For my dear son

As the day when you were born got over, a strange sensation fills my heart. I do not know whether you celebrated your first birthday in heaven or you remain there as you remain here, forever eight days old. I do not know whether my tears have any impact on you or not. I do not know how you feel now and if you feel anything at all.
My son, today would have been your first birthday on earth. Today you would have been playing and talking alongwith your twin sister. Today my heart would have been full of cherished memories of your firsts. But today, I stand with a broken heart, a heart that doesn't know whether to smile or cry. A heart that looks at your sister and feels happy and then gives a sigh. Because this heart will know no peace till it joins you.
But all that I can say is that my son, my love will reach you wherever you are. And though I cannot hold you in my arms, you will forever be in my heart.

Iba

On your first birthday:
I wish you dreams, and the strength and perseverance to follow them and the courage to accept them;

I wish you beauty, and the humility to appreciate the beauty around you and the wisdom to acknowledge beauty within you;

I wish you the curiosity to find out about the wonders of the universe and the serenity to discover the universe within you;

I wish you the confidence to stand alone on righteous path and the ability to merge into a progressive mould;

I wish you the courage to be full of love, of charity, of understanding and the patience to let love overflow your life and complete you;

I wish you understanding to pause and think before you speak or act, and the ability to value feelings over ego;

I wish you love, dreams, hope, wisdom, beauty, clarity of thoughts, understanding, peace, happiness, knowledge, confidence, curiosity, patience, courage, serenity in every single moment of your life.

Life, death and free speech

Another blogger has been hacked to death in Bangladesh over ideological differences, being the third such case there in the last two years. The killers identified as madrasah students. In a situation like this, one wonders what is the price of life? Free speech has no value, neither does an innocent life. The person dead leaves behind broken dreams and broken families while the killers think that they are the crusaders and saviors of their religion. What really matters is that precious lives are lost, hopes and dreams are crushed and people are becoming the killers of humanity. It is time that the madrasahs that are breeding killers are banned. The values of freedom are inculcated. And people should have a right to disagree peacefully.

Crimes against women

Another women's day is gone. Speeches were made, tweets, pictures, statuses posted, and at the end of the day, everyone went home, the status of women unchanged. Gender inequality is still widespread. Rapes, domestic violence, sexual abuse at schools and workplaces, dowry deaths, female feticide and infanticide, harassment, female genital mutilation, slavery, forced prostitution are just some of the more common forms of crimes against women and gender injustice. The world needs a change of attitude where women are treated as equals. Even developed nations are prone to gender inequality. Women comprise fifty percent of world population and form a major part of the workforce. Still they do not have an equal share in the world's wealth. Women need a major representation and men need a change of attitude to change the current scenario. Men need to accept women as their equals and not feel threatened by them in the workplace to ensure a fair atmosphere. And women need to understand that their struggle is greater than the token celebration of women's day.

A place called home

They say home is where heart is. Home is the place where you are most comfortable in your own skin. After a three week extremely hectic India trip, coming back home was the most beautiful feeling. When I had left India a year and a half back, I used to be sad in the United States, and was homesick. Now, it was relieving to be back here. The comfort of your own bed and kitchen, the familiarity of your stuff, is what makes a home a perfect place to unwind. A place where you can be just you, is a place worth preserving. Yes, we do bring back cherished memories from wherever we go, but it is the feeling of coming home that is the best of all.