theyoujourney-blog

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Your Subconscious Mind-Dreams

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India and Workplace Depression

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All Lives Matter- Racism in India

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FGM

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COVID- We Are All In This Together

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Desi Boys on Dating Desi Girls

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Desi Girls, On Dating Desi Guys

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NRI Bollywood Stereotypes- Are They True?

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Fake News- Beware of Political Propaganda

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Rape in India- Time to Change The Way We Think.

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Protests in India for a Secular Democracy

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I voted for a Secular India

If you have been following the news, then you must have seen India in the headlines- protests all over the country for CAA (also known as CAB) and NRC bills, police brutality and deaths in protests. In this article I will provide a synopsis of CAA and NRC bills, talk about why these protests are taking place all over the country, why police brutality is being used and what the government is doing about it. 

Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) also known as Citizen Amendment Bill (CAB), was an act passed in Parliament of India, on December 11th, 2019 (think of Parliament as Congress in other democratic countries). This law grants citizenship of India to illegal immigrants (with me so far not a big deal right?). However, fine print states: if you are citizens of the following countries: Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan and belong to the following religions: Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and Christianity, only then you will be granted a citizenship of India. Now: do you see certain faiths missing from the list? (I do, Islam (Muslims), Judaism (Jews), Atheists)).  

The protests for the CAA law, is for many reasons, but I will talk about two main reasons why this law has angered the public: first, this law is unconstitutional because- as a secular democracy, Indian government cannot make laws based on religion. This law for illegal immigrants excludes certain faiths (Islam, Judaism, Atheists to name a few).  So, protests are taking place because the law goes against the constitution, deliberately segregating based on religion, and completely ignores Jews, Muslims and persecutions that have taken place in these countries like- Ahmadia Muslims and Jews in Pakistan, Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh and Muslims who have fled terrorist persecutions during Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Second, this law only grants citizenship, it does not provide an action plan on resources its going to provide to help these illegal immigrants- no funds have been allocated on food, shelter, jobs, etc. And this has outranged the average Indian because the country’s current GDP is the lowest is has been in the past 6 years (EconomicTimes, 2019), the unemployment rate is rising in India (UN study, 2019). India currently ranks at 102/117 countries on the world hunger list, meaning that India is suffering from a serious hunger problem (Global Hunger Index, 2019) and India’s debt has increased by 2.6% in 2019 (IndiaToday, 2019). These are just some facts to show that India as an economy currently does not have the viable funds and resources in place to support it’s own country men; therefore, adding more citizens to the country- through this naturalization process is only going to further strain the economy. And so, protests are taking place to stop this law- not just by the Indian citizens but by state governments as well. They want the federal government to build plans for curbing- hunger, unemployment, suicide problems first. 

On the other hand, we have the bill, National Register of Citizens (NRC). This bill is not a federal law just yet; however, this bill requires that all residence in India will have to prove their citizenship (how do you prove citizenship?show your birth certificate. Thats easy and fair, right?). However, the fine print reads, you must show legal documentation proving- all your grandparents, both your parents and you have been an Indian citizen and paper work is required all the way to 1971. If you fail to provide, not just yours but documents for others, you will be considered illegal. 

Now this has spurred protests all over India and the world because, the average man in India and outside does not have legal documentations, readily available that prove their lineage. It would require them to go through government offices to get these paperwork; time and money spend on proving you are a citizen, because your birth certificate is not enough. This has angered the common man (Now I say- big deal you can stand in line and get paperwork). So, even if the common man in India can get this paperwork after going through a few rounds of the government office: this does not easily apply to the rural, the tribal, the indigenous,  the poor, the homeless, the orphaned, the disabled, etc. they will have no way to prove their identity (now this is NOT their fault); due to various corruptions that has been overlooked by the Indian governments for generations- folks like these have never existed in the system, and even if they do their paperwork is incorrect. So, even if they do go to these government offices to get paperwork, the government employees will not find them in the database, and thus, without having all and correct documents to prove their lineages, they will be considered illegal (its a classical case of which came first: chicken or egg). A pilot for this bill was instituted in the state of Assam, India, it turned out that due to lack of correct paperwork, lack of understanding & knowledge of the ask, immense fraud and corruption around 1.2 million people were considered illegal in the country. This pilot was considered a failure by the people, experts and even the state government. But, the federal government of India is adamant to make this bill a federal law. 

