#Amrit barks

[arnavsinghraizada]

So, I found an excerpt of adult Khushi in Diary of a Sanka Devi detailing her time as Arnav’s assistant and I must say… I am motivated to continue this.

If you have no idea what Diary of a Sanka Devi is, it’s my revisionist fic that details what IPKKND might look like if Arnav and Khushi had known each other as children before Arnav was forced to leave Lucknow for Delhi.

[arnavsinghraizada]

Hello hello! Thank you for tagging me in this, god knows I’ve bored you enough with this exact discussion LOL. It bothered me that he was a Libra for a long time so I set about trying to discover this.

So Arnav’s birthday being celebrated in canon on October 16 or around there makes him a Libra. If he’s a Libra sun, I would definitely argue that he has a Scorpio Venus. For this reason, I would think he was born October 16th, 1984 (ish? Arnav’s age jumps all over the place but I’m going with him being 29 by the end of the serial) in Lucknow at approximately 2 in the morning or around there.

Yes, I have created a literal birth chart for Arnav. The highlights of this include

Libra Sun, Gemini Moon, Leo Rising, Scorpio Venus

While a Scorpio sun fits Arnav very well, I think if the rest of his potential placements (cause mind you I did pull a year and time of birth out of my ass) do explain his personality pretty well too.

Hello again! I absolutely love your blog and I think you're an amazing and wonderful person. I just came to ask you, what do you think the zodiac signs of the main characters on IPKKND are? I always wondered what they were and I knew I had to ask you. If it's not to much trouble that is. :D

Hello @maulshot :)

I know very little about zodiac signs and don’t believe in astrology, so I’m not the best person to ask because I lack personal investment. I don’t really understand how it’s all meant to hang together.

In my opinion, the sun signs of the characters are:

Arnav: Scorpio

Khushi: Cancer

Here’s a post where I discuss their birth dates.

Payal: Cancer (her birthday is between Episode 20 (2 July 2011) and Episode 25 (9 July 2011)

Aakash: Taurus

Anjali: Virgo

Shyam: I’ve never thought about this. Capricorn? *shrugs* OMG Shyam’s birthdate is canon and I totally spaced on this fact yesterday!! 6th July 1984 makes him Cancer, and 27 at the beginning of the serial (a bit young, don’t we think?) 

Also, I need to update the post with the ages because I don’t think I had it in there either.

I think @arnavsinghraizada and @breakingnewsghagra are best placed to comment on this – did I do okay? (Be gentle with me lol)

[advaysinghraizada]

IPKKND 3 - Episode 1 - Reactions

Alrighty ladies and gentlemen it is K I C K O F F time!!!!!!

“All eyes are on Chandni who is haunted by a traumatic past” 

Wow I literally never in a million years would have expected that lord alMIGHTY WOW #shooketh

okay wow so we are jumping straight into mysterious boy Advay, huh? Goddamn Barun lord I have missed you.

That beard though jesus have mercy. Leaping into a pool? Makes sense? Debatable. Looks good? Hell yes.

 IKFSDKFSDK JTO SAVE A PUPPY

OMG MY HEART

THATS IT FOLKS FROM THIS POINT ON I EXCUSE EVERYTHING HE DOES EVER IN HIS LIFE 

HE SAVED A PUPPY

HE IS A GOOD MAN

END OF STORY

ALSO IM SOBBING @ MY ARNAV’S MUSIC IN THE BG JUST KILL ME PLEASE. 

Haye meri jaan <3 Am I talking about Advay or the puppy? You will never know.

“Meri zindagi mein masoomiat ki, pyar ki, koi jaga nahin hai” UM .... okay boy... okAY ... hmmmhmm

 *Humko Maloom Hai fades in* ishq hi toh masoom hai, Advay, you idiot boy. You’ll learn in time. 

mmmm okay okay, Arnav’s revamped theme which I guess is now Advay’s...very nice.

Wow he is getting deep and personal right in episode 1 okay. 

side note: poor baby boy

yes thats right, he’s baby boy. anyone who saves a puppy is baby boy and thats the end of it.

WhAT IN THE FUCK IS HAPPENING. WHO THE FUCK DID ALL OF THIS TO HIS FAMILY. IDK WHO CHANDNI NARAYAN VASHIST IS BUT BOY I SUPPORT YOU IN THIS MISSION OF YOURS. LETS FUCK SHIT UP YES

Stop it Chandni, Advay and I are on a mission to destroy you, you can’t look cute and ruin it for the both of us.

Oh mY goodness....... was Advay Dev? Why do I feel like he was? 

Did you just open that with your mouth? HOW the fuCK do you have teeth girl? 

Does everyone in this house dress this extra??? 

There’s Mahadev<3 

and apparently Silsila Yeh Chahat Ka... okay

fitting though, the song is about awaiting a lost love to return and Advay, according to me, is Dev, Chandni’s lost love

and just who the fuck is this bitch?

shes a murderer like guaranteed

complete with creepy music and everything 

Sam Dand Dhand Bhed .... very fitting 

Masiji... after Mamiji ....

Hello hi nahin... only bye bye 

....... oh Chandni ...... baby child .... 

who are these bitches talking shit 

how horrible.

