The unsung heroine of Saudi Arabia

Manal Masoud Al Manal Alsharif

We all know about Malala Yousafzai,the child right activist from Pakistan who was shot by Talibanis. Today,she is a youth icon. She is appreciated all over the world for her courage and determination. 

For the first time, Talibanis are scared of a teenager !

But Malala was not alone. Her family,her father even the USA supported her since the beginning.

The story of Manal Alsharif is different. She is not fighting against a terrorist group. But against a whole system from top to bottom,against the Saudi Arabian government. She is fighting for the rights of women in Saudi Arabia,the richest yet conservative nation in the world. 

    The women in Saudi are educated. They can be scientists ,teachers,or even models. But they are not the part of government, in the sense they are not allowed to vote. Born in 1979,in Mecca,Manal was an ordinary girl. She blindly followed the rules and regulations of Saudi Arabia. She was even associated with a group of fundamentalists. Osama Bin Laden was one of her role models !

But everything changed after 9/11 attack. She saw the pictures of horrifying incident in TV. Her heart sank all of a sudden. Her role models did not attain the same position in her heart anymore. She was ashamed of herself.

     Soon after the introduction of Internet,she was able to interact with the women of other countries. She realized that world is vast and colorful. She came to know about the 'actual' rights of women. And then she decided, she had a new goal- to 'change' the system.

She started giving lectures on the rights of women. The government did not take her seriously. In 2011, she launched a drive campaign. She drove the car on the streets of Saudi Arabia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNpmq6Ok-QQ). Soon she was arrested for violating the laws (note that there is no particular law in Saudi Arabia which states that women shouldn't drive). But after a lot of protests, she was released on bail. 

Soon after the incident, her enemies increased. The ones, who were close to her in the past, threatened to kill her. Her son was beaten up by his own classmates. Her husband received many threatening calls everyday. But she dint budge.

Finally, the Saudi Arabian government knelt before this iron lady. It has allowed the women to vote in 2015's elections. She received many awards for her heroic act. But still a part of the world doesn't know who is Manal Alsharif (link to her official blog http://manal-alsharif.com/ )

I personally feel that the whole world should know about Manal and her long battle for rights. It is just not because of her goal but because of her determination ,dedication and courage.

  After all, the world needs 'heroines' too...

The shortcuts in space

                                   Worm holes

 All of us,who have watched 'Star Trek' television series know worm holes. In 'Star Trek: deep space nine' we can see a stable,traversible worm hole that connects alpha quadrant to gamma quadrant.But worm holes are still a mystery for astronomers.

The concept of wormholes was proposed by Einstein and Nathan Rosen. They proposed that there will be 'theoretical bridges' through space-time, creating a short cut between two points in space. These theoretical short cuts  are known as worm holes.

Even though the existence of a worm hole is mathematically proved by General Theory of Relativity, in reality, we have yet to prove them. We have not found enough evidence to say that-yes,they exist.

According to General Theory of Relativity, a worm hole consists of two mouths. Each mouth is assumed to be a black hole. The passage between the mouths is usually called as throat. All naturally occurring black holes do not form worm holes, worm holes are formed only in some mysterious conditions.

It is difficult to detect a worm hole since it is assumed that primordial worm holes (primary worm holes) exist in microscopic scales and also they are highly unstable. Some solutions to General Theory of Relativity predicted that worm holes can also be used to connect different times.

But such predictions can only create a way for more advanced sci-fi. Even though the concept of worm holes is as old as 70 years, it is still a mysterious topic in astrophysics.

But we are not far away from that day, when we firmly say that -it is a worm hole or it is just an imagination of man.

The future

           What is the future of  earth?

Whether we deserve this earth? Or whether earth deserves us?

My answer is no,earth doesn't deserve us.It deserves much more.It deserves a 'better' species than homo sapiens.

The current situation of mankind provokes me to think that,whether mankind is the beautiful creation of God?

If u analyse the present,you'll surely node your head for a big 'no'.

What we want to prove?Man is trying his best to keep alive the fear and violence in this earth.We are trying our best to use the technology to harm others.

We invented a lot,we discovered a lot,from nano technology to big bang,we were just incredible!

But,what is the use?We are in a hurry to destroy earth-our beautiful home!

If a diamond is given to a blind,will he ever know its value? It is just a stone for him.We,the blind,think that we're the greatest creation,the crown of this universe!!

Ah! it exasperates me,when ever we praise ourselves !

