Raya's Realm

You never knew what you were to me. To the world, you were ordinary, just a person who was nice to everyone. But to me, you were the one place where I could exist without pretending. You never asked me to become someone else. You accepted every version of me: the quiet one, the excited one, the curious one, the one who laughed too much, the one who talked to myself, the one who got mad too often but still forgot it after five minutes because I've got the memory of a goldfish, and the one who carried storms behind a smile. That's why I never imagined losing you, thinking that you would always be mine forever. I keep replaying every conversation in my head, wondering if I said something I shouldn't have, if I stayed too long, spoke too much, misunderstood something, or simply failed to notice the moment everything began to change. The cruelest part isn't the goodbye. It's not knowing where I lost you. If I disappointed you, I wish I had known sooner. If I ...

Almost every girl would have had a phase in her life when she loved Barbie dolls. I was one of those girls as well, not addicted, but like many others, I dreamed of having one. Even getting the cheaper dupes from roadside stores made us happy. Despite not having a brand name, or even if it wasn't made by Mattel, we still called it Barbie. Even if it was a fake version manufactured in India, we never called it just a doll, we called it Barbie. I realized this only much later: the name Barbie has become so deeply rooted in India that it is used to refer to almost any fashion doll, not just those made by Mattel. That, in itself, is a serious issue worth thinking about. In today's class, my professor showed us a Barbie doll and asked the class what it was. The class replied that it was a Black Barbie . He then asked us, "Why not just call it Barbie? Why associate Barbie with its colour?" It's because there is already an ideal figure that we associate with Barbie, it ...

Today, I had a very good visit to the farm in my hometown, and it was the time of the Aani month ( ஆணி ) of the Tamil calendar, which is the july month in the Gregorian Calendar, when the corn in the fields had grown a little taller than me and is supposed to be harvested during August. Groundnuts ( நிலக்கடலை ) were planted along with cassava ( மரவள்ளிக்கிழங்கு ), which is also called tapioca. It was a pretty sunny day, but the weather inside the farm was windy and pleasant. The purpose of our visit was to get some coconuts, and we also expected to drink some tender coconut water ( இளநீர் ), but in the end, they were all mature coconuts ( தேங்காய் ), which could only be used in the kitchen for cooking. They can be drunk as well, but they are mostly used for cooking. *A sesame plant growing unexpectedly in the field. *The entire Corn field view 🌽✨ *The corns which will be harvested next month which is August. It had been a long time since I visited ...

Vaikasi (வைகாசி) is the second month of the Tamil solar calendar, falling between mid-May and mid-June in the Gregorian calendar. It continues the season of இளவேனில்- Ila-Venil (Early Summer) and represents a period when the natural world reaches a stage of maturity after the renewal experienced during Chithirai. The climate becomes warmer, with longer daylight hours and increased humidity in many parts of Tamil Nadu. Although the heat intensifies, Vaikasi is also a month of abundance, as many trees bear fruits, crops continue to grow, and ecosystems prepare for the arrival of the southwest monsoon. The month reflects nature's resilience and its ability to sustain life even under challenging climatic conditions. During Vaikasi, temperatures generally reach some of their highest levels of the year. Rivers and ponds may begin to shrink due to evaporation, making water conservation increasingly important. Despite the intense heat, the landscape remains biologically activ...

Chithirai (சித்திரை) is the first month of the traditional Tamil solar calendar, extending from approximately mid-April to mid-May according to the Gregorian calendar.  It marks the beginning of the Tamil New Year, known as Puthandu (புத்தாண்டு), and signifies the Sun's transition into the zodiac sign of Aries (மேஷம்). However, Chithirai is much more than the start of a new calendar year.  For ancient Tamils, it represented the beginning of a new ecological cycle, where changes in climate, vegetation, animal life, and agricultural activities signaled the renewal of life. The Tamil calendar was deeply rooted in nature, and the selection of Chithirai as the first month reflects the close relationship between human society and the environment they live in. In the Tamil seasonal system, Chithirai belongs to Ilavenil (இளவேனில்), the season of early summer. This period is characterized by increasing temperatures, longer days, clear skies, and occasional summer showers. T...

I rarely go in autos, but this one day in an auto made me feel really happy and contented. It wasn't about the ride or the traffic or the stifling climate, but it was about the auto driver. My entire family adjusted themselves into one small auto which could barely accommodate 3 to 4 people, but we had five, with a travel time of around one and a half to two hours. We started discussing why we were going and where we were going, but the conversation somehow ended up being about my marriage . I'm not someone who strongly opposes marriage, but I've rarely seen successful marriages in life, and that made me a little bit sceptical about my choice regarding marriage. We rarely see people who still love each other after 10 to 15 years of marriage. Since I wasn't clear in my decision, I concluded that I didn't want to marry, seeing how my father doesn't even allow me outside past 6 p.m., but will allow me to go to someone's home I don't even know ab...