We don’t actually know when humans started wearing clothes, but what we do know is that clothing is much older than the idea of fashion, modesty, or even civilization as we understand it. And we also know that we(including men) started out naked on Earth. Let’s say that, in the beginning, humans had to cover their bodies to protect themselves from heat and cold, so they covered themselves with animal skins or leaves. But what is interesting is the evolution of clothing from something worn for protection against weather conditions to a symbol of modesty. And more importantly, when did that morality become so disproportionately attached to the female body?
This trajectory is very fascinating.

To understand that, we must start with one of the most obvious, and yet most heavily regulated, parts of the female body: the breast.
Today, a woman's breasts are almost universally understood as sexual. Overtime, Breasts acquired the role of secondary sexual organ: assisting reproduction without directly being involved in. A woman displaying healthy breast capable of feeding the progeny was viewed as a desired sexual partner by the males.

Each society had its own level of acceptance for body exposure. The spectrum ranged from ancient Greco-Roman cities with socially acceptable bare breasts to Islamic settlements in Saudi Arabia where even a small amount of exposed skin was considered sacrilegious.

In many ancient cultures, females' clothing was often quite revealing, with little to no coverage of the breasts. This was especially true where women were considered to be sacred or divine. For example, in ancient Egypt, women were often depicted wearing only a sheer veil or a loincloth. In ancient Greece, women often wore a chiton, which was a simple garment that left the breasts exposed. Some Greek philosophers theorized that women should be topless to promote sexual equality. Some advocated that breasts are not private or sexual parts at all. Over time, as cultures became more patriarchal, females' clothing began to cover more of the body.

Ancient Indian civilizations often had women being topless, but this changed subsequently after Mughal invasion, leading women to cover-up to protect against intrusive male gaze, saving their modesty and objectification. The general presumption that the Western World has always been liberal and the Eastern/Indic societies have been more restrictive in their acceptance of social breast exposure is not factually accurate.

In Ancient Greece and Rome, breast exposure was not universally considered indecent, and draped garments often left the breasts partially or fully exposed, with the female body associated with fertility and beauty. During the Medieval era, Christian-influenced ideals of modesty encouraged greater concealment of the female body, with clothing increasingly covering the breasts. The Renaissance brought some relaxation of these norms, with lower necklines and garments that emphasized the female form. By the 18th century, Rococo fashion openly embraced décolletage, with low-cut gowns deliberately highlighting cleavage among aristocratic women. The Victorian era then swung sharply back toward modesty, with high necklines, corsets and layers of clothing concealing the body. In the early 20th century, women's clothing became less restrictive, particularly during the Flapper era, although breasts remained largely covered. By the mid-20th century, bikinis, braless fashion and low-cut tops began challenging traditional ideas of modesty, and by the late 20th century, plunging necklines, sheer fabrics and open-back clothing had made greater breast exposure increasingly commonplace.

In India, attitudes toward breast exposure have also changed significantly across different periods. In ancient India, clothing varied considerably by region, community and social status, and some forms of dress left the breasts partially or fully uncovered. During the medieval period, practices of covering the body became more common in certain communities, influenced by changing social, religious and political norms, while garments such as the sari evolved in different regional forms. During the Mughal period, garments such as the choli and other fitted or layered clothing could provide coverage while still emphasizing the female form. Under British colonial rule, Victorian ideas of modesty increasingly influenced elite Indian dress, contributing to the widespread adoption of blouses and more covered styles. After independence, the sari, salwar kameez and other traditional garments continued to offer varying degrees of coverage depending on region, community and personal style. Today, global fashion has introduced lower necklines, cut-outs and sheer fabrics, but what is considered acceptable remains deeply shaped by regional culture, class, religion and social expectations.

But breast exposure represented just one aspect of a broader shift in how societies began to control the female body. As specific areas of a woman’s body became linked to sexuality, the concept of modesty evolved from merely determining appropriate attire to dictating what a woman was permitted to reveal altogether. And this is where the history of veiling begins to become interesting.