CHANDNI THATS IT IM GONNA PROTECT YOU WITH MY LIFE OKAY BABY 

And who is this guy? 

a father??????? 

he doesnt look very pleased with her.... like at all 

maybe uski shakal hi aisi hai?? or maybe it has something to do with the “3 raat ghar se gayab” wali baat 

Good question mysterious man 

OH GOD MY HEART 

 HE DOESNT REMEMBER - I CANT 

Sorry Advay I dont think i can support your vengeance endeavour anymore baby, can’t we all just be happy? 

i dont??? his mother??? okay idk i guess we’ll just go with it 

But on a side note: Advay wanting to set her on fire is very fitting now considering his own mother was set aflame

WHO IS THIS PERSON NOW HOW MANY FUCKS LIVE IN THEIR HOUSE

You look like a rude bitch, i dont think i like you

the murderer mother!!!! you basically admit it you dusht aurat.

My Mahadev will not grant you anything you horrid woman. 

screw your khazana :/

oH GOD ..... PARIVAAR KI IZZAT 

TO HELL WITH YOUR IZZAT 

Leave my daughter chandni alone you horrible freak. im stealing her from you, she’s mine now. 

Oh Chandni my sweet love. I LOVE YOU PLEASE DONT BE SAD. 

Ladki badnaam hai??! I’ll stab you in the throat man meet me in the pit. 

I can’t, my heart breaks for her. 

O M G ...... who did this .... please god please don’t tell me Advay was responsible for that. Please don’t. 

WHOEVER IT IS I WILL HAVE THEIR HEAD ON A PLATTER. 

Anarth hojayega. YOUR JANAM WAS A GHOR ANARTH.

Advay..... save Mahadev

somehow he’s gonna manage to do this all by himself?

ASR = The Incredible Hulk? 

aWWWW THEY’RE BOTH RUNNING 

Chandni runs away from confrontation and Advay is looking to run straight towards it.

AW BABY 

Dev is Advay like guaranteed, im convinced 

and i’m also heartbroken that who she takes her strength from is trying to ruin her life </3 

ok so seriously is he going to somehow stop this murti from falling all on his own

apparently he is...?? 

also i hate how good you look Barun this should be illegal.

CAN SOMEONE HELP HIM INSTEAD OF GASPING AND POINTING JESUS CHRIST

here goes the hulk 

i am shocked that this was considered plausible by a room full of adults.

precap: here comes Dev.... you just dont know it 

djklfjdfkljdskf AAJA VE MAHI TERA RASTA UDIK DIYAN 

HONEY

NEITHER OF YOU HAVE ANY IDEA

Advay aka Dev stoP THIS 

SHE HAS SUFFERED ENOUGH HOW DARE YOU 

KAISA PARDA ILL HIT YOU IN THE FACE 

*clears throat* All in all, a nice introductory episode :) 

[blacksunscorpio]

Hi Scorp! Great blog! I've sucked in all the information here like it's my job lol. I had a tarot question? Is is common to see your deck forming a personality? I feel like mine has one but I wanted to make sure it wasn't just my imagination. Thank you so so much!

On Tarot Decks and Their Personalities

Yes, I completely believe Tarot decks can form or already have personalities.

Some people argue that the deck’s energy has a lot to do with the artwork or the creator of the deck. Other’s say that your deck forms a personality based on aspects of yourself or your mood. However at the end of the day, what I’ve concluded based on my experience is that they come alive and are indeed sentient in some way once you’ve interviewed it and the deck has agreed for you to claim it as your own.

For Example:

1. I have 3 decks in total. The Rider Waite was the very first deck I’ve ever owned. I let my other deck’s know it is their Alpha. It’s traditional. Has stood the test of time. It is very practical with the messages it gives me. It behaves very much like the Queen of Pentacles. Motherly. Stable. Grounded. Nurturing. Down-to-earth, etc. When I interviewed and claimed it, it spat out the 3 of pentacles and 2 of cups. Telling me it was happy to collaborate with me so we could form a true partnership. It tells me what is best for me even when I don’t care for the message. It will tell me to try to make peace with my enemies [even when I don’t want to]. It will tell me to avoid a guy I know in my gut is bad for me, even if I feel he’s handsome or has done all the right things. The 7 of Swords, the Magician reversed, The Knight of Cups, I pull. This is my deck saying: “he’s sweet and says all the right things, but he’s a liar and he’s not afraid to manipulate or cheat on you”. If I ask for clarification, it will find a practical way to re-state the message.

2. My 2nd deck is the Spirit Song deck by Paulina Cassidy. It is an animal-themed deck and behaves accordingly. Probably the friendliest deck I have. Like an animal that has gained a human’s trust, it is sweet, loving, loyal but unafraid to bark at you if it feels you’re not hearing it. It is protective and gets jealous when you’re not around. This deck makes me make amends if I’ve been away for it for too long. Some reassurance always does the trick. When it agreed to be claimed by me, it spat out ‘the Lovers’ card which in this deck are two wolves running together. Dogs are simply the more domesticated versions of Wolves. Loyal. Dependable. Loving. The Lovers is a card about choices but also about true partnerships and soulmates. My deck was telling me it would love to have a relationship.

