Satyamev Jayate

This Sunday, I sat in front of my TV and realized with a heaviness in my heart that there was almost no point of it. Satyamev Jayate, Aamir Khan's latest venture on StarPlus was the one show me and my family would devotedly watch every Sunday at 11am. It was a time to share opinions about issues which plague modern day India, a time to reflect on the state of our beloved country, a time to hope and a time to bring change.

Aamir Khan has done Indian society a huge favour by bringing this show on air! He has not only tackled issues which are holding our great country back, but also instilled in us a hope and a fire to bring about the change that would probably make our nation even greater! Topics which would have seemed taboo at one point of time, such as child abuse, female foeticide, the abuse of Indian women have been discussed openly on prime time television. Issues which have existed since the dawn of our Independence were tackled and opinions were shared on topics such as dowry, caste discrimination, water pollution. Issues we may have never even dreamed of such as the poor care of our elders, our healthcare system, our food(!) were brought up and I must say that I was shocked to see how many issues we have in our country.

During the promotions of the show, Aamir Khan said "dil pe lagegi, tab hi baat banegi" (a point is made, only when it strikes home), and how right he was. Every episode played on the audiences heartstrings. Seeing the plight of the victims of child abuse or female abuse were moving and disturbing. Seeing the discrimination of people in "modern" India was repulsive and thought provoking. Every episode, brought to mind the various hurdles we need to cross to reach the heights that our forefathers dreamed of. And with each episode, came  a flicker of light which showed that not all hope was lost. There are still people who care enough about the welfare of the society to actually care to make a change.

There has never been a time during the airing of Satyamev Jayate where Aamir Khan made his audience feel at a loss of hope, he has always managed to end the show with a knowledge that someone out there is doing something about it, we just need to lend a helping hand. Be it through cash deposits to these institutions and individuals who were making a change or promoting us to take the lead and make the change, there was never a time I felt that we were in deep trouble. The last episode was particularly heartwarming. Aamir Khan brought us individuals who made a change to the society even through a myriad of hardships. Through each person, we realized that the change can start with one person and that is the power of one!

Satyamev Jayate may or may not be renewed for a second season, but all I know is that change is coming and we, the people need to bring it! 

Old friends

No matter how old you are, meeting friends you may have known ,even back in primary school is always the best experience you can have. It's the perfect opportunity for you to realize what sort of person you were back in the days when they knew you. You get to reflect upon in what ways you  have changed, and for all you know, the change may have been for the better. A chance to see how you have grown as a person or remained unchanged. But there are a range of friends you could meet to see this change. 

Friends you were very close to are always fun to meet. You can reminisce the crazy things you did, laugh at your stupidity back in the day, get emotional over shared memories. You can do any of these just hanging out in a cafe or eating in some posh restaurant you were so fond of.  Then, there is always that one group of friends you don't bother being changed around, it feels as if you'd never left them at all. You revert to being the same type of person you were when you were with them. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad, but for me, meeting that group of people always makes me feel content and younger! 

There are the friends you may have not been particularly fond of, may actually grow on you. All the things that you might have found annoying or irritating about them may have changed and you could laugh about the feelings you had towards each other. These "friends" are those who make you realize what sort of person they thought you were, and well, most of the time, they make you feel really good that you turned out the way you did.

And then, there is that one friend who you'll never forget, the one you were just yourself about, the one you would never want leaving you. The one friend who you know will always be there to catch you when you fall. The person who'd never leave you behind, even if you torture them. This friend, I would like to call my best friend. Meeting this person makes you feel special and loved, like you're the one person who's done something right in life. Meeting this best friend can change you and move you in ways that you may have never imagined and when the time comes to say goodbye, you find yourself unable to do so, your eyes mist up and you realize how special or blessed you are to have someone like them in your life.