WWL Writing With Love

  Cynophobia v/s Cynophilia If you are hearing these terms for the very first time, then let me tell what this is about. ‘Cyno’ in Greek means ‘dogs’. You might know what phobia is already. It means fear. So Cynophobia is a persistent fear of dogs. I have been experiencing this condition for quite a long time from now and people who have been with me for some time would know how worse it can go. I do love watching videos of dogs, barking doesn’t make me uncomfortable, but when I am surrounded or if I know that there is a dog somewhere near, I fret to an extent that I experience severe heart palpitations for the next two hours. I feel weak and vulnerable. Mind you, all I am talking here is about the ‘presence’ of a dog. I don’t hate them, but I ‘fear’ them. I have been trying to overcome it, slowly, but I failed, miserably. I realised the seriousness almost a year ago. I was out for an interview. Most of you might know that I was working as a journalist and I had a meeting that ev...

  'Seen-zoning' isn't a crime! A few days back, I happened to catch up with a former colleague of mine. We were randomly chatting on WhatsApp and suddenly, she sent me an audio message. “Hey sorry. Switching on the read recipients right away. Someone was annoying me yesterday and hence I had turned it off. I know how irritating it is to you. Sorry (giggles).” I hadn’t noticed that till then. Of course, I remember arguing with her a few months back for the same. My reason was simple. “How on earth am I to know whether you saw my message or not.” This struck me hard. Well, just before writing this blog, I noticed that I have about 150 unread messages in WhatsApp. The point is, I wouldn’t have noticed the message when I received it or I would have been busy at that moment or maybe my mental state wasn’t good enough to type an appropriate reply to your message. The same thing goes well with calls. I have had moments when I sit back and stare with eyes wide open while gett...

Wishing my friend on her birthday, I noticed something else special about this ninth day of August. According to the United Nations, this day is observed as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. It is celebrated to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population. This day also recognizes the achievements and contributions that indigenous people make to improve world issues such as environmental protection. It was pronounced by the UN General Assembly in December 1994. The date marks the day of the first meeting in 1982 of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. What’s in the symbol? If you observe carefully, there is something special about this as well. The artwork was done by Rebang Dewan a Chakma boy (Chakma people are a native group from the easternmost regions of the Indian subcontinent and they are the largest ethnic group in the Chittagong Hill Tracts regi...