And So We Meet Again

It's been over a year since I've posted anything here, yet it still surprises me that the page gets traffic. It kind of surprised me it ever got traffic at all.


The past year has been an interesting one to say the least. My husband was approved for his green card, we moved to the US, he couldn't find a job so he moved back to India for work while I stayed in the US, he visited in Feb, and now he's planning to return for good in 2 weeks, although still with no job.


I'm happy to be back in the US, the land of clean running water, consistent electrical current, decent roads, infrastructure, you name it. Life is good. It will be better when my husband is back, and it will be even better once he gets settled in with a job.


One glaring difference between the US and India. In the US, it's sink or swim. In India, we always had family to fall back on and friends to help us out if we needed it. I never worried about where my next meal would come from, or expenses in general. I can't say the same in the US. Especially being a single income household. It's a rat race. It's a bit stressful, but you just have to take it a day at a time and hope for the best.


I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep the blog open, but I wish you all well and hope you're doing fine.

Pardon Me As I Roll My Eyes At International Women's Day

Guess what ladies!? March 8th marks International Women's Day!!! What does that mean for you!? I'm going out on a limb here and say: Not a damn thing!

 

Okay, so I'm a bit jaded by this "holiday." The first time I ever heard about International Women's Day was when I came to India and I completely missed the "International" part of it. Living in the US, I had never heard of this day.

The roots of International Women's Day are strong ones and at the time it was instituted, it set out to do a lot of great things. While I appreciate the overall sentiment, I have to laugh when I see it celebrated with such enthusiasm here in India. To me, it's about as effective as present day labour unions. Granted, India might want to look into those too.

 

How do we celebrate Women's Day here in India? Here's what I've observed:

1. Women get flowers

2. Women get chocolates

3. Every online retailer is offering some discount on women's clothing and accessories

4. Parlours are offering beautifying package deals

5. Bakeries have extra pretty cakes for sale.

 

Terrific! That's really going to do a lot to advance the cause for women in India. Instead of chocolates and facials, why don't we focus on the following:

1. Preventing Rape

2. Preventing Acid Attacks

3. Preventing Dowry Killings

4. Eliminating the Caste System

5. Ending Female Infanticide

 

I am disgusted by the fact that women can be celebrated one day in a year and gang raped and murdered the rest of the year, and yet for that one day we think we've made so much progress.

 

And if you do wish to celebrate, here is a quote from the above clip that will provide suggestions for celebrating in style and do as much to advance the cause for women in India as the current Women's Day celebrations "Well, yeah, you know, 'cause 'cause he never appreciated you anyway. In fact, you know what - you kicked HIM out! And now that he's gone you're gonna go into town, you go to Bloomingdale's and find some nice dresses, get yourself some shoes, you know, find somewhere, maybe you can get a facial. And, uh, oh - hire a decorator to come in here quick, 'cause... DAMN."

 

What I Wish Every Indian Parent Would Consider

I came across this coincidentally while in the middle of my arranged marriage series. I felt it was not only timely, but presented a very compassionate view on not only marriage, but life in general including the relationships and responsibilities between parents and their children, addressing who is in control and who is not.

 

About the speaker: Ismail Musa Menk was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. He was tutored by his father who is a well known scholar and Da’ee. He completed his hifz and recitation courses at an early age and learnt the Arabic and Urdu languages whilst studying Shariah under his father. At the same time he attended an Academic College in Harare where he completed his secondary secular education. He then attained a degree in Shariah from the University of Madinah and later specialised in Iftaa at Darul Uloom Kantharia in Gujarat. - See more on his fan page.

 

I wish every parent in India would view this, religious affiliation aside. I think there's some valuable lessons not only about marriage, but about relationships in general.