The Writer's Platform

The Recap The year started off busy and is ending again on a busy note. With University fulfillments and family functions to attend to, it had become increasingly difficult to take some time off to write regular blog posts. Add to it the fact that I am the sole person who manages this blog. Whilst exams and tardy lessons took most of the time, skill building and household chores were also part of the mix. Nonetheless, getting four-five blog posts out each month like last year could not become the scenario this year despite my wish to be consistent. But the worst part wasn't the exams or the chores. It was the rainy season this year that chose to be volatile and guarantee sickness to everybody in my community. I had just recovered from a bout of illness at the end of July, only to fall sick twice in the month of September…in the middle of semester-end exams. I did not mind that either. But the fact that, no matter how badly I am sick and in need of the doctor’s attention, the rain a...

  Youtubers, Tik-tokers and streamers saw a huge boost in popularity when COVID-19 had made itself known. Virtual and non-virtual  streamers saw a significant rise in their audience and views during the pandemic’s peak as people had become increasingly isolated from the outside world due to the strict regulations. While the hype and excitement died down as the pandemic, the taste of having a virtual streamer as your idol and as a source of entertainment still remained.  If you are a content creator and pander to a certain type of audience, you will find haters and stalkers amidst them all the time.Some chronically-online viewers might forget the line between reality and the virtual world and start to become overly possessive of their favourite streamer. That feeling of connection, where you feel like the streamer or creator is your friend or just someone towards whom you feel a connection is called a parasocial relationship. Now before you panic and label yourself as a pa...

  We all love a good twist in the show. We appreciate a generous surprise that starts pumping the adrenaline to us. I have only recently discovered the joy of reading thrillers that are realistic to the core. It all started when I was reading this comic that had a bizarre title with an evenly disturbing art of a blonde woman boasting a bloody knife. While the story typically starts with a cliché and a supposed ‘love at first sight’, it slowly starts to descend into its psychological aspect the moment we delve into the male lead’s problematic backstory. His story starts a chain of depressing backstories which heavily imply that a certain blondie was toying with the male lead from the moment they met. I was introduced to the concept of psychopathy at the start of a comic called, 'It's Mine' with more or less the same backdrop. It had a different twist to it and started with the male lead being a dangerous stalker to a girl with whom he has a mysterious and disturbing connecti...

                                                   When we don’t meet expectations and are met with lack of success, we are called as ‘failures’. The word in itself feels embarrassing and painful to hear because we all have had downs in our life. And sometimes, there are certain failures that we had that were impossible to turn into a successful endeavor: like a demolished building.   As students, our failures feel more pronounced and un-forgiving in this ‘winning-is-everything’ society. We feel like our score in every subject is the endgame. Even the best students encounter an obstacle, no matter how much they had planned out their day. Failing while procrastinating and passing time is inevitable. I have failed because of it, you have failed and so has everyone. Purposely not putting effort and knowing that you would probably face consequences is ...

    We left at dawn and reached at 9 am, as a light shower greeted us. My head, the entire ride, was partially occupied by a murder-mystery called Purple Hyacinth which I had started reading the day before. The plot was immaculate, there was no fantasy to it which is why it felt even more realistic and the characters are very engaging. Also, there was this one passenger on the train with us who was grinning to himself, eyes glazed over. When he was casually scoping his surroundings he still had that goofy grin on and his eyes were unfocused. All the while, I was hoping I would see a sign that he has air-pods or earphones on because he was looking like a straight-up criminal (no offense, by the way because I look like one too whenever I am spaced out. Heck, I look possessed) he was wearing them so weirdly I couldn’t even tell but at least I won’t think badly about him.   The first day was only for sleeping because a certain member of my beloved family spent the entire ...

    Every good story evokes some emotions in the reader. A sad and tragic tale makes the reader cry while a happy and cheerful one makes the reader joyous and fulfilled. Authors are indeed super humans with their pens. How a trail of ink could trace the letters and words that could move a cold human heart. It takes effort to weave a tale that has interwoven strands of tragedy, happiness and comedy. Everyone loves to have a good and hearty laugh. Some people also look for tragic tales to have a good cry. Some absolutely adore a good piece of drama (I personally love drama but not in real-life). The essence of a good book lies in how much they were able to touch the reader’s emotions, how much the characters resonated with the readers. After all, all books are the results of the inspiration authors had while looking at people in real-life. Also, readers like to humorously quote that authors love killing off their characters and have a cup of tea with the devil right after wo...

  An anecdote on why cats are never going to be allowed in my household Everyone has pets. Everybody loves the warm embrace of their animals. Even before the advent of the pandemic, the idea of having a little animal pal has endeared millions of people around the world. Cats, dogs, fishes, birds, snakes…lizards? Rats?? Lion cubs? What next…Komodo Dragons?!I am joking, of course. Some people love embracing animals out of love towards nature and some relish the idea of having a furry companion for emotional support. It is a form of peace, entertainment and support in the form of a faithful animal. My family had kept chicks and fishes. But the idea of having a cat as a pet was always shot down by both of my parents. It wasn’t the issue of hair fall or the care, rather, yours truly has a severe allergy to both fur and feather. My cousins had even kept rabbits through red and watery eyes but my family…not a chance. I like animals. But with no opportunity to physically connect with...

  The textbook definition of Ego is a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance. We all have ego inside us. It is an important part of every individual’s personality as it is the driving force for a person’s success. Egos can be a force of good or a perpetrator of disaster. Having an inflated ego can create chaos between your peers and can become a hindrance to your coworkers too. Instead of becoming a stepping stone, you become an obstacle in the way of your team. Unstoppable ego in a person is a headache for others around them. We must learn to control our ego, for our sakes as well as for others. Ego and pride are two different things. While ego is more about how the person views themselves, pride is all about how a person feels about their achievements and such. Human beings are God’s greatest creations. We have superiority over every other being on this planet yet we are the weakest when it comes to battle with our self. Our sense of worth is so important these da...

People love to have a fairytale story in their lives. They love to be rich and wealthy, have a mansion full of servants, and have a beautiful partner and a circle of reliable friends. It is not a shame to imagine and wish for good things but going completely off the rails by being delusional? Now that’s an issue. Ever heard of spouses ruining families to get their hands on the ancestral wealth? Did you pay close attention to who was your truest friend when you were in despair? Did you listen to stories of people getting cursed with misfortunes because someone couldn’t handle their success? The internet shows its audience a lot of fantasies about love and friendship. It also shows its exceptions in the spotlight but we still love to wallow in our imagination about how cool would it be to marry someone rich, handsome and completely stable. Certain novels often gain recognition for their well-written side-characters or for the realistic way they handled the plot. Fantasy is good and...