Truly Saptarshi

What 2020 gave us? A few extra kilograms, a lot of sulking, depression, bad news, comic relief acts of banging and lighting announced by the government, favourite clothes gathering dust, perfumes and makeups lying unused, relationships going long-distance for months, and of course, staying locked down at home and away from parties and social gatherings. But was it all that we got from this year? When before 2020 did we spend hours and days and months with our family at a stretch? Before this year, when did we get so much time to look back, sit, think, rectify mistakes, be creative, and find joy in smaller things of life? Before this pandemic, how much time did we dedicate to pamper ourselves and pamper our loved ones? We have always been so engrossed in the running faster than others that we never felt thankful for what we had, and even if we did, did we live in the present or were always planning on what next? This year for me has been harassment if I put it in a word but what I can

I have a very favourite quote by the Canadian author Justine Musk and it goes like this, "The enemy of feminism isn't men. It's patriarchy, and patriarchy is not men. It is a system, and women can support the system of patriarchy just as men can support the fight for gender equality." This post is not going to discuss who killed Sushant Singh Rajput or did he kill himself because most of our trashy Indian media is doing that well enough. We will talk about the recent situation hovering around the case and how a person is being used as a scapegoat to hide all the big and real issues that are eating up the nation. The only fault of Rhea Chakraborty is that she is a woman and the partner of the demised?  Yes, it is absolutely fine to investigate a case if there are doubts regarding any fact. Justice needs to be served at any cause, true. But, who till now in any way could prove that Rhea is guilty of killing her own partner? Now, when increasingly information is surfacin

Two human beings, X and Y one day followed each other on Instagram, they like each other's feed and felt a connection; started conversing online. Soon, they decided to meet and it was almost like love at first sight, they clicked and how. On further realisation, they decided to express their love and admiration for each other and also have plans to start staying together very soon. Now, what are the genders of X and Y? Does it matter? If it does then I think this post will make you uneasy, but I won't discourage you to read on because change comes only when we step out of our comfort zone. And for someone who is feeling uneasy, just keep pondering on one question, "What if your relationship with whoever you love is looked down upon and even made illegal?" The legal part was handled very well by the supreme court on 6th September 2018 and that too unanimously by the whole panel in the Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India case. It was a landmark judgement that decided t

Before getting into the topic of 'Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story', let us address one thing, the best part of this whole event is that books are under focus and the talk of the town, something that is losing its sheen and connection with every passing day for some reason. Anyways, once Bloomsbury India decided to step down from publishing the book, some new Gurugram based publishing house named Garuda Prakashan chose to take up the 'mission'. This publishing house has a history of publishing titles like 'Urban Naxals', '#Modi Again' and 'Saffron Sword' to name a few so this step was not quite a surprise. They also published a book called 'Saraswati Civilisation' by Maj. Gen. G.D. Bakshi which claimed to rewrite Indian history which has also become a new trend by and large in India. We are now a nation where names of places keep changing and mosque become temple; claims do not just stop at mosques and temples, Taj Mahal is also under t

The third post in a row (something that is happening after years) and after writing about the Rose family it had to be this Australian series which had given me quite a company when I was really looking for it a few months back. There is one more similarity between 'Please Like Me' and the Canadian series 'Schitt's Creek' beside the fact that one of the protagonists is queer; the creator is also the protagonist here. Josh Thomas has done a really commendable job of exploring everything from mental health to abortion to relationship and still managed to hold on to the fact that it is a comedy series by using the whole psychological thing to its advantage. The most flawed character has to be the protagonist, the very blunt Josh played by Josh Thomas, and there are moments where I felt he is nothing but an idiot. Still, the show somehow managed to tie up everything and give meaning to life beyond the binaries. Josh is a person who continuously feels insecure about his

I remember reading an article on 'The Guardian', which goes something like "Terrible name, terrific sitcom" and I do not know if I agree with the first part. Still, I definitely agree with the terrific part, and a blog post dedicated to this terrific family which made me laugh and cry my heart out is the least that I can do to make myself happy and to contribute to the big family of fans out there. To start with, it has to be the portrayal of the love story between David (Daniel Levy) and Patrick (Noah Reid) which is just another love story minus all the struggles and fights against society. We, of course, cannot deny the everyday struggles that many same-sex couples face but then many lead a life just like David and Patrick too, a portrayal of which brings in a breath of fresh air and a ray of sunshine to people's lives and minds. It is not always a good feeling to see just the struggles on the screen, so a mixed platter is more preferable. Schitt's Creek doe

"Stop giving free rice to the poor, it is ruining their habit". "They earn enough, but still they behave as if they don't have anything". "Why give money to them? They will get drunk and finish it all off". "Reservation system is taking away opportunities from the well deserved". "There has to be some implications of caste, it is all in the genes", and I can go on with the list of rants by us. But what is it to be privileged? Is it a duty? It is a right? Is it some kind of advantage? What exactly is it? I remember I wanted to write this post when one of my acquaintances at work who also happened to earn in lakhs per month had mentioned that he would start donating eighty per cent of his money when he starts making ten million a month. Do you find anything absurd? If yes, then I think you can continue reading this small post! If we go by the dictionary, then social privilege does come with particular advantages and entitlements but

‘Holy crap! I cannot eat this food’, ‘Oh God! I cannot go to college every day’, ‘Frig! How can I live without the AC?’ Sounds familiar? Surely does to many of us because we grew up taking things for granted and why not when we have seen only a tiny part of the world and chose to neglect the not so happy realities. Hallelujah! It is time we start appreciating. There is a vast reality out there (nowadays even behind well-constructed walls) which we never get in touch with. I luckily or unluckily saw this reality carefully many times. I lived through these realities during my stays at villages and visits to slums, thanks to my tenure at the two NGOs and then a dramatic MBA life which is still on in Rural Management. When I joined my first NGO, I did expect to see some beautiful happy faces at every session, but as time progressed, I actually could see what’s behind those smiling faces. Yes, there is innocence, there is naughtiness, there is love like you have never experienced, but then

Thanks to the rich history and diversity of this subcontinent, there is something new in every corner and every nook has something different and enthralling to offer. We Bengalis are known for our festivities too besides food, literature, sports, cinema and music and there is a saying in Bangla, ‘ baro mashe tyaro parbon ’, which literally means ’13 festivals in 12 months’, it only says how much we love festivities and leave no chance to celebrate. But, two of the fondest memories of festivities at home for me has to be Saraswati Pujo and Lakshmi Pujo . Saraswati Pujo takes place in the Bengali month of Maagh (January-February) and Lakshmi Pujo during Aashshin (September-October). Aashshin is the month of autumn and during Maagh its almost spring. On these days, the whole household would have a different flow of energy and we all would be busy since morning trying to do our best to make the mother goddesses happy. But the fondest memories from these festivities have to be Alp