Thoughts

The other day, I was sitting in an autorickshaw, stuck in traffic and supremely irritated because of the heat wave. But here’s the thing, when you are in an autorickshaw, you inadvertently observe everyone going on with their daily life. So naturally, even I was just observing when I noticed something odd. An underserved man, who was standing on the side of the road, seemed to be engaged in a heated conversation with himself while everyone else on the road was consciously avoiding him. It only got worse when people started giving him judgmental looks and pointed fingers at him...

As a 90’s baby that grew up in Mumbai, I feel that my generation is caught between the old and the new. The feeling of being perpetually in limbo. Wanting to appease tradition and at the same time, desiring to break away from it and carve out a path to modernity. This constant in-betweenness feels like the one that we experience in adolescence. While adolescence may only last for a few years, this limbo of being the generation in between doesn’t really have a definite end.  I acknowledge that every generation has felt like that. Not fitting in with those...

What does happiness mean to you? Happiness can be long term or short term and can have different origins. For me, it’s sunsets, cats and dinner with my closest friends. For you, it might be desserts, shopping, securing a seat in a reputed college, getting a well-paying job, or even moving out - and if we think about it, all of these activities require financial support. When we say money cannot buy us happiness, we seem to focus solely on the feeling. But the truth is that a loaded bank account means liberty, security and privilege. It means comfort (and...

When I see how polarised the world is right now, I always wonder – how did we reach these opposite sides so quickly and so passionately? Why are we so ready to give in to violence over an idea that was not ours in the first place? From ridiculous arguments on the internet to full-fledged wars that threaten millions of lives, how did we even get here?  According to political scientist Lilliana Mason, our brains are wired to work this way. It doesn’t take much for our brains to switch over to an ‘us’ vs. ‘them’ mindset – research suggests...

What does the term “junk food'' mean to you?  In 2017, an article by Milani et al., said that “the more the term ‘junk food’ is used, the more confusing its actual meaning becomes…neither political nor public health organisations have given a common definition of junk food.” Every other person has different definitions of junk food. Some believe it’s nutritional value, some believe that anything that does not come under traditional food is junk. The article also states that a lot of people list foods that have high content of saturated fats and salt (or added sugar) in the junk...