Wokal Issue 14 - New Year's Special

Christmas Consumerism

s ' r a e Y New l

a i c Spe

C R E D I T S WOKAL DIGITAL MAGAZINE

Editor in Chief: Alina Ahmed Editor: Aabiyah Zehra Layouts & Design: Krishika Choudhary, Nicole Kharjana, Nikhitha, Harshul Narang Cover Photograph by Bilal Ahmad Cover Design by Hiba Ahmed

Section Heads Director of Photography : Aabiyah Zehra Associate Photographer: Bilal Ahmad Makeup: Hitashi Art Director: Krishika Choudhary Pride and Prejudice: Elizabeth Reji Travel: Vanshika Seth Food & Culture: Megha Diwan Pop Culture: Vinay Agrawal Entertainment: Mehak Pasricha Head Columnist: Hiba Social Media and PR: Aarzoo Kumar, Kashish Chopra, Srijana Columnists: Mitula Sai Subramanian, Ananya Bhammidimari, Samiah Anjum, Sara Jamshed Siddiqui Content Head: Aarzoo Kumar

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CONTENTS

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Christmas Consumerism

Places to visit before Winter Ends

15 Decoding How to Change The World

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11 Winter Holiday Destinations

23 The Gloomy Side of Winters

Winter Woes

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Christmas Consumerism A Capitalist’s Dream Come True Mitula Sai

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Christmas- the festival of festivals, a time of happy gift-giving, familial love, and a beacon of the holiday season, is already here.

Which means that everyone is scrambling to either buy decorations and other supplies for their annual house parties or wrecking their minds to buy the perfect gifts for their loved ones. What an amazing time it is. It truly is, because Christmas is one of the best time-periods for companies to rake in money. Thanks to effective marketing strategies and the general commercialization of the holiday into a cultural event as opposed to a religious event, Christmas has fallen deep into the depths of consumerism.

For newcomers, consumerism is a concept that states that increasing the consumption of goods and services purchased is always a desirable good.

It equates happiness to increased consumption, which is not wrong, but it doesn’t work that way in the long run.

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From advent calendars to Mariah Carrey’s hit song “All I Want for Christmas is You” returning to the music charts as early as October, the Christmas fever is alarming and must not be taken for granted. Heavy discounting, frivolous and new commodities designed specifically for Christmas, topped off with the peer pressure to fit in and be in “Xmas” spirit from the month of November itself, have all ruined the essence of the holiday. Moreover, most of the decorations, gifts, clothes etc. end up in the trash or are blissfully ignored until the holiday reprises in the following year.

The environmental implications of the same are heavy and require immediate attention.

But most importantly, the fact that a mere holiday, an event that is so widely celebrated despite many not following its religion, has such a firm influence over the society’s rational decision making, speaks a lot.

Christmas is representative of how efficient marketing by capitalistic corporates can lead society into a frenzied state where happiness stems from unmoderated and almost useless gift giving without realizing the repercussions of said actions.

While it is true that capitalism is at fault, it takes two to tango. But it is also never too late to rectify and acknowledge one’s mistake. Therefore, this holiday season, do not fall prey to useless advertising. While Christmas is the epitome of gift-giving, it is also the time for hope, love, peace, and all other synonyms. The point being- a change in 21st century Christmas is powerful enough to propel changes in other sections of the capitalistic society.

Make responsible choices, get responsible outcomes, and have a Merry Christmas!

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Megha Diwan

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As winter vacations are around the corner, here are some cool (pun unintended) places for you to visit. Please bear in mind that we are still fighting against Covid-19 and don’t forget to take necessary precautions while enjoying your trips.

Rajasthan A state best known for its deserts in India experiences blazing heat during the summer months. The month of December experiences huge footfall as various interesting activities take place across the state. The temperature is usually pleasant during the day while the mercury falls during the night.

Rajasthan offers an array of exciting things to do- from enjoying the bohemian side of Jaipur at Magnetic Fields Festival to visiting the Bharatpur bird sanctuary. Udaipur, famous for its lakes while Jaisalmer, known for its sand dunes, also offers many interesting tasks for travelers to engage in. Don’t forget to indulge in the exotic delicacies of the state including Dal Baati Churma, Gatte ki Sabji among many.

