Regardless I am weak or not
I am enjoying this life I’ve gotten
I am facing all the challenges I was given 
Because I know this,
Life is not an imagination
Where I can stay worry-free always
Where I have no struggles to face
Where someone always keeps me happy
Instead it’s a destination
Where I should learn from struggles
Where I must face challenges
Where I need to keep myself happy always
Regardless I am strong or not.

.

.

.

Akshaya Thulasi🦋

Regardless I’m Weak or Strong..✒️

All about an ill-fated love.

The day she realised how her presence irritates him, she decided to let her absence comfort him. And, she succeeded in it though his absence irritated her every minute. 

An ill-fated love #1

Sometimes, your heart needs time to accept what your mind already knows.

An unexpected Gift is a touching story by my fav author Ajay K Pandey. Next to “You’re the best wife”, this is my personal fav from this author. The one thing, I always pointed out in his works are the fluid way of narration simple language embedded with emotions of each character.

“An Unexpected Gift”focuses on the unconditional love, dad-son bond, sacrificing dreams, the innocence of a child, friendship, single parenting, and the life of transgender.

This story revolves around the life of Abhay, Sheetal, and Ayush. Abhay seems struggling with the grief of losing his wife Kanika. He is unable to cope with his job and the care of his toddler son. Later, Sheetal enters into their life, applying for the job of looking after Ayush, he is thrilled. All Sheetal has ever wanted, even as a child, is to be a mother. Sheetal can be the best mother and instantly bonds with the kid except that she’s a transgender.

Later, Abhay finds out that Sheetal is a transgender woman and then, he sacks her for the reason that he felt his trust was betrayed. However, once he is over the hurt, he realises that alshe was making a good impact in Ayush’s life and hires her back. Then, he began to support her. As time passes Sheetal proves to be a source of motherly love and cared Ayush more than any woman can.

As usual, the established notions of our society wasn’t in favour of a young, transgender woman trying to work in the house of a young widower.As the pressure mounts on Abhay to let Sheetal go, he faces the hardest decision of his life… Will he be a hero that his loved ones want him to be?

“Life is stranger than fiction”.

Today I read this book, oh no.. I wasn’t reading it… it was journey through the minds of Sheetal, Abhay and little Ayush. When other writers in the contemporary bend their pen towards the interest of majority readers, Ajay turn his mind and pen towards internal struggling of minority class. This is such a story depicting the struggles of transgenders in our society.

On this reading this book, I found an attitude transformation within me – towards transgenders. It light up my mind which was previously not ready to treat transgenders equally. Being an aspiring writer, I have lot to learn from this man- Ajay K Panday. Really! Really ! Reading this book was great experience.

“A true hero is one who smiles through silent pain and fights battles nobody knows about. “

Don’t hesitate to read this book, if you are looking for a feel-good, sensitive book and has 1 – 2.5 hours of reading time on your hands…
.

.

.

Akshaya Thulasi🦋

“An Unexpected Gift” by Ajay K Pandey

Books have been chosen by many, consciously or not, as a therapeutic relief. Reading is a therapeutic relief and feels like a journey from worries to bliss. I plunged into them like getting addicted to cosmetics and other beauty products. Every day, I read at least one page of a book before sleeping for my mind just like some use night cream for their skin. Just to refresh and rejuvenate my mind for the upcoming days. As our skin gets older and weaker every day, our mind also will get weak or damaged if we don’t take care of it properly or remove the dead thoughts daily like, we need to remove the dead skin from our body. I have a habit of returning to old favorites that complement the mood, such as the works of Jane Austin, John Donne, Sylvia Plath, and Nanditha.Yeah! Reading is truly a therapeutic relief for me : Sometimes, to warm up my mind from the bitter cold of depression. Sometimes, to cool off my thoughts from the unbearable heat of oppression. Whenever my negative thought becomes too much to bear, I reach for books that heal me in seconds.

According to JJ Bola, the author of No Place to Call Home, “the world can get you so down you feel like you’re the only person going through what you’re going through. But then you read and you realize that you are not alone; that if someone else has gone through it and survived, then maybe you can, too.” Sometimes it will be that understanding the reader will get, when he or she reads a book. Or when we engage ourselves in reading, it will help us lift up our mood. Even though books are therapeutic relief, it may not sometimes. For instance, if you’re reading a depressive episode, it will take you back to the very same mood that drove you to seek solace in books. So try to take a look at what you seek from reading, before choosing what you read (especially when you’re looking to lift up your mood via reading). So, try to bury your pains in reading. It is better than sharing your pain with shifty humans around you. 

.

.

.

.

_Akshaya Thulasi

Reading is healing

‘Being Reshma: The Extraordinary Story of an Acid-Attack Survivor who Took the World by Storm’ by Reshma Qureshi with Tania Singh

Theme: How acid attack survivor Reshma turned a life-altering event into a movement for change.

“Being Reshma” is an emotional and eye-opening story of Reshma Qureshi, an acid attack survivor who’s now a Model, a Vlogger and an Anti-Acid Sale Activist.

This book lets us know Reshma Qureshi from the time of her early youth to how Reshma overcame her struggles to become a powerful voice for several acid survivors and an inspiration for many. 

Reshma is the youngest girl in her family. She grew up with her brothers and sisters in a conservative household in Mumbai. 