The combination of this NRC bill and CAA law, can be considered discriminatory, here is how: Imagine under the NRC you fail to prove you are citizen of India, so, you are now illegal. However, if you can prove that you are either a Hindu, Christian, Parsi, Buddhist, Sikh or a Jain and belong to the following countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan and/or Bangladesh, then under the CAA you can become a citizen of India. So who does this exclude? the poor man who was never in the system (regardless of religion), the Muslim, Jew, atheist- that has fled its country due to religious or other prosecutions, the orphan, and any individual who is of a different religion or cannot prove their lineage with no faults of their own. If this happens, then the question arises where are these people going to go? (ideally- if you are illegal, then you are deported to your country of birth, so, thats where one should go, right? makes sense to me). However, the federal government of India has stated, that they will NOT be deporting these potential individuals, but retain them in a detention center. That is exactly what they did in Assam, where this pilot project was launched.

Folks are outraged on the fact that the government is building and wants to place people in detention centers. The taxpayers money is being/going to be spend on these projects, and they do not want the CAA law and the NRC bill to be implemented. Therefore, more than 50 different universities around the country and world, various human rights institutions and organizations in India and the world, other political parties and simple citizens of India have come on the streets to non-violently protest these acts, bills, and the consequences it will have on the constitution, economy, employment, social system and generations to come in the country. These protests have been going on for almost a week now in India and other foreign countries, but unfortunately in Indian these protests they have been met by police brutality. In a democratic country, its illegal for the police to attack in a non-violent protest; however, this protocol has not been followed by the Indian police and due to the brutalities various people have been injured and 13 have been killed (BBC, 2019). Many suspect its because of the orders provided by the federal government- that control the police; however, it would be hard to judge, without a proper investigation. 

The federal government of India has published a statement- that these bills and laws do not discriminate; however, the Prime Minister of India and the Home Minister of India have done campaign rallies (in these past few days) making hateful remarks against the protestors, Muslims and others (is it just me, or what they say vs. what they write on paper don’t match?). These politicians  have yet to start a dialogue with its citizens and address their concerns, as this is what the protocol mandates in a democracy.

Democracy or not, the fundamentals here are WRONG! I am proud of all the people, who are going out there and protesting, raising awareness on social media and are having an educated dialogue with the ones who are neutral or support this cause- in and outside of India. These people see this for what it truly is- segregation, discrimination, and religious bias. People who also see this but are doing nothing - I ask: what kind of India do you want to live in? If its a secure, safe, financially stable, equal opportunity and secular India- then show your support. There are many ways to support, please do something. And the ones who have just come across this- I urge you to read more about this, follow the news and form your own educated opinion on this topic. 

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The Rajasthani Thali- In Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. Well, the Thali- is a mixture of sweet, spicy and savoury veggies and curries, you guessed it- its completely vegetarian. The best part about the Thali is- it's unlimited so you can ask for more veggies, curries, rice, roti 's and Puri's as you see fit. Although it seems unhealthy, the food is actually made with less oil and salt and quite frankly you cannot finish it all in one go. I had to take my time, and take breaks in between to finish this meal up. But it was well worth it and I skipped dinner..lol. Next time you go to India, or to an vegetarian India restaurant, give this vegetarian meal a try.

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The Travel Story

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Power of Gratitude

It’s the season of Thanksgiving in Canada and Thanksgiving is all about being grateful, for all that you have in your life. Now, mind you that this is not the true essence and history of this festival; but I will skip the history lesson for today and focus on the theme - having gratitude. 