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Himachal Pradesh Himachal has always been a famous spot for adventurers to spend their holidays in. Manali and Shimla are go-to spots for travelers to spend their time during vacation but the lesser known spots like Kufri, a small hill station near Shimla famous for its trekking and hiking trails, picnic spots and nature parks, Spiti valley, a cold desert mountain valley between India and Tibet and Kheerganga offer scenic beauty and adventure activities amidst the snow clad mountains.

Gujarat: Rann of Kutch Gujarat is a culturally rich and extravagant state. The winter months become all the more special as Gujarat holds a special festival known as the Rann Utsav which is attended by thousands of people every year. It is a festival of music, arts, dance, food etc. celebrating the beauty and rich heritage of the vibrant state of Gujarat. Kutch, also known as the Tent City, holds parties for New Year celebration which is concluded with fireworks at midnight.

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Goa Goa is famous for its crazy parties. From headphone party on Palolem beach to Sunburn Music Festival on Vagator Beach around New Year's Eve- Goa presents us with plethora of options to explore and travel during winters. The weather is pleasant and December is the peak season as tourists from across the world can be seen bustling in the streets till quite late in the night. Apart from the hustle of parties, quiet corners in the lap of forests are abundant for nature lovers who would prefer peaceful waterfalls and sunsets.

WINTER HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS

India

By Ananya Bhammidimarri

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DARJEELING, WEST BENGAL

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A mesmerizing hill station with a variety of cultures, flora and fauna.

The climate here is a mix of pleasant and chilly. Sip the authentic tea while you enjoy the beautiful landscapes and climate. You can be a part of Darjeeling’s festivals, go for trekking and maybe try the thrilling ropeway.

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MUNNAR, KERALA

GULMARG, KASHMIR

Munnar has a bearable and enjoyable winter climate. It goes up to 11 degrees Celsius. So, you can experience winter while also being able to soak in the beauty this place has to offer. Try the street food, go rock climbing, go trekking! It has a great connectivity from all major cities in Kerala too.

This beauty is magical all-yearround but a paradise during winters. A place you don’t want to miss out on. The snow-laden landscapes and frozen lakes make you want to try skiing and snowboarding even if you haven’t before. The cable car ride is also an amazing experience especially with the pretty view.

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Manali, Himachal Pradesh One of the most known tourist places in India, Manali is a much-loved winter destination. The snowfall and snowy mountains are a sight for sore eyes. Adventure lovers would also have a splendid time here. Biking, hiking, paragliding and what not! Go get some memorable experiences that you will never ever forget.

Auli, Uttarakhand This one is probably one of the best places to be in during the winter holiday season. Filled with astonishing views and hills, winter turns Auli into a fairy tale destination. If you are fond of freezing in the cold weather, this place is for you because the temperature can dip to even -8 degrees. Adventure junkies will have the best time and there is also the National Championship of Skiing that takes place here.

So, you have the list of places! Now choose, get ready , plan your vacation, be safe and get going!

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Decoding How to Change the World

by Hiba Ahmed

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Decoding How to Change the World More than a year ago, I uploaded a thread on Instagram stories. I post out of choice and not obligation so it's an occasional cathartic outlet. A no strings attached sort of thing because it disappears after 24 hours, it's better than losing thoughts into the void. The thread was a very surface level psychoanalysis of young Muslims due to the global humiliation of their religion in the modern world, being caught up between a persecuted religion or following other, perhaps more relevant beliefs of today.

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So, in that thread of validating varied agitations, I also included a few words implying that if someone chooses to prioritise their religious teachings in a completely nonviolent manner and this holds them back from supporting the LGBTQ+ they shouldn't be forced into acceptance.

A few hours later, screenshots of my stories were being reposted and scrutinized with gigantic paragraphs, every word was being picked apart, my DMS were flooded with islamophobia, seeing this public call out, several close friends withdrew their momentary support and removed me from their accounts and my LGBTQ+ allyship was unofficially revoked.

