Living with "A"

All things bright and beautiful,
I see too, as you
I feel too, maybe more than you!
But at my inabilities 
you laugh, mocking me
Belittling me...

I scurry to this corner
Hide behind my friends
They don't stare
Nor mind my slur...
Here, I turn the pages of my life
at my own pace!

Linking this to Write Tribe's 55 on Friday. The beautiful picture prompt is by Vidya.

Autism, a mental development disorder, is characterized by problems in social skills, communication skills (both verbal and nonverbal) and shows very restricted interests and repetitive behavior of the individual. Usually diagnosed before 3 years of age, Autism occurs in as many as one child per 150 children. Though the severity and spread in India is almost at par with the rest of the world, the Government of India only recognized this as a disorder/disability in 2001. Before this, schools catering solely to autistic persons were not able to receive funding from the government. Persons with autism were also not eligible for concessions and benefits offered by the government unless they were diagnosed as mentally retarded, which most autistic people are not!!

Though late, the recognition and increasing awareness about Autism in India is a hopeful beginning for the better lives of these special people. However, much remains to be achieved in terms of correct and timely diagnosis, education/schooling of autistic children, acceptance in society, funding and proper implementation of grants/concessions by the govt etc.

What do you think is the biggest challenge for us to deal with Autism in India? Have you any personal experiences that you would like to share here with us?

Some important non profit organizations working towards this cause are listed here, please read and spread awareness!

http://www.autism-india.org/index.html
http://www.saiautismcenter.org/current/index.htm
http://www.aba-india.org/index.html

Dance for a cause

Dance speaks a language universal
Self expressions: Love, Hate, Joy, Angst...
Leave impressions: Spirit, Soul...
Breaking inhibitions,
Binding unlike worlds.
Dance for a cause,
Hope and Peace.
Bring in
Change.

Can Dance bring about a change for the better in the world?

I believe it can!

For me, dance is not just for recreation or entertainment or pleasure. It is more than that. It has helped me develop into a better human being, evolve as a more empathetic person, made me more aware and observant of my surroundings and yes it has empowered me. And for most of the Dancers that I know, this holds true. It uplifts our mood and makes us happy. It gives us confidence and wings to fly.

When we are in that space, where is the place for negativity, hatred, arguments?
When we are in that space we envision a perfect society which upholds humanity as its only religion. We are all equal. We are all beautiful.

This feeling should not be contained. What we envision during our meditation should transcend to societies.

A message which is visual has more power. This is given. A child's first lessons are visual, that stay in his/her conscience forever. Right? So why not use the power of visualization to convey a message, to reform our society, to restore our faith in humanity?

Mallika Sarabhai, a dancer, choreographer and activist, has been using dance and performance arts to send a message. She has locked horns with the government on several occasions to give Arts its due. She beautifully explains here the Power of Art.

Long due, but our mainstream media is finally understanding this. I was pleased to see Zee TV come up with the fantastic idea to Dance it out for a Cause. Dance India Dance is one of the most popular and loved shows not just across India but across the globe too. Running into it's fourth season this year, they aim to convey a message - When Dance can be the answer to your problems, then why resort to violence? Why get angry, when you can Dance it out? Why get depressed, when you can Dance it out?

Isn't the thought and concept great!! And I got a taste of it all at the Dance India Dance IndiBlogger Meet this Wednesday! We got to shake a leg with the sauve Feroz Khan and the mast Mudassar Khan, for a cause that is close to our hearts. The stage saw brilliant bloggers donning their thinking caps and coming of their cocoons to simply Dance it Out for Education, Child Marriage, Value for Soldiers, Safer Delhi streets for Women, Girl Education, Female Foeticide and last but not the least Victims of Corporate Life.

Here's a peek into the power-packed evening...

Empowerment Walk on the song Aashayein

Signature move #Education #Empowerment

Value for Soldiers

Safer streets for Women - The Winners

Dance India Dance

Check out this link and register for which cause will you Dance it Out?  For more details hop on to their FB page.

