post the pandemic - a terrible time in India -- is it time to leave?

 The visas for a foreign country have arrived. Yet, here i am dithering.... 

well i am over 40 now, and now its perhaps not about me anymore.... But the way India is going seems scary for me personally. Should we move? or not.... the coming few months will probably not just determine my destiny but that of the next generation. Unknown to him, decisions are being taken which will alter the course of his life and identity forever.. 

The pandemic laid bare the inadequacy of the Indian state like never before. This would have happened no matter which government is in power, as the healthcare system is underfunded and more of a business than a public necessity. 

I lost relatives, saw death up close and the sight of the flames blazing forth, searing the coal black night skies is a sight i shall never forget. 

back after ages

am back to blogging after several years.

last year i found a solution - this provides both of us relief in the prison we live in.

we hope to leave this country, some day. But we are happy that we have given each other some respite from the evil society we inhabit. 

time to move to twitter?

i dont think many people follow this blog anymore, i guess i dont write much here anyway . is it time to move to twitter , wherein i can post when and where i have the time?

Please let me know via your comments here or via Facebook/Linkedin in case you personally know me!

Jalaj

A new government in india

we have a new government in India --- its not good news as a gay person. Economically things may look up though.

its like many things about being gay in india , many things are bitter sweet -- you scent a surreal fragrance in the air but still have to deal with the taste of ashes in your mouth.

Love lost....

The need for sex is physical
but the need for love is metaphysical..

love lost leaves a void in one's life
a gnawing emptiness seems overwhelming

but tomorrow is another day
and each painful fall
sends us on a new journey
and teaches us more about that which matters.

 

Elections in India

the last month in india has seen elections in process. I think the entire system is a bit of a joke. The structure of the indian state sees the entire tax burden placed on the middle classes but the rich hardly pay anything and the poor get handouts to vote in favour of cerntain political parties.

The country needs all persavive reform spanning every sector of the the government and the economy. The question is will those changes ever come?

Witnessing a Magical moment--- in Copenhagen,Denmark

I am travelling through Europe right and am at present in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Bitterly cold with icy winds lashing the city --- today i witnessed a magical moment.

It happened past midnight on the metro station at islands brygge (Iceland Brygge) near the Copenhagen University.

The platform was mostly empty as i waited for the train to take me to my destination. Two boys moved diffidently into the transparent elevator. They turned and started kissing each other in a subdued manner. Till one of them caught me looking at them through the transparent elevator and withdrew from the other guy. The elevator stood still.

I gave him a big smile and a thumbs-up sign --- and both of them, reassured radiated smiles back.

the elevator moved --- and they were gone , looking down at me.. my train came and i left...

i thought as i walked back to my place of residence in the icy,dark wind-swept night --- these are the moments which lace our life with meaning , where we connect transcending the many boundaries both real and imagined our world encases us in. Sometimes they dont matter anymore , and in one magical moment we realise our own humanity. That which enables us to connect to another --- and renew them and ourselves ---- and then move on our paths again --- towards our worlds.

Next week, i am back in my world in India -- just 8 flight hours from Europe but it might be as well in another era a world away.
-- Jalaj Vaivaswat