Tag: India

Day 5: Lips of Desire

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Day 5 Inktober 2022: Flame

Aaina was the smartest 14-year old girl in school and she was pretty too. Everyone wanted to be her friend especially boys. They would wait outside the girls hostel to get a glimpse of her. They would often follow her on the streets, some of them would walk in groups behind her and call her names, some on bicycles would stop and ask her if she wanted a ride, some would compliment her, “Aaj toh mast lag rahi ho!” If she looked at a guy mistakenly, then he would assume that she likes him and go to the extent of writing love letters and then would wrap them around stones and throw at her hostel room’s window.

The girls in school did not want to be with her or around her because they felt she was attracting unnecessary attention and some envied her for her looks. She did not know whom to complain, or what to do. Aaina did not ask for any of this she was embarrassed, frightened, ashamed, and started hating the way she looked. But she did not give up, there was a fire burning inside her. She had a burning desire to fix these problems, a desire to make women feel safe when they leave their homes without having the fear of being harmed by men. She wanted to protect women and fight for the rights that they equally deserve.

Happy International Podcast Day! Womaning in India – Mahima Vashisht

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Today on International Podcast day, I would like to bring to your attention this amazingly amazing podcast that I am currently listening to called, “Womaning in India with Mahima Vashisht” on the Seen and the Unseen with Amit Verma.

What this podcast is about is kind of clear in the title, it’s about what a woman experiences to be a woman in India. It is a true delight to listen to Mahima Vashisht, who is an exceptionally intelligent person, speak about her life and about the issues that women face throughout their lives and let them slide. It’s about how this world that we live in is designed by men for men. Don’t worry this podcast is not just a serious long episode, it is funny, interesting, inspiring and eye-opening that both men and women SHOULD listen to! I’ve become a super-duper fan of Mahima and I’m sure you’ll become one too if you listen to @mahimavashisht.

Don’t miss out on this one: Womaning in India

Click here to listen: Womaning in India with Mahima Vashisht

PS: Thanks Pal and Ash for sharing this with me and thanks Labhe for telling me that today is international podcast day 🙂

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

It was almost like the sepia filter was turned on,
On the old forgotten roads.
Not a soul to be seen on the muddy streets.
He rode a bicycle and sang songs from the 80s.
He hurried home,
Saw his little daughter waiting for him at the porch.
They went inside hand-in-hand,
And found awaiting –
A bowl of hot rice
Steaming hot sambar
& crunchy papadam
That made his belly rumble and grumble with joy.
He sat down immediately to eat,
From the kitchen came his wife shouting,
“Wash your hands before you eat!”
All of a sudden, he woke up from his sleep.
Found beside him a white lady in green.
He wondered to himself,
“Which one of this is a dream?”

The Outsider

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ 2 Comments

You think you belong to the land in which you were born,
Then, why have I felt so alone and wrong?
Like an outsider.
I’ve never felt at peace at home.
When I walked on the crowded streets,
I wished to go unnoticed.
Always hiding.
Always so angry with everything around me.
Always seeking a door,
To take me away from the miseries of this world.
Running, looking for an escape.
Running after change.

When I finally found it, I grabbed it with both my hands.
Leaving behind my home.
Unthinkingly in desperation.
I needed it so badly.

Of course, I was afraid!
Change is not easy.
But, my homeland has taught me to be brave.
All those years spent in fighting
Has given me strength to adapt to change.

When I opened my eyes to a new world,
I asked myself, “Is this paradise?”
Clear blue skies, lush green lands as far as the eye can see.
Filling me with a sense of serenity.

As time flies,
Slowly the feeling of awe subsides.
Overwhelming emotions started to consume me.
I looked around for familiar faces,
But, there was nowhere to hide.
I realised, I am the only outsider.
How do I begin again?

But, my homeland reminds me.
Never succumb to feelings of dread.
Overcome and be brave.
You have always been an outsider.
Running after change.

Cluster

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ 2 Comments

There is hardly anything new left for me to see outside my window. The trees stand calmly as always, clustered together. Sometimes still, sometimes swaying with the wind.

The lawn is green and beautiful. Now and then, I see people on it who bring their dogs out for a walk. The streets are empty, mostly parked cars. There is just a driveway in my community. My community is wonderful but it is also very quiet and can sometimes be boring.

Earlier, I used to get excited looking at the different varieties of birds outside my window. I still do, but they haven’t become my friends yet! Like I said, life here is calm and quiet. Just what I had always dreamed of.. but do we really know what we want?

Today, I had an urge to peep into the houses of my neighbours. Just for a change, to see what other people are up to.. What are they cooking? What are they wearing? Which show is running on their TV? Did I just hear someone arguing? Are the children up to some mischief?

These silly things which I took for granted and found annoying back in India are the things that I often miss. I look outside my window and find trees clustered together. Back home, my family, friends, and neighbours were the clustered trees. Together. Now I wonder, what I am doing here away from my tribe? Where is my cluster?

Photo by Secret Garden on Pexels.com

Tea in Rain

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ 3 Comments

A distant rumbling thunder.

There it comes,

Pitter-pattering rain and with it rises the fresh earthy scent of mud in the air.

Avni goes running out of her mud and straw hut with the pullu of her sari over her head, its tip clenched tightly between her teeth to prevent the pallu from falling.

She hurriedly grabs the washed clothes hanging on the fenced railing and runs back inside the hut.

After a while, white smoke rises from her hut.

Every time it rains, Avni brews tea.

She sits quietly and watches the foamy brown liquid come to a rapid boil.

After a minute, she removes the chai from the fire, pours it over a strainer and into two large mud cups.

She covers the cups with a lid, goes out running again and enters the hut opposite to hers.

Eighty-year old Ajjamma lives here and Avni is very fond of her.

The view from the other side of Ajjamma’s hut is beautiful. It overlooks a large pond with fields of corn surrounding it.

Every time it rains, Avni and Ajjamma sit by the doorstep of the hut in silence and drink chai. 

They watch raindrops splashing and creating bubbles of air in the pond, they watch the field of crops sway gently with the wind and they like the mist softly touching their skin. 

This is happiness to them, in each other’s company and their hot cup of tea.