tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9292361744893905222024-02-18T21:14:34.260-08:00Stories that will touch your heartadvitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-75278212247234572962017-09-28T02:08:00.003-07:002017-09-28T02:09:22.083-07:00A BRIGHTER DIWALI<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">Diwali, the time of the year we
all wait for so eagerly, is around the corner! As you prepare for this grand
season of sweets and festivities, we encourage you to consider shopping at an
NGO. Here are some of the reasons why buying NGO-made products will illuminate your celebrations beyond your expectations:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">● <b>The magic ingredients:</b> Products made at NGOs
are made with special effort and care. They are not merely artefacts up for
sale but tokens of love and gratitude for the kindness bestowed upon them by
their well-wishers and supporters.</span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">● <b>Unique charm:</b> Unlike
factory-made merchandise, these products hand-made. And just like the humans
who create them, each piece is different and has a charm of its own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">● <b>Reliability:</b> A NGO is based on
the foundation of timeless human values like empathy, integrity and solidarity.
Therefore, providing you with the highest quality of products will be a
priority.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">● <b>Illuminating actual lives:</b> The
revenue collected from your support goes directly to the beneficiaries,
ensuring that the very people who create the products are empowered and not
some third-party or agent. Meanwhile, you get to use a finely refined commodity
that adds value to your life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">● <b>Tangibly changing Lives:</b> By
using products made at an NGO, you support communities that are usually
socially/economically/intellectually challenged. You boost their morale and
allow them to create an environment where they can prove their worth to the
rest of the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt;">● <b>A Force of Good:</b> When you
support an NGO, you also encourage people around you to widen their horizons.
Remember every good action you perform cascades into a butterfly effect, the
power of which transcends the sum of its parts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy - http://www.thealternative.in/lifestyle/6-ways-to-celebrate-an-eco-friendly-diwali-this-year/</span></div>
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advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-73300122715114368462017-09-13T23:48:00.003-07:002017-09-13T23:48:56.535-07:00A Fresher's Best Bet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One of the main questions we all face in
our lives, especially the young among us, is <b><i>“What kind of job is really worth
spending my time and effort on?”</i></b> While the answer to this question may
be subjective, we have compiled a list of reasons why working at an NGO will be
a perfect start to your career and future life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>1.</b> <b><i>Will over Experience</i>:</b> At an NGO,
your devotion to the cause and your willingness to work towards it matters more
than your experience. Passion will be rewarded.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>2.</b> <b><i>Responsibility</i>:</b> Working for an
upcoming NGO will inevitably put you in a position of responsibility. Your work
will seriously matter to the organization, not to mention the copious amount of
lessons you will learn.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>3. <i>Opportunity to build a network</i>:</b> You are bound to meet a lot of talented
and driven people at an NGO. Working and networking with them will open up
tremendous opportunities for you in the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>4. <i>The Sweet Struggle</i>:</b> Working at an NGO is challenging. You
will be forced out of your comfort zone, and by doing so, build confidence and
become a better communicator in a relatively short span of time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>5. <i>Directly affect lives</i>:</b> At an NGO, you will be changing lives for
the better, literally. Progress will no longer be an abstract term. Working at
an NGO will keep you at your happiest because a better world would be building
before your own eyes and you will be one of its architects.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>6. <i>Humane Work Conditions</i>:</b> The very basis of an NGO is to show
respect and love towards our common Humanity. Unlike the exploitative corporate
environment, your uniqueness will be valued by those around you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>7. <i>Launchpad for a great future</i>:</b> While it may be true that the pay here is
not always the greatest but nothing reflects on your CV better than having some
work experience at an NGO.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>8. <i>Seeds of Humanity are sown:</i></b><i> </i>Once you spend some time working for an NGO, your
perspective on life will definitely change for better. Throughout the rest of
your career, whether or not you keep working for an NGO, you will be more moral
and benevolent in your choices.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy: http://az616578.vo.msecnd.net/files/2017/01/30/6362134301714971722116709101_success.jpg</span></o:p></div>
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advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-89499736314751466292017-09-04T09:01:00.001-07:002017-09-04T09:01:20.716-07:00THE UNLIKELY WALLFLOWERS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you follow Advitya
on any of its social media pages or if you have ever visited here, you probably
have an idea of how happening a place this is. Every day brings with it a
plethora of wonderful moments of laughter, frolicsome activities and profound lessons.
The first and probably the single most important thing that I learned spending
time here was how clueless I was throughout my life, like any average person,
about the daily struggles of persons with special needs. It is truly astounding
to notice just how many things in life we take for granted and how often we
fail to recognize the challenges faced by others. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Therefore I was
certain that a day spent outdoors with Advitya - especially at a place like
Aquamagica - was bound to bring with it a lot of fun, challenges and
insights. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Early in the morning of
August 23<sup>rd</sup>, dressed proudly in their characteristic fluorescent
green and bright orange ‘Advitya’ T-Shirts, Team Advitya set forth on a journey
to a world of giant water slides and wave pools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To be honest, I was
slightly worried in the beginning. Worried, not for the students, but for the
volunteers among us. It just seemed too heavy a task to manage more than twenty
special students for a day in a potentially hazardous environment like a water
park. In retrospect, I can clearly see that my fear had more to do with my
inexperience and the novelty of it all than anything else. Also, it is worth
mentioning that something similar happens with “normal” people when they
interact with specially gifted people for the first time. We tend to
underestimate their emotional intelligence and their ability to adapt to
changing circumstances. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My personal favorite
experience through the trip, hands down, had to be dancing in the wave pool
with my special friends. I can never forget the expressions of joy all around
me. At the end of the day, not many of my specially abled friends could
articulate exactly how they felt, but I could see by the jolly faces and
shattering cries of laughter that every one of them loved it as much as I did.
