A Privilege We Never Notice

I recently noticed something that seemed insignificant at first. My sister caught a cold. It was in middle of a hot season. While she struggled with sneezes and a heavy head, I sat comfortably eating ice cream without a trace of discomfort. That small contrast made me realise how privileged I am in ways I had never considered before.

For me a cold is rare. My body resists it and allows me to enjoy food, weather and simple moments. But for her and for many others, life is shaped by the limits their body places on them. Imagine living in a cycle where a slight shift in weather or a small indulgence in food immediately punishes you with hours or days of unease. Carrying tissues everywhere, skipping outings because the body refuses to cooperate, avoiding what you like to eat because you know it will only make you sick again.

When you look closely, a cold is no longer just a cold. It shows how fragile human experience can be and how unevenly it is distributed. We often associate privilege with money, opportunity or social position, yet good health is a form of privilege that we rarely acknowledge. The ability to walk out in rain, eat what you like, or sit under a fan without worrying about reactions is something many cannot do. Health divides people and also it decides the quality of life more than we admit.

This also makes me think about how casually we ignore sickness. We tell people to be strong, to get over it, to stop making a fuss. while on the other hand we enjoy the luxury of resilience that was simply handed to us by genetics or chance. We do not earn this immunity, yet we treat those without it as though they are lacking, and that is the deepest irony.

Health often goes unnoticed until it begins to slip away. A human body free from constant discomfort is not just normalcy, it is wealth. If something as minor as a cold can shift our entire mood and routine, then what does it say about the value of being able to live without such interruptions. And in the rush of everyday life, are we truly recognizing how extraordinary it is to simply feel well?

Caste and Cricket

I was watching a cricket reel yesterday and an idea struck me that I could not let go. Why is it that in a country of more than a billion people the same few names keep repeating again and again in cricket. I have followed the game for over twenty years and in that time I have seen players rise and fall I have seen new faces enter and old faces retire, yet certain surnames seem to repeat endlessly across generations. Sharmas, Singhs, Patels, Yadavs and many more.

Now you could argue that these are just common sur names and naturally some of them will rise to the top. But is it really just about coincidence or are we ignoring something. Because cricket in India has always been painted as a game that is free of divisions, a game where the best talent finds its place irrespective of background. That is what we are told and that is what we want to believe. Yet when we notice the pattern of recurring names, the question becomes harder to push aside.

We have heard officials and experts say, the board selects only on the basis of talent. But we have also seen stories and films that hint at a different picture. Somewhere between these two sides lies a truth that is neither spoken nor confronted. And in that space the same names keep surfacing.

Think of the South of India. Cricket is taught here with the same passion the same dedication and the same love for the game. There have been players from the region who have made a mark, but look closely at the numbers and the careers and you will see how short their span often is. Why is that. Does it mean the South does not produce talent or does it mean the system filters it in ways that are not always visible.

This is not about questioning the skill of the Sharmas or the Yadavs or anyone else, because their contributions to the game cannot be ignored. The question is why we keep hearing the same clusters of names while countless others are left unheard. If talent is truly scattered across the nation, why does it seem to be concentrated only in particular pool of players.

And here lies the contradiction. Cricket is celebrated as the one sport that unites millions in this country. People of every caste and community fill the stadiums, they buy the tickets, they wave the flags and they put their emotions on the line. The game demands inclusivity from the audience, but does it extend the same inclusivity to the players.

So the question is, If the selection table is not free from caste then what does it say about the future of Indian cricket. If cricket chooses its players from a narrow pool while taking money and loyalty from the whole country is this truly a fair sport or just another face of the society we live in. And if that is the case how many world cups do we dream of winning when half the nation’s talent is never even given a chance to step on the pitch. 

Why Is Dowry Still Alive

Dowry in India began centuries ago as a gesture of security for women and in its earliest form it was meant to provide them with ornaments, land or cattle as a safeguard in their married life. It was not born out of greed but out of a need to ensure that a woman was not left helpless if something went wrong. Yet over the years what once stood as a symbol of protection slowly changed its meaning until it became a burden.

In the beginning, dowry did give women some form of independence. It gave them a share of their parental wealth and was meant to act as their personal safety net. But that sense of empowerment is long gone. Today dowry has turned into a transaction and its purpose is no longer to protect but to showcase wealth and social standing. That is why you must wonder why a belief that has lost all meaning continues to exist.

So there is this thing of increasing dowry money. It may have started with a few sovereigns of gold but today it has reached a point where cars, houses, cash and endless gifts are part of the ritual. What this has done is create a cycle where those who can afford it raise the bar while those who cannot are forced to stretch themselves just to match. Even when they try to keep things simple they are not free because society now measures worth against what others have displayed.

The reason dowry has not stopped is because the one who could afford to say no have not said it. Their silence keeps the practice alive. And when they give, it is not done privately or to protect their kids. They make a headlines of it. They let the world know what they have offered. They treat it as a matter of pride but when in truth it is nothing but social irresponsibility that pushes others into this void.

