A Worthy Cause for A Better Tomorrow
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An initiative by www.900afghangirls.org
It's been a little over than a week since I watched The
Conjuring and I must say it still scares the daylights out of me. I've always
been a fan of this genre. And it had been quite some time since I had seen a 'good
horror movie'. Okay, let me tell you what, according to me, a 'good horror
movie' comprises of. It needs to have those three very important things: A good
story, good characters, and a good score. And that is why this film is a
horror movie buff's dream come true. It's the kind of movie that would stay
with you for a long time. The kind of movie that would make you sit up at the
slightest sound. The kind that would make you think twice before venturing in the dark all alone or make
even random objects seem unearthly. The classic
horror movie feeling (The Exorcist, The Amityville Horror) brought back in
vogue, courtesy - Director James Wan (Saw series). Personally, I prefer horror
movies that have the ability to instill fear in you even without someone's
brains spilling out or a ghoul with freakishly long hair that inexplicably
keeps getting in the way of everyone involved, or a lot of blood and gore. It
does NOT mean that I can't handle it, but I just prefer the whole tension
building element in a movie. It is more fearful when you know that there's
someone out there but you can't see it rather than having a ghost coming right
at you. The story is quite engaging as it unravels slowly and gradually and
everything that has been shown in the movie is related at some point, like the Annabelle angle. I also liked the way they've weaved two stories together -
that of the Perrons and the Warrens. Their stories move in sync and you are
introduced to each of their lives simultaneously. The characters are
believable, their problems are authentic, their pain is convincing. Especially
Vera Farmiga, who does an amazing job at making even trivial things seem scary
with her credible expressions. Loved the ruffled collar look. Lili Taylor as
the harrowed mother of five is truthful in her portrayal. And finally the
score! Joseph Bishara gives a spine chilling background score that only
amplifies your fear. Even in moments in the film when you won't see something
lurking in the background you'll surely be going crazy anticipating something
due to the music. There were quite a lot of scenes that give you that familiar
jolt that only a genuine horror movie can give. One of the scenes had my mom
shrieking! (Sorry, mom) Still, the above was just MY opinion of the movie which
I found to be quite engaging. There are some pinheads out there who just don't
know / can't appreciate a good fright fest when they see it . But a movie like
this makes me brood over why we can't come up with stuff like this? Genuine
horror that doesn't need the crutch of 3D viewing to lure people inside the
theatres. This one's surely going to go in the DVD library! Loved every minute
of it!
Come August 15th and we will be celebrating our Independence
Day. Flags would be hoisted everywhere, in government edifices, schools,
institutions, residential buildings, etc. Little kids would proudly roam the
streets with the tricolor badges pinned to their attires. Patriotic songs would
reverberate throughout busy lanes. Powerful speeches would be made by various
political parties. The media would be addressed. Stories of our glorious
freedom fighters would be telecast everywhere. People would greet each other
with warm smiles and a "Happy Independence Day."
But what does freedom mean to you and me? What does it feel
like to be free? Is it a state of mind? Or something tangible that you can
actually feel? My mother often tells me that a nation can never be fully
independent or can never progress until the women of that country are
respected, protected and safe. Are we safe? Am I safe? I ask myself this
question and a gruesome incident that happened here, just as 2012 was coming to
an end, comes to my mind. And the frightening thing is, the thoughts don't stop
there. A barrage of such incidents varying in severity trickle in.
Aren't we the country that deifies women? Don't we celebrate
innumerable festivals where we idolize and worship these goddesses? So why is
it that the respect is only limited to deities? Can't it be extended to living,
breathing, walking and talking beings who have been given the boon to beget
life? Even throughout our history we have women freedom strugglers who proved
their mettle by fighting tooth and nail to bring India where she is today. Rani Laxmi Bai, Sarojini Naidu, Usha Mehta, Savitribai Phule, Begum
Hazrat Mahal, Aruna Asaf Ali, to name a few. Then there were great
women leaders like who inspired us with their courage and determination. Today
we have countless women who have surmounted the impossible and achieved what we
could only dream of. Be it in the field of education, entertainment, politics, media,
business, science, technology, economics, sports, etc. They've come from
different spheres of life, fought against the norms, refused to conform and
accomplished what they have. On one hand we salute them and on the other we
subject them to some of the worst forms of abuse. In that sense, it makes us
the most dangerous hypocrites in the world.
