Threads in the history of Indian textile!!

There was time when a group of so called “Primitive”

Indians dominated the international market of textiles.
India’s supremacy over the market was as such that the
very name “India” was shorthand for “cotton”. The huge
range of plant fibres and natural dyes gave India a distinct
position in the market. Cotton and silk were the most
prominently used raw materials. Printing patterns made
using wooden blocks adorned the streets of almost all
countries. We dominated the markets of Europe, America,
Africa and many more.
But as it is said “The one who wears the crown has to bear
its weight as well.” India’s rich natural resources and
skilled artisans caught the eyes of British who were in
search of cheap cotton resources. After that what
happened is what you call “The systematic destruction of
the blooming Indian textile industry”. From being the
dominant textile exporter India’s status came down to
merely a raw material provider to the Great Britain. Effects
of Industrialisation in Britain also left its marks in the Indian
scenario wherein the traditional methods of production and
authentic designs were curbed under the devastations of
colonization.
Though we’ve surely been able to come out of that
destructive period but still there is a long way for us to
re-live that legacy of Indian textile.
INTERFAITH PEACEMAKING AND ITS RELEVANCE

When you meet someone for the very first time, what should you notice about them? Their
intellect? If they’re humble and compassionate or not? Can they be a positive inclusion in
your life? No, people actu don’t ask these questions to themselves. They instead go on
asking just one question, that is, if that person comes from a religion which does seem a
threat to their own religion. This innate fear of losing one’s religious identity to some other
religion is what creates friction between the individuals of different religious communities. If
we look at the prevalent religious beliefs in India as of now we can obsethis similar sense of
fear of losing one’s religions identity. This fear leads to a sense of intolerance for the other
religions like Hindus have towards Muslims and vice-e-versa.
When we look at India we don’t see the technological advancement or that we have attained,
all we see is the people and our colourful culture, the diversity and most of all the secularism
and spirituality that we follow so passionately. We as a nation resembled the idea of
tolerance and harmony but now we’re on the path to become a bunch of passive aggressive
protectors of our religion. A nation as diverse as India needs to protect its diversity by
promoting the idea of interfaith peacekeeping. India has the largest population in the entire
world which means we’ve a huge quantity of assets which is losing it’s quality to fight a
superficial religious battle.
Importance of interfaith peacekeeping can be understood from the ongoing friction between
Hindus and Muslims. My observation and understanding of this dispute has made me reach
the conclusion that this intolerance makes the religions vulnerable while exposing them to be
exploited. Take this instance for better understanding, a middle age Hindu man in Kashmir
raped an 11-year old Muslim girl. When he was asked why he did what he did during the
investigation, he defended himself by claiming it as a method of taking revenge from the
Muslim community. Now this is a classic example of how religion has become so vulnerable
that such a man is using it to hide his utmost derogatory act.
This broadly highlights why we need an initiative for interfaith peacekeeping especially in
India. Our diversity is something that we boast of but it’s also the biggest reason why we
need this initiative. We have a population of 1.3 Billion people which has accommodated
most of the religions of the world including tribal population and that’s the diversity we are
failing to hold on to as of now.
This interfaith rivalry also puts the minorities in a disadvantageous position in all aspects e it
education, healthcare, employment or anything and also it affects the political and economic
stability of a nation. Interfaith cooperation is a vital part of economic development because,
firstly it maintains the righteous and productive path for the youth and secondly it disrupts the
flow of economic activities which forms the base of our national progress.
However, if we look at India’s efforts to initiate the Interfaith peacemaking there are some of
the notable efforts which have been significant like “Interfaith Harmony Conclave”,
organised by the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance (GIWA). The conclave brings together
leaders from different faiths, including Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, and
Christianity, to promote interfaith harmony and sustainable development.
Another initiative was “Interfaith Peacebuilding Initiative”, launched by the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with Civil society organisations in India.
The initiative focuses on building the capacity of community leaders, activists, and youth to
promote interfaith dialogue and prevent communal violence. These initiatives positively
supported by the media can transform the dialogue between the various religions. Role of
the media is crucial because the majority of our Indian population finds this medium to be the
most credible when it comes to forming opinions and ideologies. Hence the media is the
epicentre of creating interfaith peacekeeping initiatives.
Overall Interfaith peacemaking holds as much importance as becoming the next superpower
in the world does. We as a nation driven by its youth should take active measures to
maintain harmony amongst our diverse population. India as a nation stands on the pillars of
harmony, humanity, secularism and democracy. Interfaith cooperation strengthens all four
pillars of our national integrity and we ought to harness our efforts in its protection.
Happiness!!
What is happiness? A tough question if you ask
me, but still as soon as I blurt these words out I
can expect quite a few answers for it. Therefore,
here I’m with my opinion on “happiness”.
Okay so first let’s rule out the “definitions” which
are highly unlikeable to be true. The Instagram
version of happiness is a big fat illusion spreading
as if it’s a fire in some Australian forest. Instagram
is like “No matter what happens, pick up a good
dress, put on your favourite lipstick and yes don’t
forget to style your hair girl!!” In my opinion that’s
the worst idea for being happy.
Happiness isn’t some goal that has to be achieved,
and also there are no predetermined standards or
formulas for happiness. Happiness is a very
subjective thing and therefore it differs from person
to person. The very idea of dwelling on the path of
happiness just by copying someone’s recipe of
happiness, won’t work. Happiness can’t be
measured also, it’s a feeling not some piece of
cloth!!
Mostly all of us want to be happy, optimistic, at
peace, etc. We all plan stuff in our lives and decide
a specific time when we’ll be “finally” happy. I’ll
take a degree from this college, then do my
post-graduation, will do a job for a few years, set
up my own start-up and yay!! I’ll live the rest of my
life full of happiness. This very approach takes you
thousands of steps away from the pursuits of
happiness.
Here we’re talking about happiness which is a
feeling; we just can’t look at it with this sort of
materialistic approach. There is no fixed time to be
happy. One can be happy anywhere at any
possible time. You can’t obviously be like “Come
on!! Let’s all smile and we’ll be happy forever!!”
and then try to be happy.
In my opinion happiness is a very momentary and
subjective feeling. You surely can’t PLAN on being
happy. What makes us happy can’t also be
discovered in a few months or years, rather it’s a
gradual process. In a nutshell, happiness is a
feeling which you might feel just for a second but
for that specific second, you’ll bear all the pain for
weeks, months or years and still won’t realize that
you were in pain all that time.
Sumedha vats
BA Program (History+ English) - 6th semester
200165
Vatssumedha9@gmail.com
8949922182

