Dear Narendra Modi- An open letter

Name: Anokhi Dasgupta

Nationality: Indian

Caste: ……. Well general!

And all this time I was taught that being an Indian was enough for me to live in this country. As long as I was a little kid, life was simpler till I knew that a specific discrimination entitles me to have a benefit or not. Not just me as an individual, but my entire family is the victim here. I have been told that I belong to a caste of Doctors. Good enough! We all must applaud to the revelation! But what has this unnecessary discrimination done for me? I started my college studying BBA. The official fee slab stated Rs.20,000 for a year. Cheap enough? Yes it was! For the very same reason I had a long procedure of aptitude tests, group discussion, personal interview, and a mock presentation. But later when I got the offer letter, I saw my fees go up to Rs.50,000 a year. Why was that if you may ask?  That is because I fall into the General category of caste? All my hard work, sincerity, dedication was shattered in this battle.  Every quota disapproved my caste and I had no privilege of anything.

A year later I went onto pursue my life long dream of being a creative writer and gave my name in for Mass Communication. I got into a pretty good college with amazing people all around. Surrounded by the hills, my college was the perfect place where I could be at. The best part, the prospectus stated, no reservation for out of Uttarakhand candidates. In my head I had a feeling, ‘Finally! No sabotage of my basic human rights!’

But later when I started my classes and made a few friends there, I had the most surprising revelation, that the general caste has to pay literally double of what the SC/STs are paying again.

Mr. Modi, with all due respect, I would like to ask you something! The reservations were introduced in the Constitution of India, because at that time, India really needed them. But now when the youth is actually not stereotyping on who is Shudra and who is Brahmin, then why are we still there? Why are we still working on something, which does not exist, to that extent anymore?  Now the mechanism that works is the reverse reservation! Why aren’t we adopting Uniform Civil Code? Am I being punished for being a completely normal and contributing Indian? Is my religion the benchmark for my skill and work? Do we still have to live in a division of minority? Are we going to die discriminated? Are we not going to get the right to burn our ashes too later or there is a reservation for that too?

Sincerely,

Oh, So, General

An Open Letter To Hrithik Roshan

Dear Hrithik Roshan,

Yesterday, I genuinely forgot that it was your birthday, but I did have a dream which had the exact red car which you drove in Kaho Na Pyaar Hain. Just the difference was that my Naani was driving the car in my dreams yesterday. I baked cake on my own yesterday. That is how much affection I have for you. Well, as I forgot to wish, a very Happy Birthday to you. This post might be published late but I am writing today!

Rather than giving you gifts, I have some complains for you. I am not the type of fan who builds temples, sticks posters, make out with the posters, worships with Agarbattis everyday. I don't even want to be one of those kind. But I am someone who respects the brilliance in you, and has been trying to follow what you do (apart from your workout regime). 

Now apart from my selfish motives, let us come to generalization. Have you ever wondered how painful it is when you just fall in love with a man when you are just 5 years old, and the next thing that you find out is that, the man got married! I have been through that pain! 

How do you feel when you know the man you adore is in the town and you just can't meet him, coz Hello! I was standing all the way behind, during the Joyalukkas Opening at Vadodara, let me tell you, I am just 5'1". It takes a lot of sweaty and obnoxious armpits to go through you! Have you ever wondered about those who do not have the enough money to buy VIP tickets? I bunked my freaking awesome tuition classes for it! I had a full amazing opportunity to meet you at a private party in Indore, but then again, you never worry about those who do not have the access! 

Moreover! You have no right! Absolutely no right to make a 5 year old girl, dream of living life with you like adults! Isn't my teenage and adulthood, a problem enough for me! I still remember telling my mother, on how desperately I could be your domestic help just to be with you! Have you ever thought that why are you so perfect? 

You are the kind of man which has been described in every mythology. You are someone I guess how Jesus, Shankar, Arjun, Krishna, Gautam Buddha, might have looked. And here there is no exaggeration! I have spent every Valentine's Day telling everyone that I enjoy being single, but the reality was that I was waiting for MY Hrithik Roshan.

But you know what! Here comes the complete base and my motive for this letter. I thought men like you do not exist! I thought I would never fall in love and I will wait for you! (Yes! I was that insane!) But I was wrong! I did not find someone like you, but guaranteed I found someone who is million times better than you, because of only one reason. And that is that he knows I Exist! He is not a dream, he is reality. And the major part of why he is better than you is, he is way more cuter, and he loves me more than anything else in the world. He is also someone who would keep me like The Queen of his own kingdom, and I am proud to be one. 

Jealous? You should be!

I am now far more contented that I cannot meet you. Because I am a fellow Journalist/ Writer in making. If I have the potentiality enough, I will meet you not by lines, but by giving you an appointment, or taking yours.

Yours not forever (coz I have my soulmate)

Anokhi Dasgupta

Heart Aches

There is this scene in Fault in Our Stars, in which the nurse asks her, "How would you rate your pain?" Hazel would always put up her eight fingers when the pain was worth the ten. This particular scene made me realize that pain does demand to be felt, but it's intensity completely depends on us. We are the one to decide whether its a 5 or a 10.