3. My last deck is the Marigold Tarot by Amrit Brar. This deck is by far my most savage. The deck is rooted in life, death, and gold. It reminds me very much of myself, a Scorpio. It behaves very much like the Queen of Swords to me: witty, Sassy. Blunt. Cold, but not cruel. Straight-forward. Honest. Fair. Doesn’t care if you don’t like what the message is, its only job is that it tells you. No sugar-coating at all. Like the rich un-married aunt with only sons no daughters, she loves you and agrees to pay your tuition for you, as long as you bring home straight A’s. When I interviewed and claimed it, it spat out “Justice”. Meaning that it agreed to be claimed by me and told me that it would be judicious, balanced, fair—but honest. That the partnership would be a pragmatic one. That it would cut through a situation for me, but would not be swayed by emotional and immature pleas. This is the only deck that literally spits the exact same cards out if I ever ask for clarity on something. Almost as if it’s saying “you heard me the first time, look harder, cut the crap.” Lol. I got to this deck when I need the truth, straight no chaser.

Honorable Mention

I have a friend who has a Steam Punk deck and apparently it has no-hold-barred. It acts very much like an Aries to her. Blunt, Forceful, wants her to think. Always wants her to do something about her problems. She’ll never get the Hermit or the 4 of cups with this deck in regard to advice, she tells me. It is very action-oriented, especially when she needs advice. It never tells her to sit and wait but find solutions through action to solve her issues.

In a Nutshell

Whether you find your deck forming a personality or not, you’ll find you feel different with each of them in regard to how they interact with you. The most important thing though is to make sure you are respecting it. That you care for it. It is a tool to navigate sacred messages between you and your higher power [be it your higher consciousness, ancestors, or deities] and should be treated as such. You wouldn’t abuse your car on purpose, would you? Ignore the check engine light or ignore the smoke coming from the hood screaming it needs an oil change. That would run the risk of it breaking down and refusing to work. That is what happens when you do not respect your cards, they won’t respect you either.

[janiedean]

Honestly, I would like to hear you rant about Brienne's s5 storyline and her killing Stannis. It felt weird to me that in the book there's this whole thing with Lady Stoneheart wanting revenge and using Brienne as a tool to to try and get it tho she probably won't get it, and then in the show it's Brienne still seeking revenge for Renly and actually getting it. Like there's a "revenge isn't actually a good thing" theme that got lost along the way.

... lmao.

well okay this is not for renly fans so just so you know, you’re warned.

now.

I don’t have.... like, anything specific against renly nor I think he’s a Bad Person which is why in modern aus I just let him be his best version, but.. canon renly Is An Asshole when it concerns his brother, his niece and brienne and that’s A Thing because like sorry but skipping succession ‘because no one likes you but they like me’ is not a good reason to do anything, ‘my niece is so ugly ew grayscale’ is just bottom level of being... let’s just say vapid, and it’s canon that the reason he keeps brienne around is not that he cares about her, it’s because he knows she’s good at what she does and doesn’t want nothing in return and actually would die for him, which........

considering that brienne would have died for renly because he was nice to her once and danced with her which is like bare minimum for decent human being, sorry if I side-eye this narrative that renly believed in her etc because sorry guys renly in asoiaf canon didn’t give a single fuck about that;

specifically, when it comes to brienne renly is that one crush you get at some point that you’re in love with the idea of, not with the person they actually are, and as someone wise said on some post once, brienne thought she would die for him and didn’t and didn’t know she could die for jaime but she immediately knew when she had the choice, so I think that just seals it, but ahead with that...

affc is also about brienne getting over renly because she was in love with the idea of renly, not with renly himself, never mind that renly wasn’t in love with her anyway and could have never been. like, all of her affc povs are about that. she thinks about him less and less, she superimposes jaime on him like ffs when she’s naked in the bath she has to MAKE HERSELF THINK ABOUT RENLY, at some point she dreams of renly’s death except it’s jaime in his place, then jaime puts renly’s cloak on her shoulders and at the end of it when she has that dream which is sort of very similar to jaime’s in asos where he sees people he thinks he disappointed and she sees renly and cat.... well. it’s because she thinks she disappointed them, or that she failed them, but she’s plain not in love with him (or his idea of) anymore;

now, she also swore to cat she’d kill stannis in revenge for him... and she’s never so much as thought about it. ffs there is ONE single instance of brienne thinking about stannis in affc. THIS ONE:He shrugged. "Sometimes. At tourneys, from afar. Once at Baelor's Sept. The gold cloaks shoved us aside so he could pass. Another time I was playing near the Mud Gate when he come back from a hunt. He was so drunk he almost rode me down. A big fat sot, he was, but a better king than these sons of his."They are not his sons. Stannis told it true, that day he met with Renly. Joffrey and Tommen were never Robert's sons. This boy, though . . . "Listen to me," Brienne began. Then she heard Dog barking, loud and frantic. "Someone is coming."IT’S WHEN SHE RECOGNIZES THAT GENDRY IS ROBERT’S SON AND THAT STANNIS WAS RIGHT WHEN HE SAID TOMMEN AND MYRCELLA WEREN’T HIS. that’s it. that’s all brienne has to think about stannis in affc. she doesn’t think about killing him once.guess why? because meanwhile she’s found better things to think about and she doesn’t feel the need to avenge renly as much as she feels the need to fulfill her vow to catelyn and jaime and she’s fucking over renly and she has realizes at least subconsciously that guess what she didn’t want to die for him;

