Sons and daughters

‘Daughters are the best’

 ‘I am blessed to have a daughter’

‘Daughters are the best gift from God’


These are few of status updates or posts on facebook, twitter and other forums by young mothers, and sometimes by fathers, which I come across every now and then. I have been reading such numerous posts about daughters being the best offspring, how they are so loving and caring and all. Strangely, most mothers (in fact all) who say that daughters are best, don’t have sons…so I always wonder, what made them come to such a conclusion, that daughters are best? And why should there be any comparison at all? Or are they trying to convey something else?????




When someone says that daughters are best (best being the superlative of good), he or she is either very happy to have a girl child who according to her/him is better than a boy, or worse, the person wants to convey to the world that he/ she is very happy even with the feminine gender of her progeny…never heard any female colleague shouting on top of her voice (of course, on the social networking sites) that she was really happy to have a son (and not a daughter), or that sons were best.




If a woman says she is blessed to have a son, or sons are best, would we react to her in the similar fashion we do with the mother who says daughters are best? I don’t think so, the woman would be accused of being gender insensitive, orthodox in her views, backward etc… and dare a woman say she wants to have a son rather than a daughter! Aren’t we reinforcing (with the twist, of course) the despicable, deep-rooted bias, the gender inequality which many women continue to battle in different spheres of life even today?

How can one compare a girl and a boy child when one has only daughter/daughters or son/sons, how can one say that the sex of his/her progeny is the best, and even when one has both, I don't think comparing genders is a good idea…Nourish them with your love and care and teach them to respect the opposite sex…and do away with the double standards...world will be a much better place to live in after a few years (well that doesn’t mean it’s that bad now).

Spring, oh Spring !

Delhi’s tryst with Spring continues as the city plays host to several flower festivals and horticultural events. Mesmerizing blooms with myriad hues in bright yellows, reds, pinks, and violets are attracting young and old alike. Pusa Horticulture Festival was one of such colourful events that concluded today. It was a treat to watch a vibrant display of roses, lilies, petunias, dahlias, chrysanthemums, marigolds and several other varieties. Below are a few pictures from the event.

The Blooming Blossoms - Garden Tourism Festival 2011

This year too, Delhi has ushered in Spring with élan. Just concluded Garden Festival (18-20 February, 2011) at the Garden of Five Senses had at display a variety of blooms, exquisite potted plants, bonsai, cacti & succulents, wondrous hanging baskets and the delightful floral arrangements. The burst of colours and the heavenly fragrances marked the onset of pleasant Spring. Delhi’s blossoming bond with the blooms continues as it plays host to several other flower festivals. I have uploaded a few photographs clicked during the event.

Surajkund Fair - India's Craft Bazaar

Taj Mahal - Rich man's love, dead and buried

I love Taj Mahal. I have visited the breathtaking monument a few times, and each time I was awestruck by its magnificence and unsurpassable beauty. A few steps beyond the main entrance leave you astounded, amazed and speechless. For those who see it for the first time, it is truly a moment they can cherish for the rest of their lives (especially if they haven’t visited any of the magnanimous architectural wonders of the world).

However, I refuse to call it a ‘symbol of love’. And on insistence, I’ll partially agree to the epithet ‘symbol of love’ and would rather call it a ‘symbol of rich man’s love, long dead and buried’.

A man of modest means, who has no glory or riches like emperor Shah Jehan (who built the splendid wonder in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal), can love too… only that, he won’t be able to leave behind the legend or the symbol of his love in the form of an awe-inspiring structure drawing tourists from the across the globe and the government raking in revenue.

I am in no way undermining the essence of what it essentially captures - beauty, elegance and artistry. But I am unsure about love… I wonder, does love really need such an extravagant and exquisite memento?

The lover husband (Shah Jehan) married another woman after his beloved Mumtaz Mahal (whose tomb is housed in the Taj Mahal) died. But I am told that it was Mumtaz Mahal who had extracted the promise from the emperor of marrying again after her death.

And he took not one, but two wives. (However, according to several historians, Mumtaz Mahal was Shah Jehan’s third wife, but the first one to be betrothed to the emperor. According to some, he had many wives, Mumtaz was just one of them but the most favored).

It is said that he did not share an intimate relationship with his other wives and, in a way, ignored them. Poor women, their tombs too are in the Taj Mahal complex… but who cares? Not many people are aware… tourists just pass by the tombs unless they are enlightened by a guide (if he himself is aware) Otherwise the tombs are ignored, as were its occupants during their lifetime.

With 14 children in the kitty with Mumtaz, I don’t think he needed any other testimony to his love.

But I do not wish to dissect the love-life or no-love-life of anyone, more so an emperor. I only wish to make a point… my point… that love needs not a resplendent or glorious testament… and a common man’s love is as worthy and as reverent as that of an emperor.

I love Taj and will continue to revere it for it being a splendor, a glistening dome under the sun, a symbol of opulence and magnificence, but definitely not a symbol of love.


:):):)
Wife: Hey, Will you do a Shahjehan for me? I mean, If you truly love me, will you make me a Taj Mahal?
Husband: Oh well, I have already bought a plot of land. You do a Mumtaz Mahal darling…

That power is within us

Does God exist? For some, the answer is in affirmative and for some, it's an absolute no. I fall in the latter category, for the reasons known only to me...But there have been instances when I have noticed the presence of a supernatural power...a power that seems to guide me, and bring solace to my life...What do I call that power - divine or demonic? I say that I don't believe in God, so the power cannot be divine...it sure has to be demonic then...but it won't fill my being with love, and laughter and all those virtues ; if it's demonic...that I am sure...It has to be something else...What is it?

Had the supernatural power being divine, there would not have been any grief- either in my life or in this world- the grief in this world being far greater than in my life...So, I have a question for all my friends who believe in God and think that He/She looks after the world: What is your God doing?, Sleeping to glory? : Like I say, had there been God, there would not have been anything that activates those glands located just at the corner of our eyes...and, the loneliness...that creeps into our lives when we lose someone close, someone special, especially when we need him or her the most.

So what's the truth about that power? And why do we need that power in the first place? We are human beings, with a brain of our own, and a heart that never ceases to make that pulsating sound...so that the brain gets enough blood enriched in oxygen...and be able to take wise decisions...or whatever!..

I mean, if we have the power to think, if we can differentiate between good and bad, vices and virtues... then why do we need a supernatural power...or God for that matter?

What I believe is that the supernatural power (or God) is not something from the outer world...it's within us...yes, it's within us...it's a part of our being...ingrained in our soul...a part of us...

It's our own doing; it's our own thinking...