabin. Use common meeting room, they have been asked. Another wow. Reputed private firm. Employee friendly they claim themselves to be. Well, I don't know if safety of women is a part of employee friendliness for them.

While he continues the backhanded comments. He is their boss. Their appraisal in his hands. Two of them planning to leave the job. Strange. Yet true. They are planning to file a written complaint against him to the management. In the hope. That they will be heard this time."

When I put up this status, a lot of friends and acquaintances of facebook messaged me about the incident wanting to know which company was it and what exactly happened. This incident happened with somebody I know very closely and hearing it from her was more than just shocking. I was angry. I sought her permission to put up a status on facebook without her name and any detail. She agreed. A lot of friends asked me to keep them updated on the matter. I closely followed the matter. We tried finding out the laws and I wrote the complaint for them which they submitted in their company.

Initially, the management tried to hush the whole issue. When there was no action taken against the person in a week's time, all the four women resigned. As per the rules, they had to serve a month's notice period which they agreed to serve. And while serving their notice period, they continued their campaign in the company against the culprit and started gathering support. The culprit was now the centre of attraction (ofcourse in a wrong way) in the company. He tried to reason it out to all the women involved saying that his intentions were not wrong and other such blah blah pleading them to take back their resignations or else it would affect his career and that he had people dependent on him and he needed the job etc etc. These women stood firm and were just waiting for their notice period to end, dejected at the way a professional firm had handled such a grave issue.

But then, as they say, sometimes the glitter of hope shines through the thickest of times. While the one month notice period is not over yet, the news is that the culprit has been sacked from the company.

Just when our country is lost in a yet another controversy of 'India's Daughter', when every other day you hear about some or the other case of women abuse, when situation is such that seeing their daughter home safe every evening is a big relief for every parent, when dejection and anger about the current state of women in the country is reaching a yet another peak, this news of the abuser being sacked from his job comes across as a small victory in this fight against women abuse. Somewhere, it makes you realize that if we all learn to stand up against it, if we can gather enough strength to raise our voices, then may be, may be, this country can become a better place to live. The battle is still on and it’s a long way to go still but small victories like this are a flicker of hope that can give strength to carry on the fight. It makes me optimistic and a small voice inside me rejoices this small victory.

 

This is my official post inspired by Housing.com - Look Up.

Five Sentence Fiction - Marriage

‘Why are you looking so pissed off?’ she said trying to fathom the reason behind his cranky behavior since past half an hour sitting at their favourite restaurant.

‘It’s you who does that to me’ he replied with a stern face looking straight into her eyes.

‘Yes, You! you keep me awake with your phone calls late into the night, your messages keep on popping up on my cell every now and then, your incessant chatter when we meet, and then your stupid ways of making me smile when I am down, and I have to drink all that distasteful soup of yours that you make whenever I am sick, and how can I forget those handmade gifts that you make me for no reason inspite of telling you a hundred times to not spend sleepless nights for making those gifts, but you just won’t listen.’ He said in one breath as if the words were just bursting inside him.

‘Rahul, I just do that to..’ and her sentence trailed off with a lump in her throat and she looked mindlessly at her coffee trying hard to fight tears that were threatening to spill over the confines of her eyes.

‘I want you to do that for me, for a lifetime, not just this one, but for as many number of times I am born, Marry me, will you?’ he said and saw her tears finally leaving her eyes but tagging a faint smile along with them.   

Written for Five Sentence Fiction for the prompt - Marriage

Wishfully Whiny : Haiku

Whiny

habituated

wrong in everything they see

complain mode switched on

Wishful

dreamy my eyes

building castles futuristic

smiles momentary

This post is written as a part of April A to Z Challenge 2014. I am doing two posts for every alphabet. The Non-themed posts can be found here.

Success

What is success, I do not know

How does it start, where does it flow?

How do you measure it?

How do you value, where do you treasure it?

Is it the money that you earn?

Or is it the ropes of life that you learn?

Is it having the peace of mind?

Is it having the art of tranquility when you are falling behind?

Is it the love in the eyes of loved ones for yourself?

Or is it the respect you see in the mirror for thyself?

Is it the smile that you bring on somebody’s face?

Or is it the shoulder you offer for matching life’s pace?

Is it the tears that people have, from their lives when you leave?

Or is it the warmth of their hearts that you receive?

Is it the honesty that you hold when everyone else deceives?

Or is it the satisfaction you have when the way you are is perceived?

May be

It is what you are and not what everybody else wants you to be

Or may be

It is when you can proudly say This is ME !!

