Litro Fashionate | English Magazine | June-July 2022

Dear Friends, 10th June, 2022 Warm Greetings to you!

The term ‘Litro Fashionate’ encompasses more than just knowledge and knowing. It is a harmonious blend of Literature, Arts, Sports, Stories, Emotions, Attitudes, Creativity, Fashion, Nature and life it self! And in the world we have built today, the one who is adept in all these areas is the one who succeeds.

I have always believed that, “Excellence is never an accident; it’s al ways the result of high intention, sincere efforts, intelligent direc tion and skilful execution. ” These words of wisdom best describe the present state of the Litro Fashionate.

One of our major achievements of Anuragyam in past year have been our Kalayatra Magazine (Hindi Langauge) which coveres Indian Art, Literature & Culture. We recognize the importance of the magazine initiatives entrusted on us by our readers and we need to ensure that we take special care to meet and exceed their objectives.

Er. Sachin Chaturvedi Founder, Anuragyam

When we pick up an emotion, it is like a piece of puzzle significant in its own special way, pegging holes, completing, fix ing surfacing in a prominent role. Let us not allow anyone to erode our sanctity of thoughts and sanity of mind. Realise the super power that we are nurturing our tenderness, be our tremendous self, let go off all pain and help to heal within. Disallowing any negativity to seep in to our system linger ing in our heart bringing down to slime.

We are the Heroines of our dreams, let us for once own it like a Diva, the world is our stage, creating our own Divine aura proclaiming each nano second of our existence making it worthwhile. Remembering that we are loved, being cared for, understood, cherished and most desirable.

We can breathe Life into anyone with an endearing smile with each passing moment. Be that sunshine, that light drizzle, the after showers, the serenity of dusk, the quietude of the night, the promise of a new dawn, the consoling warm winter sun, be your own inspiration.

When we are the whole galaxy why settle for anything less. The nuclei of everything that surrounds us intensifying, mag nifying amplifying in our inate elegance, irresistible charm, winsome beauty, larger than life attitude.

Be the emotion that one wants to be attached to, unchained melodies one would listen to in a loop. Be the unforgettable warmth of the first hug, the yearning of the first date, the coy ness of the maiden kiss. Believing in ourselves... being everything beautiful that we wish to be, dreaming beyond ponder and yonder.. be the pure that we are, sublime resplendent!

Nidhi Bansal Director, Litro Fashionate Magazine

Mr. Jitesh Khanna

Founder & CEO Saiprastha Promoters Pvt. Ltd. Multi Awardee - Entrepreneur, Writer, Artist, Social Activist, Philanthropist, Author | Motivator | Keynote Speaker

An Entrepreneur with 20 years in a Leadership role in Business. Experienced in all aspects of real estate planning, development and trading, Renewable Energy (Solar Farms). An Effective communicator and a motivator, who identifies and leverage assets in teammates to reach organizational goals.

Mr. Jitesh Khanna has a passion to write & started writing at a very young age as a result now have now become a poet/writer and social media influencer along with an avid blogger. Mr. Jitesh Khanna is a visionary entrepreneur and has a dynamic personality that makes him a distinguished individual.

Being the entrepreneur himself he is an exceptionally talented professional who has over 20+ years of industrial experience in liaising with both individual and corporate clients. He is an entrepreneur whose life revolves Mr. Jitesh Khanna has dedicated his life to philan thropy.

of the Youth

He was interviewed by one of the renowned Educational Media Channel, Edu TV where I shared by thoughts for the youth – “how to perse vere during pandemic, how to succeed in crisis and never lose hope”: Shared his views at United Nations listed event, a conclave celebrating International Youth Day. International participants also joined in from USA, England, Singapore, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Srilanka, Nepal, Afghanistan.

A talk show with Planotech Media House, where I shared my journey as an entrepreneur, shared tips with budding entrepreneurs. We had a detailed Q&A and a surprise fun rapid fire round in the end. Holds an Honorary Position as “Brand Ambassador of Delhi” with Igniting Dreams of Young Minds Foundation. He was featured on CNBC Awaaz Entrepreneur programme, was a chief guest at the inauguration of a new CSR funded facility in a government school.

LIFESTYLE

Young achiever Jitesh Khanna shares his success mantra of life and profes sion

Mr. Jitesh Khanna is a relentless optmist and believes there are no failures in life, only feedback. Also, he abides by the theory – reinvent yourself and keep shifting the goalposts. Mr. Jitesh Khanna is a leading real es tate entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience and offers not just home solutions but also life skills

Being a man of many talents, Mr. Khanna has figured in the list of Young Achievers and is well-known in the realty circles for his innovative & ingenious ways of leading businesses and mentoring his associates. A hard taskmaster in business and a compassionate human being – is what aptly describes him.

Mr. Jitesh remains committed to professional targets but also strives hard to add value to society by involving people in social development pro gramms. He has featured in CNBC Awaaz Entrepreneur programem as a chief guest.

Mr. Jitesh Khanna is heavenly influenced and inspired by Ancient Mystics and Poets like Jalaluddin Rumi, Kabir, Bulleh Shah, Nizar Qabbani and above all by the great Pablo Neruda, poetry he believes is the expression of our humanity. But the greatest influence in my life is my mentor.

His life is fully loaded with achievements, accolades, honors and world-class experiences. For the last 15+ years of his practice, enriched with global vision, Mr. Jitesh looks forward to creating many more innovations that reflect sophistication infused with vitality. He symbolizes the spirit of outstanding achievements & excellence despite his hardships & challenges.

Life lessons by Mr. Jitesh Khanna

‘New-age’ entrepreneur by profession, Mr. Jitesh Khanna is a multi-faceted personality with varied interests. He is a writer, Artist, Educationist, a distinguished Speaker and also a philanthropist.

In the real estate business, he has exploited the notion of solar farms to promote green energy. He is also the recipient of Excellence Award 2020 in Business Excellence category.