EUDAEMONIA- Fulfillment and Friendships

March is that month of the year that is perceived as a “terror month”, because of its encounter with
exams all over the country. Amidst this, we forget to mention how it’s also the month of hope. In this
month all of us give our absolute best in the hope of achieving our dream life or if I say so, a life of
liberation and exploration. It’s a hope for a new life, one that might not be visualized in comparison
to our sheltered school life but is certainly a desired change that we willingly seek. We were seeking
a change and March 2020 gave us one, a thunderous one at most, one that we never anticipated and
never really wanted as well. March gave us a change but it was to be stagnant and static in the
“comfort” of our lovable abodes. No one anticipated the length of the comfortable constant that this
change gave us. However, when it was extended beyond our expectations, most of us started losing
hope while some of us even started losing lives. Soon after a mass-level panic the privileged ones like
us gave up all hope and succumbed to whatever antics we could engage ourselves into. Sooner or
later it became a period of depression where even the enticing video calls weren’t helping. We were
craving all the mundane and petty joys of our lives that we took for granted. Attaining fulfillment or
happiness was the least of our concerns in this period of mental, physical, and economic trauma.
When one is striving to merely survive, how can one afford the liberty of happiness?

I on the other hand didn’t even try the antics of social media to get that temporary dose of
dopamine to feel productive and eventually completely gave up. My life was reduced to my
computer screen where a once so bubbly girl wasn’t even left with one “real” friend to talk to. Online
classes seemed like one long monotonous monologue and family dinners were all about the sad
condolences for our loved ones. Until one fine day two of my closest friends landed at my place in
their sportswear and called me outside. I was sleeping just to avoid the monotony of “nothingness”.
They had their rackets ready and were aggressively asking me to get ready to go to the Badminton
court. My mother just beamed at the mere mention of me moving. I was shocked and in that state
itself, I had to go with them to restart my once favorite activity- Badminton. I had nothing in my mind
when I went to the court to play, but as soon as I warmed up, and picked up my racket to hit the first
smash I felt my blood rushing through my veins screaming at me “you’re still alive, you aren’t just a
mass of limbs lying around”. It was a moment of change, a change in the constant of my life, a change
I never imagined but a change I desperately needed. We started playing regularly, now I could feel
alive and “me” every day. It was like the old days but it wasn’t the same as it used to be. It was
better, way more intimate, and our friendship was booming like it never had, even when we were
together for years. The amusing irony was that the monotony of the pandemic brought us closer
than compared to the rush of teenage days. When I told my other good friends about this little
endeavor they also took the leap and we safely started hanging out at my place quite often. We
would do nothing productive, we would just rant a little, reminisce about good old days and share
the hope of getting the change that we always desired. I would meet my friends and we would just
talk, and talk so much that we started sharing our deepest insecurities and secrets. We initiated the
exploration of our personalities, and got to know about ourselves in a way we would never have and
that too by just talking!!! This was my eudaemonia and I found it in my old, wise friends. It was
magical, we didn’t realize it back then but now when we think about that time, we do understand
how it shaped our lives. We didn’t click enough photos or recorded our growth because it was more
of an emotional and spiritual journey than a superficial one that we often run behind. We all found
our very own guide to fulfillment in each other. To date when we’re out in the “new normal” open,
the very idea of seeing those familiar faces after months during holidays cheer me up as nothing can.
In times of illness, sadness, and failure all I crave is their reassuring words and relatable nods. We sail
together in the boat of successes and failures of each other. That’s what eudaemonia means to me, it
means having constant companions in the ups and downs of my life. For me, eudaemonia is a life
journey, a journey of togetherness and companionship.