This post is written as a part of April A to Z Challenge 2014 under Non-Themed category. I am doing two posts for this Challenge and Themed posts can be found here.

Our Blogs, Our Homes !!

Our Blogs. Thinking about mine brings a smile to my face. Does yours bring too? I was just thinking how they are an extension of us. Can we call them our second homes? They say home is where heart is. And our blogs certainly have our hearts, don’t they?

The look of our house has to be like us, like people residing in it. Traditional or bohemian, black & white themed or dashed with colours, or a mix of everything. Remember, while decorating your house for that occasion where there would be guests coming over, how you fretted over tiniest things that would matter. Where should that plush looking carpet be placed? Where would that art piece look best? Thinking. Arranging. Re-arranging. After all, you would have guests at your place. They shall look around; they shall walk all over, look in the corners - the decorations, the colours, the patterns, the wall pieces, everything. And you want them to be perfect. May be if not perfect, atleast like you. The guests should remember whom they visited. If they go and talk about it to others, nothing like it. 

Well, didn’t you feel similar while you were decorating your blog? Didn’t you try many themes before finalizing the one? I have seen some beautiful wall hangings, colourful pictures, animations and even fish tanks on the blog. Extension of the bloggers themselves, I guess?

Whenever anything new happens in the house, be it an event - happy or sad, whether you’ve brought a new television or whether you’ve given up an old bad habit, the family and friends have to know about it. Isn’t that the case with our blogs too? They are the first ones to listen to our achievements, bear our rants and share our happiness. And then, the news spreads to family and friends – virtual but equally strong like the real ones. They would come and praise your achievement, they would come and share your sadness, they would congratulate you and they would advise you. Just like your real friends and family.  

We like to keep the most prized possessions, our winning trophies in the most visible place of the house for everybody to see and admire. And similarly, those lovely award badges, those contests winning badges, the badges showing where we’ve been published adorn our sidebars, visible for all.

Our houses get cluttered. And then, we start the cleanliness drives. Creating drawers for different things, putting things in their place, marking the lids of the jars so that they are easily available next time you need them. Haven’t you donw the same for the blog? Labeling the posts, adding proper tags, linking to the other similar posts and even creating pages for similar ones to be stacked together. Homes, Blogs.

And remember, when you have guests at your place? You clean the place well, you announce their arrival to other members of the family, introduce the guest to your family members. Isn’t that somewhat similar to what we do while having co-bloggers as guests on our blog? Similar. 

And then you might roam around, admire others’ places, may be want that wall hanging that is there in neighbour’s house on your wall too, but then, at the end of the day, your own little space is the best. The best. Howsoever, cluttered or empty it is. Your home does have your heart. So does your blog. Isn’t it?

This post is written as a part of April A to Z Challenge 2014 under Non-Themed category. I am doing two posts for this Challenge and Themed posts can be found here.

Hopeful and Happy

Hopeful

optimism soaked in

smiling future it beckons

in love with the word

Happiness

scribbling away me

playground this blog

euphoria it emanates

This post is written as a part of April A to Z Challenge 2014. I am doing two posts for every alphabet. The Non-themed posts can be found here.

At the Festival of Words !!

In love with the written word

We love getting emotions stirred

Stringed together by a common passion

Coming together for some creatively stimulating sessions

Off we go with the trigger of the prompt

Giving birth to poetry, fiction or any other form

We read, get read, comment and get commented upon

Finding new blogger friends to devour their works from thereon

From our comfort zones we are pushed out sometimes

Unconsciously helping our words reach new sublimes

Yes, at Write Tribe Festival of Words we are

And this time, we shall just raise the bar !!

This post is written for Write Tribe Festival of Words – Day 3. The prompt was Free Write

Third Time Charm - Liebster III

The mere mention of the word ‘award’ brings a smile on the face. There are some like the ones given by mommy on successful completion of homework or minding your manners when guests are around or daddy for getting good marks. They are something which most of us have received. Then, there are some like receiving filmfares available to only a chosen privileged few. And then, there are some like ‘Liebster’ received by this awesome community of bloggers. I received two of my Liebsters from amazing fellow bloggers Sreeja Praveen and Sreesha Divakaran. I wrote about them here.                                                                                      

But an award is an award. As many times you receive it is always welcome ;) Somewhere, it is an indication that your writings are being liked somewhere. There are some fellow bloggers who come and read you everytime you put up some blabber and yet find it interesting enough to come back again.