Mr. Jitesh is a relentless optimist and believes there are no failures in life, only feedback. Also, he abides by the theory – reinvent yourself and keep shifting the goalposts.

Mr. Jitesh Khanna, says that one should always explore to develop the ‘best version of himself/herself’.

According to him, the best way of exploring one’s true potential is by – reinventing themselves and keep pushing the boundaries.

AWARDS

• Awarded for Outstanding Contribution in Education by Education Excellence Conclave by Ekk Updesh

• Has been designated as a Chief Mentor with SPAA India

• Holds an Honorary Position as “Brand Ambassador of Delhi” with Igniting Dreams of Young Minds Foundation.

• Has won the Philanthropist Award with Shashakt

• HE is a Bonafide Speaker with GRKQSF

• Holds a Professional Membership with Edukosunite

• Has been recently awarded as “The REAL SUPER HERO 2020” by FSIA 2020, for my philanthropist work during Covid 19 Pandemic.

• Awardee of GURUPNISHAD SAM MAN by Charles Walter’s Society for Innovation & Research

‘Transform within to see the change’

Mr. Jitesh Khanna says, “As we progress, we all to see change in lives. But, it’s mostly derived/dependent on others. If we learn to find that change within ourselves, it will be the game changer achievement.”

Sharing his insights from Buddhist ide ology (that he follows), he says that real beauty comes from inner well-being."If we stay cheerful and are at peace in side, we shall stay happy otherwise all that will reflect on body,” he says. Quoting a famous poet, he urges people to stay positive and live in the present.

“When you live in past, you live in grief; When you live in future, you live in anxiety; When you live in present, you have a lot of peace,” says Jitesh Khanna. He always takes a foot forward for activ ities to help mankind. He is an active part of all the major program for the betterment for humanity as believes in adding value to society by involving in many social programs and youth development activities.

He has been Imparting knowledge, mentoring sessions and he is working towards this by providing entrepreneurship Programs to the youth and professionals.

Justifying Criminalisation of

Throughout the history of most societ ies, it has been acceptable for men to force their wives to have intercourse against their will. The traditional definition of rape in most countries was ‘sexual intercourse with a female not his wife without her consent’. This provided the husband with an exemption from prosecution for raping their wives—“a license to rape”.

The foundation of this exemption can be traced back to statements made by Sir Matthew Hale, Chief Justice in 17th Century England. Lord Hale wrote that : ‘the husband cannot be guilty of rape committed by himself upon his lawful wife, for by their mutual consent and contract, the wife hath given up herself this kind unto her husband which she cannot retract.’

The tenets of the marital rape exemption were based on the notion of ‘irrevocable implied consent’. As per this notion, once a woman is married to a man, there is believed to be implied consent to sexual intercourse, which is irrevoca ble in nature.

The other traditional justifications for the marital

exemption were the common law doctrines that a woman was the property of her husband and that the legal existence of the woman was ‘incor porated and consolidated into that of a husband.’

PREVIOUS JURISPRUDENCE

In the case of State of Maharashtra v. Madhkar Narayan , the Supreme Court ruled that every woman has the right to her sexual privacy, and that no one has the authority to violate such private at any time.

The Supreme Court, in the landmark de cision of Vishakha v. State of Rajasthan , extend ed this right of privacy to working situations as well. In a similar vein, we may deduce that even inside a marriage, there is a right to privacy when it comes to sexual relationships.

The Kerala High Court held in Sree Kumar vs. Pearly Karun that the offence under Section 376A of the IPC will not be prosecuted because the spouse is not living independently from her husband under a declaration of partition or any custom or use, regardless of the possibility that

she is subjected to sex by her better half without her consent. In this case, the spouse was forced to have sex against her will by her husband when she went to live with him for two days as part of a settlement of separation proceedings between the two parties. As a result, the spouse was found not guilty of raping his wife, despite the fact that he had done so.

The judiciary appears to have completely abandoned the notion that rape inside marriage is unfeasible or that a woman’s shame from as sault may be cleansed by marrying the perpetra tor.

The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act of 2005 was approved in 2005, and while it did not make marital rape a felony, it did make it a type of domestic violence. If a woman has been the victim of marital rape, she can go to court and obtain judicial separation from her husband under this Act. However, the same does not completely insulate women from the effects of crime.

EXISTENT LEGAL POSITION

Sexual intercourse by the husband is not rape when the lady is married and not less than fifteen years old, according to Indian law, exemption to section 375, IPC. Prior to the 2013 change to the IPC, when the wife was between the ages of 12 and 15, the punishment was dramatically lowered, and may have been up to two years in prison or a fine. Only when the wife was under the age of 12 was it considered rape.

The 2013 amendment removed this phrase, but did not acknowledge the idea of mar ital rape, opting to stick with the previous legal framework. It is important to note that the Justice Verma Committee Report suggested that the IPC’s marital rape exception be repealed. The acceptance of the notion of primacy and suprem acy of the husband’s right over that of the wife, even though she is much below the legal age of marriage, is a unique feature of Indian law. The legal implication of not recognising forceful in tercourse with a minor wife (between the ages of 15 and 18) as rape is that similar intercourse

with an adult wife is not considered marital rape at all.

The sole case in which the law intervenes is in the case of legally separated spouses who are not living together under section 376-B of the Indian Penal Code, and the great majority of marital rape falls beyond the scope of the law. In the Haree Mohan Mythee case, the court conclud ed that a husband does not have an unfettered right to enjoy his wife’s person without consider ation for her safety. According to this ruling, the only time the law recognises an infringement on a husband’s fundamental right to sexual inter course is when it becomes exceedingly harmful to the woman owing to bodily disease or other serious repercussions such as death.

As a result, no attempt has been made under Indian law to provide even a semblance of protection to a married woman’s right to bodily or sexual autonomy.

