Ironies That Matter

Numerous emotions combine to form the complex beings called humans who are responsible for inflicting others with positivity as well as negativity. Ironies are a complicated reaction which has existed in the earth for a single reason. From a mere thought which creates dilemmas in people to controversial deeds, people have been causing ironic thoughts in the 21st century. Politicians too cannot escape from the rule of irony which is evident in the digital era. Even as Twitter did the world a favor by banning Donald Trump, Indian politicians like Tejasvi Surya and Amit Malviya condemned the action by the social media platform by citing ‘threats to democracy’ and ‘curtailing freedom of speech’.

 

At times people don’t give a second thought about what they are going to say; while these blunders can be reversed for a normal person thoughts that evade logic by certain elected leaders should alarm us. One such example is UK’s regulator Office of Communication fined Arnab Goswami’s ‘Republic TV’ £20,000 for hate speech, while the arrest of Arnab Goswami was defended by Rajnath Singh as an attempt to save democracy in India’s recent past. 

 

Another example of an ironical situation in the recent past occurred as UP police had lodged an FIR against a journalist called Supriya Sharma for reporting on the Prime Minister’s adopted village in Varanasi. If we do an analysis of ironies in human life I guess the list would be endless, but citing the various ironies is crucial in society. For those who didn’t get a clue from reading the above examples, all will be revealed in the article. A massive source of strife as well as irony is the endless debates between private vs government jobs. 

 

Ehrlson de Sousa who currently works in various private hospitals as an ENT specialist previously worked in GMC as a senior resident ENT for three years followed by a stint in Ponda sub-district hospital for a year as a consultant ENT. Unavailability of further posts played the decisive role in his decision to opt for the private sector.  Though he was initially skeptical of the private sector due to diverse uncertainties, it has been one and a half years with the private sector. 

Ehrlson de Sousa

Though he agrees government hospitals ensure a steady flow of income irrespective of the number of patients seen, and the teaching experience offered is superior to private, he also acknowledges the stress due to a government job, for example the night shifts. He has gotten calls again to return to the government sector but prefers not to do so, as the private sector offers him a flexibility which he otherwise couldn’t afford.

Ehrlson de Sousa

The ability of friends to swim against the tide and pave the way for sources of income has been proven true by Mansi Kumbharjuvekar and Shreyash Duikar who shared a passion for traveling. The venture called ‘Folk Living’ was supported extensively by the parents of the courageous duo, being a Konkani teacher Mansi’s mother had extensive knowledge regarding the subject. She encourages her daughter’s endeavours by being a quick responder to new posts on Instagram and Facebook pages. Arising from a combination of sustainable tourism, experimental learning, and research ‘Folk Living’ was born on October 2019. ‘Folk Living’ strives to give its guests a raw rural experience by leading them to villages that are not found on Google Maps.

Tourists with the enthusiasts of 'Folk Living'

It also connects people and gives a platform to showcase the works of artisans in the process. While Shreyash has an MBA in Marketing, Mansi is a post graduate in Film Studies, and is currently pursuing masters in Anthropology. ‘Folk Living’ continues to empower itself with recruits like Sampan Sail who utilizes his MBA in rural tourism to enrich the experiences, along with Sampan Anushree Divkar also contributes to make events a memorable experience worth relishing. Samradni Kumbharjuvekar and a group of enthusiasts take care of ‘Folk Living’s’ shop, and assists in simplifying the connection to the villages. The masterminds of ‘Folk Living’ do not take large groups to these exclusive location as they believe in striking a balance between maintaining the serenity of villagers and giving memorable experiences to tourists.

Mansi & Shreyash

‘Folk Living’ specializes in experiences where tourists will be spending their days living the life of a villager. Along with an aesthetically rich website called ‘Folkliving.in’ they also have a series called ‘Folk Stories’ on YouTube. Running it efficiently is Apurva Sawant who has done her masters in education with a focus in history. Hence she has developed a passion for documenting the heritage of ‘Folk Living’. Such initiatives require tremendous support which is provided by Mansi’s mentors professor Prajal Sakhardande and Sharmila Rao.

Gaining insights into the life of a villager

I came across a meme a while ago which ran on the lines of ‘if all religions advocated peace why don’t they practice it?’ The answer to that is very simple; it’s mankind that has used religion to create strife. In the 21st century it exists too, in the form of laws that dictate what should be consumed, and who to marry. The examples depicted above are just few of the ironies that dictate societies. Let’s all use our ‘brains’ to figure out which ironies should matter to us. While progressive candidates emerge victorious in one section of the globe, ordinary farmers and their supporters are perceived as terrorists in the other.