The veil is often treated as though it has always been a religious symbol, particularly in discussions around Islam. But the history is much older and far more complicated than that. Veiling predates both Christianity and Islam. By Late Antiquity, women across parts of the Mediterranean and Near East were already covering their heads, and the reasons were not just limited to religions. A veil could communicate social status, marital status, respectability, identity, or simply conform to the customs of a particular society. Purdah, the practice of secluding women from public view, was central to elite family life in Mughal India. The word covers two related practices: the physical veiling of women when they appeared outside, and the architectural creation of separate women’s quarters known as the zenana. Purdah was not a Mughal invention. It had earlier roots in Persia and other Islamic societies and entered the subcontinent during the Delhi Sultanate, but the Mughal period strengthened it considerably among the upper classes.

One reason purdah spread so widely was imitation. As Akbar married into Rajput houses, the seclusion practices already common among warrior clans merged with Mughal customs. Keeping elite women in purdah became a marker of honour and status that other families wanted to emulate. Crucially, purdah was a class phenomenon. Poor women in villages simply could not afford to observe it, because their labour in fields and workshops was essential to family survival.

So even the idea of “modesty” was also not experienced by women equally. Women bodies were being regulated but it was also being used to display class, status, and honor.

We often speak of modesty as if it is a natural human instinct, but when you look at history the assumption falls apart. We are born without understanding of ‘shame’. A child is not born knowing that breasts are sexual organ, or that a woman's body can bring dishonor to her family. These are the things that are fed to us.

Clothing may have begun as a way to protect ourselves from the elements. But over thousands of years, it became a language through which societies communicated religion, class, sexuality, respectability, marriage, honour and power. And women’s bodies became one of the most heavily regulated surfaces on which all of these things were written.

Which brings us back to the question I started with: if men and women both started out naked, how did we arrive at a world where women’s bodies are expected to carry so much more moral meaning than men’s?

Manifestation has become a modern day wizard spell to get whatever you want. I’ve seen videos and blogs on ‘How To Manifest the Right Way', ‘Reasons Why Your Manifestation is not working’. You should watch it for a good laugh.

Unfortunately, life does not work that way. Hard work and luck play a lot more important role in getting what you want. Because, if manifestation alone really works, then all my life I’ve always wanted to be famous, and here I am writing this Substack article that’s probably going to get maximum 3 likes. If, Manifestation alone really works then why is there poverty, wouldn’t everyone be rich and happy?

Internet has romanticized Manifestation as it is the key to success. No one adds Terms & Conditions apply when they say so. I’ll tell you what are those terms and conditions - Hard work & Luck.

You might think that I’m being negative, and I get it. It’s easier to hope that there’s a higher power out there to smooth your way in life, rather than face the fact that, mostly, you get out of life what you put into it. I’ve been there too and it did not work out for me at all, and it does not work out for most people. For whom it does work out, go and talk to them, they’ll let you know Manifestation wasn’t the only thing that played role.

Do not misinterpret what I mean, There isn’t anything wrong in manifesting. You should be doing it. Believing everything is going to turn out the way you wanted is a positive attitude everyone should have. But what I’m trying to say here is Manifestation alone does not work. If you do not put actual efforts to get what you want and just manifest then it’s hard to categorize if you’re manifesting or being delusional.

I think this shift happened gradually in the last five years. I’m not aware of the exact chronology of it but I'll try to explain the moments and experiences that played the biggest role.

I was assigned Hinduism by birth, but my upbringing never taught me to hate any religion and I’ve always respected all the religions and consider all of them to be equal. I’ve lost count of times when my fellow religion people have tried to influence me to hate and fear certain religions. Thankfully, I always stood by my beliefs and never gave in to those ideas and instead became an atheist. Because if your religion requires you to hate someone then you need a different religion.

Growing up in a typical Indian family almost automatically meant growing up religious. At least, that's how it was for the first eighteen years of my life. Every month there was a pooja. Family vacations often included temples and pilgrimage sites. Religion wasn't something I consciously chose, but it was simply the system I grew up in.

