Ludicrous Mind Ramblings

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The Way You’ve Changed Me

Humans always resist change; it’s an instinctive thing. But sometimes something happens that forces a natural change in the way we perceive and pursue our lives. It may be true love, a near-death experience, or just an awakening of one’s trapped soul through a poignant or traumatic experience. It may sound rather obnoxious, but the latter works well for the betterment of many lives. Are you happy? Are you living the life you’ve always dreamed of? If you were to die today, would you be contented with the life you’ve led? Most people would answer no to all of the above questions, not because they lead an incongruous or miserable life, but simply because we’ve been taught to aspire to more than what would satisfy our basic needs, with happiness promised to come along the way. As kids we were taught of humility, kindness, acceptance and appreciation. As we grew older, we learnt of the importance of dreams and higher aspirations, and that being happy translated into being better tha

The Social Media Revolution of Egypt

The first ever use of social media to induce a political movement in Egypt was the call made in 2008 for a public strike on the 6th of April. The Facebook-instigated strike was to protest against the rise in the cost of bread, amongst other basic commodities. The Facebook group of April 6 Youth Movement attracted around 70,000 members from across the nation and calls were supported through Twitter, SMS’s, blogs and word-of-mouth. Police forces managed to disperse protestors in a matter of hours, and the episode failed to achieve any results other than the detaining of its organisers and central supporters. In the years to follow, Egyptians resorted to the freedom that digital media provided to compensate for the civil freedoms they lacked under the totalitarian regime that subjugated every liberty to be had. The Egyptian state had diminished freedoms and civil rights by means of censorship, oppression and the unprecedented use of brutal force under the unending Emergency

Days of Courtship

Being an avid reader of time-honoured literature and pre-contemporary works, I have spent days and nights living the stories told by the legendary Jane Austen and playing the arbitrator in Louisa May Alcott’s infamous trilogy. I must confess that I had been most profoundly captivated by the magic of the letters between Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning during the early years of their courtship. The letters that were devotedly passionate yet inscribed with utmost humility. Mind you, this is not a historical literature lesson. It’s no more than a momentary look at what I believe to be the world’s greatest courtship in literature. Robert Browning was fascinated by Elizabeth’s poems and eminence as one of the greatest poets of the Victorian era. In his very first letter to her, Robert wrote: I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett, ---and this is no off-hand complimentary letter that I shall write, ---whatever else, no prompt matter-of-course recognition of your g

A Desolate Heart

In the luring midnight gust A restive being heaves a sigh A sigh of love, a sigh of lust Bereavement seeming too well-nigh Bereavement needed much to-night And by the break of dawn ‘tis right To mourn the hours of the night That held that being captive of A heart so fond yet desolate!

Words of the Ordinary

It was cold outside and I was curled up on my sofa, sipping on a hot cup of chamomile tea and reading through my oldest collection of poems by William Blake. It must have been the spellbinding words that instigated this unusual feeling inside me. In a matter of seconds, my thoughts had wandered afar and I could feel myself sashaying my way into the mellow clouds. His words were echoing in my ears and mind. No, they weren’t the soft words of Blake. They weren’t the deep words of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald’s song ‘Heaven’ that was playing in the background. They were prettier words; words that put a smile on my face and brought joy to my heart. They weren’t words of flattery. They were ordinary words that were said in a nothing but ordinary conversation. But they were words from a person who was nothing close to ordinary. A person so inspiring and intriguing; his words so heartening and pleasing.

But Everyone Else Is...

I just turned 26. A year ago I used to shun every possible family conversation that would end in the question "don't you think it's time you got married?" It was mostly my mother and grandmother who would deliberately open the subject in my every presence at family gatherings, grousing about me getting older and musing over stories of family and friends who were my age and had started their own families - some who have even had a child or two! I used to give them that cold look of mine and tell them I'm too busy building a career and that I still haven't found Mr. Perfect. That, I used to truly believe in. Even with my colleagues and friends getting engaged and married, I still had a firm belief in my fairytale that was going to arrive sometime soon. The feeling of me wanting to get married had never crossed my mind. At weddings, I would never even bother to line up for the toss of the bridal bouquet. There was always ample time for me to wait for my prince