the entire point was that she is over her crush on a guy who might have been decent to her though it was the bare minimum anyone should have shown her but who didn’t give two shits about her personally and that she thought she could and would die for, and sorry if being willing to die for someone because he danced with you isn’t healthy as much as people don’t want to accept the fact that brienne has Issues with the capital I;

therefore, the moment the show dragged her north FOR RENLY and OMG I HAVE TO KILL STANNIS FOR RENLY before getting her stuck watching a tower for a season for that crap joke of a winterfell storyline and don’t get me started on how they made brienne’s sl secondary to sansa for three seasons when surely her point in her narrative is not that ita) ignored that brienne had a character arc that included getting over renlyb) elevated renly to sainthood (forget saint tyrion) because it implied that yes he was that nice dancing with her so yes he deserves her avenging his death when sorry but what the fucking fuck he just paid her the bare minimum it didn’t mean she should have joined his army for it or that she should avenge him for having being a decent person oncec) made it look like renly actually gave a shit about her for real when lmao nod) trashed lady stoneheart when as you said they lost the REVENGE IS A BAD IDEA theme and all that she brought with bc stoneheart is fundamental for both jaime and brienne as characters but hey let’s just stick brienne serving other people without a personal storyline and let’s not let jaime have his arc because what the fuck amritee) missed all of the themes in her affc arc because where was meribald? where was the anti-war message? where was the fact that brienne is a vulnerable person with doubts? we saw none of that shit except oMG SHE KILLED STANNIS BADASSSSS. yeah, no. character assassination my old friend here we are;

now, specifically re stannis: what angers me on a molecular level in that choice, not counting the fact that never in my life I ever want to see character #1 I relate to in a series (and period) kill character #2 I relate to in that same series without any goddamned reason to do that but that’s personal is that....... since brienne doesn’t give a fuck about avenging renly anymore in the book it’s very likely that if she and stannis meet again they might actually like talk about things and now I’mma give you the other hot take of the year....

... which is that I would like it if people saw that actually if brienne were to get along with one baratheon brother, she and stannis would have a lot more chances to hit off than she and renly ever could have because sorry but:a) they’re both introverts with huge issues communicating with others who also have been treated like shit for their entire lives based on people judging them before they opened their mouthb) as much as brienne isn’t THAT hard on it she has a sense of justice that he’d definitely appreciatec) if we assume that a guy with a daughter with grayscale whom renly also referred to as ‘that ugly daughter of his’ who is considered disfigured by everyone who still treats her like his only heir and doesn’t gaf about her looks would give two shits about brienne’s looks and not about her skills instead then we assume wrong nvm that stannis has a hand who used to be an illiterate commoner and melisandre used to be a slave like.... come on he’d definitely treat her with respect and not just because he needs herd) reverse, if she saw how he is with his daughter thaaat might remind her of her father not having forced her to marry eventually and agreeing to let her join renly/learn swordfighting instead I mean... come one) never mind that as stated before both of them are way more similar when it comes to take your vows seriously than notlike........... okay but with these premises if they meet when they need all the men they can spare to fight the white walkers I’d presume they will actually talk about renly’s death and get an understanding, not that she’ll take out a sword and impale him there especially if it’s post lady stoneheart which is the point in her sl where she 100% understands you can’t follow all of your vows and you will have to choose at some point (btw she chose jaime already over stoneheart and we all know it bye)...

which means that having her kill him in the show after a thing they made happen from 0 to 180 just to make him look irredeemable, for renly when brienne doesn’t gaf in the books anymore and reinforcing this - excuse me - bullshit narrative of saint renly who was the ideal king and never did anything wrong except trying to pass over stannis who was ahead of him in the line and further creating drama in that damned war because his brother didn’t happen to be immediately likable (nvm that I have issues with the fact that renly doesn’t even seem to remember having been at storm’s end during the siege which means that stannis made sure he actually had to eat while everyone else was starting to consider cannibalism but hey who cares that my brother almost died and never let me starve with the entirety of the castle I’ll now go and stab him in the back because NAAAH WHY SHOULD I SUPPORT HIM? sorry but what the fucking fuck) while stannis was an asshole who eventually got what he deserved because he wasn’t fun amrite will never not irk me to a molecular level because that wasn’t brienne’s storyline anymore and it hasn’t been since asos, the renly vs stannis situation is way more complicated than renly was nice and stannis was an asshole, stannis is nowhere near the piece of cardboard dnd think he is and the fact that both characters didn’t move on from their renly-related trauma but that it went down in the cheapest most ooc way ever should have woken people up about how dnd couldn’t be trusted for shit with these books if the WF adaptation of the adwd storyline hadn’t showed that already.

tldr: it was ooc and an insult to both characters and also can we stop with the saint renly narrative, thanks.

[skinarange]

How to Lower Glucose Level Effectively?