Will we succeed in defeating our ego before it is too late? A question,that has to be answered from each and every man of this planet.

Dear God,I'm very sorry to say this ,that we,the homo sapiens were not up to your expectation.We just lost the battle to our ego.You must be expecting a lot-a peaceful planet.But we found 'violence' more interesting than your 'peace'.

We failed,we failed.Dear God,please don't expect anything from us !

Doomsday?

                              Hilarious................ :)

Last year,by this time, the world was worried about the END.The end of everything-doomsday.

Some found a Mayan calender,and said the world will end by December. A film titled 2012 was also made ! There were great debates ! I was least bothered by doomsday. But my neighbor was quite worried ,she was 6 years old !

She came to me and asked - is that true? world is going to end in December? I dint know what to say.I remembered an ancient prophecy which was quite famous in India- the day when butter sinks in buttermilk,is the doomsday ! I said the same to her thinking that it will satisfy her.But she went to her home,took a piece of butter and tried the same !!! She found that the butter is floating that means nothing is going to happen.But she wasn't satisfied,she tried to sink it in buttermilk.When she failed, she ate the part of butter which was floating over the buttermilk,thinking that it should sink!

           She again approached me and explained the condition of butter.I was confused.In the beginning,she was worried about the great end but now she is worried about the fact that the world is not going to end !I asked her why she is so keen to end this world?

Can you imagine her answer? Her answer was- because my parents want me to join a school !!!!!!

Monsoon !

                                   Monsoon ! Again !

I think it is monsoon all over the globe. Raining , raining , raining ! It is raining heavily in India. I hope you all did watch in TV about Uttarakhand  flood. If not , let me tell you , Uttarakhand is one of the northern states of India. On June 16 , due to cloud burst , heavy rain caused a great havoc in Uttarakhand. The state is famous for many holy shrines of Hinduism. At that time , annual pilgrimage was on the run.Some thousands lost their lives. Rescue operation of stranded pilgrims is still going on.                                              

I love Indian monsoon ! It is just perfect ! When I was a kid , I loved to ride my bicycle in heavy rain ! I was always accompanied by my best friend in that. There was a playground nearby , where we loved to go mad in rain ! Usually , there will be a bicycle race between me and my best friend influenced by Tour De France ! At the end , either I will fall or he in that slippery ground. Our clothes will be get designed by mud but we never cared ! We will continue the race till the rain ends !  Some times , we will get some sponsors too , who are our classmates or neighbors ! The prize was a ride in loser's bicycle !   I miss those days badly. I miss our Tour De France ! Enjoy the monsoon !

The Kumaris of Nepal

The living Goddess of Nepal : the Kumari

Today our world is digitized ,smartised.We live in that modern world where science is the God. I'm one of the pupils of this powerful God. But there are countries where Gods are humans ! 

Yes ,you heard it right-Gods are human beings! Nepal is a beautiful country.The mighty Himalayas act as crown to this small nation. It is a holy land for both the followers of Hinduism & Buddhism. It is a land of varied cultures. In fact, it is a melting point. Nepalese are the strong followers of their ancient legends. They strongly believe in many traditions including that of the Kumari's.The Kumari is believed to be the living incarnation of Goddess Durga/Taleju.The prepubescent Nepali girl will be worshiped as Kumari.The word Kumari actually refers to a virgin.The Kumari council in Nepal follows some rules & regulations while selecting the Kumari such as presence of  20 unbroken teeth,black hair &black eyes,the child must be fearless etc.The final test is on Kalratri /black night.On this night,the girl must spend whole night with slaughtered heads of animals without any fear ! Tough in deed !!                                  

Once the menstruation cycle begins,the girl will not be worshiped as a Kumari since it is believed that the Goddess Taleju leaves her body at this stage and then the hunt for another Kumari begins.The people of Nepal strongly believe in the legend of Kumari. But since the world is growing every day , the rules are also changing according to the current situation of Nepal.The Kumari is allowed to continue her studies but through computer with a guide of council's choice.A pension of minimum of 50₹ is given to the Kumari as a compensation , after puberty.Nepal is really interesting!

The picture shown above is that of current Kumari - Samita Bajracharya

             

It's Mumma's day

Happy Mother's day...........