Yes, on the way back, sleep and fatigue overcame everyone but it was all worth
it, because we were carrying with us a bagful of sweet and happy memories to
cherish for a lifetime.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I encourage anyone
reading this blog who might hold any reservations, to make an effort to connect
with every specially gifted person you might come across. Once you cross that
barrier, you will surely be overwhelmed, to the point of tears, not just by the
exhibition of heroic courage and spirit before your eyes but also by the shower
of love and generosity that will come your way.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My name is Abhishek Vidhate and I am 19 years
old. For almost three months now, I have been working at Advitya as an
intern. </span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Photo courtesy : </span></b><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b>https://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/promise-of-humanity-poetry-prompt.jpg</b></span></span></span></div>
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advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-1237416774641246662017-08-19T00:30:00.001-07:002017-08-19T00:41:19.047-07:00AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT, WHO AWOKE TO LIFE AND FREEDOM?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">15<sup>th</sup> August 1947 - for the 360 million newly free
Indians, the word 'independence' meant more than merely a state of autonomy. It
meant, for the community at large, the freedom to pursue your interests, hone
your skills and build a life around it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One such community is that of the Intellectually Disabled people
of India. In ancient times, any kind of significant impairment in cognitive and
adaptive abilities in a person was regarded as a result of sinful past lives
and therefore, an object of ridicule and something to be ashamed of. Traces of
such thinking, although to a significantly lesser degree, still exist in many rural
areas of the country. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In metropolitan areas, the situation for Intellectually Disabled
is better but not satisfactory. The onset of the Industrial Revolution brought
in a great deal of wealth and productivity to the civilization but at a great
cost. Concentration of wealth and resources in cities forced huge populations
of villages to migrate in search of labor. Those with vocational ability were
considered to be an asset to the family while those with disabilities of any
kind were marginalized. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the years after independence, many positive strides were
taken by the government as well as many newly formed NGOs across the country.
Special schools for the Intellectually Disabled were established in the 1950s,
which was the first time an organized effort was made towards the cause. Since
then, hard-fought legislation like the<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://ww.eyeway.org/?q%3Dpersons-disabilities-act-1995&source=gmail&ust=1503212440369000&usg=AFQjCNE6huKo1c85fpAmPiq2UJ4kHJkNVQ" href="http://ww.eyeway.org/?q=persons-disabilities-act-1995" style="color: #222222;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;"> 'Persons with Disabilities Act 1995' </span></a><span style="color: #222222;"> </span>(for Equal
opportunities, Protection of Rights, and Full Participation)<span style="color: #222222;">, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://thenationaltrust.gov.in/content/innerpage/national-trust-act--and-provisions.php&source=gmail&ust=1503212440369000&usg=AFQjCNHcPz0kNUuFHfmZnuxP2Eta7pYNFA" href="http://thenationaltrust.gov.in/content/innerpage/national-trust-act--and-provisions.php" style="color: #222222;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism,
Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disability Act, 1999</span></a><span style="color: #222222;"> and
the most recent </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.disabilityaffairs.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/RPWD%2520ACT%25202016.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1503212440369000&usg=AFQjCNGPZco0RUVIGJYD6ysQNR1xN-40Ig" href="http://www.disabilityaffairs.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/RPWD%20ACT%202016.pdf" style="color: #222222;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.</span></a><span style="color: #222222;"> </span>(Amendment
to the bill passed in 2014) have paved a way for a better future.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On a social level, we have made some meaningful progress even
though there is still a long way to go. It has been our experience after 17
successful years of <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.advitya.com/&source=gmail&ust=1503212440369000&usg=AFQjCNHo3Myg5Q2MdUc9IYNWO6Z4TZJkDw" href="http://www.advitya.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Advitya</span></a> that once you create a public
platform to campaign the cause of the Intellectually Disabled, people take
active interest in knowing more about the issue and often goes great lengths to
be of some help. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It is also imperative to understand the struggles of the people
most directly affected by the plight of the Intellectually Disabled - the parents
of the Intellectually Disabled. An open dialogue in the media other public
platforms will be of tremendous help to these parents. Once they know that
there are other parents coping with similar issues, a lot of ignorance and hush
hush surrounding the issue will fade away. Also, the depiction of People with
Intellectual Disabilities in movies, TV and other art forms is rarely
multi-dimensional. And because art reflects life, this kind of simple-minded
depiction points towards the greater reality of the society: we simply do not
know enough about the life and problems of a person with such disabilities. We
