Hijabi. ????

"Hijabi" is a very common way that I have been addressed as in the last few years, ever since I started wearing the Headscarf...

For those who are not aware of the "Hijab", it is a way of dressing where the woman is covered from head to toe, with just the face and hands (upto the wrists) are visible, and it very much includes wearing a head-scarf (picture below).

Not that being called a Hijabi sounds bad, but I have been given a name by my parents and I prefer to be addressed by that name...

Would you call someone who always wears Jeans "Jeanie" or "Jeansie"?

How about those who are ever dressed in Salwar Suits? Would they be addressed as "Salwis" or something like that???

Then why does dressing in a Hijab make you a Hijabi? Not just that - it also makes you "conservative", "oppressed", "silenced" and a whole list of other ideologies... You BECOME the clothing and the Ideology.

Do you cease being you when you decide to dress a certain way or advocate a certain ideology?

I was under the impression that we have a Choice... To choose how we dress and define our own sense of style. But it seems to me that my choice of dressing has led people to believe that my attire is ME.

Since when are people "attires" and "ideologies"? If we do not label people as Jeansie or Salwis, then why label me (and countless other women) a Hijabi?

Why the double standards? Why the naming?

Dressing up in a Hijab was a very personal, informed and conscious decision that I made, and stand-by till date. No force, no compulsion, no influence, no coercion whatsoever can be blamed for it.

And so have countless other women around the world made a choice.

Its time that we respect people for their choices and ideologies. Not "name" them and "define" them with something so superficial as clothing.

Next time you come across a woman wearing a Hijab, don't address her by her attire. She may not be offended, but surely will not appreciate it either.

Rather, just walk up to her and know her story. You will be glad you did.!

Until next time, adios amigos!

Perfect Beauty is a Fallacy

Esther Hoing, a journalist by profession, got in touch with more than 40 photographers from over 25 countries with one request – to make her beautiful. Her purpose, was to establish whether or not there was a globally accepted standard for Beauty.

The result – Each one got back with a different picture!

What she discovered, and presented to the world, is priceless. This picture epitomizes a long forgone truth that beauty has different meanings for different people in different cultures.

No individual picture can claim to be the most beautiful or the most perfect. Each one is Perfect and Beautiful in its own right.

The lady in the picture is as beautiful in dark skin as she is in the lighter tone. She looks pretty with a complete headscarf and without. She is glamorous with her hair tied up and let loose. She is lovely in her original picture and her ‘beautified’ images.

Then why is being dark skinned in South Asia such a taboo? Why is wearing a Hijab/ headscarf considered an imprisonment across the globe? Why is it not-as-pretty-as-the-girl-in-the-poster if there is no make-up? Why is it that we chase the idea of being “picture perfect” or being “socially acceptable” or even being “the model on the poster”?

Why is it that nations around the world interpose what should be worn or what should not be worn? Who is the “signing authority” on the kind of attire that is acceptable or not? Why do a minority of people dictate the terms to the majority of people?

These questions intrigue the mind whilst they are being asked, but fade into oblivion once the matter has passed. We fail to recognize that the interpretation of beauty and acceptance is expounded by the culture and social environs of a person, being blinded by a false façade created by those who don’t matter, and certainly don’t care. A masquerade created by those who are in the so called “beauty business”, as an approach to make (more) money. 

We are bombarded with these fake ideals every day, every single hour. There is no escape from this incessant blitz that slowly creeps into the minds, and sticks there (Recent studies claim that 95% of the impact is subconscious! Only a mere 5% is a conscious “awareness”). Anything repeated often enough, becomes the acceptable truth.

Women, teenagers and even pre-teens are under self – inflicted coercion to “look more beautiful” and chase the idea of a near – impossible perfection in their expression of beauty. Children as young as 5 year olds awfully believe that sexuality and sensuousness are prerequisites for looking and feeling beautiful, murdering their innocence in the process.

All because of the F word – Fashion – that is used to conceal the entire act.

Styles get in and out of fashion just as frequently as daily commuters get on and off the public transport; Beauty has a new definition with each passing day; Perfection has become a daily struggle, with each toil setting the bar higher and higher, making it nearly impossible for commoners to even appreciate - or even think about - their individuality.

Societies that shun the illusion are viewed as “imposing” and “restricting” by those that “embrace” this idea, chasing a mirage every day. Sticking to the roots is a trait to be hidden from the world in the fear of being labelled “old-fashioned”. Women across the globe are inadvertently pushed to pursue perfection, whose bars are set in the name of Fashion and Acceptance in the society.

30 years ago, it did not matter what size or shape or how heavy a woman was. Today, just because some superstar-model-wife-of-a-superstar-footballer is mere bones, the concept of “Size Zero” is established. What more – the world around, women are starving themselves to near-death to achieve this “milestone”. How preposterous!

It is more prudent today, than has been any other time, that we allow ourselves the freedom to appreciate our individual ‘beauty’, in a manner ‘acceptable’ in our distinctive ideals.

Beauty is an individual choice and interpretation and not a globally accepted phenomenon. Beauty is an expression of the inner self, tranquility, posture, grace, charisma and elegance, with every individual having their characteristic beliefs reflecting in their assertion.

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

Beauty is Relative.!

Embrace YOUR Beauty.!

The Myth called "Equality"

We are all born free and equal – This is a basic Human Right and it is rightfully claimed and defended by all of us.

In the picture above, two people are pitted against each other.

Equality?
Yes.! (There is no discriminating the size right.?)

Fair?
Nope.!

To actually think of Equality, Are we really equal? In the absolute sense of the statement?

On an average, there are 4 births every second. That is about 360000 births a day.! That is a lot of people.! According to the right, all these 360000 ‘infants’ are born equal. 

The two kids in the picture present strikingly different images. The only "equality" visible here is that they both are blessed with life. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is equal among the two kids.

The picture represents a reality of the world, where one section is devoid of everything and the other section is devoid of nothing. Then there are those that are neither here nor there - some they have, some they don't.

It is a fact that each one of us is born in different places and in different conditions – economic, social, cultural, political. We have varied levels of access to different amenities around us, and we are entitled to diverse luxuries of the world.

Where is the equality? We are not even born in the same manner.!, 

Yet we firmly believe that we are all equal and are fighting for it… Being misled by the hype created around the theme...

Equal Opportunity?? Yeah right.!!!

Do we truly have an equal opportunity to grow? To play? To work? To speak our minds?To Love? To Choose? To Freedom? To Die? Do we all have the same status in any respect? Is it even closely similar?

We have been living this myth for ages, without even once questioning its veracity, conditioned to believe that Equality is the way forward...

We are evidently missing out on a crucial aspect about this whole thing... We do not realize that Equality is not enough. Justice has to be an integral part of it. There is no point in being equal if Justice is not served right.

However, the truth of the matter is Equality does not always necessitate Justice. It has to be a deliberate endeavor from each one of us. Every-time, everywhere, everyplace.

In a world with limited availability of resources, sagacity should be made the norm. Resources must be assigned justifiably rather than equally. 

Like in the picture above. Equality does not serve the purpose. Justice does. We need to understand this small but crucial idea and make it a habit.

Start now, before its too late. Strive for Justice and Equality, for all beings.

Lets make the world a better place, for you and for me and the entire Human race.!
                                                                                       ~ Michael Jackson