Change is not superficial, it's permanent

Its very exciting when people who you've met with rigid, unbending attitudes come back to you and tell you, that the opportunity you gave them changed their lives.

Refer to my earlier post on three lil piggies. These three guys somehow opened their eyes in the course of their internship and today while they were sharing their experience, there was such a change. They actually shared stuff like,

"We didnt realise what you meant by a social responsibility until we underwent the internship."

"We've made great friends in 1 month, something we never thought possible."

"We never imagined we'd learn marketing from an NGO."

Now that's a brilliant way to have the new year at work begin:)

2010 - It finally rolled around

What a way to start the new year!! My person began her new life with her husband :) She moved away :(

I am still attuned to our settings of the post 5 p.m. messages to "what's the scene? Drop in?"

It still hasn't sunk in. I, in all silliness cling to the last messages of days that are now clearly in the history folder of life (when she reads this she'll probably roll her eyes at it). The uncertainty of tomorrow seems more looming than it did a week ago.

What I do know is that there is not a moment I regret, not a day I would take back. And I am glad that my answer to the messages was almost always 'yes'.

But there's new memories, plans and more visits back and forth! So, life turns a new leaf and a new year, revolves around and there's so much hope, optimism and excitement that the sad part is diminished.

To new adventures, new places to see, old friends to meet and new relationships to cement. Wishing each one of you a brilliant New year!

Violated.

Today I witnessed a horrible incident. I was getting ready for work in the morning and heard a loud clamour. A lot of people were shouting!! I went out to see what the commotion was about. And saw some women hitting another woman, beating her, pulling her hair, whacking her with a stick.

A crowd surrounded the scene. Not one person moving to help the woman. They had moved outside my building gates, I went out and tried to push my way through to tell them to stop. But they didn't pay me any heed. The woman was not crying, she screamed threats at them. Not backing down an inch. It was women beating her. Not a man in the group said a word. I tried to tell them to stop. It was useless. Then I turned around and asked one of the "audience" (and I use this word in the worst sense possible - an impotent crowd standing by, witnessing a horrible act of violence upon another human being), "What's going?"

He turned to me and said, dont get in the middle, its a family fight. In the meanwhile some of my neighbours came out and told me to go inside the house and not to interfere. I told them I'd call the police if they continued. I said it to no one in particular, because no one seemed to be listening. According to them I was just an interfering stranger.

I have never felt so useless. As I stood there, I thought what is the next best thing I can do? I called up some of my colleagues and asked them for the number of an agency I could call to help the woman because I was sure, she would need a longer-term intervention given the abusive threats thrown at her.

I live near a slum and the family/women who were perpetrating this violence were from there. The woman they were beating up claimed to be their daughter-in-law, as their son had married her through a civil ceremony. They did not believe she was good enough for them as they had heard that she worked as a sex worker.

What no one whom I spoke to understood was that there is no reason good enough to treat a human being with that kind of disrespect and disregard. She has filed a complaint against the family.

My prayer

This is my wish for anyone

God grant everyone friends like mine.

They never back down in troubled times.

They have a war cry - "Harroooh" and it can be heard for miles if someone has messed with me.

They make secret codes which they forget the meanings of.

They're my bunch of Devil's Advocates

They're well divided between huggers and non-huggers

Each one is so unique. I get to work out all aspects of my personality amongst the lot of them

We openly share our vices and we accept each other's more willingly :)

They are some times my judges, jurors and executioners and often the Governors who sign off on my pardon.

They are lazy with me, and active when I am lazy which forces me to get my ass moving. They are open to falling into laziness as well.

Most of their concerns about my life are more to do with the "lack of holding down drinks", than the "singles status".

They are just as comfortable on a wooden stool on the side of the road near a tea stall, as a plush sofa in some lounge with crappy music.

Grandpa

My granddad was an army man to the very end. At 89, he stood tall, proud and as stubborn as always. Apart from some random accidents because of which he lost his sight and hearing partially. My grandpa was a fit man. In the past ten years or so he'd started to lose his memory and cognitive abilities for some things. This happened more because of the reclusive life he chose after my grandmother passed away. He secluded himself to home, stopped having an active social life and then when my dad passed away. Something changed even further.

He was also an author, lawyer (JAG), activist, and sportsman. He was accomplished, but far from perfect. He was my last grandparent.