can't keep shrugging the responsibility to educate the masses on someone else. </span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Change begins from within.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWYiv9BIDNQf_sxynTHZoOlny-umCs_nXbUJE60RwLLH6LkIo4At6i8eI2uWLa15vgbv4kcCGcMM57nbDAuVoofuVAgR___ExtYx-EPPc8O7QAOy3yg1NpPY7AZW7lBr27OoYD4FoY-Ph/s1600/What-Would-You-Do-With-Your-Freedom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWYiv9BIDNQf_sxynTHZoOlny-umCs_nXbUJE60RwLLH6LkIo4At6i8eI2uWLa15vgbv4kcCGcMM57nbDAuVoofuVAgR___ExtYx-EPPc8O7QAOy3yg1NpPY7AZW7lBr27OoYD4FoY-Ph/s400/What-Would-You-Do-With-Your-Freedom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Courtesy : http://timhillpsychotherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/What-Would-You-Do-With-Your-Freedom.jpg</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-65715190327100804722017-08-12T02:26:00.001-07:002017-08-12T02:28:32.994-07:00The cards have been dealt<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Burdened with the task,
to ask<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">my slender intellect:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Whether to roam free or
to hide behind a mask,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">to resist or to follow
the vile pursuit of perfect?<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Eyes wide open on a
chilly drizzling night,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I thought of everything
that could be different<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">on the fading brim of the
shallow, yellow light<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">of the grim life that
I've been a resident.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">O you, the lucid and the
understood,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">given as much a say (as
me) in this giant roll:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tell me to what avail;
to what good<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">brings you the
ostracization of a soul?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Be what it may, the
cards have been dealt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">of what exists, oh they
are, but not what could be felt.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kgGzJFEkNs-wAXvD3xC0EjpMaUa11u6WXRwE-FvZVS_dBf4aEpYUQoVaM_ofDhvU_TYxSY2B4qa5DVSahdbNrdoJUyD75VSm48sK7SRKzFICc8q8XWYtzI6yFxgrclq6ivXwMub99lh6/s1600/5263278-lonely-images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="1024" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8kgGzJFEkNs-wAXvD3xC0EjpMaUa11u6WXRwE-FvZVS_dBf4aEpYUQoVaM_ofDhvU_TYxSY2B4qa5DVSahdbNrdoJUyD75VSm48sK7SRKzFICc8q8XWYtzI6yFxgrclq6ivXwMub99lh6/s400/5263278-lonely-images.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy : http://www.lanlinglaurel.com</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-78321572024754604872017-08-05T03:37:00.004-07:002017-08-05T03:37:53.902-07:00LOVE IN THE TIME OF CSR<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">It
has been our experience at<i> </i>Advitya,
that whenever we are graced with a gratuitous visit from some curious
souls, they never leave without a hopeful smile and an overwhelming urgency to
feel grateful for the wonderful gift of life. That, without a doubt, has to be
the answer to the well-intended question we get asked frequently: <i>What motivates you to keep doing a thankless
job, often riddled with severe hurdles? <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Therefore, naturally, whenever we receive letters from our
visitors recounting their experience with us and how it was almost
transcendental to see the world through the lens of a special person, we feel
as though every hurdle on the way was worth it. We can't thank those enough who
keep rejuvenating our love for what we do and express solidarity with our
cause. Words truly do possess the power to change the life of people, if not
the world itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Recently, we received a heartfelt letter written by <i>Anita Mascarenhas</i> in which she
wrote meticulously about her day with the students of Advitya. She came here
along with a group of well-wishers from <i>Johnson & Johnson </i>as
a part of a CSR program. In the letter we received via email,
she writes, <b><i>"We all
had a very humbling and an amazing experience which has filled our hearts with
gratitude for the simple things in life that we usually overlook."</i></b><i>
</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">We sincerely thank Anita and her team for choosing to spend their
precious time with our students. Nobody can know how far reaching are the
ripples of love and friendship in our lives. All we can do is keep initiating
them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk70Lv78FzyT_yikf-8NA_OroAHyJOTKJNSauSx788wdtbE9hx5dn5BUWHoshHuh00UPSM_B-nbBJE6XFnJQxFnZSQs3nemULaS6TLYhuYevzuih3LxMGp7OUSKCHPM-O6X6p3TK93hwE5/s1600/Hands-gratitude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk70Lv78FzyT_yikf-8NA_OroAHyJOTKJNSauSx788wdtbE9hx5dn5BUWHoshHuh00UPSM_B-nbBJE6XFnJQxFnZSQs3nemULaS6TLYhuYevzuih3LxMGp7OUSKCHPM-O6X6p3TK93hwE5/s400/Hands-gratitude.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Photo
courtesy - https://www.aspireforsuccess.com/gratitude-benefit-for-you-career/<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-24103720504471407052017-07-31T05:36:00.003-07:002017-07-31T05:36:49.650-07:00The 5 Cardinal Rules of Social Entrepreneurship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 13.5pt;">Some of us fancy corporate jobs, some of us dream of employment
stability, some of us are go-getters with gypsy hearts and then there are a
bunch of us who find our calling in changing the world. While it is a daunting
task, it is immensely gratifying as well. Most of us learn the tricks of the
trade through formal training or hearsay, but what no one tells us are the
obvious things – those that we learn only through experience. In our 17 long