High blood sugar problem is the major concern for the entire world. The doctors and medical board are looking out for the right solution. But it is very difficult to cure this condition which is caused due to hormonal imbalance. Without the support of that hormone secreted from pancreas, it becomes difficult for the muscles and cells to assist in the conversion of the  glucose in the blood into glycogen. Such abnormal elevation of glucose level will cause deterioration in the heart functions. The high glucose level will damage the blood vessels and disturb the circulatory system.  If you are looking out for the exact cause for the high glucose then it is entirely related to your food habits, mental state and lifestyle. If you are consuming alcohol too heavily then it can definitely harm your liver, kidney and heart and set blood glucose in disorder.

Over the years, major change in the choice of the medicines or the treatment has been seen. People are relying more on ayurvedic medicine for treating any minor or major problem. Ayurvedic medicine  has been found safe and effective for all types of patients. Moreover, it helps in regenerating health not only at physical level but also at mental level too.

Dr. Madhu Amrit is an ayurvedic medicine for blood sugar that one can find at SKinRange online at discounted price. The herbal extracts that have been used in the formulation of this ayurvedic medicine for sugar are cinnamon bark powder, extracts of grape stem, gurmar, mulberry stem , banaba leaf.

This ayurvedic medicine for blood sugar is available in powder of two colors and also in the form of capsules. The ayurvedic composition of this medicine will  heal the patient if he is taking the medicine on a regular basis.  

The benefits the patient will experience are:

1)       It will help in maintaining high glucose normal both at fasting and at post meal conditions.

2)      It will help in lowering the cholesterol level.

3)      It will cause weight loss.

4)      It will make the pancreas active to generate the hormone to manage the sugar level.

5)      It will cleanse the intestines and keep liver function normal.

6)      It will cause zero side effects.

Method of using Dr.Madhu Amrit for blood sugar control

1) It is recommended to consume the mixture of the powder twice a day, half an hour meal and capsules once a day.

The recovery from the high glucose level will be visible within a few days of regular use.  

Apart from using this ayurvedic medicine for blood sugar , you need to bring changes in your daily diet. You need to consume carbohydrates and starch based food in minimum quantity. This will keep your high glucose level in control. Andl also use leafy vegetables , beans, barley, oat , eggplant with few servings of lean meat and more of  citrus fruits. It will  lower your toxic fats and cholesterol, improve your heart health and thus help you to overcome high blood sugar. In your free time, try to do yoga and exercise as much as possible. This will help to keep your body active and boost immunity to overcome the problems of obesity and high glucose level.

[gretonew]

Actor Surekha Sikri, whose career spanned theatre, cinema and television, died on Friday in Mumbai. She was 75.

Sikri suffered a cardiac arrest early on Friday morning, her manager told The Indian Express. “She had been suffering from complications arising from a second brain stroke. She was surrounded by family and her caregivers,” the manager said.

Sikri is survived by her son, Rahul. Her husband, Hemant Rege, died in 2009.

Sikri’s ’s performance in the 2018 comedy Badhaai Ho won her the National Film Award for best supporting actress. She played a crotchety mother-in-law whose bark is worse than her bite. Her last appearance was in the Netflix anthology film Ghost Stories, in the episode directed by Zoya Akhtar.

Sikri had previously won National Film Awards for her intense and layered performances in Tamas (1986) and Mammo (1995). Her career in the movies began relatively late, in 1978, with Amrit Nahata’s Kissa Kursi Ka. The political satire about corruption in Indira Gandhi’s government was banned in 1975 and all existing prints were destroyed. The film was remade in 1978. Sikri played Meera Devi, one of a group of schemers.

“I was pretty green regarding film work,” Sikri told Scroll.in in a previous interview. “I recall when I saw the film eventually that they hadn’t kept track of...

Read more

from Scroll.in https://ift.tt/3ibbFds

[headology-tarot]

As I continue practicing readings, I thought it would be helpful to sort of meditate on each card in turn to help cement my own personal interpretation of each.

So we start with The Fool. Our common understanding of the Fool is that it is a warning against naivety and rushing over cliffs that we didn’t take the time to see. I think it’s easier to focus on the danger of The Fool because by and large, we’re not The Fool - we are the dog barking at them. We’ve all been conditioned with our culture’s idea of what is “safe” and “wise” and it’s certainly easier and more comfortable to stay on the well walked path.

At it’s best though, The Fool is the courage and faith to step off of that path and explore something truly new to us without the guarantee of safety. It’s these risks that often have the most fulfilling rewards for us in the long run, even if we fall off a few cliffs on the way.

My Deck: The Marigold Tarot by Amrit Brar, whom I adore (available here).

As always, I am happy to offer complimentary readings to get more and more practice reading cards under my belt. Feel free to send me an ask!

[arnavsinghraizada]

Even my TikTok puts IPKKND on my fyp - and I can’t describe the way I have to stop myself from starting comment wars with people who have such bad takes 🙄

[arnavsinghraizada]

Hi Amrit! Hope you're doing good. I was wondering what do you think IPKKND would have been like if Khushi was a NRI (think Zoya in Qubool Hai)? thank you! :)

Hi there! I’m doing okay, thank you! I hope you and yours are doing well. 

To give a very quick answer: It wouldn’t have been IPKKND. Because Khushi would not have been herself if she wasn’t exposed to the environmental cues she was. 