When her family finds it hard to live in Mumbai anymore, they shift to live in their ancestral home located at Allahabad. That is where that heartbreaking event took place and which changed Reshma’s life forever.

In May 2014, while going out for an examination, 17-year-old Reshma got acid thrown on her face by her sister Gulshan’s former husband Jamaluddin. It was a classic act of revenge. Her entire face was burned and when she was taken to hospital, but didn’t get proper attention from the authorities there. The police, too, behaved indifferently. From then, she began to face a series of callous behaviours from everywhere.

But, like us………. She didn’t capitulate.

But, not like us…….She did start to fight life and society. She did take power from her powerlessness.

Then…..

In 2015, Reshma participated in a campaign called #endacidsale that comes with three videos giving beauty tips.

In 2016, She went on to make global headlines by becoming the first acid attack survivor to walk the runway at the New York Fashion Week. 

Now, she is an Indian model, vlogger, and anti-acid sale activist. She is the face of Make Love Not Scars, an NGO that works towards rehabilitating and empowering acid-attack survivors.

When we talk about Reshma’s journey, we also need to mention two other strong women—Ria Sharma, founder of Make Love Not Scars (an NGO that helps in the rehabilitation of acid attack survivors), and Tania Singh, its CEO – these two women supported her a lot in her success. We have a lot to learn – From Reshma — How to raise up from those tragedies in our life? From Tani and Ria — How to be part of someone’s life by helping them to raise up from those tragedies happened in their life.

Being Reshma”, is a compelling read for more than one reason. Really, this memoir touched every corner of my heart deeply. I am a midnight reader and started reading this memoir around and completed it around 2’clock or less. But after reading this,  I didn’t sleep that whole night because I was that disturbed about…about .. I don’t why so?  about what?  But I really want to meet her one day because she is that much great to me. Really Really Really she is a heroine.

I highly recommend this story “Being Reshma” to everyone. There is a lot to learn from her life and her attitude towards life.

.

.

.

Akshaya Thulasi🌼

Being Reshma -Book Review

Government proclaimed lockdown

Against a pandemic outbreak

Was the beginning of a love pandemic

Over my heart.

It has ensued like a summer rain.

The seeds of that relish began to cherish

Over my heart to all over my veins.

Then each day I found myself melting

In between every words of herself.

She plucked me from my bookshelf

To watch the romantic hop of leaves

The gala of cloud couples over the sky

The whispers of gales to breeze

To read the billet doux

Written by roses for their bees.

I dunno how I am being now

I dunno how to describe these days

I dunno how to describe herself

The one who injection DNA of Love

To my cells and broken heart.

I found king Menelaus’ helena in her.

Sometimes Juliet, Desdemona..

Now am affected by love pandemic

But once,

I stayed with my strayed thoughts.

My mind was pulled to a inferno

After the visit of several epidemics.

They infected every vein of my bliss

And injected the DNA of woe

All over my body.

Initially, I tried to treat and heal

Myself, whenever an epidemic enters.

But, with the changing calendars

I found, am getting affected with more.

Each disease born around me

Will arrive on my way to create a holocaust.

Albeit, when it turned to shake my insanity

I decided to confine myself

Within my book shelf

And to live with my strayed thoughts.

Only within a world of letters and thoughts.

Then, by the end of 2019

I heard about a pandemic

Over the shores of china

My thoughts didn’t bother about it

Because its outbreak is far from me.

Days after, I heard another news

That is the news of its advent.

Then, my thoughts scribbled the title

“Death in the times of corona”

On my writing pad.

As I expected

Nothing good will arrive on my way

But only every holocaust.

As an unexpected twist, then

Her pandemic love arrived

On my shore to erase the corona fear.

Now everything changed within few days.

Covid 19 Lockdown turned me

To get locked within her

And Today, my romantic thoughts

Scribbled the title

“Love in the times of Corona”

On the walls of beating heart.

.

.

.

.

Akshaya Thulasi 🌼

Love In The Times Of Corona

The glow of golden shower tree’s

Golden flowers fall on my naked eyes

And Hold me still at my window sash

For a few minutes

A few days back, in a march morning.

With great astonishment, I gazed at

Those pendulous yellow flowers

Cascade down in plenty

To allure the fiery summer sky.

Zephyr from east, west, north &south

Cuddled her innocence beauty.

On feeling it, my lips murmured

No amount of poetry can narrate you!

Within this golden shower view

I am totally,

Despoiled! Despoiled! Despoiled!

What? Who? How? Hey!

Are you here or somewhere else??

I heard the indignant voice of my mom

Ah Ma! Look! Come Look! Look Ma!

Like a yellow cascade, how beautiful!

Look that streaks through it, Alluring!

She said nothing what I expected

But said,”So early! No use! Just move on!

What? No use?

I twisted and turned my thoughts

Throughout the day through it.

Even though, there is nothing in it.

By the night, some life quotes

Began to burgeoning in me

As the sum of my myriad thoughts

At the midnight, it has bloomed

Over the screen of my quote creator App.

I scribbled,

“Nature is the ultimate reflection

Of You, Me, I, He, She, They, It

This is what I have learned today

Our mind is like an Amaltas flower

Which blossoms so early for something, and

Falls just before when that something

Is about to reach it at the right time.

So Early! No Use!

Yeah! Nature is the ultimate reflection

Just read it! Learn it & Move On!”.

.

.

.

.

.

Akshaya Thulasi🌼

An insight From Amaltas