Give me all the colour

My taste in clothes don’t match the 2018 aesthetic. You’ll see me walking down the streets in a chilly red palazzo and kalamkari blouse, a bindi, my black nerdy glasses. You’ll think to yourself – oh, there goes a misfit. You’re right. Perhaps I am a misfit.

My wardrobe must be severely malfunctioned. I don’t own the staples – black jeans, pastel tank top. You’d wonder where I get all my gaudy dupattas. And I’d wonder if I could ever fill my closet with elevated basics so I could finally look “put together”.

You should come visit my home one day. We’re not an organized household. Our cupboards cannot possibly hold the number of things we own. We’ve quite always been the opposite of minimalists. We clearly have too many things, not that our middle-class selves could afford so much, but that we rarely give away things we’ve been given.

And the colours – they could blind you if you’re into the pastel aesthetic. Our bed sheets are Rajastani printed, and our curtains don’t match the furniture in the rooms. The walls are covered in sloppy Kerala murals of peacocks and Krishnas attempted by yours truly. And you guys, our pillow covers look like vegetable salad.

But our home glows. We’re a loud, vibrant and emotive bunch. There’s happiness and sorrow and panic and peace all within those walls. Remember the family you were so amused by in My Big Fat Greek Wedding? We are that family.

Having grown up this way, I find myself attached to the abundance of things. I’ve been given gifts I can no longer use- but I’d keep them all.

Besides, I could never get rid of colours and mismatches and everything in between.

Give me all the colour there is in the world. I want to see so much more of it.

Not just in me, but in you, and in you. In everything that is beautiful. In the temples. In play schools. In the flowers sold on the street. In saree shops that we could never get enough of. In bindis and sindoor and baskets and jewellery.

In homes- yours and mine and hers and his.

Give me all the colour there is.

We who ask the ‘uncool’ questions

Like any other child of the 2000s, I too have always felt the natural impulse to ask questions. No, I don’t mean the “Why should I believe in God when I don’t see Him?” kind. I’m talking about questions that are conveniently dismissed on the grounds of being too frivolous or orthodox to fit into context today.

For instance, I who would actually wonder if some saints could walk on water like they claim to, if River Saraswati would really break through the ground one day, and if parallel universes were really a thing.

But what if the beliefs we so dearly hold because they’re backed by scientific evidence, are actually a miscalculation? And what if ideas grounded in religion and tradition are not just blind faith, but remarkably accurate?

In this world of endless possibility, there is uncertainty both in being wrong and being right. As humans, our very essence lies in asking questions and seeking answers.

We’ve heard “anything is possible” too many times now, and yet we scorn those who hold onto seemingly mythical ideas that defy scientific explanation. Why do we reject questions simply because they’ve been answered before?

Does the very idea of scientific proof comfort us so much that we stopped imagining? Or are we intimidated by the fact that there’s so much out there we do not know- not now, not ever?

Remember that we all once believed that the Earth was flat, before someone proved it was a sphere. And then we all believed that the Earth was a sphere, before someone proved that it’s actually an oblate spheroid. How many times did they remake the periodic table to finally agree on the one we use today? A century ago, people would have never believed that one day we wouldn’t have to walk miles and miles to talk to someone. Science will always have something new to tell us.

But the problem is not about what’s right and wrong. It’s about people who silence the youth of today from asking these very vital questions. It’s about those who hide behind science and lead the world with a single vision, inducing the social boycott of anyone looking the other way.

We are the children of today, and we’re here to change this broken narrative. We refuse to be brainwashed by those who do not dare to question.

We won’t just question the things that have no scientific evidence, but also the things that do.

Because that’s the beauty of science. It will keep changing, it will keep evolving, it will keep telling us newer things every day. Science grows with us. Science is everything that is human- it is a dynamic, fast-paced and complex institution. But it’s definitely not the absolute answer to every question.

Nothing is the absolute answer to every question- not science, not religion, not history. And when we understand that, there’s so much more that we can do. As the youth of today, we most certainly do not have all the answers. But you’re doing the world more good than harm by allowing us to ask the question.

There is still sunshine

How many times have you been told to trust no one and that the world is full of evil? For me, that’s precisely the number of times I’ve tied my shoelaces and walked out the door. The constant reminders come in various forms and tones, from people who’ve been warned many times themselves. Oh and what a coincidence, all these people are women.

At one point, I really believed that every stranger I saw on the street could kidnap me. I still carry that belief wherever I go, because old habits die hard. Who am I kidding. It can’t possibly die when the newspapers remind us of it every single day.

But I refuse to keep expecting the worst from strangers because if someone does kidnap me, it would be a stranger that comes to my rescue like a blessing in disguise.

It’s so simple. I’ve just seen too much good in people to believe it any longer. I’ve met too many strangers that comfort you like a loved one could never. And as easy as it is to say that we live in the worst of times, what good did it do me replaying those warnings constantly in my head?

Yet, I might be totally mistaken. The world might be just everything that I’ve been told – a hidden hell yet to reveal itself. But for now, I’m grateful I haven’t experienced the dark side.

And when I do, I’ll remember all the advice that people have given me. I’ll be ready to embrace change and accept the harsh reality of the world we live in.

But till then, I’d like to believe in goodness.

I would like to believe that every child born today would grow up with so much to look forward to, so much love and joy that the world has to offer.

I would like to believe that I was born in a time and place that has so much to give me and that I have so much to give back to.

So let the world move on in fear and suspicion. For me, I’ll take the road less traveled – one filled with kindness and humanity.

I will continue to hope for goodness, that there is still sunshine left to see.