In the current situation, there is little chance for future reforms in terms of the ac knowledgment of marital rape of adult women, and even minor wives between the ages of 15 and 18 are dealt with significantly less severity.

Under the 156th Law Commission Report, the Commission indicated its unwillingness to raise the age of wife in Exception to S-375 IPC from 15 to 18 years, without giving any specific reasons.

The Supreme Court has evaluated the extent and feasibility of exception 2 to section 375 IPC in a writ case brought in the public interest by an organisation called Independent Thought. The court was asked to assess whether a husband may be charged with marital rape if he had sexu al contact with his wife when she is between the ages of 15 and 18.

This is a major Supreme Court ruling, in which the court rules - ‘Exception 2 to s-375 of the Indian Penal Code answers this in negative, but in our opinion sexual intercourse with a a girl below 18 years of age is rape regardless of whether she is married or not. The exception carved out in the IPC creates an unnecessary and artificial distinction between a married girl child and an unmar

ried girl child and has no rational nexus with any unclear objective sought to be achieved. The ar tificial distinction is arbitrary and discriminatory and definitely not in the best interest of the girl child’

The artificial distinction is also opposed to the idea and ethos of articles 15(3) and 21 of the Constitution, as well as international treaties, according to the court. It clearly violates the girl child’s physical integrity and reproductive choic es.

The petitioner society pointed out that anyone who has sexual intercourse with a girl child under the age of 18 will be liable for stat utory rape, even if the minor girl consents, and that the situation is even more absurd when the offender is her husband, because the marital ex emption applies in such cases, and the husband is completely exempt from punishment. The right of such a female child to bodily integrity and to refuse sexual contact with her spouse is stripped away by her marriage. She does not become emotionally or physically fit for such judgments just because she is married.

The Independent Thought decision is an excellent example of judicial activism and artist ry in providing a socially desirable meaning to a clause in the law that incorporates a dead notion. However, it is rather sad to observe that the Su preme Court has indicated unequivocally on sev eral times that it would not comment on marital rape in general if the wife’s age is 18 or more than 18 years.

MARITAL RAPE: A LOOPHOLE IN RAPE LAWS

Few questions such as ‘Does the marriage registration certificate terminate the impor tance of consent?’, or ‘Does the title of a ‘hus band’ allow the man or give him the right to force himself upon his wife, even if she asks him not to?’ pop up whenever the concept of marital rape strikes up in a conversation. If, as a nation, India, has made such strict laws regarding rape, then why is it still one of the 36 nations that haven’t yet criminalised marital rape?

A country where marriage is given so much priority, and where it is considered as one of the most pious relation that a man and a wom an share, then how does it give the man in the relationship the right to humiliate his wife physi cally, mentally and emotionally.

If we go as per the statistics then accord ing to the Indian government’s latest National Family Health Survey, about 30% Indian women aged 18-49 reported having experienced spousal violence. In terms of sexual violence, the average Indian woman is 17 times more likely to face sex ual violence from her husband than from anyone else, according to the survey of 724,115 women.

Section 375 of the IPC is the only legal provision that within its language differentiates between two people on the basis of their mari tal status. Isn’t this a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution of India? Are women not allowed to feel safe just because they agreed to share a mar ital relationship with someone? Are pre existing patriarchal norms predominant over the best in terests of an individual?

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

A recent PIL filed in the Delhi High Court has sparked a judicial discussion over the legiti macy of section 375, IPC, exception 2 - the marital rape exemption provision. Hearing the PIL challenging the criminal code clause, a division bench of acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and C. Hari Shankar J stated that “marital rape is a se vere issue that has notoriously become a part of the society.”

The RTI Foundation filed the PIL in 2015, and other people and institutions18 have also moved the High Court of Delhi to challenge the exemption under sections 375 and 376B of the Indian Penal Code, claiming that it criminalises marital rape. The exception is unlawful, according to the PIL, and infringes married women’s rights under Articles 14, 15, 19, and 21 of the Constitu tion.

One of the petitioners has challenged the provisions of the Cr PC, which are to be read in conjunction with section 376 IPC, on the basis that they mandate discriminatory procedure and

penalty, which is arbitrary and unconstitutional.

The Indian government has filed an affidavit with the Delhi High Court, stating that “it must be assured properly that marital rape does not be come an easy weapon for harassing spouses.” Ac cording to the affidavit, criminalising rape “may destabilise relationships and expose males to ha rassment by their spouses.”

Because of traditional and patriarchal customs, there is virtually little data on domestic abuse, including marital rape. Several nations, in cluding Nepal, the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, have made marital rape illegal, but the Indian government’s response has been exceedingly sexist and disrespectful. Be cause there may be cultural differences on the problem of marital rape, the Central Government has declared its desire to enlist “State Govern ments.”

CONCLUSION

The observations of the Court so far show a slight inclination towards a reading down of the said provision. Additionally, none of the submis sions by the State so far have given any convinc ing quantifiable proof of any prospective damage that may accrue to the society. It is high time that this legal vacuum is settled for good.

I am chaos and beauty

I am the mother of chaos and beauty, You can either love or hate me. I behold the mythology of the Greek gods, The book of Folktales you been told.

I am your oracle, you seek my guidance, At night you come to tell me all your dreams and secrets. I gave you my strength to be strong and bold, like a Taurus bull, Or cunning and deceiving, using my Scorpion sting.

Some of you are mesmerized by my beauty, I bring the Virgo out in you, to be complex and still lovely.

As I sail over the seven seas, your curiosity, captured me, My Pisces personality watches you calmly, wishing we are like Gemini.

But because I am also chaos and not only bring hope, Libra judges you with her scales, And when I convicted you, Sagittarius released his arrow and gave you pain.

During the day I hide like a hermit Crab, away from your eyes, Not to see how my loneliness feel. But remember I will always be on your subconscious mind, Because I am the Constellations, you need me.

