Quaintness

Transitions are hard. It's a time when you realize your loved ones aren't the epitome of perfection. It's when you are no longer excused for your childish inappropriateness. What is it about being grown up that demands such propriety? Historically, being prim and proper akin to a woman in the early twentieth century upper class never yielded anything apart from a magnificent portrait by a talented artist and celebrated marriages. Women are so frequently looked upon as objects of beauty and girlishness, that it doesn't seem unusual to the general multitude.
(Don't believe me? Google this up:
'Gifts for men'
And now this.
'Gifts for women'
Compare your results.
Hey, you. Women have hobbies too. I for one, appreciate gifts that are less generic and thoughtless than gender-specific gifts. I have hobbies and likes that lie beyond my looks.)

I pretend to ignore this and go about dressed up in unisex clothes. In a metro compartment reserved for ladies, I look at each face squashed in the area around me, craning my neck to look at as many faces as I can - most are pretty and maintained. A face with generously kajal-outlined eyes, long straightened black hair, slightly untidy and clothes ranging from ethnic kurtis to corporate wear, all tastefully accessorized. In the crowd that I travel with each day, individuality is lost. A few faces seem to stand out, but most seem interchangeable to me. Very rarely do I come across a face that is interesting and beckons the question - what makes it so?

My train of thought can be quaint, no?

In other news, how awesome are the remixes by Kygo?

Here's a toast to Modi

The swearing-in ceremony is in the pipeline. Manmohan Singh is the incumbent PM of India. 
We stand at the cusp of a major political transition. NDA won more than 5 times the constituencies won by  UPA. 
Amidst talks of Rahul Gandhi's incompetence and Congress's decision to make him the face of the 2014 elections, I cannot help but wonder about the wisdom and decision-making capabilities of the Congress, for the want of better word, elders. In addition to several deficiencies as a young-ish leader, the man committed one faux-pas after another. He failed to inspire confidence amongst the public. Hell, he failed to inspire the youth. Sachin Pilot would've acted as a better prime ministerial candidate. 
What were they hoping for? Nothing short of a miracle would've resulted in a UPA win. Maybe they knew but couldn't back-out gracefully. 

While Mr. Narender Modi neither excites confidence nor hope in me at present, I believe the general multitude is quite hopeful and happy with the verdict. This is understandable after the abysmal governance displayed by the UPA. All in all, I wish him well. I wish he'd be able to quieten his gainsayers with his actions and decisions and inspire his ministers to follow his lead. I hope he has a good run. I hope he makes us want to re-elect him for what he did instead of what the opposition failed to do. 

Oh, to long for a thriving nation! A corruption-free nation! A nation of jolly souls and intellectual leaders, leaders who can be admired as individuals, leaders who can be admired for their wisdom, diplomacy, oration, nature and tastes. 

Rabindranath Tagore's words spring to mind. 

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments 

By narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

  
In my part, I shall strive do my best work. 

Of Badminton and Marathon woes

They are playing, singing and laughing downstairs.

It's been long since I last played badminton. Too long.
It's been long since I last ran more than a few kilometers.
It's been long since I last read a book from cover to cover in one sitting, notwithstanding breaks for abulations.
It's been long since I last went for a swim.
It's been long since I danced in a devil-may-care manner.
It's been so so long since I last got completely drenched in the rain.
It's been long since I last played football.
It's been long since I last went out for a lovely meal.
It's been long since I last had a cup of really good coffee. The Amazing Coffee of Last September is what I want.
It's been long since I had a long laugh.


Meanwhile, I have been listening to some songs. They help me stay sane but I need a physical exercise!
They are good. Don't believe me? Listen to these tracks(in no particular order):
Your Winter by Sister Hazel
Have a Cigar by Pink Floyd
Into My Arms by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds