Farah

Farah Thakur

I had gone to Borivali National Park today. This stream at the Kanheri caves reminded me of the river in my village, Rajapur where I spent a lot of time just sitting along the banks of that river. As a child I went there often for my summer vacations. its been very long since I have been on such a vacation. Under the extreme pressure of assignments I really wish I could turn the clock back and be a child again.

This cave reminded me of the tribal's house made of mud and stone that I lived in for a day at Udhwa where I went for my Social Service camp in 10th Std. I ate sugarcane from the fields, carried stacks of hay, and even ate dal and rice at their place. I remember how she served me a big mountain of rice on a plate and I had to literally spend 10 minutes in telling her that we do not eat so much. At first she thought I was shy. Believe me I was not.

Every modak reminds me of Lata aunty's handmade modak. She makes the best modaks. I really miss her and I am really longing to meet her now. Every time she sent us these on Ganpati I would hog away most of them. 

Farah Thakur

 

As I was walking down Shivaji Park on Independence Day I came across a group of cyclists and the first thing that caught my eye was the Muslim guy in beard wearing a cap and how harmoniously they all were cycling together. The first thought that crossed my mind was how lucky we are to live in an independent country like India where we can practice any religion that we wish to unlike the thought which I had in class two days back where I felt that maybe we are not completely free and even came up with reasons. But, the truth is we often confuse certain restrictions imposed by society on us with taking away our freedom from us. Then as I walked further I was greeted by empty roads, which is unlikely in a highly overpopulated city like Mumbai. An eerie feeling crept over me, as it reminded me of curfews that I have witnessed in the past which lead me to think about the recent war in Gaza and what the people there are going through since the last 60 years. It was hard for me to even imagine it. Since I have never been through anything like that.

 

Here is a small message for the people of Gaza:

It’s hard to believe that the Jews who came in as refugees now not only own the major portion of the land but have also made you refugees in your own country. You cultivated lands with your bare hands, no technology and being the daughter of a farmer I know the reverence that a farmer has for his soil. Israel thinks that they offered you a separate state and that if you refused it was not their fault.  I simply cannot understand how you can offer someone a piece of land in their own country? Since the last 60 years the map has changed considerably. I know it’s been a very painful journey and that you all want this to end. I know it is very easy for me to sit here in the comfort of my home and tell you to do things in a certain way. But, millions of lives have been lost and it’s high time to drop the guns. We all want peace. How is war going to get us peace? Is the need of acquiring more territory the selfish motive of the few who govern or is it something that you really wish to have? Start asking yourself all of these questions. I would love for you to write back to me and let me know not only what you feel but also what you want and what you think we can do to ease your pain and free you from this suffering.

I would also like you all to know that people all over the world of different religions are praying for this war to end, are praying for the safety and well-being of your family and friends and are praying that you can soon have a place which you can call a home. With prayer comes hope and with hope there is always a new beginning. As I prostrate myself in front of God today, I solely ask for peace and calm in your lives hoping that one day I will see you cycling away in harmony with the rest of the world.

 

A general message for everyone

I would love for anyone who is reading this to form a chain and remind the Israeli’s of their persecution, remind them of their holocaust experience, remind them where they took refuge, remind them of who sheltered them and least of all, remind them that we are humans first. DROP THE GUNS AND MAKE PEACE.

Farah Thakur

Its a simple story, a story of dreams, a story of my dreams. How it all started and where I am today.

In this first picture my neighbour, Zoya is in the extreme left. My little sister Tahseen is in the centre and I am the one on the right. School had just begun and we were ready to go for tuitions. 'Big dreams in little eyes', the three of us grew up with it. Zoya wanted to become a model, Tahseen wished to become a lawyer, while I aspired to become a research scientist. What’s intriguing you may wonder? Well Zoya is now a doctor, Tahseen is a computer engineer and I am on my way to becoming a Biotechnologist. What changed? As we grew up we started observing the world, we formed our own opinions rather than accepting what others told us, we started looking for a path and where we couldn’t find one, we created our own.

I have used this picture as a metaphor. I am walking on a path determined to reach my destination (I want to be a science journalist). When I reach the end I would have reached my destination. Half of this path is symbolic of one year at SCM and the other half my internship/ my first job which would eventually lead me to my final destination. How long I take to reach my destination depends alot on my stamina and my speed.

In the third picture I chose a silhouette of a woman. I don’t know how I would look, though I do not think that I would look much different from what I look like right now, where I would work and with whom I would work. I use this pic as a reminder that if  I need to get somewhere I need to work hard. However, there are certain goals that I have set for myself and I am working towards achieving them.

Farah Thakur