years, we at Advitya have learned things the hard way - we’re glad that we did –
and it is our duty to share them with those who wish to embark upon a road less
traveled. Here we enlist the 5 cardinal rules of social entrepreneurship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">1. <i>Have a specific goal.</i> It may be tempting to try your hand at
multiple causes at once but that will only lead to diffusion of your focus and
motivation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">2. <i>Pick something that matters a lot to you</i>. If you are looking to
build something that really matters, it is really important to be single minded
in your pursuit. That is possible only when you truly care about the cause and
are willing to go through hell to make it work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">3. <i>Get all your legal work and registrations done</i>. Having good
intentions is necessary but not sufficient to bring about a social change. A
good company is built on a robust system. Therefore it is imperative that you
get your legal and managerial matters into order.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">4. <i>Take criticism constructively</i>. Understand that this is a thankless
job for the most part. The world is full of armchair activists who will always
have an opinion. Hear them out with an open mind, pick the good apples and
leave the rest to rot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">5. <i>Don't be in your own way</i>. Remember that your personal desires will
always be outweighed by the welfare of your company/firm/centre. Keep the
bigger picture in mind and never let the whims and egos of individuals
obfuscate your ultimate vision. Know what matters<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzinI12LCNteWKCHy5kx_mmgiInIDIW6oNiF70lN3OF9XbE8IslHt5JA_VKMDHcZ1QlFKK7XhY6hqpX2K9KWFkcMNj450pCB6jjWwaHt8I1Z-65-O57WSwL4KBSDTvZyCFU5xDswSo3sGJ/s1600/SE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="822" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzinI12LCNteWKCHy5kx_mmgiInIDIW6oNiF70lN3OF9XbE8IslHt5JA_VKMDHcZ1QlFKK7XhY6hqpX2K9KWFkcMNj450pCB6jjWwaHt8I1Z-65-O57WSwL4KBSDTvZyCFU5xDswSo3sGJ/s640/SE.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Photo
courtesy : https://assets.entrepreneur.com<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-34025613423868749452017-07-28T23:28:00.001-07:002017-07-28T23:28:19.587-07:00THE WORLD WILL SAVE ITSELF<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">The world we find ourselves in today is
one giant unhappy family. Our collective conscience has been a silent witness
to countless disheartening stories of human estrangement. This brutal truth is
sometimes veiled by our pride in the fact that our overall standard of living
has elevated remarkably in the past few centuries. We feel like there are
better and more things in the world to strive towards than ever before. Even
better than surrounding ourselves with people who love us for who we are. Where
does the evolutionary need to nurture relationships with members of our tribe,
or to take good care of our environment, map on today's increasingly insulating
desires of “a better life”? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">This is not a criticism of our desire to
be happy, of course. We wouldn't exist if we didn't want to be happy. But at
what point do we question the negotiations we make every day in reconciling our
needs with those of the supposed strangers who surround us? Should I look into
my neighbor's bowl to see if he has more than my family does or, to see if he
has enough? No matter how we approach these questions in the course our daily
lives, our denial of any responsibility we have towards the well-being of the
"outsider" has lead us to this state of indifference. In the modern
society, this selfish tendency has also engendered the notion that charity and
selfless service is for those who are absurdly rich and are now looking for
something to fill their time with. As if it is inconsequential how you treat
others while you pursue your individual happiness; and once you finally achieve
it, you are free to contribute to the enterprise of making the world a better
place in your spare time.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It couldn't be more lucid how a general
lack of compassion and partisanship has contributed towards driving the project
of building a truly inclusive society into ground. The only reliable way to
make amends is by starting on an individual level, wherever you are and however
you are. We have to develop our sense of empathy to see the misery of those
living in abject poverty, to hear the wails of those who are denied justice at
every turn on the road and to feel the emptiness of those who are subjugated
for being different. You don't have to think about the entire world to save it.
Just have the courage to see the humanity of that one person in need in front
of you and do the right thing for the sake of it. <i><b>The world will
eventually save itself.</b></i></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0tJKee0DIfH1ObIZsab4baZsTomMNO9pOnjnszq2m66URHsYt9huDZfGj0AZH5SQtxAQsK0w7-7IzjVPOuk1HlXxoQLoQyoOyy1BRJ49ACWozv2vtDD4-kVIbOZEzTDrJ8Bwx-tAO3D7/s1600/img_2859-balloons-in-the-sky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="774" data-original-width="1600" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0tJKee0DIfH1ObIZsab4baZsTomMNO9pOnjnszq2m66URHsYt9huDZfGj0AZH5SQtxAQsK0w7-7IzjVPOuk1HlXxoQLoQyoOyy1BRJ49ACWozv2vtDD4-kVIbOZEzTDrJ8Bwx-tAO3D7/s640/img_2859-balloons-in-the-sky.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Photo courtesy : </span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">https://huttsatwork.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/img_2859-balloons-in-the-sky.jpg</span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div>