That’s a very cool question though and I think it would vary considerably depending on where this person is from, whether they were born here (by here I mean North America because - hey I’m egocentric). Also, wasn’t Zoya from North America if I remember right? Since those are the parameters set, let’s consider someone who was born in Canada (I’m Canadian, I can only speak for that). 

I think this is a pretty common fic trope/fandom fantasy. At the risk of sounding judgemental, I think it’s a result of associating liberation, feminism, and independence with the West and thinking those qualities could only shape a woman in that environment. I don’t agree. I’m going to answer this question operating under the assumption that it refers to a desire to see these behaviours. At the same time, I think a woman reared in an environment very much like the one I grew up in would have a very different relationship with a man like Arnav. 

Probably like testifying in court against him kind of vibes. Kidding, maybe. I don’t think we would have seen any of the plot points with a character that radically different. I don’t even think there would’ve been a story. 

What I think people want from this is a scenario in which Khushi is outspoken in a more abrasive way than she is in canon. She did that once and he was shocked into silence, I think if it were a regular thing, the shock would wear off and they would have UGLY fights. U G L Y.  

They already take very low shots at each other when they fight “you’re just mad because I'm right and you always need to be right” and he comes back with “let me make the money because I'm smart and you’re a FUCKING IDIOT” (okay so not really but that’s what it felt like)  

In short, I think we would see a sexually-focused courtship and if it even got to marriage an even faster divorce. I say that because I think Khushi’s ability to yield and hit from different angles makes for a more complementary relationship versus someone who attacks the same way Arnav does. Like me for example, he would say “let me make the money because I'm smart and you’re a fucking idiot” and I would say “well fuck I gotta be if this is what I fucking married yOU CLOWN” and WHO would that help, really? 

God, this answer reads like a fever dream. To again pick out the actual answer to your question: I think we would’ve had a story about sexual attraction, bad communication, and divorce. 

[arnavsinghraizada]

Hey Amrit. Lots of fritters your way. Lolsss, i have a question to ask from you. How do you think payal & Maami's relationship progressed till end of serial. I can't really figure out cuz ain't good at reading expressions. Thank you

Hi there! Ouu thank you for the pakode wish. Sorry for the delay in getting to this, my life has been off the charts lately. 

That is a very interesting question. I don’t have my source with me at the moment, but I read somewhere that when women live in cultures where they're disenfranchised and subjugated, they seek the ability to exercise power wherever they can find it. In many cases in Asian cultures, this takes the form of exercising authority as a mother-in-law. Due to the fact that women find themselves relegated to the domestic sphere, they develop a sort of authority on how the house is run, that becomes the way in which they express power. When a daughter-in-law enters this equation, she not only becomes a contender for that power, she becomes someone even more disenfranchised than her mother-in-law (who has had years to build her stronghold within the household). Many times, a mother-in-law will use this opportunity to exercise power and subjugate her daughter-in-law. 

The only reason I bring this up is that I’ve always found it interesting how ‘the evil saas’ has an academic anthropological explanation. This is very much what I believe is happening with Manorama and Payal’s relationship. Payal and Aakash mirror Mama and Mami’s relationship in some respects, the most glaring discrepancy being that Nani gives her full approval to their relationship. She was not as generous when it came to Manorama’s marriage. So Mami starts off seeing Payal as a dual competitor, for her household authority, but also for her place in her son’s life. It is an added sting that Nani approves of Payal but not Manorama. Manorama also heavily projects onto Payal, she takes the image she believes people have of her and applies it to Payal to demonize her and legitimize her own dislike. Sadly, it’s really herself she dislikes. 

So Manorama takes it upon herself to make Payal’s life difficult because well if she doesn’t, no one will and that simply isn’t fair. Having said that, I don’t think Manorama is a cruel person at heart and, while she enjoys taking her shots, she does eventually soften towards Payal when it becomes ridiculously apparent Payal is not her competition for an authoritative spot in the house. (It’s actually Khushi, being the patriarch’s wife and also just a busybody in general but that’s a discussion for another time). Manorama is an extremely prideful creature, exceptionally so. So she can’t just up and say “Hey Payal, I was wrong about you and I think you’re not that bad.” That would suggest a level of emotional maturity that NOBODY on this godforsaken show has except maybe Shashi. Instead, she tones her shots down, they become less frequent. In Manorama’s case, the absence of cruelty should very much be taken as affection. It’s also apparent that Payal begins to understand this and doesn’t take the nicknames or shots personally anymore, I think she develops an understanding of her mother-in-law and finds it hard to take insults that come from such a damaged person personally. 

From all suggestions, Garima had a positive relationship with her in-laws, if Buaji is any indication. Payal probably hopes for the same and so she learns to read between the lines and understand those positive interactions with Manorama will come from a more nuanced understanding over time. It seems to me that Manorama went in guns blazing with the intent to rip Payal limb from limb but isn’t cruel enough to see it through. I think she saw more of herself in Payal than she wanted to but the bravado she’d constructed to survive constant criticism from Nani stood in the way of being open about that. 

I’m sorry if this didn’t even answer your question, honestly, I have no idea what I’m saying by this point. Thank you for asking though!