It is not always the ones who ask who are at fault. Of course many demand dowry and in some cases even women themselves have done so. But that does not mean the one providing it is free of blame. The giver and the receiver share equal responsibility. Without that recognition there will never be change.

Every time a rich family spends lavishly on dowry, they may believe they are securing their daughter’s future, but in reality they are contributing to a system that has already destroyed countless lives. They may never see it but somewhere another family is falling apart under pressure somewhere another woman is being harassed because her family could not give enough.

Instead of all this the true gift is education. Teach daughters how to face challenges, give them the confidence to leave a broken marriage, support them in standing tall on their own. Women today are educated, they work, they hold positions as high as men do and they do not need dowry to define or secure themselves.

Change must begin somewhere and it can only begin by saying "NO". If you believe you can afford dowry ask yourself what you are actually achieving by offering it. Ask yourself if your generosity is worth the tragedies that follow and whether you want to be a silent part of the same story.

Every time you add to this tradition you are not just giving gifts you are keeping a system alive, that has destroyed families and taken daughters to graves. The question is not whether you can afford it, the question is whether you can live with being part of the reason it still exists.

NRI, what is the cost?

Every now and then a video appears where someone returns from abroad to surprise their family. The scene is always the same. A mother bursts into tears, a father tries to hold back emotion, a wife runs forward in disbelief. These moments are celebrated as joy and shared online as if they capture the essence of love. This is particularly visible in Kerala where migration has become part of everyday life.

Behind these emotional reunions lies a truth that is less comfortable. For such a surprise to move people to tears there must have been years of separation. The videos may capture a few minutes of joy but it cannot show the long absence that created it. The daily silence in homes, the empty seat at family events, the distance between partners, or the fading connection between friends is never part of the video.

Migration is often justified as a pursuit of financial stability. Families accept it as a sacrifice, believing that money will make up for what is lost. But wealth does not accompany parents in their old age. It does not replace the time a couple spends apart. It does not bring back the years missed with children or the companionship of friends. The cost is not just separation but the gradual erosion of relationships that once defined life. Time once lost does not return, no matter how much wealth is gathered.

What is rarely questioned is the pride associated with this choice. Those who leave are celebrated as successful while those who choose to stay are often seen as lacking ambition. The truth may be the opposite because staying requires a different kind of courage. It means choosing presence over prosperity and valuing moments over wealth.

Just one question to all the NRI's out there

Whether this pursuit of wealth abroad is worth the years of absence it demands? 

The Blog That Writes Me

When I began writing I thought of blogs as pages filled with my thoughts. I believed I was the one in control by deciding what to say and how to say it. Yet as I look back at the long trail of blogs, I begin to wonder if it was never just me shaping them. Perhaps the blogs have been shaping me all along.

Each time I wrote I put a part of myself on paper and each time I finished a part of it remained within me. Some blogs made me face truths I had avoided, while others forced me to question what I thought I already knew. Slowly without realizing I began to live with those questions even outside the page.

There were days when I struggled to find a topic, but the act of searching itself opened doors I would not have noticed. A casual observation became a thought then the thought became a paragraph and the paragraphs turned into a blog. By the end of writing I would find myself not the same as when I started. 

And after two hundred blogs, I realize that these are not just records of what I thought at a certain time. They are teachers. They have taught me patience when I struggled to finish, honesty when I was tempted to soften the truth and courage when I feared how my words might be taken. 

If I had not written I would have been someone else. Writing has not simply been a habit. It has shaped my identity, as much as my choices and my journeys do. I thought I was writing to preserve my voice but in truth, the voice I have today was carved by the very act of writing.

So the question is no longer about what I have written. The real question is what writing has written into me.

Soothravakyam Review

Soothravakyam released under the direction of Eugune Jos. The film stars Shine Tom Chacko in the lead along with Deepak parambol, Divya Nair, Vincy and co. The film promised a different take on a crime investigation drama and came with the usual Malayalam authenticity.

The plot is indeed different but it could not hold its grip for long. Till the interval the pace is slow but not boring. After the break it picks up and finally settles with an emotion towards the end. The plot line is not that interesting. There is not much of an investigation happening except for a few moments. The crime is in plain sight. While it brings a bit of suspense the depth is missing.

The acting holds the film together. A few extra characters were poorly cast and acted lousy. But the core cast delivers strongly. Shine Tom Chacko especially takes on a different sort of role in his career. A serious fun type that works well. The supporting cast supports where needed.

On the technical side the cinematography is good just like in other Malayalam films. It has the natural look and authenticity. Costumes, lighting and locations stay grounded and real. But a core scene is missing. An important moment is never shown and only told later. That hurts the impact. The screenplay is the weak link. Certain characters are poorly written. A few scenes happen without explanation. The writing loses grip in crucial places.

The music and background scores are a major strength. The bgms brings intensity to the film. They were well done. The songs also conveyed story in parts. Using songs as a storytelling tool is a smart move and it worked here.

So what makes Soothravaakyam a decent watch and not a great one is its genre. It is yet another usual crime investigation, but loses grip here and there. Not much of the investigation is shown. Most of the film moves through dialogues rather than scenes.

Overall it is a decent watch.

Rating: 6/10⭐️