</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-77638939250298270552013-05-14T02:28:00.000-07:002013-05-14T02:28:10.842-07:00She is special, she will always be<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpS7esyboo_R9-ObnT_YxSRtOrSYWInUjOisTc_TWrNq1fIzq6iy7Xyyn51ZxgSX5vUAWb41SPSafWFC960uOaTU7CaacR2vM6zM5gPnJFiBoSaF5WCtJNECZ9xmuPSq9HNPb5rSj9aTm/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpS7esyboo_R9-ObnT_YxSRtOrSYWInUjOisTc_TWrNq1fIzq6iy7Xyyn51ZxgSX5vUAWb41SPSafWFC960uOaTU7CaacR2vM6zM5gPnJFiBoSaF5WCtJNECZ9xmuPSq9HNPb5rSj9aTm/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Born healthy but otherwise, this little girl was tagged
‘abnormal’ by the conservative society. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But it is said that Mothers are God’s
way of inhabiting the human world. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She fought every glare, every savage attempt
of hostility aimed at her demure ‘special’ daughter who bore the brunt of being
a Down’s Syndrome. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With a hole in her heart that won’t ever heal, her family
has wrapped her in arms of love and tears of warmth; for all they know not is
when it will be her last. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But before she goes, she will dance to a tune and
sing a melody that will resound in hearts for the remainder of a lifetime.</div>
</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-63618845631572745572013-05-10T00:11:00.000-07:002013-05-10T00:11:01.908-07:00In pursuit of happiness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrw_mgz8g3RtxKsPva-wdJjjEACNZjTOPdjD_ljOwXLq0ZQM3utMmPzhOVhIvYmGLGsffz66xUFKZGAOTJnxwwGBEDmpwjMf6hcVC_KOBJ2a4rISaJ-DeOA2ZDAsQBAf_AOSb3chKpudB/s1600/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrw_mgz8g3RtxKsPva-wdJjjEACNZjTOPdjD_ljOwXLq0ZQM3utMmPzhOVhIvYmGLGsffz66xUFKZGAOTJnxwwGBEDmpwjMf6hcVC_KOBJ2a4rISaJ-DeOA2ZDAsQBAf_AOSb3chKpudB/s320/18.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He often wonders why other
children laugh at him as he walks down the street. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One diwali, the lights and
sounds of firecrackers sparked off a string of reactions in him and for the
first time in 18 years violence gave way. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He badgered his mother, but she
believes that it didn't hurt that bad – a mother’s divine manifestation that
passes off unexplained. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He punishes himself to hunger when he realizes his
unruly behaviour and prays to meet daddy who is away in another country,
earning for his family. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He dreams of going there someday, to earn like daddy
and meet Abu in the grave – his cousin who passed away in war.</div>
</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-25770373825437975572013-05-07T03:24:00.002-07:002013-05-07T03:24:33.093-07:00Walking on love<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97_jaHcT2KPjRnPWeQB3V33Va-bbrYZsdZcV5a8lwGt_ENQsz6XHw0fdpFX6_751KcY_J8F7syUNdUkhm4NbIWcWR-8lyMl9M9H5MQJO__xgJVVJUM27QlQHtqdQnDSNHr9AOsY7eULav/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97_jaHcT2KPjRnPWeQB3V33Va-bbrYZsdZcV5a8lwGt_ENQsz6XHw0fdpFX6_751KcY_J8F7syUNdUkhm4NbIWcWR-8lyMl9M9H5MQJO__xgJVVJUM27QlQHtqdQnDSNHr9AOsY7eULav/s320/14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
She was born crippled because the doctor was on a vacation
and the cesarean had to wait; crutches grew to become her only friends.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her
younger brother emulated her faulty walking style and eventually conditioned
his mind and body to behave in that manner. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her sister is angry and filled with
vengeance because her ‘special’ siblings took away all the love and attention
that were rightfully hers. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She has been kept away from her siblings because the
doctor believes her to have had an adverse effect on both of them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the
helpless despise of her mother, she drags her feet along the abandoned lanes of
loneliness in the hope of some acceptance.</div>
</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-52485734483814091612013-05-03T00:24:00.001-07:002013-05-03T00:24:57.695-07:00Lost in the ashes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KVJeUPxzfCpO_tY5sr5ZhMpQAIds5Y4gHATT2EOCBsgvzqZKbW0Z-WFVxHkMniUBJrJuRDMvpM_y8tVuZSzoyY9w7awvgs3mQnIHaibzzx0X5tpeT6wCYbQ320z6_29rSsbO5QNEOdN6/s1600/19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KVJeUPxzfCpO_tY5sr5ZhMpQAIds5Y4gHATT2EOCBsgvzqZKbW0Z-WFVxHkMniUBJrJuRDMvpM_y8tVuZSzoyY9w7awvgs3mQnIHaibzzx0X5tpeT6wCYbQ320z6_29rSsbO5QNEOdN6/s320/19.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He is proud because he can travel all alone, showing the bus
conductor a slip with the names of the bus stops he needs to get down at. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He
deals with glaring eyes and peculiar reactions with nothing but an innocent
smile. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He has suffered a heart attack but still puts up a brave front in the
face of reality – his brain damage that has deterred him from leading a life
that he could have had otherwise. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This 6 feet tall boy-man will hug you like a
kindergarten baby – he cries and complains like one too. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But in a family filled
with highly educated and accomplished ‘normal’ people, will this bespectacled,
balding 50 year old special boy ever prove his worth?</div>
</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-23145055418711019102013-04-24T00:20:00.004-07:002013-04-24T00:29:38.266-07:00Unfolding destiny<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFgFK40WT501-C80QVSrsAiVESSp2gkeXvYnuuQIpSo5BJcPke5cnZyFiZuvatehOI2gf5OudteaCF7NL7btLdWsQRZBAg2Cx3KTZnTnlrV1rfWoFL7HyitnsqJlI2k9fwU1Lyy-KJ9za/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFgFK40WT501-C80QVSrsAiVESSp2gkeXvYnuuQIpSo5BJcPke5cnZyFiZuvatehOI2gf5OudteaCF7NL7btLdWsQRZBAg2Cx3KTZnTnlrV1rfWoFL7HyitnsqJlI2k9fwU1Lyy-KJ9za/s320/16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">At
