Delhi -A diary entry

"Koochey nahin dilli ke, auraaq-e-musawwir hain
Jo shakl nazar aayi, tasveer nazar aayi"
 
(These are not Delhi by-lanes, these are artist’s canvas
Every sight I see looks like a painting)

  
From being a muse to poets like Mir Taqi Mir, to a landmark witnessing the downfall and development between eons, Delhi has rightfully been considered the heart of India. 

If one dives back into the history of Delhi, it becomes impossible not to be inspired and awe-struck by how impeccably Delhi has grown from the ruins to a world class city. 

Having lived in Delhi all my life, I will always stay biased towards this city. Be it the pink winter days with mist all around or deserted lanes during the scorching summer heat. 

What sets Delhi apart is the interesting amalgamation of culture, heritage and a modern way of life.

Each day in Delhi, one gets to experience something unique and memorable. It's overwhelming that this city has so much to offer to every single inhabitant or visitor. 
The very thought of this makes me a proud Delhiite. 
Yesterday, while scribbling in my diary of my everyday musings (yes, I do believe in diary entry and other 'old-school' stuff), I happened to pen down about how Delhi has added value to my life. It seemed insignificant till now, but it was only when I divulged deep into my everyday schedule and happenings throughout the day, did I realize that even in its monotony, this city was offering me so much. 

A privileged life. A super life. 

Want to know how? 
Take a sneak peak into my diary's yesterday entry:

5:30AM: I stir from my slumber to the tune of my favourite melody - Sixth symphony
At about 6, I am ready for the morning walk. 
Talking about development, Delhi is one the greenest metros of the country with about 19% of green area cover.
DDA has been turning the waste lands into green areas, giving it the title of "city of gardens".

Clean Delhi, Green Delhi. Source here

It is truly a delight to see such lush green areas all around as I stroll through the well-known Lodi Garden located in the heart of the city. The serene surroundings and chirping of birds amidst the locales which reminds one of the historical background of Delhi, is a perfect way to start the eventful day.

I come back to my home at about 7:30 and after a shower and breakfast, I am ready to leave for my workplace.

Travelling in Delhi has become so much easier and cheaper since the arrival of Delhi Metro.
Delhi metro has a world class infrastructure. with about 164 stations, it spreads to not just within the city but also Noida and Ghaziabad and Gurugram.

As I am peacefully travelling in the air-conditioned Delhi metro, away from the traffic and pollution, I receive a call from one of my friend. Even in the underground metro, her voice is crystal clear, thanks to Vodafone's seamless connectivity. Vodafone is the choice of 1.2 crore customers in Delhi and NCR, which is almost half the population of Delhi. Vodafone receives 1 customer appreciation every 30 seconds and rightly so. 

Metro - Delhi's Lifeline. Source here

It's about 9:30 when I reach the hospital. I am a doctor by profession. This brings me to the excellent progress Delhi has been making in terms of healthcare.
We have a hospital like AIIMS , which is the apex hospital in the country both in terms of proving medical treatment and education. There are also increasing number of high-end private hospitals like Fortis, Apollo, Max which not only provide a good treatment and healthcare facilities but also promote medical tourism in the country.

With the recent advent of about 110 Mohalla clinics, Delhi's healthcare system seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. It claims to have treated about 8 lakh patients in just over 5 months. 

Mohalla Clinic in Delhi. Source here

Evening: At about 6PM, I am ready to leave the hospital and indulge in a little shopping. Delhi has a world-class infrastructure. With malls coming up in every corner of the city including Noida and Gurgaon. I decide to visit the DLF mall of India in Noida to keep an eye on latest trends and also because it's a hub to so many international brands. 
To my delight, I get access to free wi-fi there. Vodafone is digitally connecting Delhi & NCR with Free Wi-Fi Zones: There are more than 120 such hotspots across Delhi & NCR such as DLF Mall of India, Fortis Hospital, Delhi Haat, Khan Market, Airport, etc.

Free Wi-Fi by Vodaphone at DLF Mall of India, Noida and other places. Source here

After the shopping spree, I head towards my home. On my way, I see these green bus shelters. On enquiry, I come to know that Vodafone created the first Air-Purifying bus shelter in the city so that people could breathe non-polluted air while waiting for a bus. Last year air pollution in Delhi had reached a new height, that’s when this initiative was undertaken. Thereafter, Vodafone created the first Wi-Fi bus shelter in Gurgaon to take another step towards digitizing Delhi & NCR. The Free wi-fi can be used for 20 minutes irrespective of whether they are Vodafone customers or not.

Air Purifying bus shelter. Source here

That sounds like such a noble initiative, only in Delhi!

As I reach home, I remember it's Diwali time and my cousins are arriving today to spend the Diwali holidays with us. Time to head to the airport. 
Well, Delhi's Indra Gandhi International airport is the best in the country. It is the busiest airport in the country and also the 21st most busy in the world. 
Intricately designed and with a great service, my cousins reach all happy and amazed. 