So, when Inspirational Romance Writer, Aayesha Hakim presented me with my third Liebster here, I was all ‘smiles’. She wrote this before nominating fellow bloggers for this award – “To the people I have nominated above: Congratulations! The reason behind me nominating you is, I enjoy reading your blog and you deserve a lot more subscribers. Keep writing!”

The sheer simplicity and honesty of her words above make you feel warmer. So, dear Aayesha, thank you for considering me for this award. I love reading your blog too and hope you too win over many more readers.

The rules of accepting a Liebster are stated in my earlier post which I mentioned above. There was some confusion about nominating fellow bloggers again. I read somewhere that I can present this award to ten bloggers just once. But I also came across posts where bloggers have nominated others every time they receive this award. Since I have nominated fellow bloggers already, I wouldn’t be doing it again. But, yes I am all set to answer the volley of questions posed by Aayesha. So here we go !

1.   What would you wish to name a movie about your life?

That’s easy. The movie name should ofcourse be ‘Dreams and Dimensions’

2.   What is YOUR favorite blog post from YOUR blog? Link please!

Oh, Aayesha,  you are asking a mother to choose her favourite child. Very difficult. But still if I had to give it a shot, I think it would be 'Halfway' and 'A Closet full of Memories'

3.   What is the best piece of life advice you could give to someone?

    All I would say is, “Don’t hold back. Do things that make you happy. At the end, it’s just once that we get to live.   

4.   Worst thing a person can do to you?

Worst thing a person can do to me or for that matter to anybody else is judge me without knowing the real me. I literally loathe people who keep on passing judgments without knowing the story of other people.   

5.   Give me a description of what you see when you look out of the window this very moment!

    You wouldn’t believe where am I writing this post. I am travelling by train and its awesome morning sunshine over lush green fields that please my vision right this moment.

6.   What do you think about my blog? ;)

   Aayesha - The inspirational romance writer. I recently discovered your blog and have loved your writings since then. I just can’t imagine myself doing a post everyday of the month. So, kudos to you for completing the UBC. All the best for spinning more and more beautiful yarns of words. Lovely to have known somebody like you.   

7.   Items on your bucket list?

    As a writer, the most obvious thing is getting published. And few others are to visit Vegas, to have a tattoo and own a sea-facing house with a room full of my favourite books. That’s it ;)

8.   What is the thing you do at the end of your day just before going to bed?

     Most of the times, Facebook and Twitter gets the privilege :P But, yes, better sense prevails sometimes and I do think and decide about what am I supposed to do for the next day, which by the way never happens as planned :P :P

9.   Anything that you would want to change about yourself?

A better metabolism would be great :P

10.       Do you agree with popular belief that a man is ruled by his head and a woman by her heart?

I think women are too complex to be simplified in that one line of just being ruled by our hearts :P And, I don’t think it can be stereotyped in today’s times about how one behaves, whatever be the gender.

                                             

11 .       What according to you is the problem most of the youths face today?

Well, the problems are myriad. Starting from the fact that the android battery doesn’t last long to the pessimism about Indian politics :P But, on a more serious note, I think we (using the word ‘we’ considering that a 28 year old is still considered young :P ) want everything. Focus is what we probably lack.

Phew.. so, I am all done. Loved answering them Aayesha. J J

Meeting Mr. Narendra Modi !!

You have seen him putting a state on World Map. You have heard media go gaga about his visions for development. You have heard about how good an administrator he is. You have read about him being called a leader in truest sense. You have heard people acknowledging him as the only hope for better India.

When people from other states praise the good roads or the cleanliness they see around in your city, you feel proud for being resident of that state. When you say that you work for his government, you see respect in their eyes because you are a part of the government that has been working for the betterment of its people ever since it came to power.

But, truth be told, you are just another employee working for the state government, like thousands of others. You are barely into the system with a meagre experience of 4.5 years in your kitty. Since past approximately three years, you have been a part of the editorial team of an in-house magazine published by your organization. A work that you love to be a part of simply because there you are doing something that you think you are best at. Write. The magazine being the only arena that leaves some room for creativity as well as a chance to hone your writing skills in a proper government set-up.   

And then you get a chance. A chance to see him. A chance to meet him in person. Because he would be unveiling an edition of your magazine which carries his article as the Cover Story. You are one of the people to have been chosen to go and witness the occasion. Be a part of the same. And all this happens so soon that you hardly get time to sink in what’s happening.

