Pratima Shah

 Forgiveness is difficult. By forgiving someone who wronged you, you try to inculcate patience and forbearance in your relations with others. The wound that one gets from others are very deep sometimes and we cannot ever think of forgiving that person who gave us those wounds and pain. But contrary to this what majority of us believe, is that forgiving someone is primarily an act which we perform within ourselves. At times, it is safer and healthier for a person to disconnect from the one that hurt you because he / she is not around you to be forgiven directly. But these factors are not the hurdles to forgiveness; the factors are internal. It is you who has to free your self from this anger. We are stuck in anger before we tread on the path to forgiveness. During this phase we plot for revenge, we think of inflicting all the pain and damage which was inflicted upon us. We are in the mode of 'An eye for an eye'. But as observed, revenge is the path of the ignorant. One is in com

Teaching  no longer remains a noble profession despite being noble. The so called academicians are concerned about every other thing excluding teaching. Mostly no one is concerned how the teaching is progressing or have the students understood whatever is being taught. The ones who are concerned are just a handful academicians who put in every effort to impart knowledge to their classes. The students today are mostly people pleasers who hover like bees around the teacher trying to flatter her / him for marks. Many of them are highly irregular and still expect the teacher to give them marks for attendance.  Since I entered the field in 2005 as a teacher, I was full of remorse for the initial years because my students would not hover around me compared to my colleagues. Only the ones who genuinely understood my personality came to me. With time I realized that a popular teacher is not always a good teacher and a good teacher is not always popular. I fall in the category of not being popu

 She felt as if she was sinking into an abyss. Her heart was screaming for help but there was no one who would lend a helping hand. Devastated and depressed she mechanically went ahead with her days; hoping for things to change. She was told that 'to be happy you must change'. Why? thought she. Why always me? Am I not wanted by anyone? Does no one love me? Where do I belong? This questions troubled her day and night. The question of her existence bothered her. For what dis she squander her life? For becoming depressed and losing herself in the process? She was told that what she did was not new. Every woman does it. This response made her realize that she was useless for them. She held no value whatsoever the situation. She continued with her monologue - No matter what, despite changing situations, the society still considers a woman as a burden and an unimportant person. Despite doing everything she still remains an outsider as a daughter in law. She must perform her duties to

The world mocks when women come together because women engage in trivialities and end up breaking their ties with their women friends due to ego clashes / rivalry / envy / insecurity. Many ventures have been dropped off by women because they could not adjust with the other women in those business ventures. A poem written by me to make the women realize that we need to be united in order to fight and survive the battles of life. We need to be together and spread sisterhood instead of engaging in politics with one another and harassing one another.  You are unique and beautiful Yet why are you doubtful? A fantastic piece of artistic beauty You complete every duty Compassionate, caring and daring Your  duties are never ending You are the driver of your life Whether a sister, daughter, mother or wife You can take up every role And achieve your goals But why are you not able to accommodate With your own conglomerate? The world would be a beautiful place  When all women together run a single

  The fine line between solitude and loneliness gave its taste to the world on account of the catastrophic phase struck by the pandemic. Till then majority of those who preferred their own company had never realized this difference between loneliness and solitude. One can be lonely amidst a crowd. Loneliness could have its presence among persons who are physically together but mentally absent for one another.  Introvert persons who are unable to connect with others in a genuine sense are prone to be lonely. The obsession of man with mobile phones & social media has made man lonely within a crowd. When you are engrossed in your mobile then you are voluntarily lonely and if the other person is engrossed in the mobile then you are involuntarily lonely. This is one of the biggest hazards of mobile phones & social media.  Whenever one is engrossed and too obsessed with the phone & social media you  knowingly / unknowingly choose loneliness. But one cannot bear if the other party

    To achieve psychological richness one needs to tame the mind to remain balanced as per the transitions / time. Psychological richness can be achieved only when one is patient / conquers impatience in the self. One needs to learn to control the feeling of disdain towards known / unknown persons around them. To let go of the disdain directed towards unknown persons is a child's play because one can get rid of it by controlling your thoughts. For example, if I say that I dislike Salman Khan; I will not be disturbed by this nor will I be sentimental for it. BUT the issues start when this disdain is directed towards those persons with whom we have to deal with regularly / live with them under one roof. The relationship holds great importance and one has to stay in control of such emotions as it could lead to chaotic situations. One needs to persevere hard to stay in control of the disdain and let go of stuff that hurt you. Disdain is like a bottled genie; if this genie is out of the

 Sometimes the mind doesn't want to do anything. It just wants to be. Be in the present moment, be alive in it and relish the moment. At times I want to sink into oblivion. I do not want to engage in any commitments / assignments / relations / anything. The mind is deeply disturbed due to the circumstances that prevail. I see no direction and feel powerless.  There are many advices gives to me of what I should do and how I should go about with the situation. I am told to accept. Even though acceptance comes easily to me; the bitter fact that acceptance is not going to alter the situation makes me dwell more upon it. This leads to a chaotic mind filled with self doubt, negativity and incapability to think clearly. Many thoughts come and go but none pacifies me.   It is said that when the going gets tough the tough get going. Yet, here I am unable to cope up with the stress and think clearly. Contradicting the decision of the Almighty became a favorite sport until I realized the grea