Dear so-called 'token' girl, When you look around and you find you are the only girl in the room where important discussion are being held and decisions are being made, I want you to remember these seven things: First : Congratulations for making it there! You know it better than anyone else that it has not been easy. Second : Do not let anyone undermine your presence, your effort and your success. More importantly… do not undermine your own presence, your own effort and your own success. Some of those who have always been in that room, will feed on the slightest of your self-doubt and use it to tell you why either you do not deserve to be here, or you are here because you were lucky, or worse, you are here because someone in the room was too kind. Third : I hate to say it because it is a massive responsibility but you do represent the rest of us who could not join you there. Hence, I implore you to stand your ground, let your voice be heard and do not be afraid of ...
Human brain likes to be ‘aware’. It wants to be able to say ‘Yeah, I know this. I have seen this before.’ Hence, when it perceives something new, it immediately wants to label it based on something it has previously experienced. It wants to know where to ‘file’ this new information - wanting to classify into different boxes which can be pulled from the attic when needed. Now, when the brain doesn’t know what to do with a piece of new information it either files it under the already existing boxes in it or tries to create a new box. I think as we grow up, our ability to create these new boxes keeps diminishing. As new- borns, when we open our eyes, everything is classified under ‘new’ or ‘weird’ or ‘ what the fuck was that?’, and then gradually we start creating more boxes: ‘food’, ‘mommy’, ‘safe’, ‘scary’… As we grow up we keep creating more and more boxes by labeling information we process. We develop boxes of ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’, ‘stuff I know for sure’, and then slowl...
Last night, I headed to the Swami Haridas-Tansen Sangeet Nritya Mahotsav (an annual Indian classical music and dance festival). With zero knowledge/understanding of Indian classical music, I found a seat, not knowing what to expect. I was there primarily to listen to Anoushka Shankar but ended up witnessing legends such as Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Channulal Mishra in all their glory. This is not a review of their performances (which I am thoroughly incapable of) but of how it became a lesson in humility. The hall started filling fast, with people sitting on the floor and the stairs all around. Tens of people were left standing, when something unexpected happened: The organizers (led by Uma Sharma) decided to allow audience to sit on the stage and laid out rugs for people to sit! In my concert-going experience, this is the first time I had seen this happening. Of course, the situation was mildly chaotic as those already settled also made a beeline for the stage, but...
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