As Aristotle mentions Eudaemonia isn’t a destination, it’s a process in which the ideas of happiness
or fulfillment are explicitly subjective. There wasn’t one universal method to cope with the struggles
of the pandemic. Every individual had to deal with his/her own set of internal and external struggles.
Some struggles were real and out there while others dealt with their internal havoc.

My struggles came in the form of being unproductive and demotivated. It was the fear of isolation,
being left behind, and becoming a failure. Covid exclusively triggered my innate ability to overthink
and analyze the past which made the whole survival even more difficult. However, reconnecting the
dots to old roots was all that could uplift me. My 18-year-old self very selfishly assumed that she
wanted to move on in life, go big and achieve all that she could and wanted to but little did she know
that her happiness lay in the embrace of her near and dear ones. Nothing could light her up more
than a good laugh with her friends. In no time the cruelty of the pandemic didn’t matter to us and it
was just like as if we were on a long vacation in the lap of our serene city exploring the depths of
these worthy relationships. We secretly didn’t want this vacation to end but also were (still) hopeful
to discover the lives ahead of us with a new perspective.

The Pandemic did hit us hard in the gut but for me, it was also a period of exploring myself and
finding that one thing that genuinely made me happy other than my superficial academic and career
goals. In this process of finding a ray of survival amidst the chaos, I found my way toward utter
fulfillment. Discovering this side of my friends didn’t only help me get through the pandemic but also
put me on the path of discovering eudaemonia which was hidden in the comfort of my closely tied
relationships.
(This is a basic synopsis of a script that I wrote)
The shady lane- By Sumedha Vats
Main Character- Samhita (a 19 year old nerdy teenager)
So the basic theme is about slut-shaming and giving labels.

One night Samhita was very restless, it was as if she needed a tight hug,
very badly. Though it wasn’t just about the hug she just wanted to meet
him or anyone at that moment. She had this anxiety that wasn’t going
away. The restlessness was engulfing her.

She texts him that and he suggests taking a walk. Samhita looked over
the clock, it was 9.15 PM. Her father was at a party with his friends and
had asked her to park their scooter inside. There she got the idea to
shove her anxiety away. She asks her mother if she can take 10 minutes
to stroll around the lane itself while she goes downstairs to park the
scooter. Her mother blatantly agreed. Samhita grabbed her jacket and
called him to reach the chaurhaya which was just 5 minutes from her
place.

She reached the place, waits for him but he was running slightly late.
She was apprehensive of someone spotting them together or just finding
her alone at this odd timing, hence she moves to the next lane. She
parks her scooty at the opening of the lane and calls him, he was just
behind her and he parks his scooter exactly beside hers. They start
walking together and Samhita takes the second turn to her right. As they
were walking together holding hands she gets a call from her father.

She was intimidated but soon though, it was nothing as she took the call.
Her father (in a very calm and neutral tone) asked her where she was.
She answered that she was around only. He ordered her to get back
home right away.

She took a deep breath as both of them took a U-turn (disappointed).

Her instinct told her that it was nothing and her father isn’t aware of her
anxiety-driven hug demand or whatever. They wanted to hug each other
and eventually, Samhita gave him a little side-hug as she had to make
this risky endeavour worth it. As they moved through the lane after
hugging each other, they saw a man staring at them, and right at that
moment, Samhita knew that she has done a BIG FAT ASS FUCK UP, as
she thought that he might be someone who knows her (or her father).
But the drive and thrill overlapped her fear.

Then it suddenly strikes her that father might have taken this lane or
something and has seen “her holding hands with a guy”. She ordered
him to stay in this lane itself for the next 15 minutes as she reaches
home without being caught. She quickly reaches home and calls her
father to inform him that she has reached back home. He right away
asks her who that boy was. Now, what does she answer to that? She
lied that she was alone. She panics and calls that guy to ask him for a
solution, tries to craft a story, clean her chats, and tries to manipulate her
mother but her so-called anxiety was multiplying itself faster than India’s
bullet train.

Her father arrives home and asks her again, her mother laughs at this
claim. She said Samhita might have met some friend of hers and it was
nothing. Samhita took a deep breath as at least someone was with her.
No one says anything to Samhita and everyone dozes off to sleep.
Samhita just wanted to shut off her anxiety and the only way was to
sleep through it. The next morning she goes to her mother and now she
isn’t also talking to her. Wow!!! She thought. She waits for an hour or so
and then goes to her parents and tries to convince them that it was
merely a misunderstanding and she was alone. They aren’t convinced
even a bit by it. They can be angry with her but judging her character
and assuming things along with doubting her intentions looks scary and
suffocating to Samhita.

No one scolds her or anything; they just look at her with disgust and
disappointment. As if they’re snatching her dignity away. All those years
when she was being the responsible and understanding elder daughter
that she is, no one ever appreciated her. She was taken for granted
always and now when she did something for her (yes, it might be
wrong); her character is being questioned right away. All those years of
hard work and honesty are nothing in front of this. It’s horribly amazing
how a girl’s character is always narrowed down to her sexual desires or
sexual choices.

Once a studious and responsible girl now became a

characterless whore who goes around hugging guys in
dark shady lanes.