Marriage in Islam

Marriage is something that has many jokes written on it, it is something that people don't understand completely or correctly. It is a very important relationship, in fact, it is the backbone of the society. Commonly, it is perceived that a person marries for love, sex or companionship, which reflect the physical aspect of marriage. But Islam also talks about the spiritual aspect of marriage, raising it to a form of worship. In Islam, marriage is not a right but an obligation. Quran says that spouses are like an apparel to each other, meaning that they have a duty to protect, beautify, defend, cover each other from the whole world. They are not to criticize each other to the whole world but defend and keep each others' honor. They are bound to help each other stay on the guided path and improve each other's piety. Islam says don't marry someone for their looks or wealth but for their piety. It emphasizes on the importance of marital relationship and to stay together. Islam says that true love leads a person towards the remembrance of Allah. This is the kind of love that Islam emphasizes on. People who are married to each other, Allah brings their hearts together, and shaitan tries to separate them by showing them outside temptations. Islam teaches that the person outside is nothing special when compared with the person one has married. It says come together in mutual love and respect and it judges a person's character by the way they treat their spouse. Marriage in Islam is a guidance, a source of spouses leading each other towards the way of righteousness.

Women in temples

Following the court orders, the Shani Singnapur temple has lifted the centuries old ban and allowed women to enter the inner sanctum of the temple. The government has pledged to make a law prescribing six months jails to anyone stopping women from entering the temple and offering prayers. A trustee of the temple said that women will neither be encouraged nor discouraged to enter the temple. Earlier the temple had imposed a ban on the entry of men as well to circumvent the court ruling that men and women should have equal rights to enter and worship. Following the lifting of the ban, two women were seen entering the temple and more were expected to follow.
The lifting up of the ban on women is a positive step towards gender equality. It is a victory for various activists who fought against this age old discrimination on the basis of sex.

A girl's life

I recently read two articles, one by Ms Shobha De, criticizing Ms Hema Malini for calling Pratyusha Bannerjee a loser and her suicide senseless and the other about various Bollywood actresses and star kids speaking out about body shaming. I feel that the two articles speak about the same issue, the anxieties, the depressions, the uncertainties in a teenager or a young girl. Ms De talked about how being a mother, Ms Malini should have understood the challenges in a girl's life, how she was coping with her life, relations, career, success and failures and calling her a loser would be an injustice. I agree with her because nobody knows what challenges that young girl was facing that lead her to take such a serious step. But one thing is true, every single suicide is unfortunate, it is heartbreaking and specially difficult for the family and friends and should be a wake up call for the society to realize its mistakes. The other actresses talked about how they were criticized about their body size. Body shaming is very much a reality of today's world and the unfortunate thing is that not many people address this issue. Everybody remembers certain plus size Bollywood actresses whose entire purpose in the film was to highlight the lead actresses' beauty by contrast. Certain plus size cast members were kept just for comic relief. Unfortunately, they created problems for many young people who were plus size. While some girls face bullying because they were plus size, others because they were deemed to be too skinny. In fact, everyone who is not of a certain size faces criticism. These things are all true, faced by millions of girls around the world. And all of this is a real challenge for a young girl. Many of them are being able to cope, many succumb to the pressure and call it quits. These unfortunate issues need a greater attention. A young girl needs great attention and love from her parents, friends and colleagues. She needs guidance and she needs support. Body shaming or bullying someone for being too skinny or too fat is just unacceptable. Similarly pressures in studies, work or relationships also take a toll on a young person's life. A young person, whether male or female, is very vulnerable. He needs support of those who are close to him. For such individuals, it is important that people who are in the limelight to come forward and speak about various issues involving body image, career and relationships. Without a proper guidance it might become impossible for him to cope with the stress involved. And yes, a person is not a loser if he decides to call it quits, the society is a loser for driving him to that step.

On your second

What do I wish for you today?
When everyday I wish the best for you
I wish for a smile that never leaves your face
I wish for a dream that stays with you
I wish you a heart that is full of joy
And a tinkle always in your voice
I wish for a sprint in your step
And everyday that you rejoice
I wish you the strength to follow your dream
And to know what is right and good
I wish you the best in all you do
And I wish you bonds of love for good

Two years

I still remember this day, two days back when I was in a store looking for twin stroller. There was still a week for my elective procedure and I had just started buying things for my twins. Little did I knew that I would go into labor within 12 hours and that my boy would die eight days later. In these two years of joy and sorrow, every time I have laughed for my daughter, I have cried for my son. I have wished him to be alive, to play with his sister. I have wished for him to be here or else to have never been. Every time I visit baby stores, the trip hurts me. It hurts me for the child I lost.

A case for secularism

The Bangladesh High Court rejected a 28 year old case challenging the amendment of the Constitution making Islam the State religion without a hearing. This case came at a time when the attacks on religious minorities have more frequent. With the impact of fundamentalists increasing, the dismissal of the case without a proper hearing cannot be a surprise.
Secularism is important because it protects the religious minorities. Secularism broadly means the separation of church and state. It connotes that there shall be no State religion and the State shall neither favor one nor loath the other religion or its followers. Secularism gives the right of religious freedom which protects the religious as well as the atheists and agnostics alike. Without it, blasphemy laws come into play and atheists and religious minorities are in danger of their life and property.
The modern societies which are cosmopolitan in nature require secularism as a base. When individuals from all religious faiths come together for work, it is essential that those who are in minority are protected from extremist elements. In a free society, every man should have a right to follow and practice the religion of his choice or to not follow any religion at all if he so desires.

Springtime

The earth blossoms
the colors play around
the melody of birds
the dance of butterflies
There is a story in every bloom
and every twig tells a tale
the story of perseverance
of getting stronger with each trial
Through the harsh and dark
from gloom to fresh light
is a story of reawakening
of coming out and being free
And every tale has a memory
of loss and moving on
with the past paving the way
for the promise of the future
The change is around the corner
as we take the step
and creating fresh memories
we leave a print behind.