         
 On this 12th of May , we're going to celebrate Mother's day. A day to remember that woman , who is considered as living God. That woman  , who made our lives more beautiful. There are many in this world who lack the love and care of a mother.There are many organisations to help such unfortunates.There are many in this world , who are too 'busy' in their life so that they don't even find a minute in a day to speak to their moms.I would like to share a story for such 'busy-human. There was a businessman who was successful in his professional life. He was respected a lot by his colleagues. He was always right and he never experienced a single set back in his business. His family was proud of him. He had a son who was 12 years old. He was a student of one of the prestigious schools in the world. Every one in his school treated him like a prince. His mother was a housewife. But the businessman  hardly spent time with his family. He spoke to his son once in a six months.One day , the businessman watched a program in TV which showed how the family needs the love and care of every member of the family to be strong. It ended up asking the audience to spend quality time with their families once in every week. Businessman thought of trying it. So, that day , he returned early from his office. He spent that full evening with his family. During dinner, he sat beside his son , spoke to him lovingly and said 'Son, even though I was busy with my business , I've always loved you and will continue loving you. Your father will always be there for you. I love you my son'. His son smiled and he went to his room. After some time , the businessman noticed the light of his son's room. He was surprised as to what his son is doing till mid night. He went to his room and saw his son deep asleep on his study table. He carried his son to bed  in his arms and gently kissed him on his forehead. His attention was distracted by a piece of paper on the study table addressing 'Dear Dad'. He read it and he rushed to his room teary eyed. In fact , it was a suicide note written by his son. He wanted to commit suicide because he thought his dad never loved him. He thought his dad is too busy that he rarely speaks to him and business is his first priority. Then ,at the end he had written that he will commit suicide after the dinner. But , he has written in the very next line that he came to know on that day that his father loves him more than anything else. He was busy that doesn't mean that , he never thought of his son. He regrets his decision of committing suicide and will never take such a step in the future. At the end , he wrote I LOVE YOU DAD in capital letters. From that day on wards, the businessman spent at least an hour with his son daily. If you love someone you should express it. Because you will never know when your loved ones leave you forever. We all love our moms. But let's express it on this mother's day. Let's say I Love You Mom on this 12th. I know our moms will be desperately waiting for their son's/daughter's confession some day. So let's make that happen on this mother's day. I bet ,you'll see a beautiful , content smile on your mother's face. Let's try .....                                 
I LOVE YOU MUMMA

First meeting with Mr. A/C

My first meeting with A/C 

Today I'm going to tell you one of the funniest experience of my life - my first encounter with A/C.  I was in 3rd standard , when I got a chance to meet Mr.A/C. We were in Bangalore at that time . My mother's friends came to meet us one day. One of them planned to have dinner at hotel. I was excited ! Having dinner at hotel ! oh wow !!!!....

I quickly ran  for refreshment. I wore one of my favorite dress and made sure that I'm looking good. So then , we went to a big hotel. There were guards wearing royal dresses. I thought I'm going to be treated as a princess there ! As soon as I entered the hotel , I was stunned to see it's luxury. It was looking like a palace ! I was overwhelmed with joy.We were then directed towards 'family room with A/C'.  I was quite good at reading English. So when I read it , I was confused as what could be this A/C ? Then I thought , it must be referring to some 'special treatment'. As soon as I entered the room , I noticed that the atmosphere was entirely different ! It was cool. I thought it must be a big fridge since fridge is the device used for cooling. I was happy that I'm sitting inside a big fridge named -A/C. My mother ordered ice cream for me. That guy, the server , was dressed up as if he belongs to some royal family. I was happy that I'm going to eat ice cream prepared in a 'royal' kitchen. But , after some time , I started shivering because of cold. I tried to warm up myself and was successful in it. But everything went wrong with the arrival of ice cream!I started shivering like hell. I tried to sit under the dining table by acting as if the spoon fell down. But that too didn't solve my problem. I then thought of informing my mother , but she went for wash room. I thought of screaming - it is too cold , but after seeing the hi-profile people sitting inside the room with serious looks , my voice refused to come out.After struggling for one hour , I was relieved when the 'bill' arrived. I ran out as if some dogs are chasing me and took a long breathe outside the hotel. At that moment , I decided not to sit under A/C in the future. But today , I sit under A/C regularly and when ever I see it , a smile flashes on my face because of my 1st A/C experience.First experiences are always wonderful , either you'll learn something or you'll make others learn something. In my case , I did learn how to behave in a 5 star hotel. I can't forget it.I hope , a small smile is flashing on your face after reading this.Have a great time.....