[arnavsinghraizada]

Hey Amrit! You are the Arnav expert so I wanted to ask you, what do you think makes Arnav so different from Anjali when they both went through the same thing?

Hello friend! ...Wow!! That is quite possibly the nicest thing ever, that's so kind of you. I should put that in my bio now haha, The Arnav Expert. Thank you, I own the title now. 

 That's an extremely interesting question and I'd like to start off my answer with a counter-point. Arnav and Anjali did not go through the same thing. 

 They encountered the same stimulus, yes. However, their reactions were very different and that's because they're different people. Gender and ability (among probably many other factors) play a large role in adapting and reacting. I would argue that it's less what your gender is, more so what your understanding of gender is. Whether your definitions of masculinity and femininity include there being one caretaker and one more subservient being? I would also argue that Arnav and Anjali's definitions do include these things. We see from an early point that Arnav's personality tends to run to stoicism and aggression even before his parents died. He's always had an attitude problem and it's also implied that his attitude could be genetic. Dadiji goes out of her way to say that his father also had an attitude problem and that Arnav reminds her of him because of it. 

 So, I wouldn't say that Arnav's aggression and anger come exclusively from a response to a traumatic event. I would say that those traits were amplified in an effort to protect himself from the after-effects of the event. There's also the fact that research has shown that people can have a genetic susceptibility to trauma responses, that might also explain why Arnav could develop the symptoms of PTSD post-exposure to trauma, but Anjali does not. It has to do with reduced hippocampal volume (to put it very simply). These changes can increase an individual's likelihood of acquiring symptoms of PTSD. I don't have access to Arnav's brain scans so I cannot say this with certainty but hey, who knows?

 There's also the fact that Arnav and Anjali seem to have been socialized in a very odd way even before the traumatic event. My hypothesis is that Anjali was always coddled as a result of her polio, and so it was naturally understood that Arnav would one day assume a protective role (not to mention he seemed already inclined to being protective as a personality trait). I would argue this because I cannot imagine the degree to which this might have been pushed on them in order to facilitate such a natural shift within the entire Raizada family to Arnav becoming Anjali's ... guardian. Anjali accepts this, Mamaji and Mamiji (the actual adults) also accept this, so does Nani. No one questions this. So Anjali lost her parents, her marriage broke off but at least she still had her brother. 

Arnav lost his parents (in fact he WITNESSED it happen - Anjali did not), and then became the guardian to his older sister after being kicked out at age 14. My understanding of Arnav's understanding of his masculinity involves a gravitation towards the role of provider. In being forced into this position, he was also forced to confront what he could code as a failing in his own masculinity. This construction of the persona of ASR was a gradual one built of overcoming any potential shortcomings in fulfilling this role. The absence of vulnerability. Anjali does not seem to have been socialized to feel this way. In fact, Anjali found solace in religion instead. I would argue that Anjali's devoutness is actually also a trauma response. This overt reliance on the idea of circumstances being entirely outside of her control and in the hands of a higher power allows for her to avoid confronting the darker side of life and relationships. This kind of behaviour is a cognitive distortion. Now, some allowance could be made for the fact that this might not be a cross-cultural understanding of these ideas. 

However, Anjali's response to what should be commonplace events but fall under the potential banner of being 'inauspicious,' are very disproportionate. Her father cheated on her mother but she doesn't see this as even a remote possibility in her own relationship. I would say this isn't because she trusts him sooo blindly, but more so because she hasn't really processed that her father made an active choice to be unfaithful and that it could happen to anybody. Now, Anjali (and I do love her) loves attention. In particular, she prizes Arnav's attention. She never really had reason to believe it might not be hers until after Shyam's first reveal. That, coupled with the obvious stress of everything else happening and being pregnant, resulted in some very manipulative and maladaptive behaviour. Now, I again attribute this to their upbringing but I think Anjali knows how to twist people's arms to get her way without getting her own hands dirty. We've seen this many times but what presses me the most is that Anjali uses her health and well-being as a tool against Arnav a few times. A few times that I can distinctly recall that is. I would say that this is her version of the anger Arnav displays. 

While Arnav feels rage because of everything he lost and had thrown at him, Anjali craves attention and security.

TLDR:  In closing, I would say that they experienced different things. These things acted on personalities that were already radically different and exacerbated pre-existing understandings of gender relations. In addition, Anjali is not nearly as well-adjusted as people might like to imagine.

[arnavsinghraizada]

Hello Amrit, hope you are doing well :) So we have all obsessed with Arnav's relation with his family & Khushi. But one track that has always put me to splits is K's birthday - when Buaji rebukes him for forgetting her beloved niece's birthday (Buaji wins/ASR eliminated/Arnav appears). That was such a nice departure from the usual damaad-above-God scenario. So that makes me think, according to you, how were Arnav's equations with each of the Guptas by the end? Who did he get/got him the most?

Hello, S! 

I’m doing okay, thank you! How are you? I just finished a paper *phew*. 

That is an interesting question. I definitely agree with you that I like the subversion of Arnav being cowed by his in-laws rather than lording over them the way most presentations of that dynamic go. 

