A hope for home

“Home Is Where The Heart Is.” But Where Does The Heart Lie?

Aman Singh, XI B & Roshini Srivastava, XI F, AIS Pushp Vihar

What makes a home? Is it a physical location, or is it something more than that? Is it a warm bed and a comfortable couch or something much more than just comfort? Is it love and attachment to someone we care about or the feeling of security and safety? Just like no two people are the same, no two ‘homes’ are alike either.

Homeless and stranded
The Syrian Arab Republic is suffering from one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time. Amidst a full blown civil war, Syria has left the majority of its citizens homeless, struggling to find a home within and outside the country. Nearly 5,000 Syrians flee the country every day while 6.5 million people remain homeless and uprooted, which equals to 28% of the Syrian population of 22 million people. With this rampant destruction, there is no such thing called home for Syrians. They are losing their resolve every day. The hope for a warm home remains a dream for many in India too. As per the Civil Society Organisations, there are nearly 3 million homeless people in urban areas and a hard hitting 18 million street children in India.
What would home mean for someone who has never had one? The ques
tions still stands.

The plight of the elderly
The 2011 census revealed that almost 15 million elderly Indians live alone, while many are sent to old age homes. Today, more than 68 million of elderly population of our country lives with their family but it is not quite the home they dreamt of. No longer in control of their own lives, many such elderly people are victims to restricted social life, mental torture and other forms of harassment. According to Helpage India, 50% elderly experience abuse. Thus, it is no surprise that old age homes are witnessing a spurt in residents. The Government Home for the Aged, Kollam, recorded a 69% increase in the number of residents of old-age homes over the past four years. It is likely that more than 20% of our elderly population will be residing in old age homes by 2020.
What would home mean for someone with a house but no love or belonging? The question still stands.

The sphere of life
August 1 marked ‘Earth Overshoot Day’, that point in the year when the demand for natural resources far exceeded what the planet can renew. Global natural resources are depleting by 45% every year. Reports like these are constant re-minders of the inevitable downfall of human race. Scientists such as Stephen Hawking have predicted that the human civilisation will become extinct in coming years, unless colonies can be established in space. Presented with two options, colonising space and building residential units in the orbits of or on other planets in the coming centuries or facing long-term extinction by becoming a single-planet species, most of us have already abandoned any hope of sustaining our current home: Earth.
The earth has cradled our civilisation and billions of species for millions of years. This planet has been our home since the existence of mankind, one that will cease to exist soon. Even if humanity is able to make place on a new planet, will it be the home that earth has always been to us.
What would home mean for a child living somewhere where its species never even began? The important question still stands.

Daastaan-e-badlaav

Hearing The Ace Storyteller Share Her Magical Story Of Inspiration

Dhairya Chaudhary,  AIS Pushp Vihar, XII C

Ages ago, somewhere in the land of Persia was born a style of storytelling which   needed no props or fancy stages, yet transponded the audience into the lands of magic and charms. The art eventually came to be  known as ‘Dastangoi’ and then found its way into the land called ‘Hindustan’. However, it remained a male bastion until the 20th century, when a little girl named ‘Fouzia’ was born. Enchanted by the magic of stories, Fouzia blossomed into ‘first female Dastango’ of India. In a candid ‘guftagoo’ with GT reporters, Fouzia Dastango speaks about dastaan-e-zindagi.

On finding true love…
I didn’t choose dastangoi, it chose me. The last dastango, Mir Baqar Ali, had died in the same area I was born. I feel this to be a divine connection. It was in 2005 that I first saw a dastangoi session and decided that this was something I wanted to do. However, the love for storytelling is something I was born with. Even during my school days, I had been recognised as a storyteller and I would often be greeted by ‘Which story are you going to tell today, Fouzia?’ While other kids would buy candies with their pocket money in Sunday Market, I would eagerly await the release of comics and novels and just pour over them.

On breaking stereotypes…
I had never been one for norms. Unlike the other members of my family I never picked up teaching in a classic way as my profession, I never learnt to cook, I would dance and skip over the roofs like boys. So, when it came to taking up dastangoi as a profession, an art form open only to males, I did not hesitate to pursue my passion. I am glad that these days more and more girls are taking up this art and making progress.
On life, death and revival…
The advent of technology has rendered the culture of mingling and seeking entertainment from live sources feeble. Dastangoi hit an all-time low with the passage of time. On the verge of extinction, the art form was revived by Mahmood Farooqui and Danish Husain, a very impactful storywriter. Fortunately, people have again started flocking towards the tradition of live art forms and Dastangoi survived its dark spell.

On stories of change…
Stories are powerful enough to communicate the most difficult of messages. Giving a speech on a topic for half an hour makes people yawn and scroll through their phones, however, story telling leaves them deeply imprinted. This art form can be used to communicate social messages and that too effectively. The dastaan called ‘Nanhi Ki Nani’ by eminent author Ismat Chughtai is a very sensitive story on women empowerment.

On parting notes…
To all the young students reading this newspaper, remember that there are no short cuts in life; the road to success is long and hard. Also, stay close to your roots. It is important to read literature of your own culture in order to understand where you belong. Lastly, follow your dreams and success will definitely follow you.