Over the last few years, I've also noticed a massive cultural shift around Hinduism in India. Politics has undoubtedly played a role in this. Suddenly, out of nowhere - the most famous and influential people of India have become religious, They attend spiritual gatherings, visit temples publicly, and associate themselves with well-known gurus.

What I find interesting is that many of these same people continue to enjoy every luxury modern life has to offer. Be it wealth, fame, expensive lifestyles, designer brands, and every comfort imaginable. If faith truly means complete surrender, detachment, and devotion, why is there no willingness to let go of those luxuries?

There’s this huge wave of it and everyone now wants to flow in it. These people who have influence over the youth of this country are indirectly asking them to be invested in Hinduism. This influence can be seen in the increase of number of people who visit temples. There are stampede kind of situations at most of these places. There were over 30+ fatalities in Kumbh Mela 2025. All this did not happen randomly. I believe there is a very well strategized structure that lead to this rise.

I have written mostly about hinduism because I fall in that category and understand it the best, but my thoughts extend to Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism or any other religion.

The only religion that this world needs right now is Humanity.

If your religion teaches compassion, kindness, empathy, equality, and love, then follow those values. At that point, I don't think the name of the religion matters anymore. Eventually, you have to decide for yourself what is right and what is wrong.

Another reason my faith slowly disappeared was watching how often religion and politics became inseparable.

Politicians and people in power are the only one benefitting from these religions. It’s beneficial for them that we stay divided so that it becomes easier for them to rule and they could continue to stay in power.

And Honestly, I think that is one of the major reason I started to not believe in any religion.

Trump draws support from sections of the Christian right in the United States. Modi has benefited politically from Hindu nationalism in India. Benjamin Netanyahu has often appealed to Jewish identity alongside questions of national security. The Taliban has used its interpretation of Islam to justify its rule over Afghanistan.

These are very different movements, countries, and political contexts. I’m not equating them. But what they all showed me was the same pattern: religion can become one of the most powerful political tools in the world.

Then there was another question I couldn’t ignore. As a woman, I found it increasingly difficult to reconcile myself with the way women are portrayed or treated in many religious traditions and interpretations. Across different faiths, I kept seeing women expected to be more obedient, more modest, more sacrificial, and somehow secondary to men. I simply couldn't believe that a divine truth would consistently place half of humanity beneath the other half.

Ironically, I still love mythology. I do love all the folk tales that have god/god like figures in it, it’s very fascinating and interesting. But now I read them the same way I read great literature. To me, they are incredible stories created by extraordinary storytellers.

A girl who considered herself god’s favorite child and called Krishna her best friend now does not believe in the concept of religion because the world pushed her too much to believe in it. And there’s been this rebellious pattern about me, the more someone tells me what I must think, the more I am compelled to question it.

When I first told people that I’m going on a vacation, everyone started asking me the same questions.

Did I shop enough?
What am I gonna wear?
Take good pictures of myself.
Make all the trending reels.

And I wondered….why?

I did not go on a trip to create content for Instagram. I went there to experience, to be in the ocean, to go swimming with fishes and turtles, to play with the waves, to meet people I’d never cross paths with otherwise, to experience a different culture.
So why would I spend hours getting ready, putting on makeup, and wearing a perfectly curated outfit just to jump into the ocean? Or dress for aesthetics when I’m going on a trek?
It just doesn’t make sense to me.

To be honest, I myself fell for this performative living, and I might fall for it again. I was also preparing what outfits I’ll be wearing, saving all the reels I’d be making. But once I reached there, I realized why would I be spending time on my phone instead of just taking this all in?

I don't mean this as criticism towards people who enjoy creating content. It takes a hell lot of efforts to do so. But, the issue I have is that we have consumed too much social media, we are so influenced by these social media figures, that we do every single thing for performance, for a mere instagram photo.
Rather than experiencing where we are, we are focused on our photo, pose, lighting, looks, angle, and then you spend days editing that picture, which by the way does not require any editing. We’re so busy documenting the moment that we sometimes forget to experience it.
Even our idea of "perfect" has been outsourced to the internet. Our standards of perfection are defined by the internet. Why is that so?
Perfection is subjective. You should define what’s perfect to you. To me, brown skin can be beautiful. To someone else, fair skin can be beautiful. Neither is more right than the other.

