A quest to the meaning of "Beauty"

How would you describe the word "beautiful"?
I had been pondering to the actual concept of "beauty" for a long time now.  How would you describe a beautiful woman,are there any scientifically-defined requirements to be counted as beautiful? Or is beauty all about what the other person sees,of his perception?

Across the cultures,the concept of "beautiful women" vary.
For example,In America,women who are slim are considered more desirable and beautiful, while, in Mauritania being skinny is definitely not a sign of beauty. Here a beautiful woman is a woman with curves…big curves. The female members of the Kayan tribe (situated on the border between Burma and Thailand) have another idea of beauty. Also known as “long necks”, they measure a woman’s beauty according to the brass rings wore around the neck. As they grow older they increase the number of rings which gives them an elongated neck appearance. In some other areas,a women with a broad jaw line,or sullen lips is considered beautiful.

An ostensible idea out of what has been described above is: the concept of beauty varies across different continents,and "beautiful" is thus something dictated by cultures.


True? I don't agree with this conception. We all have heard the famous proverb: "Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder". Now consider this: In Middle East,the idea of a 'beautiful woman" is not related to what one sees,but what one imagines about. One believes the women behind the black cover(which runs from their head to toe)  to be beautiful by their fragrance,or by their eyes. Which brings us to the conclusion,that beauty is not in what one sees,it lies in what image their brain contemplate,in how beautiful THEIR mind and heart is.


If we look at the above maxim through an angle of practicality,we see its loopholes . We have many instances where "beauty" is measured by how a person appears. How many girls would agree to marry a guy not-good-looking enough (Iv banned the word "ugly" from my dictionary,there is nothing "ugly",I believe! It may be "less-good-looking",but not ugly! ),or someone who is half her height? (leave alone the idea if the guy being affluent) If at all beauty is just about "eyes of the beholder",then why do we still cant stop gazing at the beauty of Megan Fox? Why do women still continue to feel jealous from that lady with pout-lips,slender neck,sharp nose,big eyes? Seems like beauty is ACTUALLY all about the physical appearance,isnt it?

The above two explanations of "beauty" are a paradox in themselves. We have proved,that beauty is neither gimmicky,nor is it solely based on the "beauty in the eyes of the beholder",what can possibly be "beauty" then?

Wikipedia describes the word "beauty" as "a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure or satisfaction". Fair enough,anything capable to bring the euphoria back,something which makes us feel happy is beautiful. Beauty lies in the children playing the park,or the rainbow in the sky. To a bird in the cage,beauty is "freedom to fly"; to that rag-picker lad on the road,beauty is in a sumptuous meal,or clean clothes ;to a child who has been alone since childhood,beauty is the image of his mother. This succumbs us to the conclusion, beauty is in EVERYTHING : it holds no specific definition. We are surrounded by different things beautiful in their own ways.  And thus,it had been rightly said:

                    

                      “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confuscius

The wise sayings: Hype and the reality part II

 In love with the My-Kind quotes

"My kind quotes"??
That's what you might be thinking about. I call them by this name,as out of the millions of the quotations,citations and excerpts,I'm in love with specifically these ones.Why?

They say,your acts must be always the ethically justified..that,if you're not doing something morally correct,you're a sinner. The "my kind"quotes give me the best lessons,the best logic,and most importantly,corroborate my each decision,no matter how correct or wrong I may be(in ethical terms). The best feature: they are the most pragmatic quotes that work according to the present day vicious society.

I ended my previous blog post with a note ,that the sayings by the great-great people have become anachronistic: they are of no use if you apply them in this "corrupt and malicious" society. Being ingenuous here doesn't bring much good to you,you are always exploited for you goodness(Do I need to exemplify?) The "my kind" quotes are such a collection which makes it easier for me to deal with the problems in their raw+crude form,rather than portraying them as something which can be taken over "by love and good human deeds".

Here are my topmost favourite quotations:

1.“Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.”  ― Albert Camus
Consider a situation: You know a person inside-out whom you have to work with,he knows about his traits too-he is lazy,he is the one who carries absolutely no knowledge about anything,he knows he is the weakest in your group. But still,he continues to pretend to be "I know everything" sort of person,argues on an intelligent topic giving the stupidest views. Its a pestering feeling,remember in such a situation what  Camus said :)

2.“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.” ― Albert Einstein

Stupids stupids everywhere,not a place to go

How I wish people assimilate the above fact,people won't be fretted by them anymore! :)

3."How can a women be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her  as if she were a perfectly normal human being" -Oscar Wilde
It is rather a feminist "my-kind" quote - it justifies all those women who have dumped their "better half" (or halves? ) for reasons such as: he has not paid attention to her,he has not given her time or that he has taken her for-granted(reasons which people say are paltry to be acknowledged for a breakup). Don't incline much girls,a guy who hasn't valued you for once will never value you in future,too!