In the wellness and the metaphysical industry today, gratitude is a big theme. Various books have been written on this topics by scholars & writers, loads of research has been conducted by accredited universities and multiple tools and materials have been developed to help one practice gratitude. My very own encounter with the idea of gratitude was when I read the book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. In this book she has spoken about the power of gratitude, but in her later book, The Magic, she outlined step by step processes that help you practice gratitude, which in turn helps you achieve your goals.  

 i was fascinated by the idea, it was so simple, yet noble and when I had been introduced to this, it was a time in my life where I was struggling to achieve my goals, and I needed something to feel motivated and believe in. So, I decided to follow the gratitude practices, outlined in the book, The Magic.  At first, being grateful of things I have and for things I know I don’t deserve, felt superficial. To give you an example: The food on my plate- why should I be grateful for this? I deserve this food or why should I be grateful for public transport? its always late, it crowded, i have to plan my entire day around it. I deserve better. 

The was my attitude before practicing gratitude, and mind you to overcome this attitude was not easy, it took loads of practice, determination and belief and; slowly but steadily, I started to feel grateful for a few things in my life. Gratitude gave me a fresh new perspective on things: once I use to have the attitude of “I deserve it”- I realized, I was taking things for granted, I also use to have the attitude of "I don’t deserve this” and here, I realized my focus was on the lack instead of focusing on the abundance. Gaining this new perspective, developed my confidence and with my newly confident persona I was able to overcome my fears and take actions towards achieving my goals. This new attitude also provided me peace of mind, for I was no longer comparing myself to others, I didn’t have to I was happy with what i have, it also helped me develop sustainable and authentic relationships with family, friends, colleagues and other, why, because I would appreciate them, and due to this they felt respected and in turn respected and appreciated me.

Today, gratitude is part of my core belief system, and the practice of it is part of my daily lifestyle. Thanksgiving, is just a festival that emphasis it; however, try to incorporate it in your daily lifestyle, make it a part of your life.  I promise you, you will gain a fresh new perspective, your attitude will change, you will achieve your goals, you will feel confidence, get a peace of mind, and create harmonious relationships. 

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The You Journey Intro.

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Time to Overcome

Have you ever felt insecure at work, in relationships, in friendships or just in general- life? Well, I am about to tell you it is a very common feeling to have, and I myself deal with it now and then. 

So, each time you got hit with an insecurity about yourself, others or a situation and you actually noticed it; then congratulations, you are already one step ahead of all of us. Gaining awareness is the first step to overcome it.  Now let me share with you my tried and tested 3 step process, on how to overcome  your insecurities. 

Step 1: Identify why its happening? Why do I feel this way, sometimes its a superficial reason and other times it can be a deep rooted issue. But whatever it is, you have to understand the why. Understanding the why will help you evaluate the importance of this feeling. In your evaluation process you can ask yourself: Is this feeling this way, worth the energy or effort?

Step 2: Create an action plan to change this feeling. I usually use affirmation and hypnosis sessions to change my thinking around insecure feelings, other times I just need to vent or talk to the individual who has made me feel this way. Believe, it or not outlining an action plan will help you think outside of the box and help you understand how you should be feeling in that situation if you were completely secure. It will provide you with a new perspective. 

Step 3: Follow that action plan, and tweak it as you go along. Yes! we are in control on how we feel, what we think and how we react in situations. So, if you start following the action plan to overcome insecure feelings, no matter, far fetched or crazy it might seem; this is actually going to get you in the zone of being in control of your feelings. 

Although, I have carved out - how to overcome insecurities in a very simple 3 step process. The reality is, in practice its not that easy. It’s time consuming, its hard, it bring up a lot of fears, uncertainties, its uncomfortable at times to see new perspectives and its much much easier to give up. 

But, I assure you if you don’t give up and follow these 3 steps above then you will convert the feelings of insecurity into a positive one. It’s time to gain awareness, be in control, change your perceptions and overcome feelings of lack.

Wishing you the best in your journey.