Adv. Mohini Priya Noida, Uttra Pradesh

Roebain Christians

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Real Life Story of an Activist with the Mission Samadhan

Journey with gender is almost 40 years and through all those years I see myself as a wit ness to my own journey. Gender is a word and gender is also something very crucial; you can say that in any country any Civilization and So ciety gender is integral part of Human Devel opment. There was a time when there were no specific laws on Gender. We were only depend ing on CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code) and the normal civil laws only but any laws which specifi cally would have addressed gender were absent. And almost 20-25 years of my struggle and other women activists also fought for gender specific laws and then there was a total paradigm shift. You can say that the way people started looking at feminism began to gradually change and then came CEDAW convention in the early nine ties; where India was also a signatory and that is the place and the junction, the point where India started looking at everything about gender with more sincerity or you can say meaningful way of dealing with gender.

Samadhan is a legally registered non-prof it organization under Society Registration Act providing its services to the common women with its mission to ensuring direct and easy ac cess upon Criminal Justice System. Our Mission Samadhan Women Legal Helpline & ‘ONE-STOP’ Rape Crisis Intervention Centre in Dehradun (shelter home for women survivors of violence) is a one of its kind organization not only in India

but in the entire Asian Sub Continent. Some of the free services (pro bono for the rape victim) provided by Samadhan 24X7 Legal Helpline in clude: ‘ONE-STOP’ - 9 services under one roof –1.Reporting, 2.Rescuing, 3.Legal & Psychological Counselling, 4.Legal Support, 5.Free Boarding, 6.Lodging, 7.Short Stay Rehabilitation, 8.Medical support, 9.Higher Professional Education (LLB & BL) program.

Some other features about Samadhan:

First ever Legal Mobile Clinic & Helpline for women ‘Justice on Wheels’ staffed by the women survivors of violence. Providing legal sup port to women from 122 Tahseels of rural hilly Ut tarakhand, Samadhan reaches the needy women right on their door steps.

Samadhan’s pioneer landmark gender services :

1. First ever ‘one stop’ professional ‘legal help line’ with 24x7 services to women victim of violence of all kinds – since last ‘20 years’.

2. First ever ‘one stop’ rape crisis intervention center with short& long term stay for survi vors of sexual crimes – 9 services under one roof.

3. First ever gender resource center for legal empowerment & awareness for oppressed women from all over India.

4. First ever ‘mobile legal clinic’ fully equipped

with trained women para legal staff and stu dent of law interning with samadhan – visit ing more than 122 tahseels of north India.

5. First NGO to support SC/ST rape victim/ sur vivor to study law at mainstream university and college of her our choice with full confi dentiality to protect her identity and personal data as rape survivor.

6. First NGO to help train the inmates to work with district legal services authority as para legal volunteers - and also proud to have by NLSA. our inmates being awarded as ‘best para legal volunteer’ both national & state levels.

7. First ever NGO of uttarakhand to mobilize and empower the unorganized migrant la borers to get registered with labor office and procuring valid ID cards.

Free services at samadhan’s resource center -

1. 24x7 tele legal helpline by experienced law yer. Helpline number: 09897757509 (domes tic violence & sexual violence).

2. 24x7 - rescue – report - counselling.

3. 24x7 - short stay shelter with (free –boarding & lodging).

4. 24x7 - support line for psychological counsel ling.

5. 24x7 - residential facility with free short term vocational training workshops/camps for women.

6. 24x7 - free food & nutrition for abandoned senior citizen women.

7. Free weekly classes for poor women/girls for PCS & IAS.

8. Free legal & family counselling for all.

9. Free training for para legal volunteers (field & court).

10. Free legal help for women survivors of vio lence.

11. Free mainstream legal professional educa tion (LLB) program for under-privileged mi nority women from all over India.

12. Special legal counselling (pro-bono) support for landless women farmers of remote hilly villages of uttarakhand through legal mobile clinic since year 2004.

All the Women Victims / Survivors who ever came to Samadhan helpline for legal help were

empowered by effective counselling and they were motivated to fight for their justice with dig nity – no need to fall prey to self-pity. Survivors of sexual violence are playing effective positive role in the society and Rural Panchayats as social leaders and also as mainstream legal profession als. Our Mission Samadhan made a long term impact on the rural women lives by their capacity building as social engineers at grass-root levels.

10,000 women victims / survivors of Domestic Violence were empowered legally to play a role model in their own community. 5,700 rape sur vivors successfully became law graduates and joined mainstream legal profession as lawyers/ advocates in various courts of law across the country.

Gender Violence would be controlled only when our women get their social and political stake equitably. Economic empowerment would be re alized when women will have her 50% stake in political process of the nation. 50% seats in par liament and all the panchayats would be the solu tion. Judiciary also has to have 50% women as judges. A total democratic re-engineering would lead us to an inclusive gender empowerment; there is a long way to go but Samadhan is sure that one day we will reach our goal.

Break the silence to STOP the violence.

Adv. Renu D. Singh Samadhan, Dehradun, Uttrakhand

A Mother’s Failure

I was just sick and depressed due to my divorced. They were still very young but were so mature for their age, helping me with chores at home. My son even learned how to cook. I realized then what beautiful kids I raised. At the end of 2010, I took them with me to a cancer rally. I told them the truth there only. They were so amazing hugging me and telling me what a brave mum they have. I decide there then never to lie to my kids again.

The second time I failed my kids was when I was so depressed because of the abuse I had to endure. For three months I suffered from in somnia and mild anorexia. I realized I was in danger when I fainted one morning, while my kids were sleeping. I woke up on the bathroom floor 2 hours later. That same day I decided to take con trol of my life. I book myself in a psychiatric clinic. Learn how to talk about my ordeal and how to fight back with my mind, soul, spirit, and body. I went for self-defence training and got the help of a dietician and bio kinetics expert. I had to stay for 3 weeks in the clinic but my kids could come to visit me every day.