I don't remember a morning when I got up and the front page of my
newspaper didn't have a headline
informing about a ghastly incident that happened to a woman. I've forgotten
what it feels like to read a daily that doesn't have dreadful and horrible things
splattered all over it. Hence I've stopped reading them altogether. Whatever traces
of news I do get, I get it from sources other than these. Yes it is foolish
some might say because it isn't going to solve anything, but I can't read
another paragraph on how a girl's face was disfigured in broad daylight at a
place that I've been to several times in my life or I can't go through the pain
of seeing yet another important verdict being put on hold for an indefinite
period of time. I can't stand it when "supposed" juveniles commit
unspeakable horrors and they are just sent to a correctional facility for
rehabilitation. It bothers me when people do hideous things to women and they
walk away scot-free and also get a respectable job at a bank in another state.
The day we address this problem at the grass root level, which is NOT
illiteracy, (because literate people too sometimes surpass the rest in such grisly
acts) but the mindset of people, will be the day of our true victory. The way
they think and view women. I'm not a hard core feminist, never was, but when I got
up today and sat down to think of design ideas that I could use to make a
greeting for the big day it struck me how silly I am. To think that I could
celebrate freedom in a country where we are still bound by such ineffective
laws. Where promises are just words spoken to increase votes, where one
shameful act after another are committed blatantly and we don't do anything, where
the only response that a horrid crime elicits is a candlelight vigil or
political mudslinging.
I'll celebrate my independence day when I'm truly emancipated from the
evils that plague the women of my nation day in day out. I'll celebrate my
independence when stringent laws are introduced, implemented and executed with
no delay. When little girls are able to play outside their homes without the
fear of someone taking their innocence away. When women are no longer afraid to
travel late at night. When the stranger lurking in the dark, waiting in the
shadows, is closed in on before he dares to take a step.
"A friend is one who knows
you and loves you just the same..."
- Elbert Hubbard
I believe the lines
above resonate with many people out there who share that special bond called
friendship that is a boon to human beings. That one person in the entire
populace that stands out. The one person who is beside you through thick and
thin, who protects you, who is with you when you're feeling down, who doesn't give
up on you no matter what, someone who will have your back and keep an eye out
for you. I am delighted to pen down my thoughts about the soul sister in my
life, who also happens to be my sister in real life - Sabah.
We may be like chalk
and cheese in our behavior, but emotionally we are always on the same
wavelength. She is my shoulder to lean on whenever I'm feeling low. I may lose
faith in everyone in my life but never her. She's my rock. I think God gave me
a blessing in disguise when he created my sister. Our souls are bound by an
inexplicable and unbreakable bond that is quite rare these days. I remember
when during my school days, she was the one who used to stick up for me
whenever I was in trouble. Whenever I was bullied by any of my classmates, she
was the one who would enter into a confrontation with them to protect me. To
this date she swears that she would be ready to go to battle for me if someone
ever so much as laid a finger on me. In that way, she's like a brother to me. When
I fall sick, she nurses me back to good health making sure I'm okay. She is my
advisor on all things trivial and important. Whether it be what to wear to work
the next day or how to face the problems in my life.
The connection that
we have is almost cosmic. There are times when she says exactly what is going
on in my mind. There are times when we say the same things at once and laugh
deliriously after it. Whenever there's something that is bothering me, she comes
to know about it even if I don't spit it out. We almost always have the same
opinions about things, people and situations in life. Though we may tackle them
differently, we know when to lend support to the other. In that way, we are
like pieces of the same puzzle who are incomplete without the other. I feel
restless when I don't see her. I wait eagerly for the time the clock strikes 6
in the evening and I get off work because then I'll get to be with her. As soon
a s I reach home, we meet each other as if we were never apart. The whole house
swings with our joyous banter. Our camaraderie is something that I cherish a
lot. Like a naughty little brother I
pick on her whenever I get the chance. When we're together we paint the town
red. We're sweet when the need be and can be totally badass when the need
arises. We share laughs, hopes and aspirations. She gives me courage just by
being with me. Sometimes just sitting next to her is like the best therapy to
me. I can't imagine my life without her. I dread the day when she gets married
and starts a new life in new surroundings. As much as I would be elated to see
her happy and settled, there's also this little part of me that never wants to
let her go because she means so much to me than she'll ever know.
I feel that it would
have been an irreparable and irrecoverable loss had I not known that there
could be a love like ours, a kinship like ours. I feel extremely privileged
that I got an opportunity to express just how strong a friendship can be. A
blood tie that transcends to a beautiful and celestial relationship.
http://www.womensweb.in/articles/soul-sisters-friendship-day-contest/
http://www.womensweb.in/articles/soul-sisters-friendship-day-contest/
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