4.“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure. ” ― Mark Twain

The word "ignorance" here specially caught my eyes.You know you cannot get rid of a person: someone who is you "friend" but her nature pisses you off. Instead of cribbing all the time about how much you dislike her,ignore her actions to an extent that they do not bother you the next time you "encounter" them,then be it if says she's a better human than anyone else,or if she says she can manage better marks is she studies as much as you do(such questions are irresistible to answer,but..ignore!) Ignorance is a bliss.

5.“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.” ― André Gide

I would prefer to be looked down with hatred,than being fakingly sugary-sweet to everyone.It helps me to continue to be the way Iam,and not to change myself to suit others.

6.“Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right.” 

― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The obvious situations that suits this is: when you have been candid in saying something too bitter for someone to accept.They won't  forgive you easily,inspite of the fact that they themselves know the truth. Its the saddest part with those who support the ethically correct thing: you never have an easy path. But,continue to abide by your ideas,not caring about if you are forgiven or not.

7.“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” ― Mark Twain

For all those double-sided people out there,who pretend to be good at face but leave no chance of back-stabbing you. Their act doesn't astound me anymore,as I always have this quote in my mind.It has also made believe in another thing: no one is totally saintly-natured. So next time you meet someone who is all sweet to you,and about whom you haven't heard any bitching, do not presume her to be a saint,remember, everyone has a dark side which they show when the appropriate time arrives.

8.“There are no uninteresting things, only uninterested people.” ― G.K. Chesterton
I don't know if its just me or anyone else around me thinks alike too,but I've started feeling as if the "quality" of people around me has deteriorated. Either,they don't understand me,or I don't understand them. This quote comes as a saviour to me,when I present my out-of-the-line ideas,and I find no supporters. The blog I'm currently writing bears not many followers,someone even told me its a wastage of time to sit and write such stuff. It did infuriate me,but I let it go,as,its the people who are fallacious,and not the ideas and innovations.

The wise sayings: Hype and the Reality.

Part 1

When I was a toddler,I was taught by my teachers that "The evil gets punished, the god watches all". Being a child,I kept faith in their words,accepted it as my dogma. But as I "grew up",my cognitive thinking made one thing clear to me-no matter how much evil you may be,you make up a happier and a "reputed" living  if you have a strong network of contacts (which is indeed true, isn't it? In India, you need not to be worried about anything if your uncle is a MLA,or if your father is an IAS) It was difficult for me to accept things as they were coming to me in my adolescence,the real facet of the society. 

I have started to develop an abhorrence towards such wise sayings.I know,they are internationally acclaimed,the venerated men and their experiences can never be wrong. Maybe in a long run I'll be able to understand the value of what they cited,but their sayings makes no sense to me when I apply to the contemperory society.

I exemplify my point of view as follows:

Consider what was quoted by Albert Einstein:“Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value”.
In the present day situation,committing an unethical deed is absolutely OKAY,as far as it helps you to become successful.Not many women would falter to declare a rape attempt by their boss(in case it never happened), if it helps them to manage a great position in the company as a compensation.

“To err is human, to forgive, divine.” ― Alexander Pope 

Okay,I don't want to sound sarcastic,but how many people in actual forgive the ones who have held war against you? Forget everything,the aunt in my neighborhood is among one of those,who engages a rebellion if you dared to ring their doorbell by mistake. The newer versions should be: "Forgive them on their face,but someday,silently, avenge for what they did" . Sounds more realistic.

And then there's this one : “No one has ever become poor by giving.” ― Anne Frank
People want to follow this,it seems,but the present day situation(where the one who is magnanimously paying for charity is looted unceasingly by a plethora of organisations,one after the another) makes it difficult for them to do the charity,ultimately renders them poor.  I remember the nuns at my school repeating the same quotation every time we were asked to pay bucks,in the name of charity,no matter whatever the event used to be(then be it any damn stupid ceremony!) Shelled out a great sum from us.

It seems like the "wise" sayings are rather anachronistic. I'll present to you a much "robust" and appropriate set of quotations which can fit well in the present-day in my next blog post.

Are you a delhiite?

If say you have been living in Delhi for years and you thus are a delhiite,think twice before you use that term for yourself. The term "delhiite" comes with a caution in itself,and it shouldn't be used so lackadaisically.
If you are a true delhiite,then you are born with traits that distinguish you from people from any other part of the world. Its most likely that the "outsiders" would not like you for who you are,but you are so much imbibed in yourself that you hardly care about it!

To what extent are you a true delhiite ?

1.ATTITUDE, you feel it in everything you do. From fb statuses promulgating how much you love yourself,to initiating talks with a person. Why should I take the first step to sort the problems out with my friend? Why should I send the add request to her (So what if shes my classmate!)? Something about me has saddened her and that's why she is not talking to me,never mind! "I DONT CARE!" are their favourite words. Delhi people are born with attitude(its "mah" way and you cannot change it!) Its in their blood,everyone has it,just the amount varies.