Also my I celebrated my birthday on this trip. I hate my birthdays, I’ve dreaded each one of them, but surprisingly I happened to love this one, because for once, I did not feel the pressure to celebrate it in the ideal way. To party, to cut cakes, to plan the entire day. I woke up in a new city, went for a morning run by the lake then went for breakfast, came back to my airbnb, took a shower and then went back to the lake with my diary and pen, and cycled around the city. No one around me knew it was my birthday so I did not feel the pressure to celebrate it in the way people expects you to. I celebrated it in the way that is meaningful to me and it turned out to be the best birthday.

Basically the thought is that all we’re doing in our lives currently is performing and we are living life based on the standards set by the internet. We’re dressing, traveling, celebrating, working, and sometimes even dreaming in ways that are optimized for an audience rather than ourselves. It’s almost like we’re constantly performing.

But it’s our life. We are the only one who gets to decide the way of living it.

For now, I want to talk only about India because, God knows, we already have enough going on here.

Let’s begin with one of the most recent controversies: the demand for accountability from India’s Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, following the NEET crisis and allegations of paper leaks and irregularities.

And that demand for accountability is valid.

India may be one of the world’s largest economies, but look beyond the headlines and GDP rankings, and you’ll see the reality millions of Indians live in. For countless families, a single examination is not merely an examination. It represents the possibility of escaping poverty. It represents years of sacrifice, sleepless nights, money spent on coaching, and parents betting everything they have on their child’s future.

Students put their sweat, tears, and years of their lives into a single piece of paper because, for many of them, that paper feels like their only way out.

And if you don’t qualify for NEET or secure a government medical college seat, becoming a doctor can become financially impossible for an ordinary middle-class family. Private medical education can cost even more than a crore, and usually a doctor often spends years of further study after that.

So when students demand accountability, they are not asking for too much. They are asking for the bare minimum.

Sonam Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike for almost a week now, demanding the resignation, and what have we heard from our government?

“Happy Birthday, Dharmendra Pradhan.”

“They are terrorists.”

And then Mr. Modi saying, “2+6 is 8, and 1+7 is also 8.” for his ‘Indonesian friend’.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE kIDDING ME.

At the beginning of this article, I said I felt ashamed of my own silence. But sometimes I wonder: where is the shame among those in power when legitimate questions are met with deflection, mockery, or silence?

Mr. Modi has had zero press conferences during his term.

The British used divide and rule on India, and oh, how beautifully the BJP has been doing the same. In fact, they’re doing an even better job at dividing and ruling. They have made religion the utmost priority for people. Not education. Not freedom of speech. Not human rights. Not justice. Not accountability. But religion.

And perhaps the worst part is that many of us have started accepting this as normal.

We spend hours debating one Excel sheet at work but hesitate to spend ten minutes speaking about injustice. We meet deadlines, answer emails, attend meetings, scroll endlessly, and return to work the next morning. Meanwhile, somewhere, a student is protesting for their future. A citizen is demanding justice. A community is asking to be heard.

And we tell ourselves we’re too busy.

I have this theory that the system has created a bubble for us. A bubble in which we are so exhausted by work, money, deadlines, bills, and survival that we have no time left to think about what is happening around us. We become desensitized. We begin treating human rights as someone else’s problem. We start believing that politics is something dirty and distant from our everyday lives, even though politics shapes almost every part of those lives.

We work endlessly, often creating more wealth for those who already have it, while convincing ourselves that we have no time or power to question the systems governing us.

And then comes perhaps the most frustrating argument of all: “But what other option do we have? Who will become Prime Minister? Rahul Gandhi?”

First, that is not how parliamentary elections work.

You do not directly elect the Prime Minister of India. You vote for a candidate contesting the Lok Sabha election from your constituency. The Prime Minister is then appointed according to our parliamentary system, generally as the leader who commands the confidence of the Lok Sabha.

