#WeStandForSaritaDevi

It takes courage to stand up to injustice and Sarita Devi showed abundance of it when she refused to accept her bronze medal at the Asian Games. That day we saw two tough women , two champions. Mary Kom , who bagged her first Asian Games gold medal and went on to be a legend,  and  Sarita Devi , despite being heartbroken , refused to settle for a manipulated score. She was robbed. She was cheated. And then she was insulted.

Image Courtesy : NeelabhToons

Of course it doesn't take long for Indian Olympic Association to point fingers at her and call her a sour loser. But a woman who has been representing the nation for 14 years in international boxing events , an Arjuna Awardee , would by all means know where she deserved her win and If needed wouldn't she know how to handle a clear defeat?

I  don't know squat about boxing. I celebrated with pride Mary Kom's victory just like any other Indian did.   On the other hand Sarita Devi's  inconsolable state broke my heart and disappointed me.  A true fighter that she was ,Devi proceeded to appeal. Despite being accompanied by IOA officials on the tour , Sarita had to borrow $500 from an Indian journalist in order to fund her appeal which also turned fruitless.

A silent, sobbing  Sarita steps on the podium and refuses to accept her medal and even then , no official was reported seen with her after the incident. Being the true champion she was , She hugged Ji Na Park ,gave her the medal and when she refused to accept it, Sarita left it at the podium and walked away.

I would , along with several other Indian spectators would assume that Sarita's case may have had more force had there been a joint support from the IOA , which did not happen. Instead, Sarita went on to face an international ban after she refused to accept her medal.

Some have argued on social media that Sarita's way of handling this situation could have been perceived as disrespectful on the nation's behalf but what could one do when our own Chef De Mission did nothing but sham her.

Combat sports is no joke. These women have sacrificed days away from their children for ruthless training. Gender bias in India especially sports is a known secret. The uproar that would have been caused had it been a male sportsperson would have been unmatched. As per reports, no official had approached Sarita for 24 hours. All her efforts were her own.

Sarita Devi's grit is iconic. Don't confuse her tears for weakness. There is a lot of bravery in the tenderness she shows.



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Book Review : Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Pages : 264

Read on : Kindle

Goodreads Rating : 4.17/ 5

Review:  This is one of those rare series where the second book has outdone the first and that seems to have been the general consensus on Goodreads.

So after 'If I Stay' left us hanging at the end, Mia survives and makes a full recovery. Fast forward 3 years , She's now the rising star of Julliard. What happened to Adam Wilde you ask? This whole book is his side of the story. Who ever said boys have no emotions , has not read this book!

The confusion and bewilderment that Mia's unspoken departure from Adam's life seems to have deep rooted itself over the years.  Adam Wilde , who's finally making it big with his band Shooting Star, seems to face emptiness and even to some extend confusion that has only been suppressed by his focus on Music. Despite years passing by , trying to stay completely detached from Mia and having a stable girlfriend , it's evident that the band's  critically acclaimed album Collateral Damage was fueled mostly by the part depression that Mia's absence had left him with.

As mentioned in the previous post , Adam even after success doesn't portray wild rock star tendencies , although he does get easily frustrated by questions or jibs put to him pertaining the past.

What made me prefer this book over 'If I Stay' is because all of Adam's emotions and frustrations are genuine. It fathomed to me that people do fall out of love with music , something teenage Adam thought was the ultimate goal of his life. It subtly yet perfectly manages to put across how being with that band at all time makes you crave personal space and all the effort it takes to still stick together. 

The simplicity of the book yet the fast paced descriptions of  all that Adam feels in those 24 hours with Mia are extremely accurate to what an ordinary person would feel. The speechlessness, the urge to touch her , the force of unanswered questions gushing out of him , all precise, all normal, all relatable.

For once I see Mia as a stronger character , taking a stand and being bold. Throughout the book Mia takes the lead  and takes Adam from what she would have considered a friendly round. Of course her reasons to hate and love Adam are still weighed on the degree of loss they both faced in the tragedy that struck. More dilemmas.