the time of child birth, I </span><span style="line-height: 17px;">couldn't</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> find her twin sister’s head and so
mistakenly lifted her upside down; water gushing to her head. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Stillborn, she
was revived but paid a price all her life for she was never normal again. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When
her father died, she bid his coffin goodbye – a loving goodbye to an alcoholic
who beat her up day in and day out. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Her sister missed 2 years of school to
raise her twin – taught her to walk, talk, eat and loved her till the world’s
end. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">She has finally lost her fight against a fatal disease but her songs and
laughter echo in her soft-toyed room and in my guilt that will always hold me.</span></span></div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-55986716246408527262013-04-18T23:02:00.002-07:002013-04-18T23:02:11.685-07:00The sound of music<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1AZH4J6KBbNzh-z0SAjzlK_p-MXsnoZ9g7cLBFYTfXJJ97AR4a-BImOH97IbCI5yBrCfisf4NoCXXj_JK50t4JFkXeDZ4scxcxA-_4f-0D82PkI2ND3qhid3B0PDmyibRa3nNKqn03cy/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1AZH4J6KBbNzh-z0SAjzlK_p-MXsnoZ9g7cLBFYTfXJJ97AR4a-BImOH97IbCI5yBrCfisf4NoCXXj_JK50t4JFkXeDZ4scxcxA-_4f-0D82PkI2ND3qhid3B0PDmyibRa3nNKqn03cy/s320/7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On a gloomy day as they sit seeing the pitter patter of the
rain, they wish they could reverse their son’s 20 odd years. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His parents have
dodged all odds to raise their speechless, differently abled son who can only
converse in gestures and faint sounds. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mockery has always haunted him, yet he
braves it all to prove that happiness transcends words and language. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His story
is that of a struggle which is internal to his being and his family’s
expectations of their first son. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They are still seeing the pitter patter of the
rain and wishing to reverse their son’s 20 odd years; and then they see him
dancing in the same wet rain, miming a happy song in his eyes.</div>
</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-12323102843025040472013-04-05T03:29:00.001-07:002013-04-05T03:29:46.172-07:00A lost fable<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqdY7rK3m-7Rkgnn9ziMp24BNrEo9YKfPq7ltNj0utZlxNfBdpB-FkZsGTpTlhb1mZHPVeEhl3YGvAdb2FGrHqv05QxAiUCPb6XY_hv1LVw9bzblsr1XAE-TlSjbvveVBEBBQ5sh4KpAm/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqdY7rK3m-7Rkgnn9ziMp24BNrEo9YKfPq7ltNj0utZlxNfBdpB-FkZsGTpTlhb1mZHPVeEhl3YGvAdb2FGrHqv05QxAiUCPb6XY_hv1LVw9bzblsr1XAE-TlSjbvveVBEBBQ5sh4KpAm/s320/10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was their most cherished ‘special’ gift after their first
child passed away; he lived a fable until the dreadful day when daddy’s hand
slipped from his and went straight to heaven, taking mummy along. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At 2 in the
morning his window sill was wet with tears as he said ‘daddy will come now’. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But there’s no one to tell him that daddy won’t come. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He stood looking at the
hospital screaming ‘mummy mummy’ till his sister pulled him away saying ‘she’s
not there anymore’. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Are coffins really buried this deep?</div>
</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-36566503638252632572013-03-29T23:26:00.002-07:002013-03-29T23:26:12.007-07:00That place called Peace<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEozjumIeSxmKPjUBX6TmSugoquZWGhpxNQrsaqEl5Jd61W6zqmi74KHGwsRAuCgUzFnynt9R65YDGAVGggNOw3lxXYjxMTl04DkC8hbcFxeJ6rCCiNfJYirplYx4e2rRrP2ZsRGzvMh3Z/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEozjumIeSxmKPjUBX6TmSugoquZWGhpxNQrsaqEl5Jd61W6zqmi74KHGwsRAuCgUzFnynt9R65YDGAVGggNOw3lxXYjxMTl04DkC8hbcFxeJ6rCCiNfJYirplYx4e2rRrP2ZsRGzvMh3Z/s320/7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The forceps-bearer crushed my son’s brain’s nerves when he
came into this world and it paralyzed my dream of motherhood. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We tried teaching
him the ABCD and 1234 in vain, so we sent him to a place for different ones
like him; but it worsened his condition. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He understands his traumas and blames me
for sending him away, away from the warmth of a mother’s bosom. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He wants to
marry and have a family like his siblings do, but time won’t heal the face of
reality – the brain damage he suffered 27 years ago. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can hear his words that
lay buried deep down in a frustrated heart that has only suffered all along and
all I can do is pray for his life to be shorter than mine so that I can see his
peace before I see mine.</div>
</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-30223583760586767272013-03-26T00:35:00.000-07:002013-03-26T00:35:12.754-07:00The duty of imagination<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBeKP724kAoL5PNP7wXRBhHxxrGS565pWC8hI3KVfvSMG1u-xjFybkIuz5mnd4QvxBi3SVM4UtId4AB5Bk9XNNQlLilCAgC0XWKehat7EjTFqc0s629FmkGkkWDenzG0L4Wfe-eO-1xiz/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBeKP724kAoL5PNP7wXRBhHxxrGS565pWC8hI3KVfvSMG1u-xjFybkIuz5mnd4QvxBi3SVM4UtId4AB5Bk9XNNQlLilCAgC0XWKehat7EjTFqc0s629FmkGkkWDenzG0L4Wfe-eO-1xiz/s320/13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mother protects me from everything that is the world,
because I became what I am due to her pre-delivery fever. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I have friends