The memories

One of my best childhood memory..................

I'm a great fan of Tom & Jerry. It is still my favorite.

When ever I'm free , I just switch on the T V and will watch Tom & Jerry. 

When I was small , I used to watch Tom & Jerry every day. Even though the same episodes were telecasted  repeatedly , I never get bored while watching it. Jerry is my favorite. He is just awesome!

When ever I see Tom in trouble , I just wonder at Jerry's wisdom. I used to think as what could be Jerry's IQ? I was waiting in bated breath to meet him one day. I'm still waiting for that day!!!!

It is an ever green show. Hats off to William Hanna & Joseph Barbera for creating such a beautiful cartoon. Look at their logo. They make you to laugh. 

Till 5th standard , I believed in the existence of Tom and Jerry. When ever I see a cat , what I first do is ,observing the skin color of the cat. If the color turns to be dark grey , I'll consider him as Tom. After some time , I'll laugh at my own stupidity !!!!

Sweet memories always make you to smile even when you are in hopeless situation. That smile makes you happy for a moment. Such smiles are too precious. Don't ever sell them , at any cost.Cute memories act as a catalyst some times. When ever they are introduced , the reaction gains speed, so does our life.

When ever you are in worst situation , just remember some sweet or funny moments of your life. It can be an episode of Tom & Jerry also. Observe the effect then. You feel a bit relaxed. You'll be refreshed and your battery will be recharged. Your enthusiasm will reach the maximum level and you'll succeed in your attempts of changing the situation.

 Have a nice time............................

The universe

The universe......................

     










When I was small , I used to look at the sky every night.

I used to wonder why this sky is so small?

I used to wonder at those shining dots(stars) as 'too small'.

I always wanted to have at least one shining dot in my room as a lamp.I used to think that sun shouldn't rise in morning as he is too bright. In the summer he becomes much bright. So to reduce the hotness of summer, I thought to bring shining dots in the morning as they make the day 'cool'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was when I was in 5th or 6th, I came to know that those dots are much bigger than our sun. I come to know that our planet is in a galaxy called milky way.This milky way consists of millions of stars in which some are bigger than our sun and some are smaller than our sun. I came to know that , the surface temperature of those 'shining &cool dots' are much more than my imagination. I used to think,that their temperature could be around 20-30 degree. But ,actually, it is around 10,000 degree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

         When I was introduced to our universe,my ideas turned to be a 'hilarious joke'. I laughed at my own innocence. 

Our planet is in one of the arm of a galaxy called milky way,our galaxy consists of millions of stars and our universe consists of billions of galaxies like milky way.Oh my God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This truth killed my innocent ideas.

       Today, I know a little more about this universe. I know that there are many interesting things in this universe from quasars to super novas.

After 7 years , today,I look at sky every night and I wonder how big it is????? how big those stars are??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To my enemy...........

To  my  enemy ...........the bull  'Hitler'.........

My  dear (?) bull ,                       
               I  know ,  if  u read  this  , you'll  wonder  why  did I  call  you  as  'my  dear '. Because , you  know  how  much  I  hate  you !!! You  are  the  only  one  in  our  colony , whom  I  hate  the  most. Even  , our  neighbors  know  it , is indeed Mr. Bull?  You  had  a  very  good  name  in  our  colony , till   my  entry  to  your  life. But  soon after  my  entry  ,your  reputation  underwent  a  major  surgery!!!I  named  you  as  'Hitler '. Every one  called you   as 'Hitler'! But  you  know what  Hitler , the  other  day  , if  u  din't have  spoiled  my  favorite  dress  by hitting me  with  your  mud head , I wouldn't  have  named you  as 'Hitler'. It  is  not  only the  story  of  that  day , you  continued  irritating  me   for  the  next  couple  of  days. Even  some  days  before , you  bothered  me  a lot!!!I  was  on  my  way  back  to  home  in  my  bicycle  ,  when  you  blocked  my  way. You  knew  that  ,the  road  was  not  good. It  was  under  construction , it was  narrow. There  was  a  cliff on  the  left !!!!  But  still , you  blocked  my  way , you  forced  me  to  pass  through  that  road  ,near  to  the  cliff. If  I  would've  slipped  there , then  you  would  have    found  my  bones !! that  much  dangerous  path  it  was.   But  , still  you  din't  move a  bit. I  was  looking  at  you with  pleading  eyes ,  but  you  were  adamant. Some how , I  managed  to  pass  you. But  you  din't accept  your  defeat.You  waited for  a good  situation. Yesterday , I was  trying  to  snatch  some  of  mangoes  from your  owner's home ,with  the  hope  that  you  went  for a walk.  But , you  returned  like  a  missile , woke  your  owner up , and  he , directly  came to the mango  tree  and   I  was  caught!!!!!! If  given  a  chance  , I'll  not  leave  you  Hitler. One  day , I'll  make  you  kneel down. You  may  be  successful  in  your  last  attempt. But  remember , the  war  has  been  started. It  has  been  triggered  by  you and  I'll  end  it. I  know  you  are  illiterate , that's  why  I'm  challenging  you   here. Otherwise  I  din't  had  that  much  courage  to  challenge  you  publicly !!!
 Well , you  might  be  happy  with  yesterday's  win. But  , next  time , I'll  not  let  you   win. I'll    defeat  you. I know  , everyone  of  our  locality  , knows  about  our  hatred. But  that  won't  help    you  next time.                 
 I'm  eagerly  waiting  for  our  next  encounter  Hitler. Wait  and  watch ..............