I'll dance it out for Education  
Start from the root, nourish the shoot 
Teach young and old to worship 
not idols, superstitions 
but you...me, as one 
Love equally 
distinguish 
not, spread
Joy!

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A Nonet is a nine line poem, with the first line having 9 syllables. The second line containing 8 syllables, decreasing down to one syllable in the last line. The Nonet tutorial at Write Tribe was provided by the beautiful Preetilatha Sarkar of My White Window. She has a flair for words and has the ability to make you fall in love with words like 'Meraki'....'Saudade'...you aren't intrigued yet? Go peep through her window....now!

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Every once in a while

Every once in a while
I wonder, what if
I were you...

Born as twins,
yet separated by society
politely discriminated.

The clothes you wore,
the games you played,
the books you read, I envied!

Married off young, as it should be!
While you became a doctor,
proud they were to see!

You are a girl!
You are a girl!
Echoed everywhere, deafening me...

My heart ached all along
Trapped, one day I snapped
Rose from there, never looking back

I fought, Life taught
Every once in a while, I'm grateful I'm me
Today I teach girls alike, to be!

Written for Write Tribe's 100 words on Saturday. The prompt 'Every once in a while' provided by Richa who blogs at The Philosopher's Stone.

Nature's Delight

spread on nature's bed,

few ripe, few raw, bitter and sweet

nourishing nonetheless!

Written for Write Tribe's contest  where the lovely photograph clicked by Praveen had to be interpreted by way of Haiku. To know more about Haiku see here and here. 

October's here with some Cheer!

Can you smell the winter in the air? The sweet October air, cool and crisp, whispers in my ear, making my heart flutter. I wonder if it's because of the drift in the air or the love? Well, my body is the first to caution me of the season change. I've dealt with my share of sneeze and cough the past week and am stepping into this new month, with my heart brimming with love and gratitude.

Say October and I'll say love...it was this month nine years ago when a casual "We're more than just friends" remark in the football field had caught me off guard and let him score the goal and also score in my life. Our relationship blossomed into a blissful companionship and as fate would have it, it was in October 2011, that we officially embarked on the journey of Man and Wife.

I am extremely grateful for having him in my life. He has loved me for me. Without questions, without expectations, he has always been there for me. And though we have the most extremely contrasting personalities, we have our disagreements, our fights with the dramatic "you don't understand me", at the end of the day both of us know that there is no one better capable of understanding and loving us the way we do. We are meant to be.

I'm also grateful for the weather that October brings. Not too cold and the sun mellow, perfect for a vacation, don't you think? We are always seen packing our bags in this month. 2011 was the exotic Mauritius, 2012 we were romancing the beautiful valleys of Kashmir and this year we are road tripping to the vibrant Rajasthan. Super excited to add road trip to our book of firsts!

We are leaving tomorrow, what a start to the month! And it only gets better from there. My dahlin sis is coming on 14th....after exactly 4 months! Sistaaar, missed you terribly!! Can't wait...lot's of catching up to do over coffee n cakes! :) I share more of a protective mother/ possessive boyfriend kind of bond with my sister. God knows why?? After all we're only a year and a half apart. It bugs me that she is more comfortable sharing about her crush with Ma instead of me. Can't blame her though... I do tend to get all preachy with her....just can't help it!

I'm feeling a little muddled in my head right now...a little sleepy...have to get going at 5:00 am in the morning, so better get some sleep. My heart wants to keep writing though, to say Thank You to all of you. Thank you for keeping me motivated and making blogging an amazing experience. Each day as I write, I discover a new me. It's very overwhelming...

I also want to say Thank you to the very simple things in life, which we tend to overlook or take for granted. Like the morning cup of tea and browsing through the newspaper. Mornings seem incomplete somehow without this ritual. Like right now, I'm grateful for the electricity, the Wifi and my laptop. Things that make us comfortable, we should be grateful for them too, no? As we embark upon this month, take a moment and say thank you to a thing....what would it be?

And yes, I'm grateful for October!!