Sorry 2014

English has become a tough language for me now. It’s not because I lost the flow in scribbling. I’m unsure about the exact reason. What I did to this blog is a sin! I should have posted at least some silly topics here once in a while. This was my pride and love. I was overwhelmed when I hear someone addressing me as VILLAGE GIRL.  Even today I’m so.  Only a few of my readers and fellow bloggers knew of my existence.

I had lame excuses. No time, always busy with official and household works. Still, I managed to frame regular articles for city supplement in Mathrubhumi, the daily I work for.  Just one night away, it’s New Year. If I count what I did this year in English blog, a big zero is the answer. Damuettan, my brother-in-law told me that I’m not at all concerned in upgrading my ideas in blog.

Will you believe, for past one year all I did in village girl was to blame myself for not updating regularly? Except a Rameshwaram criticism, there is no single serious post produced.  In spite of everything, I write the same words again and again.

Leaving all that and keeping in mind the whole lot, I take a New Year resolution for first time. I’LL UPDATE MY BLOG ATLEAST EVERY WEEK FROM 2015.  Posts may not be serious subjects for ever and a day. It may be weekly roundups or very personal moments.

2014… A year of storm, confusion, aimless journeys, bylines, hard work, tears and finally happiness! Whether job or family life, I’d truly believe this year I started the real voyage. My goals are achieved though a little more left.  I’ve a partner who likes me the way I’m. He let me work, read or write according to my wish.

More than that, we are settled at Kozhikode, my favorite city. Although free evenings are rare for us, we do enjoy ourselves when we get some. Beach, dancing tea, hot ice-cream, exhibitions or so on adds flavors for us.

Do bear me this time. Assuring you a regularly updated blog next year!  Signing off 2014… Happy New Year ahead.

Godly Warning And Reality

We have many ‘gods’ in India. Apart from the shrines, there are lots of living beings too.  In case of the second category, they are stamped so because they have either some super-natural powers (black magic mostly) or talents. Kerala has no difference. For us, the godly singer is Yesudas. It must be admitted that he is truly blessed singer. No Malayali will spare a day without listening to his songs. Even the major pilgrim centers play songs sung by him at desk and dawn.

His performance as a singer is hard to criticize. However, his words on October 2^nd disconcerted at least a few percentages of his fans.  On this Gandhi Jayanthi day, he requested ladies to stop wearing jeans. That particular costume would tempt men, he added.

I know he is a great man and should be respected like any other old man. More than that, he is an artist whom the whole country would admire. Keeping in mind all that reverence, I pity him for his words that no much religious leaders may speak out in this 21^st century. In social media, there was a photo of his daughter-in-laws wearing skin-fit jeans and short-tops. In Malayalam there is a saying that would mean ‘first clean your house then only your locality’. It is their family matter. As told by one of my colleagues, it is bad to drag their family into this. Let them do no matter what.

Just after Yesudas’ statement, many of my co-workers asked why I am wearing jeans or why I can’t follow his words. Though they told it lightly, it made me think. I posted it in many social media groups to get feedback. Comments were shocking. Some supported Yesudas while a few criticized. Here are the supporters’ points:

• Decency can be calculated from dressing. Modest dresses (includes sarees and pardah) itself speak about the person’s character.
• Females wearing modern are the main victims of rapes

Now, this is what I felt:

1. Saree is one of the sexiest dresses.
2. I had seen men staring at women who wear purdah. I felt it is real ‘ugly look’.
3. Infants, kids and teens are raped. How about their dressing!

“Today even a one year baby girl has to be fully covered ”-says a man. So what about 2^nd point I’ve mentioned.

Let me end the post with a story that a senior girl had confessed to me once she left our college. She had a good friendship with a boy in my class. Once she found a pen-drive owned by him. That USB contained the cropped and zoomed images of girls in my class. All these girls wore churidars with dupattas. Some were in sarees. He and his gang used to comment about our body shape, undoubtedly in a vulgar way. Since she was close to me, she made it sure that it didn’t contain any of my pictures. Both the girl and boy parted. She had recorded his voice admitting fault. Still, he has a very decent image among my college mates that no one will ever believe girl’s words.

World is not a best place to live. You won’t get any appreciation from anyone. You can be trapped at any point not just because of your dressings.  Be careful my dear lady fellows! 

No Foolaking

During my childhood days, social studies text described family as follows:

1. Father, the guardian who takes care of your house and earns money for family
   
2. Mother, the person who cooks and does household works (mainly cooking)
   
3. Son helps father to do shopping and other works
   
4. Daughter assists mom in cooking and gardening

But after a decade, life has changed. I don’t think the social studies would recite the same thing for new generation kids. They find both their parents working together at kitchen and going out to office. Today mother and father earn for the family. Even if there are a few families that hold patriarchal system of women at kitchen and men at verandah, many have changed. The social concept of equality is emerging though at a snail’s pace.

There is still a belief that women can be fooled easily. Common sense and tactics to deal with things doesn’t belong to men only. The image of woman depicted in televisions is still that of a ‘good for nothing’ creature

A recent ad by a famous desi mobile network provider shook me badly. In that advertisement, a guy proposes a girl from a cafeteria. She says, “I’m ok. But you must change your status in Facebook as IN A RELATIONSHIP”. And the guy is confused. Now the girl says you can’t fool females anymore as we have that particular network provider to help us with IDEAs.

That commercial became a hit in channels. But if you analyze that ad, you’d find a few points that are extremely annoying:

• Girls can be easily fooled
  
• Females can survive only with assistance
  
• Changing Facebook status is the most important thing in life
  
• A relationship status is a public thing and not confined between two people

Ads can be creative and funny. But it must have logic. The meanings in between words and scenes convey a lot. Commercials like this would result in decrease of woman’s confidence. We need self-assured woman folks for national empowerment. Let us realize the real sense behind these ads and not think that we need support to react. You are strong enough to judge what is right and wrong. Be yourself!