What is a house without a mother? It sounds very cheesy but there is so much wisdom and the truth is hidden in these simple sentenc es. A mother is the first connection to an unborn child. She connects with her baby while he or she is in her womb. They shared this special bond from what she eats, how she talks, and her emo tions every day. How could a father compete with a special bond between the love of a mum and child? It is easy for a child to adapt to the loss of a father but not a mother.

I fail my children twice by being the strong loving mother they came to know before they were born. In 2010 I was diagnosed with stage 1 cancer. I had to go under surgery and re covered at home. This was also my first year of being a single, divorced mum. It was very hard on my kids at first. I did not want them to worry about my condition so I lied to them not telling them I was diagnosed with cancer. They thought

They were very proud of me for sharing with them everything and having the courage to make a difference in our lives for the sake of peace, love, and serenity. With the help of my psy chiatrist, the psychologist I was strong enough to kick my ex-husband to the curb who at that time was still living in my room, humiliating and abus ing us.

Roebain Christians Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

K Sudheendra Nayak Mangaluru, Karnataka

tracts more followers and friends, whereas the poor people are left to struggle alone. But it’s also a fact that most people who are rich today, come from a poor or middle class background.

Just going through some of the moti vational books and from other people’s real life experiences, I realized that it’s not by luck or by coincidence that one becomes rich, but through continuous persistence on your goals, following a strict discipline day in and day out and by doing the right things at the right time.

Most people today are judged by their status, social contacts, profession or by the home or vehicle they own. Today’s generation gets easily influenced by celebrities, social influencers, and religious organizations most of whom either push their agenda or brainwashes the youth in some way or other.

In order to be like them, our youth forget the basic ethics, morality and discipline needed to lead a happy life. People judge you by your status and money and not by the skill sets you have acquired, that’s the harsh reality today.

we asking the right questions as an individual or as a society? As many might agree with me, it’s easy to do what we like but difficult to do what is right. Instead of developing our skills sets, knowl edge, EQ level and personality, we are obsessed with celebrities lifestyle such as how they look, what they wear, what they drive, where they hangout and so on.

It’s necessary for us as a society to un derstand that most of the rich elite class people are just ordinary people who tries to brainstorm and influence people into following certain hid den agenda sponsored by western interests and more we stay away from them, safer we are in preserving our identity, traditions and culture.

Only by believing in ourselves, and disci plining our lives towards achieving our goals can we be truly happy individually and collectively as a society which will also help in bridging the rich-poor gap in our country. Ultimately it’s the choices each one of us make that will decide the course of our nation.

Karna, The Enigma

Karna was and will remain the greatest enigma in the Mahabharata. There are so many aspects of his character that one cannot under stand him completely. Should he be loved or loathed, pitied or should one be proud of him. Born as the son of the great Sun God Surya and Kunti, the mother of Pandeva’s. It was that Karna was born when Kunti was still a maiden.

Born with the armour and kundalas of Surya, Karna could not be harmed with any weapon. The world knows him as a warrior, who fought for his friend Duryodhana. His fight with Arjuna, and his eventual death is well known and has been chronicled in several movies and TV se rials. The best analysis of his life has been done by Ramdhar Singh Dinkar in his epic Rashmirathi. In prose, Shivaji Sawant has beautifully analysed but his moral side has not been the subject of much discussion.

Some people consider him a villain, who

used abusive language for Draupadi at the time of the game of dice in Kuru Rajyasabha. He is re garded as a villain by many intellectuals for being one of the seven maharathis who participated in the murder of young unarmed Abhimanyu in the Chakravyuha. Some call him a hero, who stood by his friend Duryodhana to prove his loyalty till his last breath. Yet others pity him for the curs es he earned during his lifetime, or rather soon after his birth, when he was abandoned by his mother Kunti.

Having been ignored throughout the ages, has been his role as a husband to his wives Vrushali and Supriya; a father to his nine sons , an elder brother to Shatruntapa ,also called Shona; and the turmoil in his inner self he faced through out his life.

He married Vrushali, his childhood love only after his adoptive parents asked him to do so. His marriage to his second wife Supriya was

a result of his dedication to his friend Duryo dhana. Duryodhana had gone to Kalinga for the swayamvara of Bhanumati, the princess of Kalinga, daughter of King Chitrangada. Duryo dhana abducted her from the swayamvara hall, and while escaping challenged all the assembled kings to fight and defeat Karna. Karna easily de feated all of the suitor kings. But Bhanumati put a condition before Duryodhana to fulfil before she would consent to marry him. Her best friend Supriya would have to get married to Karna. Kar na loved Vrushali, but in order to let his friend Duryodhana get married to Bhanumati, the princess of Kalinga, he consented to marry Supriya.

In the swayamvar of Draupadi, Karna was capable of lifting the Shiva dhanusha and pierc ing the eye of the revolving wooden fish by look ing at its reflection in the underlying pool. He had lifted the Shiva dhanusha which no one else could lift and strung it with ultimate ease.

But when he was about to hit the tar get, he was stopped by Draupadi (on a sign from Krishna). Draupadi said that she would not marry in a lower caste, the son of a charioteer. Karna could have abducted her then and there, as was the prevalent custom in those days. He bowed his head and returned to his asana and kept the honour of Draupadi at that moment.

Karna had a younger brother. Shatrunta pa, also called Shona, was the son of his adop tive parents Radha and Adhiratha, the royal char ioteer of Hastinapur. Throughout his life Shona was devoted to Karna. Karna also loved him more than anyone else... Shona was killed by Arjuna in the great war of Mahabharata. Karna wept bit terly and swore to take revenge.

