My Stories

For my whole life, I have been skinny. Both of my parents were naturally thin, so by default it came to me and my sister too. And while some people might assume that being skinny is a blessing, growing up with this body type has it's very own struggles.  All my life I have heard comments like "Do you even eat?" or "You look like you never eat". Some people say that they care about me and want me to gain weight but that in no way makes me feel good. And yes, if you are skinny you can never get out of people comparing your wrist. But the struggle does not end here: While travelling, I always have to end up sitting on someone's lap because apparently I take less space and have to make room for everyone else. The whole world rocks wearing oversized clothes but for me regular clothes are already oversized. People automatically assume that I am unhealthy. Every family gathering is all about my weight. Finding clothes that fits perfectly is almost impossible to fin...

This day, I was travelling in a bus. It was late in the evening, around 7 PM and it was raining heavily. The bus was crowded as usual. In the middle of the way, one of the women in her 20s shouted saying she was uncomfortable with the way another passenger was sitting. She politely asked him to adjust at first but the man insisted on starting a conversation with her. Fortunately, she firmly rejected him and moved on. Things like these are not rare. In fact, they have become a very common on public transport. The drivers and conductors rarely seem to care as they are too focused on getting more passengers. The men who engage in this behavior assume that they can do whatever they want. Sometimes women choose to speak up, sometimes they don't but either way such behavior scares and creates constant fear. In small microbuses especially, men often sit spreading their legs wide, taking up extra space and making others uncomfortable and also sometimes deliberately trying to touch them. An...

Today morning while I was on my way to my office, I passed by a woman talking on the phone saying 'What will people say?' This struck with me because let's be honest almost all of us have been in the same loop in our lives. The constant loop of worrying and overthinking about what other people will think. Well I cannot speak for everyone but ever since my childhood I have seen people; family, friends, strangers making decisions through this filter of societal judgement. And without even realizing it, I became a part of that vicious cycle too. The fear was real; the fear of being different, fear of being an outsider, fear of being the subject of gossip. I was worried that if I talk about something controversial, I would be hated and judged. But the question is WHY? Why do we give so much power to others? Why do we let strangers control the way we think or express ourselves? This is the most difficult cage to get out of. It is not often loud but strong enough to keep us from ...