2.FAKENESS is something that they cannot rid of. I believe more than 70% of people here in Delhi are fake in its true sense. You bought a shirt from a flee market and claim it out to be from a mall,that's a common practice,isnt it? They are intelligent(or selfish?) enough to pretend to be amicable to you,leaving not even a single trace to make you doubt their hatred for you,or how much they back-bite about you.."Dushmani kyu palni..patani kab kaam ajae yar!"

3.You love to binge on anything for free. Its funny though,because on on hand you fake to have a free hand for money infront of others(oh,so these are similar shirts,just the price difference?I'll still go with the costlier one) and on the other hand you dont spare the free ketchup sachets that you got with the burger. In less than a minute its inside your purse.Wow,you are such an expert.

4.Sadda haq,ethhe rakh! 

You are not bothered about what others might be think about you in this regard,you do not feel ashamed to claim your right,then be it about the free chutni with the samosa,or the free water you get with gol-gappas :D

5.Street food? "I just cant get enough!"

From Roshan di Kulfi to parantheywali galli,from kababs of Khan chacha to iced-milk from Keventer's,there's nothing that can satiate your voraciousness.

6.Delhi or Dil-hi??

Heartbroken and gloomed,life doesnt seem to become easier,and you dont know where you have to tread.

Still,you do not lose hope and you are out for a new venture,venture to find a new mate. In everything and everywhere, the "lonely" and heartbroken try to find out their love,then be it in metro or in a public bus(My personal favourite column in the daily's magazine HTCity is "dilse".Read it once,you will get the answer why I like it so much,it amazes me how people start loving each only by a single eye contact!)

7.Am I rowdy?Thats call coolness you pig!

I need not to give instances to prove myself here. Delhiites are famous(rather notorious) for this.While some of them enjoy being such,others misinterpret to be their "kewlness".This whole situation is healthy,until and unless it takes a monsterous form,as in the case of increasing road-rage accidents nowadays.

Now,are you proud of calling yourself a dilliwala?or are you conscious about the image it will make about you in the minds of  those who do not hail from delhi??

I heard you saying "chal na..bhaad me jae what they think about us".

Voila,You are a true delhiite! 

The "formidable" Indian aunties

We are living in India. Deal with it,we CANNOT find a way to escape them. They,whom you may spot keeping an eye on you from behind the curtains of their windows while you are moving out of your house,dressed for an occasion. They,who are ready with the latest updates of the daughter of your adjacent neighbours. THEY,who are always at dagger's drawn for raising up fights on issues as mere as throwing a leaf in their balcony. Welcome to the world of THE GREAT INDIAN AUNTIES.

It is the result of accumulation of strong feelings of hatred,at almost every point of life, towards these IA's(Indian Aunties) that has made me write against them today. If I ask you about your worst experience with the IAs,it is likely that it may fall in the below given categories:

1.BITCHER's : This one seems to be the most famous category,with my statistics saying that as many as 80% of IAs fall into this category. They have the latest masala gossips,they are the most sought out ones for those housewives craving for some entertainment. What was the reason behind the spat between the newly- wed couple at H.No120? Why did Mrs.Sharma's son arrive late at night? What made Mrs.Bawa batter her maid? How had her daughter lost ounces of weight in just few days? You ask them,and woosh!they have all the answers! Forecasters say that IAs are likely to replace the use of thesaurus soon.

2.THE RUSHERS: You encounter them almost everywhere. These "rushers" are always found whining over the need to stand in lines like civilised citizens and to wait for their turn to come up. The crowd of anxious ladies ready to get into the ladies coach before the Metro stops,who thereafter feel highly elated over the "victory" of managing a seat falls under this category.(My sister correctly quoted once,"Indian ladies think that ONLY men are not supposed to rush in while they're moving out!"). Rushers are found in other areas too,like buying tickets in a movie hall or those standing in queues in single-person entry areas. The very thought of  waiting in the queues startles them.

3.THE MATRIMONY WARD: These types of "creatures" usually begin to show their symptoms by the time you exit from your teenage. Their ultimate purpose is to mould you in a way that you become the best "marriage-material" in the city. "Its high time your daughter gets the hold of kitchen", "dont make her wear such dresses,no guy would like to see her wife in that!"are their common advises. Its observed that girls are commonly more serious victims than boys of such IAs.

4.THE 60's HEROINE : They make everyone turn their heads wherever they go. They can be best described by: Jittery clothes,pancake makeup,a sensuous hairstyle. They think that they look the best among the crowd they'r walking. But the moment they open their mouth to speak,you cant help yourself to stop mock at them.!

The list is endless.I can give you manifolds of such examples.

Whatever the present situation would be,it seems like the scenario is not going to change in some of the coming years atleast!

How have been your experiences with the IAs?Would love to hear from you :)