Karna had nine sons. The eldest one was Sudamana, his first born from his first wife Vrush ali. His other sons were Vrishasena, Shatrunjaya, Dvipita, Susehena, Satyasena, Chitrasena, Su sharma and Vrishketu. Sudamana was killed by Arjuna at the time of Draupadi’s swayamvara, when a fight broke between the assembled kings and Arjuna. Sudamana had accompanied Karna

and he fell prey to stray arrows shot by Arjuna. His other sons were killed in the great war of Mahabharata. Nakula killed Satyasena, Chitrase na and Susharma; Bhima killed Sushena; and the rest except Vrishaketu were killed by Arjuna. De spite this Karna did not kill any of the four Pan davas, Yudhishthira, Bhīma, Nakula and Sehde va. He spared their lives multiple times in order to honour his promise to Kunti that he will kill only Arjuna and spare the lives of other Pandava brothers.

Throughout his life Karna sought his true parents, but he came to know about the truth of his birth only at the time of war when he had already sworn to fight against the Pandavas. He fought the war knowing that he was fighting his own brothers. He accepted death at the hands of Arjuna, both his sworn enemy as well as his own younger brother.

But can we simply classify him as a trag ic hero or a villain. He remains one of the least understood characters of the Mahabharata. He is the one who leaves an indelible impression on the hearts and souls of the ones who read about him in novels or plays; who watch him in serials and movies and the rather few people who have read the Mahabharata as an epic.

Dr Lokesh Gupta Gurugram, Haryana

Feminism or Womanism

Jyotirmaya Thakur, Sevenoaks, Kent, England

Gone are the days when women were relegated to the background in most societies. These evils were much more pronounced in de veloping countries, and more so in India. Virgin ia Woolf’s renowned assertion: “Indeed, I would venture to guess that Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a wom an” — frequently misquoted as “For most of his tory, Anonymous was a woman.”

The unfortunate reality is that nearly a century after Woolf penned her infamous words, women worldwide continue to be prevented from realizing their full potential due to society’s formal and unspoken barriers. In many nations, the status of women as second-class citizens has been codified into law. In other countries, discrimination takes a more insidious form, mani festing in stereotypical assumptions that women are less biologically qualified in certain fields.

I found the study of cross-cultural relations, social structures, ethical issues, interaction, and consequences of human behavior truly fasci

nating — specifically, exploring the landscape of how action and consciousness both shape and are shaped by cultural and social structures. My studies in this field combined with the breadth of inspiration that comes from being in an en vironment committed to building a more equitable path whereby women are encouraged to take risks, to not follow but to lead, and to have the strength of conviction enabled me to forge my own path both as a writer and as a women’s rights activist.

What really stood about the women writ ers of past was their courage and determina tion to overcome gender-based obstacles were matched only by their spirit, resilience, and the innovative ways in which they were able to push beyond the boundaries, especially given that they were all born prior to 1900, when opportu nities were not readily available to women, when females were often barred from educational in stitutions and from holding certain positions in society, or when their achievements were under valued.

The world at large was patriarchal and considered women to be a shade inferior to their male counterparts in almost all walks of life. De spite various social reforms and movements for the emancipation of women, this evil still con tinued to exist even in the western societies, till very recently.

The conditions for the emancipation of women, however, have shaken the certainties of men: men have felt victims above all because the possibility of divorce or abortion has made wom en more free. Men are unprepared to see their patriarchal authority fail and this often leads them to acts of violence, sometimes unheard of. The problem of domestic violence is not only a physical problem but also a verbal one. We often focus on physical violence, the most blatant and aggressive, but verbal violence is often underes timated.

It would be interesting to understand that there is a whole organized system to keep wom en in traditional roles, certainly more suited to men’s interests. It would be necessary for moth ers to teach their children, without distinction of sex, to take care of housework, to play similar games for both, without imposing a strong dif ferentiation of roles for the two genders from the beginning.

The gap between men and women is rooted in childhood, in the different educational programs that are offered to girls and boys. So it is often mothers who transmit these behavioral prototypes, forgetting that they are women and privileging male children because they are favored and considered successful in society. It is known that in the Indian countryside, and be yond, many girls were killed as soon as they were born. I would also like to condemn the kidnap ping and abuse of girls.

Many will argue that most modern wom en get to enjoy enough liberty in this modern age. But there are a few things that need to be considered carefully. ‘Enough’ liberty is not ‘com plete’ liberty. Why so? Simply because it is not

earned by the women themselves. Rather, this freedom is what, how, when and where it is sanctioned by patriarchal rules. Nothing more than that. And the notion that they ‘get to enjoy’ their freedom again, implies that it did not flow natu rally, rather, the society ‘allows’ them to enjoy it. It is only a privilege, sanctioned by society. This is what patriarchy would like to believe and en dorse. And this is where hiccups occur in the ex ercise of women’s liberty.

The periphery of domesticity is very much the background on which the question of women’s liberation is established. From its very infancy, a child becomes aware of the dispari ty in the freedom enjoyed by its father and its mother. And this conditioning takes deeper roots in the child’s psyche as it grows in that environ ment. This set up becomes so entrenched in the child’s mind that it becomes enormously difficult to break out of it. Therefore, irrespective of man or woman, this framework guides people in the society, at home, in relationships, marriages and all other spheres of life.

The main agenda of patriarchy that is hidden in all societies is the claim and control of man over a woman’s womb. It wouldn’t be an overstatement if this is considered to be the most important aspect of modern human civili zation. Every boy and girl become aware of this as soon as they attain puberty. And it becomes so entrenched in their minds that it gets firmly rooted in their beliefs and culture. Thus, it is rare for anyone to question this in the first place.

Womanism, on the other hand, questions this very premise. Especially in the third world, these familial cultures and social dictates bear so hard upon the youth that their freedom of thought and experience is severely constrained and barred. This is the mechanism employed to prohibit such questions and strengthens the roots of patriarchy ever so firmly. And this is why women remain restrained from asking such questions and prompts them to remain muted, to refrain from thinking and thinking differently. Rather, they are discouraged from being differ

ent.