Delhi Airport. Source here

On our way home, as we plan our Diwali holidays and celebrations, one of my cousin tells me about another great initiative by Vodafone. This year, Vodafone Delhi is urging people to celebrate a Green Diwali. These Super crackers are filled with eco-friendly plant seeds. All one needs to do is plant it and let the plant bloom.

We reach home and after a round of night snacks with coffee, it's time to head to bed. 
As I write this page in my diary, I am super excited about the super Delhi life with my cousins. 

We will be visiting the monuments and marvelling at the rich cultural heritage, some mall hopping and lots of shopping. There is no dearth of options and places to see when it comes to Delhi.

Tempted to join me in this super Delhi life? Come experience the city with all it's developments and initiatives.

 https://www.vodafone.in/home-delhi

Self proclaimed Messiahs, A letter for you!

Dear trumpet blowers of liberation,

Please ignore us. The wails against veil, laments for liberation, fetishism with feminism and jeremiads of moral judgements. It's high time you realised, none of it, is any of your business.

Have all global issues ceased to exist? Poverty, health problems, financial crisis, Global warming and climatic changes. Why are they not pertinent enough for your attention?

Why this obsession with oppression? 

What makes you feel we are in need of your salvation? 

Necessitating a protection which holds and passes all judgements on the presence or lack of a piece of cloth.

Some monsters in India decide to rape one of us and every argument boils down to what the victim wore. (Much respect to Khap Panchayat by the way, they at least blamed chowmein and fast foods for such crimes)

A country like Saudi Arabia obligates Hijab on all it's females as a means of 'protection'.

France decides to leap ahead in this 'race of protection and freedom' and banned Burkini recently. The Mayor justifying it as a 'measure to ensure protection from terrorist attacks and ensure hygiene on the beaches'. 

And yesterday, ISIS decided to ban burqa. Islamic state deems Hijab as a security problem in Iraq. Read Here

How very supreme of you all! 

All problems and solutions are, according to you, concealed in this little cloth piece. A mighty magical wand? 

Lecherous men, increasing crime rates, lack of education, intolerance, are obviously by-products of the menace caused by women and their illustrious 'clothes'. Isn't it? 

If only your reason gifted mind could 'discriminate' let alone identify us beyond our outward appearances.

We are bone and flesh too. I understand, it's hard to digest that a clan you glorified as 'distressed damsels' since time immemorial can be anyone more except a dumb-mute puppet of your propagandas but frankly my dear morons, we too are in possession of a sensible mind. 

Do us a favour, will you? Shun your illusions and idee fixe and make peace with the above stated fact. 

For once, let us just take our own decisions and decide what we want to wear. How we want to conduct ourselves. Our choices.

Burkini or swimsuit. Hijab or hair. Skirt or sweatshirt is for my body and that needs neither your safeguarding nor concerns. It was/is/will be never your property. No matter if it's France or Iran.

Stop hiding your libido behind pseudo-intellectual concerns of liberation. We have known you long enough and know this, we loath such care more than your carnality.

If only you would have burdened your soul with a little self control, banning or baring would have been less fascinating to you.

And did I hear you say, 'but we intend no harm?' If you can't support your daughter's decision to study further. Your sister's male friends. Your wife's difference of opinions and your working mothers, then better shut up your false cries of freedom, protection or liberation. 

The very sight of you now seems destructive to our independence.

Your mighty egos have suffocated our bosoms and souls long enough. As if patriarchy was not enough already.  Please spare us the horror of sabotaging our basic rights of freedom.

If the popular belief that you are inhabitants of Mars and we are from Venus is true, then how desperately I desire that now has the time come, we go our separate ways. Life on Earth is more about morality rather than humanity, all thanks to you! 

That would be freedom. Liberation. Honour. Justice. Redemption.

Sincerely,

confined by your existence

We, Women.

Story of a suicide- behind and beyond

Ending your own life. Have you ever contemplated upon it? 

Envisaged ways to achieve it? 

Engulfed in a despair so cluttered that the idea of death lured you more than the reality of life? 

Stats reveal that every 40 seconds, one person commits suicide globally (WHO-2012 report). What's worse is, India has been accounted for highest estimated number of suicides according to the same report.

The issue isn't why, but 'what' is so tempting in the entire situation that drags a victim to a path of no return.

Impulsiveness and fear might be a reason. Depression isn't ( studies reveal that less than 10% of those suffering from depression choose to end life).

I strongly feel that the portrayal of suicide by various forms of media has been playing a very important yet negative role.

We must realise that 'awareness' isn't always good. More so, if it comes across as an easy choice.

Media has been showcasing suicide simply as an action, a glorified one sometimes. But what about the consequences? The before and the after of this journey to a never land.