A letter...........

            A  letter  to  the  setting  sun..............

Dear  sun ,
                 When  ever  you  plan  to  finish  your  day's  work ,  you  will   be   tired  a lot.  Your  face  becomes  orange  red  !  You  look  like  a  tomato. I  love  to  see  your  this   avatar  everyday !!!!You  may  be  happy  at  the  time  of  setting  that  you  are  returning  home. But  when   ever  you set,birds  chirp  like  they  are  going  against  your  decision!!! It seems  like  they  are  protesting [ well , every day protests  take  place  in one or other countries ,so birds are influenced by this I think!!!!!]But  you  don't  worry , let birds  do what  ever   they want. I'm  with  you. Because  I  know , you  will send  your  other  friends  to  meet  us  as  soon  as  you  reach  home. Your  friends are  very  nice, especially  stars.They  visit  us  in  countless  number . How  do  you  manage  them  in  day  time?????But  your  other  friend  , moon , he  is  too lazy !!! He  disappears  once  in  a  fortnight. He  is  not interested  to  meet  us  I think......I love  stars. Their  company  lasts  for  whole  night. When  ever  I  smile  at  them , they sparkle,which  indicates  that  ,they  are  happy  to meet us. They  are  very  small [?] , but  adorable.Today , as  usual , you  are  going  to set. Soon   my  friends  will  appear. They  will  shine , they  will lighten  the  whole  world , they  will  make  us  to  sleep  by  singing  lullabies. Today  I  would  like to sing  a  lullaby  for  you   my  dear  sun.  I  hope  you  would  like  it......

                                          Twinkle , twinkle , little  sun....

                                          How  I  wonder  what  you  are...

                                          Up  above  the  world  so  high...

                                          Like  a  diamond  in  the sky.

See  you  tomorrow  my  dear ,  have  a nice  sleep.

To all diamonds of this world............

   TO   ALL   WOMEN...........................................

Most beautiful creation of God-women

You  are  an  inspiration  to us  

You  are  very  very  precious  diamond, 

Which  shines  every day, every month  

Even  when   there   is  no sun light.   

You   can  be  anything  and  everything,  

From  a  lamp ,

Which  throws  out  the  dark in a  second

To  a  fire, which  can  burn  everything 

Be  a  fire ,when  needed,  Be  a lamp for the needy...    

BUT  SHINE  ALWAYS , EVEN  IN DARK

Ohhhh !!!!!! I'm a blogger now !!!!!!

Hello all , I'm new here...............

In fact , I don't know anything about blogging!!!!! It sounds strange right????Well, you will come to know it ,once you start reading my blog....          

 I'm little crazy [sometimes you may think that I'm a stupid rather than crazy !!!!! ] I love my life, I love my world, I love my nation and of course I love myself.I  have some goals. I have some principles in my life which often confuse me !!!!!  
 I don't know what am I?                   
But I know that I'm something ,I've something which makes me different from you ,because  almighty  is not  a fool to create a waste. This faith begins my day.Every day sun rises and sets. When ever I feel like 'oh no !!! what's happening??? ' , I just look at the setting sun and console myself -'don't worry,there is a tomorrow,which will not be the same as today'.This hope ends my day.Meet me in my next blog. I'll come up with more hope !!!!!