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Advocating for the same World with a different Perspective I think we have all done years worth of growing up in this past year. My loyalties are more rigid now and I still don't regret a word from that Instagram thread.

Instead, I'm just better acquainted with people being unable to be on the same page about everything, even if they are advocating for the same world.

It's that unity in diversity, the bigger picture bullcrap. A vision is stronger than their differences. Beliefs are a product of an always ongoing process of agonizing introspection. That's why people can't abandon them, in fact, it's easier to abandon each other over them. The friends who cancelled me weren't exactly BFFs but I still miss them. After people leave, what do you do with their favourite songs and birth dates? Where do you put the love you had for them?

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Different people prioritize different things. Some can't compromise their roots, can't let go of where they come from, some people can't hold on to it.

I'm somewhere in between. I've had my share of conflict with faith. Home always welcomed me back with open arms, no matter how far away I went.

The concept of relevant morality is ever evolving, once in a while the consistency of culture is too comforting.

As a detached reader, you might've found what I said in the thread outrageously conservative. If not, you must definitely be able to tell why it outraged people. I do too. But here's the thing, I was then and still am just a kid questioning and writing about what I see. That's why I wasn't proclaiming a bulletproof truth. I was just questioning how in the inflexible world of voguish activism, personal choices are revered when it comes to gender and sexuality but dismissed when it comes to culture and religion.

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Disowning and looking down at where we come from by outrightly accepting a whitewashed and eurocentric activism at face value is bound to be ill-equipped in a country like India. It's obviously inapplicable in a different continent altogether with completely divergent geographical, cultural, financial and regional contexts where the dogmas of faith surpass every other dominion.

Instead of disgracing the convictions of the masses, the need of the hour is a gradual process of acceptance through communication and accommodation. Compulsive compliance through discomfort is a classic rebel without a cause. One size does not fit all, a myriad of beliefs urge for compassionate interpretations.

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A parallel hesitation that invariably plagues me is of femininity in feminism. I often debate myself on embracing conventional feminine manoeuvres. I want to learn Silai and Kadhai and preserve my Nani's Kofta recipe but what's the point if it won't contribute to my financial independence? Will wearing skinny jeans more than Kurtas make me seem more empowered? Does reckless audacity make my feminism more valid than gentleness?

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This is what I meant by interpretations. The women before us who had the freedom of choice, they were not any less, even though their lifestyles were different. As a liberated woman in the modern world, sometimes I am so damn hellbent on defying patriarchy and breaking gender stereotypes just to prove that I can. The burden of broken dreams of the women before me is on my shoulders, so I have to do their share of living as well. I am thirsty to prove myself, I reject everything that's expected of me, even if I want some of it, even if it's at the expense of being lonely.

The thing is, the westernised version of activism and change that we see on our screens is the most accessible one out there.

It's not even our fault that it becomes our interpretation of empowerment.

Instead of moving gradually at our own pace, embracing our essence and reclaiming our past, we are attempting harder to disown it, chasing and internalizing a world which will never accept us. Trust me, I've been in and out of it

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The gloomy side of winter BY SARA SIDDIQUI

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The gloomy side of winter Winter brings cozy blankets, hot chocolate and the joyful holiday season.

But like everything else in life, winter isn’t just a bed of roses. The thorns prick, and they prick hard.

For some reason, winter is stereotypically considered as a metaphor for loneliness, solitude and grief. While it never hit me before, this time it did. Spring blossoms after winter and nature becomes beautiful again, unlike human emotion which doesn’t flick like a switch.

After going through a life-changing loss last winter, it brings back horrid memories that keep me up at night. Grief, the inevitable part of life that no one prepares you for. Losing a loved one changes you; it leaves you paralyzed with fear and makes you feel incapable of picking up the pieces.

You can feel your heart break into a million pieces and there’s nothing you can do to change that.

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It hurts so much and no one understands you. You feel like distancing yourself away from the world and its people and drowning in the memories of the late person whom you hold so dear.