whom I play with and talk to, they really exist – somewhere in my head and they
even tell me about their families. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tutors came home to teach me after I left
school, but I didn’t understand them; my fingers are stiff and I cannot do
anything on my own now. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have a ‘parivaar’ – my husband is a doctor and I have
2 pretty daughters who are just like me – they really are there, in my head. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My
dreams are beyond this lifetime, they are more than what you can imagine – they
are etched in my head, in my dreamland.</div>
</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-2239662877740049182013-03-21T00:27:00.000-07:002013-03-21T00:27:03.355-07:00Betrayed Humanity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3JTBx07e39-hx7UI6qbdykpOyZ-OX2ZRhbVqFKq8lETMcCrz9sCiq87k122JIFkUDktAXOwTMr6XhqcZW2r7MyghKzjgxXA7kJJMJaDGeuwqi7wx8xdAMjzDq2Upwbp7snsoKo82CFlW/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_3JTBx07e39-hx7UI6qbdykpOyZ-OX2ZRhbVqFKq8lETMcCrz9sCiq87k122JIFkUDktAXOwTMr6XhqcZW2r7MyghKzjgxXA7kJJMJaDGeuwqi7wx8xdAMjzDq2Upwbp7snsoKo82CFlW/s320/11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">He </span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">didn't</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> give his 10th grade exams because a little before that a group of rogue
boys assaulted him in ways that will always be a mystery. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">He succumbed to the
mental trauma and the doctors spelled him as ‘a case of severe retardation’. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">His father died of the shock and left his mother to fend for herself and their special son. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">He echoes the names of his assaulters, undergoes shock treatments
and has lost the will to live. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">He is not God’s gift like most other special
ones, but a blemished residue of profanely betrayed humanity.</span></div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-52292773989521333822013-03-18T01:45:00.000-07:002013-03-18T01:45:37.513-07:00Count your blessings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkTcF_f7WLsOTWRbHA0yzZBi6NUWZPJxanLjMgsvnaEFnomCaTRvHy271DOS73FAXK5QJQ_U54TcVLiTHl92uxU-BJsinln3vRwQfT6movYaP8NA_gb6mAo5tOj7lvYFJh24eLv8nSiG2/s1600/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkTcF_f7WLsOTWRbHA0yzZBi6NUWZPJxanLjMgsvnaEFnomCaTRvHy271DOS73FAXK5QJQ_U54TcVLiTHl92uxU-BJsinln3vRwQfT6movYaP8NA_gb6mAo5tOj7lvYFJh24eLv8nSiG2/s320/15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am my father’s princess and my mother’s angel, one of the
very few special ones who has gotten her due in society. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I have suffered
for way too long for I am a stubborn kind. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I will scratch my skin till it
scrapes, pull at my earlobes till they tear open, bleed and hurt myself in ways
unimaginable only so that I can get all your attention. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And once I have it, you
will be mesmerized by me – ‘cute’ ‘doll’ ‘cuddly’- you will call me all this
and more. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My smile reflects the vibrancy of a rainbow and with each passing day
the palette only grows to be more colourful – I am the one in your blessings, I
am special!</div>
</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-69536513836015226112013-03-15T01:36:00.000-07:002013-03-15T01:36:06.217-07:00Blood brothers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can’t style my hair the way he does nor ride the bike like
him neither can I get a kiss from my dad like he does. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But mom loves my
dishevelled hair, abrasive walk and toothless smile because we both are hers
alike. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He gets angry and throws things at me and says words like ‘mad’ ‘mental’
‘curse’, none of which I understand. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mom cries a lot, but don’t worry mom, one
day when he scratches me he will also get some Dettol to dab my wound like I
kiss his forehead when he is deep asleep. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love my small brother in ways that
are different than how other boys love their small brothers; it is love
nevertheless.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYvNkNrRuYgpiE1sNgdCr5gifUdlDUEWYQZSriYnRDKWlXADSUPIseyWinsVGgJPb_KR2prhjha_Yxhg_z5s8ye9AEROAyRhjZhVmlM0eeDYTuzLqU7E1azqgKr7HhH1Fb-YAClGtX9u-/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYvNkNrRuYgpiE1sNgdCr5gifUdlDUEWYQZSriYnRDKWlXADSUPIseyWinsVGgJPb_KR2prhjha_Yxhg_z5s8ye9AEROAyRhjZhVmlM0eeDYTuzLqU7E1azqgKr7HhH1Fb-YAClGtX9u-/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-20474974190247840972013-03-09T02:29:00.000-08:002013-03-09T02:29:00.819-08:00Words are all I want<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">She sings her 6 month old niece a silent
lullaby, snapping her fingers waiting for the words to come out; but they
won’t. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">They never did in all these years. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Her family thinks she can do nothing
and she has come to believe this because although she sits doing nothing, deep
in her head she understands what they say. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">But now she goes to school and gets
a salary and she wants to buy shoes, clothes, cars and the moon; she does – her
niece knows. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">She tells this to her infant companion in the hope that one day
words might just spurt out of her mouth by mistake, until then the finger