I think that Buaji and Arnav had an interesting dynamic, I would argue that they got each other the best. Arnav walks into her house, asks to see Khushi, she tells him he can’t, and he scoffs and walks past her anyways. She does nothing. Not because she’s afraid of him or anything, but because I feel like she gets him and she knows that he would see Khushi come hell or high tide. If Buaji had real objections to Arnav, that would be the clash of the titans. Arnav also humours Buaji in a way he almost doesn’t even humour Mamiji. We know he considers it his duty to alleviate Buaji’s financial troubles, so she is definitely one of his inner circle people. I would definitely say that they are the closest in that way. He acts almost child-like with Buaji, especially in that episode and I think he values her opinion and approval a lot. 

Arnav and Shashi don’t interact much, but I think Shashi knows him perhaps better than Buaji does. He does really observe him, after all. He sees a lot of the expressions Arnav schools away by the time everyone else looks at him. I think Arnav definitely has a deep respect for his father-in-law and would be willing to go to just about any lengths to help him, for sure. I like to think that he and Arnav interact more often once the show ends. 

Arnav and Garima were also an interesting dynamic, especially considering the entire situation with his father. Arnav went out on a limb for Garima by entering his wedding and proclaiming that the only person to blame was his father. We know that Arnav is the Raizada patriarch in that sense, his word is law. By making that declaration, he was not only saying it for himself, but also letting his entire family know that he didn’t blame Garima, and as a result, nor should they. Garima showed a keen sense of affinity understanding Arnav’s awkwardness in being a part of their family even before she realized what connection they had, scolding Khushi for trying to force him to call her Amma. That little interaction they had at the wedding where she tried to apologize and he told her he just wanted to move forward, I think cemented that for the two of them they had their love for Khushi in common. Garima loved Khushi so much she was willing to try and hide what the truth was and Arnav loved her so much he was willing to accept it and move forward. 

As for Payal, I think a similar idea applies. They’re both older siblings, they’re very protective. Arnav respects Payal a lot, she went toe to toe with him over Khushi and I don’t think he will ever forget that. They also share their love for Khushi and Aakash, they both are in that interesting position of “hurt my brother/sister and I’ll....” 

They have very calm interactions, by the end of it Payal is comfortable enough with him to tease him a bit over how she has double right to a gift because she’s his sister-in-law twice over. Arnav simply smiles fondly and agrees. I think they’re both kind of overshadowed by their younger siblings in the sense that Khushi is loud and boisterous and Aakash, while shy, is not as anti-social as Arnav can be by any means. There’s the added dynamic of them calling this person their sibling but they’re actually their cousin. 

TLDR; I think Arnav is closest to Buaji. I think he and Payal share a good relationship and he has intense respect for Shashi and Garima. 

[arnavsinghraizada]

Hey Amrit. Just wondering, why didnt Khushi ever wear the saree Arnav bought for her?

Hello, hello! I’m assuming you mean the sari he bought for her on her birthday? The one he bought himself, ordered himself, had packed himself and chose because he likes pink? (I love the list he goes through to prove that he’s done everything right this time... except, you know, being nice to her) 

At that moment, she didn’t wear it because she was already anxious and upset regarding everything else happening in the house and also idk man I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t like him very much just then. I, too, would not take kindly to being literally bullied over a sari. 

That sari looks very similar to the one she wore on the day of Shyam’s reveal so I would say she did wear it (at least in my head she did) - but lord, what a day she chose to wear it LOL. 

If you mean the sari he bought her the day of Shyam’s reveal, I couldn’t tell you why she never wore it. She doesn’t wear them often. 

[arnavsinghraizada]

Hello Amrit :) I hope you and your family are keeping well in this season! I often wondered that if Khushi had outsmarted Shyam and he had no choice but to get to the airport and confess the truth to Arnav - would he have believed Khushi? Or would it have made matters worse? Or something else? Stay safe and healthy! Bohot pyaar pyaar pyaar, not hookah bar - S (sorry in advance for the last line)

Hey! I hope you and yours are staying safe out there! Sorry for the delay in getting to this, life has been difficult to navigate. 

Personally, I don’t think Shyam would have confessed any truth to Arnav. I think she gave him WAAAAAAAY too much credit there. If she’d orchestrated something that made it 10000% necessary for him to tell the entire sordid truth, I don’t think Arnav could have made that kind of split-second decision there, no. I think he would have said that he couldn’t do that at that moment and he would’ve left. He would’ve thought about it, agonized over it, and then come to a decision based on what was said and how it was said. He’d cross-reference everything with what he’d already seen/heard etc. It’s much too large a decision to come to instantaneously. 

He believed her when all was revealed because his near-death experience made it clear to him that he didn’t care what the truth was at that point, he wanted her anyways. Hearing her tell her side of it and matching it with what he’d seen and experienced with her during that last while allowed him to take that leap and believe her. 

[arnavsinghraizada]

Excuse me while I go and SOB for the rest of my life cause I am not Cassandra and no Tom Severin exists for me wow rip

this was honestly a .... REALLY good book. Fluffy and feel good but without any kind of misogyny and violence and things you have to pretend you never read cause they make you go EEK

Just open communication, emotion, and two people meeting each other exactly where they’re at. My heart is FULL 🥰😍