Everything they owned makes you tear up. It feels like a bad dream because everything looks the same.

Their clothes still have their scent, their shoes are still kept at the designated place and their bed still has their imprint. You want to leave things in their place, just in case they come back, which you believe, they will.

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Sometimes, you hear them call you and you run aimlessly with hopes of seeing them again but find nothing. It was simply your mind playing tricks on you and your heart falling for it. The episode plays in your head for months and years to come. But you accustom yourself to the reality of life – a life without them.

Time goes by and you realize that this loss will last forever, the void in your heart will remain and their emptiness in your life will never go away. Reluctantly, you move forward and take baby steps to regain some of your usual self; apart from the bits that they took with them and the ones that changed completely.

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As much as I hate accepting it, it does start to feel a little better eventually. The grief doesn’t reduce, your heart doesn’t become stronger, time doesn’t heal wounds, you just get used to living with it. You begin to make this new life worth living and attempt at picking up the sharp pieces. During the process, they cut through you and hurt you all over again but you get back up because such is life.

Don’t suffer in silence. Even though people may not exactly understand how you feel, they will listen. You’ll get some ridiculous advice but you need to shrug them off. Stand up for yourself, allow yourself to feel and go through the process at your pace. There may be no other side of the tunnel, but there definitely is light. Go find it!

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Winter Woes By Samiah Anjum

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Winter Woes: Or what to look forward to in winter when you detest the cold

Do you ever look at the white cracks in your skin and wonder, why? Do you ever reach out to curl your fingers around a pen and your entire hand gives up? Are you sick and tired of feeling cold toes on your legs only to realize they are unfortunately attached to you?

Yeah, same.

For most of us, winter is a giant inconvenience at the end of a year, especially since we spend the rest of it getting used to the heat. However, seasons changing is an inevitability, and so we get some 3 months of winter to grouse our way through. But not everything about winter is horrible.

Take away the cold, and you have a beautiful season with so many things to look forward to.

Don’t believe me?

Allow me to convert you, you winter Grinch.

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1. Official Hoodie Season: Arguably the most comfortable article of clothing (second only to sweatpants maybe), hoodies are all the rage during winters. Don’t lie and deny you don’t enjoy scouting for these delightful gifts to mankind. After all, ‘tis the season for the warmest hug a piece of fabric can give you.

2. Warm fuzzy socks: They may make your feet sweat, but there is something absolutely adorable about them. Also, you can slide across floors as a means of commute so that’s a win, I guess.

3. Speaking of articles of clothing...

Winter fashion is the best. I said what I said. Move over, spring.

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4. To shower or not to shower: Nobody will judge you for not showering everyday. Not that I have ever done it.

It’s just a hypothetical. That’s all.

5. Warm Beverages Galore!: It doesn’t matter if you are a chai, coffee or hot chocolate person, nobody can judge you for downing as many mugs of sweet, sweet warmth as you want. But also, iced coffee or ice cream aren’t too bad either.

Having these in winter is a very polite middle finger to the forces of cold. Take that! *sniffles*

6. That patch of afternoon sunlight: You know what I am talking about, you secret feline, you.

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7. HOLIDAY SEASON!!! Okay so maybe festive season in India is in October.

That, however, does not mean you don’t immediately feel bright eyed and bushy tailed when you see string lights and baubles in winter nights and hear carols being sung. We all have that one friend who counts down the days to Christmas right from the previous Christmas. Don’t you dare spoil their enthusiasm, don’t you dare do it!

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8. Hope: It’s the end of another long year. We humans have never lost hope, and these winter nights remind us of it. Whether its wishing on dozens of falling stars during a meteor shower, or simply praying and having faith that the next year will be good, it makes winter look not so bad after all.

Surely brings a tear to the eye. No, I know it does. You don’t have to lie.

9. And the best part: Die mosquitoes, DIE!!!

INFORM. INSIGHT. INSPIRE. WOKAL MAGAZINE

ISSUE 14| DECEMBER

ISSUE 14 | DECEMBER 2021

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