The Trysty Tales

 There’s an old story whispered through time—of a saint, a sacred vow, and a bowl of sweet kheer that carried a lesson deeper than any scripture. The Story A saint once set out on a pilgrimage with his disciples, vowing to reach the holy destination without eating anything along the way. His followers, moved by his resolve, joined him in the vow. Days turned into weeks. The sun burned hot above, the roads stretched endlessly, and hunger became a quiet companion. Yet their faith held strong. The saint’s eyes remained fixed on the spiritual goal ahead. Then, just as the sacred site came into view, an old woman - weak, wrinkled, yet glowing with devotion heard that a holy man was passing through. She had nothing much, but what she had, she offered with all her heart. She cooked kheer, simple yet fragrant, and walked miles under the scorching sun to offer it to him. When she found the saint, her eyes brimmed with tears of joy. “Please, accept this, Baba,” she said softly. The disciples...

Cognitive Dissonance: The Inner Tug Between Belief, Behavior, and Awareness Have you ever caught yourself doing something you know you shouldn’t? Like promising to start eating healthy, then reaching for a slice of cake later that night? That uneasy feeling deep down, the quiet voice saying, “This doesn’t align with what I believe”  is what psychologists call cognitive dissonance. At its heart, cognitive dissonance is the psychological discomfort we feel when our beliefs, values, or actions don’t line up. It’s that subtle tension between who we think we are and what we actually do. And though uncomfortable, it’s also deeply human. The Subtle Mechanics of Dissonance Cognitive dissonance doesn’t just appear out of nowhere, it follows a familiar inner pattern: 1. Inconsistent Cognitions It starts with a conflict. Maybe you value honesty but tell a white lie, or you care about sustainability but forget to recycle. Two opposing truths sit uneasily in your mind. 2. The Discomfort This co...

In a dense valley where even the sun's rays struggled to penetrate, there lay a peculiar village named 'Bhramakpur' (Village of Delusion). All the inhabitants of this village were born blind and deaf, but their greatest irony was not just that. Their senses worked in such an inverted way that what wasn't there, they saw, and what wasn't spoken, they heard. A simple sound would become the roar of battle for them, and a sweet fruit would taste bitter. In this topsy-turvy world, they tried to connect with each other, but every interaction was shrouded in deep illusion. There was always a strange clamor in the village, where people made random noises, gestured oddly, and bumped into each other. In their world, what wasn't, was the truth, and what was true, was non-existent for them. This caused them constant hardship, every step a challenge, and every day a new crisis. According to Bible Hub, spiritual blindness is the inability or unwillingness to perceive spiritua...

एक घनी घाटी में, जहाँ सूरज की किरणें भी मुश्किल से पहुँचती थीं, एक विचित्र गाँव बसा हुआ था, जिसका नाम था 'भ्रामकपुर'। इस गाँव के सभी लोग जन्म से अंधे और बहरे थे, पर उनकी सबसे बड़ी विडंबना यह नहीं थी। उनकी इंद्रियां इस तरह से उल्टी काम करती थीं कि जो होता नहीं था, वह उन्हें दिखता था, और जो बोला नहीं जाता था, वह उन्हें सुनाई देता था। एक साधारण सी आवाज़ उनके लिए युद्ध का शोर बन जाती, और एक मीठा फल उन्हें कड़वा लगता। इस उलटी दुनिया में वे एक-दूसरे से जुड़ने की कोशिश करते, पर उनके हर संवाद में एक गहरा भ्रम होता था। गाँव में हमेशा एक अजीबोगरीब सा कोलाहल रहता था, जहाँ लोग बेतरतीब आवाज़ें निकालते, हाथों से अजीब इशारे करते, और एक-दूसरे से टकराते रहते। उनकी दुनिया में जो नहीं होता था, वही सच था, और जो सच था, वह उनके लिए अस्तित्वहीन था। इस कारण वे हमेशा बड़ी मुश्किल में रहते थे, हर कदम एक चुनौती थी और हर दिन एक नया संकट। एक दिन, एक सिद्ध साधु, जिनका नाम 'ज्ञानप्रकाश' था, अपनी साधना में लीन थे। अपनी योग शक्ति से उन्हें ज्ञात हुआ कि इस घने जंगल के बीच एक गाँव है जहाँ के लोग इस प्रका...

For the past 3+ years, I’ve traveled daily across NCR with the same drivers, yet it’s *only in Gurugram* that people face constant harassment by traffic police. Multiple times and twice recently,  once near Good Earth City Centre and another red light turn near Gurgaon Highway, we were wrongfully stopped and accused of jumping a red light when the signal was clearly green. In the latest incident, Sushil Kumar from Sector 50 Thana stopped us mid-road, claiming we broke the law. When we insisted we followed the rules, he demanded we park, walked to his chair on the pedestrian lane, and said, "5000 ka chalan aayega." He dismissed our request to check CCTV, claiming, "There is no CCTV here, the judge will believe what I say." He accused us of not having a license without checking, saying, "Roj dekhta hu ese light jump krne wale logo ko." His irrelevant remark, "Kon sa judge aata hai jab wardat hoti hai, police hi aati hai," was pure intimidation. Eve...