But sometimes there are not pains, but feelings, which you cannot express to any one who is close to you. The best friend who can help, or the boyfriend who stays through every rant, you cannot utter a word to them. Things just get worse. You begin to see that you have lost yourself, with these silence. These feelings that you had hidden in you for years, because you wanted to be strong. 

There comes a phase in your life, when you absolutely have no one. You are the one whose so called friends envied you. You moved to so many places that stability is now a luxury. Your upbringing has been so recluse that the hidden feeling just take a toll on you. Expressing becomes a negativity for you and you feel suffocated.

Your best friend's tears are no worthy as you cannot console. You aren't the reason behind your man's smile. You are beaming with so much that the 'Midas Touch' turns its tables, and you aren't the reason behind anybody's happiness. You learn that I Love You isn't a special phrase anymore, or it is a sedated and exclusive expression anymore. You cannot express it coz come on you cannot be orthodox on expression of emotion. You look into the mirror everyday and you do not find the motivation to love yourself. You aren't your own beautiful anymore. You are not a ray of hope anymore. 

Everybody is moving so fast in there life that nobody has seconds to spare to the people they love. No not even your parents. Because everybody has their own suffering and you are the only good listener. You look into the mirror and see yourself ageing, you do not look that bubbly girl anymore because somewhere in the crowd you have lost your spark. You have short migraine attacks almost everyday and you see your eye sockets deepening. 

Each day you see yourself getting insecure of losing things. Love, friends, and those who have a platonic connection. You are constantly fighting a battle with your insecurities of not losing him. The insecurity of not another friend trying to destroy your career. The insecurity of not being able to express enough to make people understand your pain. The insecurity of not being your best friend's friend. The insecurity of you not being heard enough. 

It is a constant battle that you fight for no gain. You do not have the source of opponent. But whosoever is, you want them to stop.

Because you just can't take this anymore. Your hands are now bleeding with the wounds of silence.

SOMEBODY PLEASE STOP!

From Mars and Venus?? Lets talk about that!

This entire year or the years prior to that, I have seen sexist jokes, ridiculing the complexity in women, complaining girls are the most complex creatures on this planet. So this year I decided to promote a little healthy gesture between men and women, and may be shake a hand of communal harmony (horrible analogy!)

Today on this day of New Year, and with an illogical myth of what you do this day, goes on for the entire year. I thought of doing social work. By helping the entire social breed of those who are stupid enough to think women are complicated. So I will break a few things down, to help you in future, so that all you men, who read the following points do not stereotype us. So from all the women, here are few things that will untangle your brain cells and make us understand better.

1) Like your sexist jokes suggests, WE ARE DOMINANT. But only for those to whom we give or are ready to give our utmost care and attention to, or else you stand to be a freaking nobody. I repeat, if we are not dominant, *YOU ARE NOBODY*

2) We Whine About Your Precious Time? We women are born and raised to leave their parents and friends so that we basically become your domestic help after marriage or during live-in, *talking about long term* and also get into the bed with you. The feeling of not being even a proper fraction of your time sucks. It is not that you give us an entire day. But if you give us a proper time of even 10 minutes, we can survive for a week on that boost of happiness. 

3) BE HONEST PLEASE!!! A girl has the power to love you passionately, and also ruin you leaving you so devastated. And that depends completely on your behavior and the way you tell her the truth. Believe me, of she likes you and you tell her you once sold coke for living, she will accept you if she really likes you! Mark my words!

4) Grand Proposal, extra sweet names? Hell no!! We don't give a fuck about whether you propose us on the seventh floor of Eiffel Tower or you just blow a kiss on phone! We can actually make out which one is right from the heart! (We do believe that you should pop out a ring from your pocket)

5) Boy! If you gotta dump her! Dump her for once. It is way more easier for girls to move on and realize the trash she was living with. So the notion of taking her for granted is a genuine bullshit! She might take you back once, coz she was weak. But make sure you don't make it a habit, coz again, we can ruin your lives too!

6) Mood Swings!! Boy! If a girl wants to talk to you during her periods! You better feel special, because at this time she would probably want to kill herself, her ovaries, the mankind, the universe. But instead she wants to talk to you! So please be kind. If you support a girl through her periods. You have won her heart. So don't you dare blame it on PMS!!

7)Women whine and complain?

  Well we whine, coz you act like swine! *that rhymes* 

  If she whines for no bloody good reason, run and get a doctor, she   is either crazy or her hormone is. But if she is not that type of 

  girl then please look back and see. She is sticking through every   thick and thins of your life, been there through YOUR MOOD SWINGS,   hasn't seen your face for a year, just say that you love her and     that will be all. 

So that is all for now, if any of you have any queries please let me know and girls if I can add on to something also let me know.

And MEN! I know we do expect a lot from you and you too have to deal with shit around. But we are not complicated. We are not the breed of players. All we need is unconditional love and loyalty and we can remain perfect for lives to come.