snapping lullaby continues.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7zn9zO9bXqet8faZa4I-OPHmW6QNcVG6p1TNL8YF5Billm7MnDGIBgY-qzH7KvVAXmdfuvqHnFU60rWBUYJaSGOLNiv6n7bgGhozX8tdcKmi5oClyxC9065RsR1VucVoDViDkT4EG-Rc/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7zn9zO9bXqet8faZa4I-OPHmW6QNcVG6p1TNL8YF5Billm7MnDGIBgY-qzH7KvVAXmdfuvqHnFU60rWBUYJaSGOLNiv6n7bgGhozX8tdcKmi5oClyxC9065RsR1VucVoDViDkT4EG-Rc/s320/6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-58115528158946545222013-03-06T22:51:00.000-08:002013-03-06T22:51:05.182-08:00Tin Soldier<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqs5XKKHCCl8hUrUgrizuEXTb_c2su3rbi8XenLBhsMsSw0bZJGK6S1SubEjxN1Dns8cpDvwv1JGS47mDFSKfQuKQzW-IqviYEeWnyQiWlUEhrhgCJ5bR4rQnULvRSgooWKvZ1bzoIHLOq/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqs5XKKHCCl8hUrUgrizuEXTb_c2su3rbi8XenLBhsMsSw0bZJGK6S1SubEjxN1Dns8cpDvwv1JGS47mDFSKfQuKQzW-IqviYEeWnyQiWlUEhrhgCJ5bR4rQnULvRSgooWKvZ1bzoIHLOq/s320/2.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Physically crippled and mentally just a little weak – that’s
how his parents describe him every time they go looking for a job for him. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But
these words are enough to elicit a response filled with flak and rejection
for the boy on crutches. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He now goes to a school, where he has been told that
he is employed and this little lie has made the world of a difference to him. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He now earns and has learned to believe in himself and his dreams. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He also
believes in the miracle that one day he will let go off the crutches and run
past all those who held him back, held back the tin soldier.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-27570468007178478372013-03-04T21:59:00.001-08:002013-03-04T21:59:37.225-08:00Pain but no agony<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I stumbled into a proposal of treachery and lies and they
got me married to the special man, as you call him. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My heart winced at the
debauchery, but when I saw him I knew he had to be taken care of. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Life partner,
romance, marriage – all these are alien to him; he is no more than a small boy
in the mind. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So here I am, mothering my special husband in ways that the world
will never know, whilst my rightful role of a wife takes a backseat. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He isn't my prince charming on a white horse who will fill my world with the sun, moon
and the stars; but I continue to serve him as God's blessing, for I believe
he is my frog prince.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-12592788746692114662013-02-28T21:40:00.003-08:002013-02-28T21:40:46.407-08:00Eluding sorrow with pangs of joy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcunAw40okSpFzMWf_uygaSAmnznkURyAX9WIrnHf8tmO4x5xUrFzjSqENDr5qhawDB5GCfhpLkAMhshXgJN_TturoCCxQCwCRCBLOh1DT4JDv4von-uNDs09TlojNyHM07pAo5u2Pp2vt/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcunAw40okSpFzMWf_uygaSAmnznkURyAX9WIrnHf8tmO4x5xUrFzjSqENDr5qhawDB5GCfhpLkAMhshXgJN_TturoCCxQCwCRCBLOh1DT4JDv4von-uNDs09TlojNyHM07pAo5u2Pp2vt/s320/12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
He
saw his cousins tying up his mother’s<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> body bef</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ore they placed her on the pyre and</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
blames them for it even today</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">-
he is still angry with them.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But he eludes this melancholy with fun and mischief, he finds solace in them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">He suffers from </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">kleptomania</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">-</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> a</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">n irresistible impulse to
steal in the</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
absence of any economic motive; he </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">stealthily picks up
particular things he is fond of</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> -
soaps, cassettes, money and the likes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">From deflating car tyres to
incomprehensible idiosyncratic gestures, this special boy is chasing every ray
of light that can bring him happiness. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">His mother’s memory holds him up there,
between the rays, till he can hold them in his palms.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929236174489390522.post-21419020528429852342013-02-25T02:12:00.002-08:002013-02-25T02:12:12.894-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Buried graves</span></b></h2>
<div>
<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He touches his forehead to mine for that’s his way of
expressing love. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He laughs a lot, dances like no one’s watching and tunelessly
sings the perfect lyrics. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But dad has taken him away from us to another city
for reasons best known to him. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dad left him back with us, but he doesn't talk
anymore, nor does he smile; he only stammers broken sentences. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">His scars say a
lot but he is silent – what dad and the other city did to my younger brother
will always be buried in a grave that we will never be able to find.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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advitya.speakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06234882211776354438noreply@blogger.com1