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The mask she wears to hide her bruises, her pain, her distress from everyone, to hold up her head and go through life... can you not see it?
The mask she wears to hide her bruises, her pain, her distress from everyone, to hold up her head and go through life… can you not see it?
She is bemused. It is startling to see everyone wear the mask, to talk about it, to ask which one is needed?
The mask is not something that is new to her, you see…
She chuckles at the questions you ask, Because she has always worn a mask The mask that hid the bruise, Made possible for you to ignore the abuse The mask let you imagine she was fulfilled Inspite of her thousand dreams killed It showed none of her pain So you needed to take no blame The mask with the fake smile pasted Hiding the emptiness that left her wasted Covering what you wouldn’t hear, The mask was her live saver. So behind a façade she would shrink, Pushing herself to the brink. Staring at a deep abysss As all truth you would dismiss Today, she lets her thoughts meander, To what she would often wonder. When she was left with no without, Looking inwards resolved her doubt She saw through the cloak that you wear, Of control, of a society beyond repair She recognised how you played your part With blinkers; and the mask on your heart
Bemused, she smiles. Masks, or no masks, she still has the capacity to feel, and the courage to believe. Do you, dear world, dear society, have the same?
Can you still smile beneath your mask?
If you or anyone you know is feeling depressed or suicidal, here are some of the helplines available in India. Please call. Aasra, Mumbai: 022-27546669 Sneha, Chennai: 044-2464 0050 Lifeline, Kolkata: 033-2474 4704 Sahai, Bangalore: 080–25497777 Roshni, Hyderabad: 040-66202000, 040-66202001
Image source: johnhain on pixabay
Shalini is the author of "Stars from the Borderless Sea", a collection of three novella length stories that explore different nuances of love. She is a practicing doctor with more than 20 years of experience read more...
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'Sania denied fairy-tale ending: suffers loss in AUS open final' says a news headline. Is this the best we can do? Is it a fitting tribute to one of the finest athletes we have in our country?
Sania Mirza bid an emotional and tearful farewell to her Grand Slam journey as a runner up in the mixed doubles final. Headlines read –
“Sania Mirza breaks down in tears while recalling glorious career after defeat in Grand Slam’
“Sania denied fairy-tale ending: suffers loss in AUS open final”
As parents, we put a piece of our hearts out into this world and into the custody of the teachers at school and tuition and can only hope and pray that they treat them well.
Trigger Warning: This speaks of physical and emotional violence by teachers, caste based abuse, and contains some graphic details, and may be triggering for survivors.
When I was in Grade 10, I flunked my first preliminary examination in Mathematics. My mother was in a panic. An aunt recommended the Maths classes conducted by the Maths sir she knew personally. It was a much sought-after class, one of those classes that you signed up for when you were in the ninth grade itself back then, all those decades ago. My aunt kindly requested him to take me on in the middle of the term, despite my marks in the subject, and he did so as a favour.
Math had always been a nightmare. In retrospect, I wonder why I was always so terrified of math. I’ve concluded it is because I am a head in the cloud person and the rigor of the step by step process in math made me lose track of what needed to be done before I was halfway through. In today’s world, I would have most probably been diagnosed as attention deficit. Back then we had no such definitions, no such categorisations. Back then we were just bright sparks or dim.
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