Musings by Taniya

I think there should be class on how to live life?  We spend most of our lives blasting and blundering through around absolutely clueless about our own aspirations, direction or purpose. We waste most of it on borrowed beliefs and ideas. We are so easily swayed by external manipulation, peer pressure and diktats of society. And before we know it, most of our life is done and dusted.  Then the epiphany strikes, that what we have been doing and how we have been living, is not how we actually we wanted it to be. But where do we go from there henceforth, is different for all. Some lament the loss of what they wanted but never tried for, and then waste the rest of the life drowning in the river of self blame and pessimism. Some blitz through the infamous mid-life crises reinventing themselves or seek frivolous or oftentimes mundane endeavours. Then there are some who get themselves entrenched in radicalizing ideologies, spiritualism bordering on fanaticism, and sometimes even cults...

Some stories are better left untold While some beg to be shouted from the rooftops. Some beg for an audience that never come  While some have become legends and fables. Some wither away in solitude, and then, there are stories of privilege that reek of pompous grandeur and entitlement. There are some that mesmerize us with their simplicity Their humble beginnings and endings to entice us all. Some are lost between agony and discord While some are bathed in camaraderie and love Some are hushed between whispers and surreptitious glances There are some that are engrained in our souls. The stories of those men and women how can we forget who have become akin to demons and gods. Then if we are careful to look for   lying under the rubble of defeat are the stories written by those who lost the war. All these are stories are meant to be shared read and told over and over again.  For what is our life but stories  That we have lived and breathed To be passed down for gen...

Do you know the hardest thing about love??? I think it's staying in love.   Falling in love is damm easy. Vibes match, thoughts match or we get attracted physically, emotionally, intellectually, there can be an innane number of reasons. The attraction is reciprocated and we are madly in love. Flattering compliments, love bombing, soul mates stuff!! But what about after ?? What about when honeymoon high wears off and those heart shaped red coloured glasses through which we envisioned our love and lover comes off?? What happens when reason, practicality, responsibilities, distractions, goals, reality jump in the middle ?? What happens when we begin to see their flaws and our insecurities begin their endless whisper?? Do we stay and fight it out, or run, or worse keep the other person hanging onto a possibility?? That is the toughest part of love.  The choice that defines 2 lives. We have to make it every second, minute and day we are in love. To stand by them against all odds, t...

Voices left unspoken and unheard Her words silenced In the cacophony of opinions Her all dreams were shattered. She once dreamt of flying high  But the freedom was merely an illusion  Under the garb of realism. Now she shrivels slowly  In the name of compromise  Adjusting to others moods and idiosyncracies  Losing herself over and over. Still her voice remains the unheard  Her silent screams ignored  Till she shattered loudly and desperately Now labelled a banshee She is denigrated for her outbreaks .

“Success” and “happiness”  I wanted it all. From young to as I grew old, It's meaning has changed with each passing fall. When I was small I wanted prizes and accolades  Cheers of my peers and persons And a large entourage I got it all and yet wanted some more...  As youth came to me success got a new meaning. Slowly those wins lost its shine,  Now I wanted money and promotion.   The curse of maturity, barter of our soul  and I raced to climb a never-ending staircase. Every win became a predecessor  To yet another unachieved dream and desire. Desire – the ringmaster made me do tricks Slowly the audience stopped clapping  and left me all alone As I won and lost what I desired there and then. Happiness and bliss flitted away and left me with emptiness in my core as I found a new meaning to the feeling of bliss I earlier thought was an outcome of success. As I get older and a little bit wiser Wiser – am I delusional!!!!  It's meaning has ch...

While the millennials were going through an existential crisis , in walked the G en Z , a generation I hold utmost respect for. They saw the world change, technology advance and so did they. Unlike their predecessors and successors they are not a lost generation . They have taken ownership of their life with finesse and aplomb. I am in awe of their control and vision.  This is a generation that redefined mental and emotional health and brought it to the forefront. A generation that showed strength and character does not lie in bearing and perseverance, but in self- accountability  and drawing boundaries where needed. A generation that is not bogged down by technology, but uses it to further their means and profession when required, but detox or limit it as soon as it endangers their personal safe space . While we were busy getting bashed up, beaten down, ridiculed and judged in name of concern, mistreated in name of responsibility, and touching feet of everyone under the su...

This might trigger some but recently I have come to the conclusion that we are using self-love as an excuse to let go. I agree loving thyself feels beautiful and liberating. I love that in the recent times we are not only recognising it, but actively investing in ourselves. Its actualisation brings us so much bliss and joy. But when we use it as a means to resist any change, self- improvement or constructive criticism, it is a problem. Self-love in actual sense means to love and accept ourselves freely (mind, body and faults included), all the while striving to improve ourselves and working on creating a better version of ourselves. Don't we always want our possessions and technology to get better over time? Then why stay outdated and stagnating ourselves? Why not make ourselves a little bit better by all means possible? Why not instead of changing the world we start at home with ourselves? What is wrong in slowly steadily and constantly improving ourselves? We tend to use it somet...