So far the book seemed great. BUT the downside and the only flaw for my morbid self was at the end of their day , Mia and Adam fall back in love! Why?! It's was pretty obvious that both seemed to be walking on eggshells and were putting up a front but I personally would have loved this book even more had the whole cliched rekindled romance had not taken place and both had gone their separate ways.

Ah well, I guess that's the way it's set to be. 

Final Rating : 4/5

May be it really is true , we depart to meet again. :)

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Book Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

  Pages : 201

 Read on : Kindle

Review : Story of 17 year old Mia Hall and her impending dilemmas. The plot is narrated by Mia from what seem to be her ghost-like state soon after she loses her family in a tragic car accident and is the only one who could be the possible survivor. That is if she decides to stay.

On reading the description and by the 3.99 Goodreads rating I was waiting for something to wow me or make me an emotional wreck. This book failed to do either. The plot though seemed very deep , most  of the book focused on the  large chunks of memories from her past life. Instead of pondering on whether she should stay or not , she seems to be walking around the hospital in her nebulous state observing her surgeons working on her shattered body.

Very little was explained and described about each family for the reader to the feel attached to this fictional family and actually mourn their death. Although most part of the book focuses on this shared love for music. Mia a cello player , her parents were punk rockers in their yesteryears and her boyfriend Adam Wilde lead singer and guitarist for an emocore band 'Shooting Star'. Just before the accident Mia's primary concern at that time was to leave for Juilliard  and pursue her music career or to stay in Portland to be with her boyfriend.

Highlight of this book was Adam Wilde and the very muted and stable relationship he had with Mia despite their differences in genres. In this regard, the book breaks all stereotypes of Rock boyfriends being infidel , into drugs , excessive drinking and partying. Adam and Mia's love was more based on this shared love for making music on the whole. Since Mia is portrayed  as a regular girl and may be even slightly conservative , not  a lot of words were spent on describing their intimate relationship- a very refreshing change. Not that she was she was portrayed characterless but more like her own person.

If anything said , Adam was made to seem like the ideal boy. Patient , respectful , focused , sweet and most importantly accepting Mia as however she was without comparison. However the bittersweet part ( may be even a tad bit corny)  was right at the end of the book ( spoiler alert!) when Adam begs her to stay.

On the whole , The book seemed to be seriously lacking on emotion, be it happy or sad. Not a lot of excitement was reflected in her memories of her family and her achievements , neither was there any sadness except for when her 8 year old brother Teddy  eventually succumbed to his injuries. Mia, although walking around the hospital corridors , did not seem very fond or emotionally attached to her grandparents nor her aunts and uncles. Also , very shockingly , None of them , except for Kim's   ( Mia's best friend )  mother is seen crying or mourning over the tragedy that has struck.

Either I am emotionally bricked up or this book was not worth the hype.

Final Rating : 2.5/5

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Hi !

      It's been a week since I started this blog and haven't posted a single thing yet. Fantastic! slacking already. But hey! What can I do ? I'm a night owl. ( Excuses , Excuses) . So tonight I finally decided to buckle down and have a go at this.

Hi , I'm Mehreen. A 20-something desi girl living in Oman with an obsession with words and the weird. Also , a bibliophile and a hardcore feminist (Don't forget that.)

This blog is not intended to be anything journalistic or literary. These are my personal views on issues that me or women of my generation and age may be or are currently facing. Most of these may sound like rants but times are hard for women , especially in India. Despite us being well into the millennium and Indian youth trying their best to strike a balance between being cultural and progressive, women still feel unsafe and threatened in their own land. 

Since I spend more time reading than with homo sapiens , I will also be posting views and reviews too. Basically because I need somewhere to gush about my literary adventures. Also since the blog has the word 'obscure' in the title , I will mostly end up documenting poems , music and may be even photographs of all the things I love.


Here's to new beginnings!


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