Every suicide has a story, behind and beyond. It is this 'story of a suicide' which needs to shared, analysed and most importantly understood to envision the complete picture.

I happen to read one such story of suicide few days ago. 

'The story of a suicide' is a brainchild of Nalandaway founder Sriram Ayer. 

Image courtesy: www.storyofasuicide.com

Genre : Contemporary fiction

Book format : E-Book consisting of 31 chapters.

What's interesting here is that the book is a visually rich amalgamation of audio, video, illustrations and how do I's. 

Where to read : You can read the book on author's blog at http://www.storyofasuicide.com/ (It is present in 'all-device' friendly kind of format). The navigation tools are also pretty neat. Plus it is free for all. 

What is it about : Set mostly in a college campus, the story revolves around Mani, Hari, Sam and Charu.

They are not only college mates but their lives are linked to each other in many other ways too.

The story progress to unfold poignant issues dealt by today's youth. 

Through the lives of these four characters, Ayer has divulged through matters of Child abuse, Homosexuality, Rape, Cyber bullying and suicide. 

The characters have been sketched in a way that a readers will not face any hurdle in identifying themselves or those in the vicinity with them. 

Entrapped in emotions of love, rage, fear, jealousy and confusion, they are as real as you and me. 

Storyline: The story begins with a chapter named 'I give up'. It's a letter addressed to the world by someone who has made up his mind to end his life.

Subsequent chapters dive in the story further and as the plot thickens, the reader finds himself entwined in a tale which explores the dilemmas faced by youth of today.

Narration: Being a contemporary fiction, book is narrated in a language easy to grasp. 

Sometimes, I did feel the narration could have been more crisp. Also, there was an explicit description of sexual encounters but a similar description was lacking in terms of emotions and sensitivity. 

I failed to feel what the character felt in many a places because of a somewhat superficial narrative. 

Things worthy of mention: The part in which Charu plays the role of 'Draupadi' and her dialogue with Caesar was quite captivating and a novel idea.

Also, Charu's Facebook post addressed to 'Dear Penises' was a challenging but applaudable effort by the writer. 

Other special features of the book :

1) The curtain raiser video directed by Surya Balakrishnan. This one gave me goosebumps. 

2) Illustrations by Ghana. All through the book, one finds these richly coloured drawings which play a great role in enhancing the reading experience. Some of them are so vivid that I couldn't help but ponder over them for a length of time. 

3) How do I's by Mansi S. Mehta. 

A very special feature of the book. As mentioned earlier, that the book expands over 31 different chapters. 

At the end of every chapter, they present you with a set of 'How do I''. Which is basically a 'book within a book' sort of a creation. 

It is self-help guide to enlighten the reader with ways to deal with situations as and when they arise in the form of fiction throughout the book. 

So basically, as I read the book and was confronted upon a situation which a character was under-going and wondered, 'yes, I identify myself with him/her but how to cope up with it?'. 

A set of 'how do I's' immediately came to my rescue.

On coping up with suicidal thoughts:

I have had a chance to work with patients suffering from psychiatric ailments during my internship days. 
There were patients who had attempted suicide multiple times and then there were others who had been on a verge of doing it after a long battle fighting this dilemma.
Most of them had a story to tell. 
When we tried to connect to them ,I realized that such tendencies were somehow linked to 'fear'.
Fear of the unknown. Such overwhelming fear that it blurred all thoughts, every desire to foresee any future, good or bad.

If at all, the victims could find an outlet to vent out their fear, I believe they can undo this impulsive desire to end their life.

That is why 'talking about it' plays a major role.

Everyone must realize that like all thoughts, wanting to end one's life is a thought too. And like all others, it comes and goes.
So let it pass.

To understand and identify with an issue as sensitive as suicide, two things should be kept in mind. They ironically are contrasting to each other.

one, stop 'glamourizing' it. By this I mean, do not understand suicide to be like how they show it in movies or soaps. It isn't that.

two, stop 'loathing/criminalizing' it. This simply means that don't judge the victims or survivors of suicide. Don't call them as criminals or think that they are any different from you and me or any member of our family. They are not.

Although I couldn't identify much with the characters of the book, I did manage to find a reflection of me and those around me in this book as a whole and that is what makes the book so gripping. 

Most of all, as mentioned earlier, this book IS actually the need of the hour. 

We need to hear more such 'stories of suicide' and not merely the 'inconspicuous news'.

We need to talk over and about it. Discuss it. Help and ask for help. Reach out, within and without.

I have always believed in the words of Plato who said 'be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle'. 

It's time now to do that. 

Ending on this little rhyme by Dorothy Parker: 

Razors pain you,

Rivers are damp,

Acids stain you,

And drugs cause cramp.

Guns aren't lawful,

Nooses give,

Gas smells awful.

You might as well live.