So perhaps, before asking, “Who else can be Prime Minister?”, we should ask better questions.

Who is representing my constituency? What have they actually done? Are they competent? Are they accountable? Am I voting based on their work and policies, or simply because of their caste, religion, party symbol, or the face of one national leader?

And yes, what if Rahul Gandhi becomes Prime Minister?

Maybe he would be better. Maybe he would be worse. Maybe he would surprise us. We don’t know. But democracy was never supposed to be about finding one supposedly irreplaceable leader and giving them unquestioned power forever.

The point is bigger than Mr. Modi. It is bigger than Rahul Gandhi. It is bigger than the BJP or Congress.

The point is to remind every politician, every minister, every political party, and every government of one fundamental truth:

You are not the ones with the ultimate power. We are.

The citizens of India.

We, The People of India.

Governments are supposed to work for us. Ministers are supposed to answer to us. Leaders are supposed to be questioned by us. And when they fail us, democracy gives us the power to replace them.

You work for the people, or you get out.

But for that to mean anything, we have to participate. We have to question. We have to vote thoughtfully. We have to stop treating criticism of a government as criticism of a country. We have to stop confusing a political party with a nation.

And perhaps most importantly, we have to stop believing that we are powerless.

I want to write tons of content on Indian Politics but then I feel I am not smart enough to write on that and also that’s a never ending topic who would want to read something that long.

I want to write about how I hate AI, but then again I have so many thoughts on it and they are just not organized enough for me to write.

I want to write about Being performative but I have a diplomatic opinion on it so still need to put that into thought.

So I decided to write on how I cannot think of anything to write but I started with my thoughts, that is what is wrong with me, I keep on making excuses for myself to not put myself out there. But I still wanted to write and I pushed myself to write here, as I gained 98 subscribers here on Substack in the past week, which brought a little (a lot of) validation for me and I want to hit a 100 subscribers, so here I am writing.

We always have something going in our mind, we can write anything on that but the issue comes when we are supposed to elaborate and organize those thoughts. We have such an amazing community of writers & readers here on Substack and I learn everyday how to improve my writing and try to think of better ideas to live upto this platform.

And I think maybe a lot or a few people might relate to what I wrote, so here I am writing a bunch of (non meaningful) words.

Hope you sleep well.

Recently I realized that a person can never be fully independent for example let’s take example of our parents, we see them as independent individuals but are they really, since I was born all their decisions involved and revolved around me, would it be fine for me if they travel, they cannot travel just on their own, they sacrificed on luxury to save for my future, my education before me it was for their parents.

I know that we cannot say that’s not independence but if you were to give it a word we can maybe call it passive dependence, they never thought of me being a burden but in a way I was. Once you become a parent you’re never independent, when you notice grays on you'r parent’s hair, you’re never independent all your decisions are taken with them in mind, they’re always present in your consciousness.

With these thoughts in my mind “Dependent Aspects of an Independent Person” crossed my mind. I don’t even know if it would make sense to anybody but this hit me deep, something that I’ve been chasing since forever is actually never going to come true in all aspects. It was all just an illusion, a mirage.

If I think any deeper about it Independence is when you cannot be dependent on anyone, when you’re on your own with others dependent on you. That is what should be the definition of independence, if you ask me.
I don’t if it makes sense to you but it completely does to me.
So, Happy Independence to those who celebrate it.

I realized that these people including me are stuck and living in a loop. Wake up - get ready for work, pack your lunch, travel for an hour to work, then sit in front of screens, spend 8 hours then travel back to their homes/PG/Rented apartments, make dinner, eat, sleep, and repeat, then look forward to weekend, rinse and repeat.
We get so used to living this life that we forget the actual meaning of life.

We were brainwashed in our childhood, that we studied hard to live a meaningless life.
And when I say that our Corporate job is making us dumber, I truly mean it. It’s a no brainer. We are assigned with these title that have no meaning in real life. We work and learn skills based on our titles. We live life in a loop, we get stressed about stupid excel sheets, seriously how foolish can we be that we feel anxious because of a mere excel sheet. AI is for sure making us dumber but our Corporate job was already doing that work, AI plays the role of a catalyst. We have no time for our hobbies, we slowly forget that if we ever had a hobby. We ask for permissions for LEAVE, for a BREAK. We do not have time for ourselves, time for family, time for people - things that actually matter.

