Does gender matter???

God made man and woman. Boy grows up to be a man and girl, a woman. This is one of the first facts of life that we teach every child. Despite we being aware of another gender existing, we choose to snub the very existence of eunuchs. The dictionary meaning of a eunuch is a man who is castrated or who is not masculine and something on similar lines. If they are neither masculine nor classified as woman, then it is quite natural to given them an identity of their own and treat them just like any other human being. Over the years the fairer sex, woman, have been ill-treated in many ways and in some parts of the world, they are still fighting for what they deserve – RESPECT!  Does anybody think of eunuchs in this fight for justice and respect? They are shoved aside and glared at.

In a country like India, we often get to see many eunuchs recourse to begging or prostitution and most of us screw up our face in repulsion or turn away quickly in fright. How many of them have a respectable job and how many of us would treat them equally if they were to be our colleague or even employ them? Documentaries, movies, social groups and movements portraying eunuchs in a good light and also, asking for support from men and women are abundant.  But can we really empathise with them? Will we ever be able to imagine their plight of facing every new day? Is it sufficient for us to just understand their condition and feel sorry for them and not abuse or taunt them? Will that prevent them from being considered as an outcast? Will that improve their life? Well, I am not really sure how I can make a difference to their life other than expressing my sympathy for their ill-treatment. In fact, there are eunuchs in India who have made a name for themselves. I can recollect a person by name ‘Rose’ who was educated in the US and got back to India and hosted a talk show in one of the regional languages about flaws in the society. I can also think of a celebrity hair stylist named ‘Sylvie’ who was very popular in the film industry. So what about the other 1000s of eunuchs in India?

The other fact of life that we learn quite early is man and woman love each other, get married, have kids and live happily ever after. Again, we do not teach our children about some people who have a sexual preference quite different from what is generally assumed to be. We do not consider a man having a relation with another man, or a woman with another woman to be a natural occurrence. Though same–sex relationships and marriages have been accepted and approved of in some parts of the world, it is still a taboo to most of us.  Sexual orientation is one’s personal choice and nobody can be judgemental about it. The very mention of the word ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian’ raises eyebrows and an exchange of an un-called for conversation is unavoidable. There are special pubs and bars for the homosexuals which the others might not step foot in. Again, isn’t this a type of social outcast?

There are many celebrity homosexuals in the world of films, sports, art, literature and others, but they sure would have faced unmentionable abuse and discrimination during their formative years. There are many people who try to live ignoring their preferences and hence, end up ruining their life. Everybody deserves to love and be loved in this world. If God created humans, then we should understand that there are different kinds of people with different set of preferences and opinions. Everybody is unique and deserves to be treated with respect. We should be non-judgemental because we have no rights to judge anybody and everybody has the right to live their life their own way. Accept people the way they are and be accommodating is the least each one of us can do.

Definition of beauty

Life is an irony. Every other day, we come across a sardonic event, maybe in its most subtle form that it is hard to recognise it instantly. Contemplating on these with a humorous attitude makes life more enjoyable.

One such fact of life that pops up in my mind right now is the definition of ‘being beautiful’. As it goes ‘Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder’, which I am completely for, else every person on the face of this earth would seem beautiful to each other. This is also the reason why we find some people looking outrageously ridiculous in an attempt to be good-looking. What one person finds attractive will seem unacceptable for another person, and it is not a question of right and wrong because people have their own preferences and they nobody can be critical about one’s personal choices. But does that stop us from passing comments? It is the human tendency to critique and appraise others and it is pretty natural for us to be scrutinised as well.

The perception of people about the aspects of beauty differs significantly and I still cannot really figure out what influences these perceptions. I have always been aware of the Indians’ obsession with fair-skin, though there are many unprejudiced Indians who think being dusky is beautiful.   The myriad of fairness cream advertisements throws fuel to the raging fire and takes the thoughtless people who fall into the trap for a ride. On the other hand, our white-skinned counterparts are in a perpetual attempt to get tanned and would not think twice before shelling out money for the tanning parlours. The funny part is that these white-skinned mortals find the dusky-skinned Asians attractive and vice-versa. The realisation and acceptance of the natural tone of one’s skin may not happen in the near future, mainly because of the lack of awareness of the demand of the other’s attributes. All of us have to understand that there are people from other lands who would be ever ready to switch shoes with us.

I have my favourites in all ranges of complexions and I will not be dishonest in saying that beauty only lies in the heart and not on the skin. But beauty without brains would be a major disaster and the stupidity and immaturity may turn out to be so overpowering that the beholder would gradually change the outlook of his insight. Hence, beauty does lie in the eyes of the beholder!

Changing times...for the worst.

I have always loved summers. I love the sunlight on my face every morning I open the curtains. Everything looks cheerful and bright and the yellow glow of the sun gets me going with the day.

Having spent most of my life in the sands of the Arabia – it does sound mysterious and exotic isn’t it? Like one of the enigmatic characters in the Arabian Nights. Returning to reality, the United Arab Emirates is a desert which has been transformed into a developed city with lush gardens, beautiful beaches and all those amenities or facilities that you would experience in any other developed country in the world. Before I dive into reminiscing the outrageous developments in the country, I wanted to tell you that never have I felt uncomfortable in the heat of the Arabia. Rather, I did not encounter an instance where I had to experience the sweltering heat of the summer. Air-conditioners in every place that you can think of – it was a basic necessity in that country when it was an item of luxury in most countries. So I would say I spent my summer years in Abu Dhabi in absolute bliss of the air-conditioners.

The summer in Bangalore is just as scorching hot and I need to find solace under the speeding ceiling fan. Though air-conditioner is not really a luxury anymore in India, people tell me the weather in Bangalore doesn’t really need one. Maybe years back, I would have agreed with them but not anymore.

Every year the summer is getting hotter and winter colder. This is sourced to the one and only ‘global warming’ – I have been hearing these 2 words for nearly 2 decades now and ofcourse, the threatening effect of it has been dwindling significantly. We all know the cause of global warming. We know the consequence of it, in fact we have been facing its consequence in many forms. Yet, we continue to fight against nature. It is not required anymore to state the ways in how we battle against nature. In the name of science and technology, we are not only destroying the earth but even us directly. Topics like deforestation and pollution have been discussed and debated for ages.

Let us look at the advent of cosmetic surgery – is there any part in the body that cannot go under the knife for a modification leading to beautification? If you have money, you can re-sculpture and re-define yourself.

Almost every other day, a new electronic gadget is born in the market. Children are far more advanced and tech-savvy today. The sight of a toddler playing with the parent’s mobile phone is very common. The pace at which those nimble fingers operate the phone maybe a proud moment for the parents. They puff their chest with pride and narrate stories of how smart their child is. Though it is fascinating to see the kid play with the gadget rather than the toys, I worry if the radiation from the phone would affect the child’s body, if the brightness of the panel would affect the eyes of the child, if the heat emanating from the phone would affect the delicate body.

There are many other everyday encounters where we come face-to-face technology that affects our life adversely. Being humans and with the ability to think, we need to draw a line on the usage on technology and science. We are dependent on technology and science and in fact, we are controlled by them. Our survival instincts are slowly deteriorating and I’m afraid it would be too late before we realise how far we have stretched to gain comfort in our lives and nature turns its back to hold us from falling over.