Literati

  A bleak, dreary night with monsters disguised, Weary I feel not getting any sleep Monsters in my mind begin to prick, keeping me awake A little sleep was on its way, but inner demons woke me with a shake Twist and turns, and yet I lie sleepless Insecurities, fear and doubt fester in my mind like a disease Tried running away, tried distracting myself but there is no reprieve The ghost of my past failures bestow their tyranny Failure; a simple but strong word that shakes the core of many Society describes it as not falling into its norm But it forgets that people come in different shape, sizes, and form One shoe does not fit all, nor do people aspire the same Then why are we all measured with the same scale and non-conformity is considered lame All these thoughts foray into a storm of wishes and yearn         My inner demons continue to taunt and giving my stomach a churn But then my mind gave me a flash of good memories, something to hold on to Mom’s caress, sibling hug, friend’s smil

  The journey is long and arduous; The path is sinuous, Beset with thorns and ferns. Yet, the mind undeterred, And will obstinate, To tread it on. Vampires of temptations And knots of affection. Fetter the feet, And retard the motion. Yet, the mood buoyant. And the spirit dominant. Refuse to concede defeat. The blows of Karma (destiny) Bruise the heart, And in a stern voice, It warns, ‘This is not thy path.’ Yet, the faith absolute. And aspirations resolute, Propel me to walk. Wounded and weary, I lay on the path, Then suddenly a voice was heard. “Come on! Come on! The journey is not yet done; I wait for thee here, To take you in My arms forever.” I woke up, As if from a trance, And the words from the Holy texts. Echoed within my heart: “Thou art That (Tat twam asi), The Imperishable and invincible; Timeless, birthless, and deathless; Joy-personified, pure-consciousness And self-luminous effulgence .” I gathered strength again, And resumed the journey. Until destination reached And the

  It's 3:00 in the morning. I scroll through my Instagram feed in the dark, my face washed with the screen's white. A video from the Kabul airport. Men of my age are clinging on to the tires of a US military plane, hoping to survive through the freezing temperature that awaits them above. An anxious crowd follows the plane as it begins taxing. Some cheer while some scream, and some break down. I double-tap. A red heart pops on the screen. I am not sure what it means. Did I express my love for those poor souls, or did I love the news agency for ensuring the news reaches me, or did I just become a sadist psychopath who genuinely enjoyed watching those people make choices for an eventual death? I will never know. Instagram doesn't allow you the time to reflect. Another post is already up there on my screen. It's the picture of a young boy holding a football close to his heart- his hair neatly done, his red jersey looking relatively new, and his eyes brimming with dreams. 

Neon Genesis Evangelion, directed by Hideaki Anno, is one of the most critically acclaimed anime series. Released in 1995, the show continues to be relevant in today's age.  Set in a futuristic Tokyo, the series hints that humanity has figured out how to interface with machines. There are giant robots, a la Transformers, with humans inside them that can wear the robot as a second skin and command it by the force of their will. The show centers around this power. A boy is called to battle by his father, and placed inside a robot named EVA-01 for the first battle against an alien race, the "Angels". The Angels are monsters that attack humans, and the EVAs are humanity's iron-and-fire reply. The origin of the Angels is unknown, as are their ultimate motives; all of humanity is too engaged in the motions of war to begin to uncover deeper questions seriously. The boy does not respond well to the machine that envelops him. Still, he is dropped onto Ground Zero like a baby g