This silent surrender to the dictates of patriar chy is the history of women in the third world. And their present too, in the 21st century! This very prohibition on being different is enough to silence women. If that doesn’t work, it is easy enough to mark that woman as corrupted like ‘Taslima Nasreen’. This is the political scheme of the patriarchal system. How many women can afford to be so strong of character and bold of thought that they would be able to counter this structure emphatically?

In most literary works, even by eminent women authors, women have always been portrayed in a poor light. Many books of fiction, even in the twentieth century, have projected women as doormats. It was only in the latter half of the twentieth century that women got a platform to voice out their grievances. Women’s liberation movement started garnering strength in some western nations, slowly spreading to the Orient. Though many nations are yet to come to terms with granting equality to women, there seems to be a positive trend towards accepting them as equals, in a world hitherto dominated by men. Part of it was primarily due to awareness created by education, and a generally broad-minded ap proach.

The world thus witnessed women gradu ally making their presence felt in almost all fields of life. Today we see them competing in almost every discipline, be it sports, academy, armed forces, space technology, politics, and whatnot. Today we see them boldly venture into all fields of life, fighting for equal status with that of men.

A shining example would be Malala Yousefzai, a Pakistani, who braved all odds in a staunch Muslim country, fought tooth and nail for the upliftment of women’s rights, and went on to become a Nobel laureate. There are ump teen examples to show that women have shaken off the yolk that had suppressed them for centu ries.

Time and again, poets and authors have been depicting the various problems faced by women in a mostly male dominated world, and some of them have been made into movies. We read about the constant struggles they have to endure, both at the domestic front as well as in their careers.

Sexual harassment continues unabat ed even to this very day. Despite stringent laws against such practices, we find stray incidents of women turning victims to such rampant evils. Human rights activists have been fighting hard to put an end to such evils. Rape and molestations are still rampant in societies all over the world.

We come to know of the role played by women in their mundane lives. They don the role of a mother and spouse, by multitasking. I doubt that a man can do this as efficiently as a woman. The effort is more so, when it comes to working women. They are so flexible, and make sure they perform the tasks they are entrusted to, with great patience and understanding. This is one adorable trait which is worthy of praise. Right from performing the various household tasks like grooming the children, helping them with their studies and caring for their spouses, they even don the role of a man.

Among the many problems that women face in life, sexual exploitation can be the worst kind. It affects the marginal class more because of their vulnerability. Being economically back ward, they fall an easy prey to sex hungry scoundrels.

Another major issue that the average woman faces in everyday life is domestic vio lence. We read about it not only in news journals, but it is a great theme for both poetry and prose. We also see it in films. It is a common occurrence and exists even amongst the affluent classes.

I promote the concept of Womanism rather than just Feminism. The term “Womanism” was first coined by Alice Walker, an Ameri can poet and the author of the most critically

acclaimed novel “The Color Purple” in 1983. It was a reply to the feminist who didn’t value the perspectives/ opinion of black women. The seg regation came to an end in 1964 but the black women still faced socioeconomic discrimination, racism and classism. The feminist movement was limited to upper and middle-class white women. It failed to address the issue of a woman of co lour. This fall of feminism gave light to the rise of Womanism.

The term Womanism is completely differ ent from that of feminism. Walker defined wom anists as “black feminists or feminists of colour who are committed to the wholeness and surviv al of the entire people (both men and women).” It is to be noted that Womanism is a multi-lay ered moment. Where feminism focuses on sexu al identity, particular class and race, Womanism deals mostly with employment of women as a whole. Womanism fights not only for gender equality but also against violence done on both men and women.

In short feminism stands for Gender equality and aims for ‘Gender Reconciliation’ -”Women and Men both have their own unique place.” The concept of Gender Reconciliation says that both men and women are affected by the concept of “Patriarchy” and both need each oth er to establish a society named “Humanity.” In other words, we can say Womanism is the dark er version of feminism that includes the voice of both white women and colour women, you are always marginalized in the text as well as in the media.

I have tried to write about the different waves of Feminism and Womanism as the bed rock of life. Feminism or Womanism as a move ment having different phases such as activism, literary flourishment and advocacy of the rights of women hailing from ethnic and cultural mi norities. I believe in Humanity as the extension principle of Feminism or Womanism.

-- X --

A Banjarin

I am a Banjarin – nomad girl, Searching to settle in a home. In a desert full of sand, Wherever I look flying like a dove, Cannot find a single grain of love. In the big market I sell Gems of rare kind, But cannot find a heart With tender love like mine. I greet everyone with a smile, To sell sweet talks is my guile. Some like my mass of hair, Some my sad eyes, Some of my voluptuous stares. Some careless flirting touch, Some invite me to their lair. A stranger I see every day, Disconcerted when our eyes meet, Sitting in cafe opposite on a corner seat, His eyes speak volumes of love for me, I am waiting for him to tell me how he feels!!!

Jyotirmaya Thakur Sevenoaks, Kent, England

Fashion Cloths for Different Body Shapes

Arya Pattnaik, English Teacher, Saraswati International School, Bhubaneshwar

We all love to dress up for different occasions and also want to look out of the crowd but the only mistake we often make is that we love to wear the clothes we like or see our favourite celebrities wearing. The result is we wonder why we don’t look as glamorous as they look even though we wear the same designer piece as they do. Well the secret is our body shapes. Yes we all have different body shapes and according to which we should choose our right set of clothes. Fashion transforms one’s self perception. It is how confidently we carry the clothes we wear. It won’t just influence the level of confidence but also signifies how other perceive you.

How to Understand YourBody Shape

Bodies come in a wonderful array of shapes and sizes – from petite and athletic, to curvy and tall. No two bodies are the same. So it’s really important to understand your body shape and which cuts, silhouettes, tailoring and proportions work for you.