I would call myself dumb only, if I believe that I have to submit a report by this deadline or otherwise ——— umm —— something would happen. And nothing would happen, nobody would starve due of it. And living life in a loop, a pattern makes us less empathetic, at least that’s what I have noticed because that’s what happened to me, because we start accepting life as it is, We stop dreaming, we stop imagining the possibilities of our life, stop looking for new hobbies, stop building emotions with people and lead our way to an isolated life. And all of this is what life is not supposed to be.

Working is a necessity now, It’s our bread and butter. But the issue comes when we start putting it over everything else, we can’t take out time for ourselves, our families, our friends, our people, our hobbies.

Sometimes, I feel I'm living life the wrong way, and the right way of living life is the way that villagers used to live. They make their own bread and butter, they know where their produce is coming from, always available for their families, neighbors, or strangers that just cross their path. They have the kindest souls. I am aware that their lives are tough and what capitalism did to them, but I wish, I could go back in time where all of us, the entire world used to live life in villages and live a peaceful and happy life and truly understand the meaning of life.

By now you must have an idea that I’m actually bad at it because I expressed my feelings as LOT, no writer would do so and approve to do it. Well, good thing is I am not a writer, so I am not letting down the community. I aspire to be one and I would for sure become one once I master the art of articulating. But, looking at the brighter side, at-least I’m not addressing myself as a writer after asking Chat-GPT to write something and then penning the output given by Chat-GPT as my own.

I’ve been told I communicate well and I think really well, I smile when they say that but in reality I feel sad because only I know what I initially thought of, what my thoughts were and what rubbish I spoke, but people happen to like my rubbish. But only if they could have properly understood what was happening inside my head and what my original thoughts were. If only I could describe it properly, here’s my try, take it as I think in a language that my tongue doesn’t understand and my original thoughts get lost in translation when I speak, if this makes sense to you.

I find people who communicate really well really attractive. Speak what they actually think in a proper non disruptive manner, no ‘umm’, ‘like’, ‘aaahhhh’ in their sentences.
I aspire to be one of them and one day I will be one of them, hopefully(I really hope).
I envy people who have linear thoughts, stick to what they are thinking or brainstorming about at a particular time until they find their desired answers. My brain doesn’t work the same way it wanders around, it would think of something initially and during the thinking process it will add multiple thoughts none of them related to one another and then I get distracted, I think at-least I can overcome this, I am halfway through it.

but as I’ve not conquered this distraction yet, here it is what now my brain is thinking about while writing this. Here it goes, “maybe I don’t want to master the art of articulating, maybe I just want to meet someone who understands exactly what my brain thinks, what thoughts I have, maybe all I want is to find someone whose brain speaks the same language as mine.” This is what is wrong with me, something I actually want to master i.e. Art of Articulation, My brain is giving a romantic angle to it, was it even necessary?, and not gonna lie I really tried to shook this thought off, but I ended up writing it here.
Sometimes, I also think that having non linear thoughts and scribbled up thinking is kind of good for me in the world of AI, see that’s another topic. I need to shut my brain off. I’ll write separately about these accompanying ideas. For now, all I wanna say is if there’s a wish-master reading this, please fulfill my wish of mastering the art of articulation. That’s it.
See you all next time(hopefully).

You’ll never know I like you
’cause I’m such a good pretender
and I’ll never tell you that I like you
because if you don’t reciprocate
my heart will shatter

and we’ll be perfect for each other
at least in the future I imagine
but I choose silence over transparency
because courage has never been my strength

and that one time my phone rang with your name
the world went quiet, everything went still
and the only sound I could hear in that moment was
my own heart racing against my will

and if I confess, I’ll risk hearing you laugh
and running into awkward talk
so, I’ll patiently wait for my phone to ring one more time
and I promise
I’ll keep you & I safe in my mind.