The NOT so fine line between history and fiction

Before you read this, remember, I want you to pay attention and be open to ideas that go beyond your beliefs. 

My interest in Mythology began when I watched Ramayan:The Legend of Prince Ram, an Indo-Japanese traditional animated movie in 2004. I then, read Mahabharata as a part of my course material in class 8th. I found them so fascinating that I further researched to find evidence of their existence. There were plenty of them. The Rameshwaram floating stones, the temples, the accuracy of maps and location even in that era and a lot more. All of this seems to have definitely happened. Otherwise, how would we find the translation of these epics in so many languages, so widespread even before the internet came into existence! And it is not just about the physical proofs either. It is about the belief that so many people have in religion and its association. That is the biggest proof of all. How else would we explain it surviving through time all this while?

Now think about this. I love Harry Potter. And so do a billion other people, up to a point where we eagerly wait for our Hogwarts letter when we turn 11 or even after. We are building cafes with Harry Potter theme, castles, theme parks, clothes and a lot more. Five thousand years from now, the time difference between 1997, the year harry potter was created and 2007, when these castles and theme parks started being made, would be erased. What would remain is the several translations of these books found across the world and the remains of all the cafes, castles and theme parks, pictures that would show people being dressed as Gryffindors, Ravenclaws. We'll probably say that the technology at the time was so advanced that they could do things that we call magic. We'll say that time erased the technology from the map of the world, or maybe some special bacteria or virus erased that race of wizards. 

Of course, we may argue that there are many supporting documentation of Ramayan and Mahabharata. Even the weapons and chariots have accounts of description and features. But then, so is a plethora of fan-fiction along with Fantastic Beasts and where to find them, Hogwarts a history and what not.

I'm not questioning the truth the behind Ramayan or Mahabharata. But all of this made me wonder, there is a "not so fine line" between history and tales. Unlike a broadcast, information travels like a game of Chinese Whispers. In this world where reality and fiction is so hard to distinguish, how do we find the courage to fight for what we think is right, and how do we find the strength to label anything as a fairytale when there's no way of telling whether magic exists or not. 

To be a Man and Good

Who is a man?
"The one who carries the family name" is the conventional definition that we had in most parts of India. But like everything, this definition went through evolution. Today MAN refers to a male who earns his living, carries the family name, never cries or gets weak, has a good physique, is a millionaire, wants to have kids, loves dogs, feeds the poor, roams at night to protect the innocent, rides a Dragon. No wait, dragons aren't real. And the expectations, well,ehm.....
Hearing phrases like boys don't cry is an everyday thing for us. I didn't realize there was anything wrong with it until recently when a friend had to travel alone at night and he confessed that he was scared. And I impetuously responded- why? You are a guy!

It was then that I heard it coming from my own mouth that I realized how wrong it sounded. I was denying a guy the right to feel a natural emotion! In a world full of stories of how one gender was oppressed, we forgot that many times that ONE gender was male. Forced to hide tears beneath moustache, scars under beard, we neglected the fact that staying strong is good but acting to stay strong for long leads to frustration.

A man gives flowers. Pink, well. Pays bills, is an emotional pillar, has to be handsome not beautiful. These stereotypes have been raising ours as well as expectations of men for themselves. Ghar ki zarurat, baap ka sapna, maa ki saari.

And then there are these people who have got the meaning of feminism all wrong, claiming that all men are bad. Perhaps they are right. You can either be gentle or a man.

I know a little boy of three, too young to understand that the world doesn't want him to say it out loud that he loves pink. So I am gonna tell him that he is beautiful and he should be open about what he likes. That crying is a sentiment and letting those tears out won't make him any less of a man. That falling hurts and it's okay to feel pain. Time to change. You talk about gender equality? Time to be gentle with men.