Mind it, all during the way to his office, you are confused and considering if you should opt out of all this because you are just a newbie official on the block. But, before you know, you are in the grandeur of his office. Awards won by various government offices lined up in the balcony, super tight security, the magnificence of the building that could put any five star hotel to shame, well defined procedures and zilch chances of blips make you wonder. You wait for the time slot allotted to you for the unveiling. While you wait, you are still discussing the rapidity of the sequence of events which have brought you here with your colleagues and still considering if you should stay right back and not go inside the cabin. But then, as they say, life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. So while you were discussing the chances of staying back, you are called inside with your Chairman, your CEO and your colleagues.

And then you step inside one of the most beautiful cabins you have seen in your entire life of being a government official, which ofcourse is still very nascent. But, you are still sure, you wouldn’t see anything as magnificent as that one simply because it belongs to the highest authority of your state government. While you are overwhelmed at the thought of it, you see him. His aura brightening the place much more than anything ever could. After that, whatever happens, happens probably in your inebriated state coz you are just awed by his persona. The work that you had come for - the magazine launch, it happens. But, all during this, your sub-conscious has noticed every single detail. The way he stood up from his table, the words he spoke to your Chairman, how the magazine was handed to him, unveiling of the magazine, what he spoke while he was unveiling the magazine, he handing some copies of the magazine to your Chairman who in-turn gives a copy to you and the camera going click click click.

And when you are out of that space, what remains is the hangover. The hangover of seeing Mr. Narendra Modi in person. The man for who rules the state government you have been working for. The man you have only seen on television, hoardings and newspapers. You have just met him, in person. You, a newbie government official who is still learning the ropes of the trade. And there, you got a chance to meet him.

Do you consider yourself lucky? Yes you do. Are you happy? No, you are elated. Aren’t you talking like a star struck fan who has just met her favourite star? Yes, you kinda are, coz for a newbie official, meeting the highest authority of your state government is no small feat. Are you ever going to forget the incident? Nope. Never. And hence this post. So that it remains etched. The incident. This incident of a young government official getting a chance to meet the highest authority of the state government she works for. The incident of me meeting Mr. Narendra Modi. *Beams*    

And by the way, this is the link to his website about the unveiling of the magazine.

Clap : Haiku

Joy emanates within

Warm heart overflows

Happiness hands display

****************

On new path, they criticize

Let success kiss your feet

Claps all around

****************

Witnessing my child's first win

Tears racing on my cheeks

Drums in my hands

This post is shared with Haiku Heights # 316 and the prompt is CLAP

To Beautiful New Beginnings !!

Yes, the first post of 2014 it is ! *Happy Dance* The moment the dreary old clock on the drawing room wall showed 12 am on 31^st December last year (ah, the happiness of writing 2013 as last year) blaring music all around reached a crescendo, firecrackers lit up chilly December sky, greetings flew down from all corners, telephone networks jammed, Facebook walls flooded with New year wishes, Whatsapp continually buzzed, that very moment, the first thing that came to my mind was ‘To Beautiful New Beginnings’.

Image Source: Google

Yes, the optimist in me was at her highest high totally drunk on the idea of Hope. Yes, Hope that the upcoming year would usher in happiness and its fleet within my life. I did write about how my last year fared here and yet my dear Hope doesn’t seem to leave its premises within my heart. It has found a permanent residence inside me. I too let her be, let her occupy a rent free space inside me. 

We have become kinda best friends - not leaving each other in any circumstances, she always riding on my mind guiding me with her teeny weeny torch through thicker times and me always holding her hand in small and big occasions of life.

As everybody wished me a Happy New Year and I reciprocated with mutual warmth, I asked myself what did I wish for myself this New Year. And this is the answer my heart (which now totally speaks to the tunes of Hope) gave me.

It is the Passion that keeps you burning

May you keep it alive and continue the learning

May of big Dreams your eyes be the carrier

But you reel out efforts to achieve even Bigger

May you meet some amazing People this year

But may you keep the current best ones even more near

May you read some great authors

But may you be able to Pen yourself even better

May your materialistic wishes this year come true

But, may you Grow as an individual in spirituality too

May happiness in your Family ensue

And may you be one the reasons of their happiness too

May within your soul Happiness be found

But may you also spread a lot of Cheer around

May the negativity within you subside

But may you be able to remove fears from other’s insides

  

Life always smooth, may you find

But if it gets stormy, may you find Faith to withstand and fight

May every passing day Outshine the earlier

May this year you be nothing but all the more happier

And now, I would end this post with an ‘Amen’ for all of the above. J J  Happy New Year Friends. By the way, what did your heart wish for?