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Analyzing 'The Queen's Gambit'

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 Found in almost every household around the world, chess is a board game cherished by the young and old alike. In addition to connecting generations through tactical skills and strategic planning, it also offers a unique insight into the changes the world has since its inception, observed and undergone.  Suffice to say, it acts as a link between the mind and the soul, the present and the past, even life and death.  Written and directed by Scott Frank (the writer of Logan ) The Queen's Gambit is an American miniseries (available on Netflix ) which revolves around an incredibly gifted young orphan- Beth Harmon who manages to touch the hearts of the millions lending their ears to her story through her love for chess and her own inner battles against the demons she became vulnerable to at a very young age.  Released only a few months ago, in October, it has managed to reach innumerable people already and has awakened a fire for chess in their hearts. That is the power ...

Pillars of the Mughal Empire

In an empire headed by the son of Allah, lived the fearless daughter of the sun. His throne was made of blood his crown was a souvenir of wars. His luxurious carpets sat on decaying corpses, love lay walked on in the muds. Her clothes were stitched with strength, her zari was colored in brave. Her steps gave birth to Chandni Chowk, and she brought him back from his grave. The corpses which hadn’t yet rested, had by the caresses of her farasha, finally found peace. History might’ve been written about him, but its pages still remember her crease. Fire was her loyal puppet, it traced the movement of her ruth. Breathing behind the curtains of stereotypes unnumbered, she was still the only keeper of the truth. She weaved magic with her fingertips, while he bathed in blood and wine. She gave voice to the weak and the mute, but he was a friend of time. You see, in an empire headed by the son of Allah, lived the fearless daughter of the sun. The son may have ruled the land, but she was the qu...

Ashes and Poetry

 Being a poet isn't a blessing,  it's a sin.  I do not fear hell because I know it very well.  It breaks me down from the inside  until i'm nothing but cracked pieces  carelessly forced into a whole, pieces with edges which cut  my heart and it bleeds and bleeds and  bleeds until there's only white.  Bereft of peace.  Even in my silence there is chaos.  Being a poet isn't a blessing it's a sin.  I do not want the heaven,  which exists beneath my skin.  It stamps the impressions of the past  on my mind and the stones of the present  on my soul to make sure I'm never able to  escape, run away, fly into nothingness,  no.  You feel emotions I drink them, gulp them down with my eyes closed,  red, yellow, grey, blue cups a day,  like they're the poison I need to live.  I am addicted to my feelings.  Being a poet isn't a blessing it's a sin.  I am not living in art, I am bare...

The Yanomami Way of Life: A Need of the Hour

Being the homo sapiens of the 21st century, most of us are so modernized (or westernized) in our ways that we often forget about the existence and crucial importance of traditions around us, barely surviving in the forests away from our blind eyes, perhaps.  A tribe which goes by the name Yanomami happens to be one of them. It's amusing to think that even after lacking many of the resources we consider essential, they live in a way which not only saves the near future but also allows them to accept and acknowledge each other thus leading to beautiful harmony.    Who are the Yanomami people? The word, ‘Yanomami’ means human being. They’re basically the largest isolated tribe in South America (more specifically, Brazil and Venezuela). Like most tribes on the continent, they possibly migrated across the Bering Straits between Asia and America some 15,000 years ago, making their way slowly down to South America. Currently, their total population stands at around 38,000. They’...

From the Journals of a Migrant

Dear Diary, I’ve so many questions in my head but I can’t voice them in fear of the inevitable: disappointment and brutality. However, no one can stop me from penning them down even though I often find myself doubting the strength of a pen as compared to a sword. Yesterday, I went out with a mask my mother stitched from the cloth of her old saree, and our creased ration card to buy a few vegetables when I was mocked and bullied by some kids I’ve never really talked to before. They called me vicious names and claimed that I was actually carrying the virus inside of me. Diary, I do not know anything about the deserted streets except for something about a disease that might kill me if I were ever to get infected, and thus, I ran home to my mom because I was so scared I couldn’t control my tears. If I knew what I was going to find, I’d have probably done something questionable.  My father had  died on the way back to our village because he fell asleep on the railway t...

Unearthing the Buried Soul of the Ruins of Iraq

Between 2 beautiful rivers sat a lovely vast land where trees embellished the North, and the South was all sand. Its resources were less, as limited as the infrequent rains. Its climate was very dry, but it still had advanced drains. Sumer, Akkad, Assyria and Babylona, were the major empires of this land. This land called Mesopotamia, where the temples were extremely grand. Sumerian was the main language, and for it, Cuneiform was invented. But the many who couldn't write Sumerian, were unconsciously and silently tormented. So many Gods, the people worshipped that each city had its own. And they claimed it was their God who chose, the one worthy of the throne. Sumerians were the clever ones, they invented irrigation, plow and the wheel. They settled, started agriculture, and nature allowed them to heal. Now for some interesting facts, both men and women wore paint! Kubaba was the only female who ruled, Enheduanna was a poetess and a saint. Some believed...