Living things

I spent around 10 months of my first uni year living in Newcastle UponTyne, UK, which is about 6,036 miles away from Kakinada, India. It is a drastic change because Kakinada is a laid back little town, known for its sugary sweets and calm atmosphere. Well, if you think about it, UK is also a laid-back country, known for its sugary stuff and calm atmosphere. But it was still a change because the cultures are different and the food is bland and it's always cold. So, after almost one year of living with the Geordies, here is my take on life in the Old Empire.  1.Friendly People. It’s a universal fact that the English are polite people, and its a fundamental rule to know your ‘please’ and ‘thank you’s. I once read in a book that a bank robbery in England had been foiled because the perp had skipped the line, prompting an old man to say, “Get back in line and wait your turn”.  Since I lived in Newcastle, up in the North East, which is as British as it gets, I...

I’m sitting at the dining table, with a plate of hot food in front of me, going through Instagram. And there was a notification from Inshots, about something called Kathua. I tapped on it because I did not know what that word meant.  In ten minutes, I knew enough about it to lose my appetite. And in that brief moment, I was ashamed. Rapes and sexual harassment happen all around the world. But we are a country that worships women and female deities in equal powers with the male gods. IS this how you treat your wife and children? No wonder people abroad look at us as barbarians. It took me days to convince my friend that every Indian was not as bleak as the ones they read in the news.  No wonder there’s brain drain and corruption if this is the way you treat your women. There shouldn’t be a women’s day or a mother’s day when the government acts like it cares and gives out funds to the women’s association or something lame. It boils my blood to see people ac...