Short guide to help you get to know your body shape and start to find your ideal looks. Start by getting a cloth measuring tape.

Discover Your Body Shape

• Oval Body Type: also known as oval shape. In this the shoulder and hips are narrow as com pared to the waist.

Eg: Nikki Blonsky, Kareena Kapoor Khan.

• Triangle Body Type: also known as “pear” or “cone” shape. In this type of shape, shoulders are narrow than the hips.

• Shoulders: place the tip of the tape hor izontally at shoulder height and wrap it across your shoulders to bring it back to where you first started. Don’t stretch or pull the tape, it should rest lightly on your body.

• Bust: stand up straight and repeat the same steps as above, but place the tape at the height of your breasts, take the measurement at the widest part (nipple height).

• Waist: take the measurement where your waist is narrowest (above the navel, below the ribcage).

• Hips: measure across the widest part of the hips (where your glutes are at their fullest).

Eg: Angelina Jolie, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja

• Hourglass Body Type: also known as the per fect body shape. Shoulders are perfectly pro portioned to the hips. Waist is smaller.

Eg: Jennifer Lopez, Priyanka Chopra

• Inverted Body Type : also known as a 'wedge' body type. Shoulders are wide as compared to the hips. Hence is is named as such.

Eg: Naomi Campbell, Bipasha Basu

• Rectangle Body Type: also known as box and ‘square’ even though they’re anything but shoulders and hips are nearly equal, and there is little or no waist definition.

Eg: Kendall Jenner, Anushka Sharma.

Arya Pattnaik Bhubaneshwar, Odisha

Feelings of Butterfly

The night is magnified with this beautiful sky, Feeling to capture this beauty forever in my eye, The twinkling stars and the moon are saying the night not to cry, The clouds can’t disturb its beauty and will not dare to try, And the night could feel their presence and felt little shy, All these are happening silently and why? Who will make my curious mind cool and comply? Will it be the night or the moon or the stars in the sky? I kept quiet and started to espy, The moon said with its partial figure will be difficult to comply, As neither me nor the night will rely, Then the stars get ready to reply, Saying that they can’t do being very far away, And for that I have to reach them flying high, The beauty of night

inspired me to give a try, It said me, don’t waste the time and get ready to fly, To reach the moon and the stars above in the sky, Which will render me pleasure to enjoy, Being with them it will be a great joy, I can store that in my memory for replay, And make my anxieties to go away, As my fickle mind will be called with their reply, The night will too feel happy and say, It’s the end of her time, good bye, My feelings will say, if I could be a butterfly. As the butterfly too left me and started to fly.

Lokanath Rath Cuttack, Odisha

Kashmir Stories

(Through Photography)

M.K. Gautam aka MKG is a gypsy soul self taught photographer on a mission to bring the world closer to you through his pho tos under his banner “MKGpictures”. His picturesque narrative blossoms the soul of the story embedded in each frame celebrating the existence. His visual poetry has won 126 awards and recognition’s from various national and international organisa tions including National Geographic and World Photographic Forum, featured in 17 exhibitions across the globe. MKG has been voted top creative photographer in the world by WPF and Rediff.com selected his work among the “10 mesmerising pho tographs in India”. His travelogue has graced the pages of 19 world leading publications including Chiiz, Parliament Street, Diplomats, Indian Photo Arts and Construction World.

(Picture is upside down showing the beauty of Dal Lake)

Episode 1

Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast. (If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this)

Whenever someone utter ‘Wow’ and ‘Wah’ admiring the beauty of Kashmir Valley from the Shikara at Dal Lake, it is a tribute to the Amir Khusrau eternal couplet in Farsi which he famously said after seeing the Kashmir first time. These words are most near to express the inexpressible ...the beauty of Kashmir.

Episode 2

On the misty morning of day one of the vacations, half awake I came to the deck of the houseboat. He was on a ‘Shikara’ wearing a traditional Kashmiri ‘pheran’ busy with his ‘hookah’ (water pipe), completely submerged in the morning silence of the Dal (Lake). `I sat and looked at him, i was on vacation and he was relaxed, at peace, away from the worldly chaos, enjoying solitude and hookah at 6.30 am.

Completely submerged in the morning silence of the Dal (Lake)

Episode 3 Beautiful Dal Lake at Click Night at Sight

Episode 4 A happy soul spread the fragrance of its existence wherever it goes and in return the existence bestow the best of the nature.

Episode 6

As we stopped on a beautiful ridge en route to chandanwadi, I saw her. She was like a prayer directly from the pure heart connecting with the ultimate. As everyone was busy enjoying the scene, little heart was upset with cool winds. I clicked, took her parents whatsapp number and shared the pic. “Beautiful Sir, best of our tour” message came from the strangers on other side. Whenever little angel will look at this photo, she will recall cool winds and a cool photographer.

Little Whistle Blower

He asked nothing in words but his eyes were demanding. He was standing near the nail on which rope of the makeshift restaurant was tied where we were sit ting on the plastic chairs under part ly cloudy blue sky at Sonamarg base camp. As I focused my camera’s lens on his face he turned away, reminding me lunches are not free. I called him and paid little money to make his day. He smiled and whistled to his friends, inviting them to “let’s party”, job is done.

She came into my life Mr. Jitesh Khanna

She came into my life like a breeze

And left like a storm.

An elixir of my life, once my queen

Now a foregone dream

A romantic melody, her voice

Now an aberration, just some noise

She came into my life like a stream

Left like a flood that had me strewn

A passionate hug, her warmth

Now even her sight is in dearth

She came into my life like ray of light

Left love lurching, in the darkest night

A feather like tickle, her lips, her kiss

Now a faint memory, did it ever exist

She came into my life like a rainbow

Left me with a few shades, mostly grey though

Yogesh Raichandani New Delhi