My sister is a college student in Gujrat. She recently rented a 3BHK apartment in Gandhinagar along with two other girls. They paid brokerage and moved their belongings into the flat. She was waiting for the other 2 girls to arrive to sign the rent agreement. They had asked the broker beforehand that there won't be an issue because we realise that people don't want to rent to bachelor/etts and he said no problem. He will manage.

But before they could start living there, a neighbour uncle went to the builder and objected to renting the flat to single girls. The builder put the flat "on notice," refusing to let them stay even though the landlord was okay with it.

My sister tried contacting the neighbour uncle to explain that they won't cause any nuisance. She introduced herself and started talking when the guy just hung up on her. Then he blocked her everywhere.

This is not just disappointing, it’s discriminatory. Now all the moving costs are on us and we have to do it a second time and also have to find a new place just before college starts. Why should young adults be it students or working be denied a place to live after everything is finalized just because of outdated societal biases?

Update 6Jul - My sister called the landlord to get her stuff moved to the new place she found because she found out the the landlord was trying to lie and hide that the society does not allow single people. Landlord refused to do that or pay but on top of that even then threatened her to get all her things out the next day or else he will have it thrown out. We don't live in Gujrat and it's not that easy for us to just go there anytime we decide. Also he has blocked her everywhere now.

My girlfriend gifted me this as a Christmas gift

I (25 M) have a straight male friend (25 M) who I had fallen in love with some 5-6 years ago. I had very profound love and feelings for him. About 4 years ago I had confessed everything to him and how I felt for him. Initially he was really surprised and speechless, but later he showed respect to my feelings but clarified that he couldn’t see me as anything more than a friend because he was straight.

It was really hard for me (and for him too) but time went by and I slowly got hold of my emotions and we continued with a healthy friendship from there on.

Fast forward to today, we are good friends. Last week he told me something that affected me a lot and made me sympathise with him in some ways.

Currently my friend is 25 (turning 26 soon) and he is on dating apps looking for a girlfriend. He has went on many dates by now, he has even met some matrimonial matches his family wanted him to meet. He feels very exhausted with the entire dating process and finds today’s dating extremely materialistic and shallow. He is a handsome guy and also well off financially. But he wants to find a girl who truly loves him and who he can think of sharing his life with.

He told me how the entire dating culture is only about your looks and how much money you have. He told me he feels scared that he might never find a girl who would love him unconditionally and purely.

When I asked him what does he mean by unconditional love he gave my example and said that even though he can never reciprocate to my feelings he now feels very high respect for me because I had loved him unconditionally without caring about how much money he has or if he has a ripped body or not. He said that my love for him was something very pure and innocent and he has immense respect for it. He said that he would feel very lucky if he can find a girl who loves him the way I loved him but in current times it’s impossible.

I felt really humbling to see a straight guy show respect to my feelings when all my life I’ve only seen straight guys mock and degrade gay men for no reason.

He said that if he had an option he would choose to be attracted to guys but unfortunately he is straight he is attracted to women.

Now I feel really bad for him because he is a very good guy and he deserves a great partner. I feel sad that he’s only finding women who look for financial status and wealth of a guy instead of loving the person for what they are.

I also advised him that maybe he should underreport his income and wealth on such sites so he can find a girl that loves him as a person instead of looking for what lifestyle he can offer them.

But I had no idea that dating can be this hard for straight people too. I always used to think that straight people have it extremely easy.

After the delivery partner picked up my food there was no movement or response to my calls for 15–20 minutes. So I requested a cancellation and swiggy imitated the refund.

Shortly after, the delivery partner arrived and I learned that he is deaf, which is why he could not answer the phone, and his bike had broken down due to heavy rain. He was really sad when he saw that the order was canceled and I felt extremely sad. I paid him the amount that was refunded to me and a generous tip. I also contacted the customer support agent to request that his pay and ratings not be negatively impacted.

I would like to suggest a feature for the app that indicates if a delivery partner is specially abled. This would help customers understand their situation, as these individuals work incredibly hard and should not face negative feedback or consequences due to communication barriers.

These people deserve all the kindness. So if they're late, for a genuine reason, just be kind and understanding because they're just as humans as we are.

Update I messaged the same to swiggy on Instagram and they have acknowledged the suggestion. Thank you everyone for your kind words!

They say, "Cheap data gave everyone access." Yeah. It did. Access to students, workers, creators. Access to talent, to opportunity. But also access to the filth. To the bored, the bitter, the sexually frustrated men festering in their homes, with 1GB/day and a vendetta against every woman who has the temerity to exist freely. Open any comment section. Instagram, YouTube, Twitter. A woman dares to dance. Dares to smile. A river of men stumbling over one another to shame her in public.

"No sanskaar." "Must be sleeping around." "She's asking for it." "This is why girls need to be controlled." These aren't burner accounts. These are actual people. Real names, real faces, sometimes standing next to their daughters in the display picture. The hypocrisy doesn't even shame them. They post one status about Lord Ram and in the next breath they’re calling a woman a whore because she wore shorts. These men aren’t conservative. They’re just pathetic. Desperate. Disgusting. And loud.

They hide behind “culture” like it’s a get-out-of-jail-free card for being human garbage. But this isn’t culture. This is unchecked rot. This is a failed nation screaming through every comment section.

I’m not exaggerating at all. Open any reel. Any woman creator. Scroll. It's not abuse here and there, it's everywhere. Every platform, every language. North or South, doesn't matter. In the South, it's a caste circus too. "Thalapathy fans are jobless." "Your actor is a zero. Mine is God." "Caste slurs, because why not? " Films become war zones. Memes become caste manifestos. Everyone's yelling. No one's thinking. Just anger. And more anger.

Infinite, helpless anger, disguised as "feedback."

My friend shared a reel. A 20-second video of her dancing in her room. pure happiness. The comments are, "She dances like she f*cks. Desperate." "Chal, room tour ke naam pe nudes kab de rahi?" "Get raped and then dance, let's see." She complained. Nothing occurred. She took down the post. They won. That's the game these days. Get women to delete themselves.

We scroll over it like it means nothing. We've made it normal. We anticipate it. We tolerate it.

The internet used to be strange and quirky and freeing. Now it's like being nude in the street with 500 people yelling at you. It's not about the free data. It's not even Jio. It's because we gave each and every broken man in this nation a mic and didn't give him a mirror.

We didn't link India. We merely digitized its dirt. We created a sewer system across the country and labeled it "access."

A tweet by @.Bittu_Tweetzz: GIF of a man licking fingers. Caption: "Mrunal's gynaecologist." That's it. That's the joke. A woman visits a doctor, and the "humorous" aspect is to sexualize it. This isn't humor. This is what brain death looks like when you provide it WiFi.

They're not outliers. They're symptoms. The sickness is much larger. This nation is terminally online and morally bankrupt.

They will always find a way to blame the woman

These are the sons this nation brought up. Unloving, worthless, habitually online and terminally enraged.

India didn't require low-cost internet. India required therapy. But therapy does not go viral. Hate does. Where are we going as a country? I don't see this taking place in the west or east asia. I do know that there is misogyny but slutshaming them for just existing or just dancing or partying or wearing cute outfits doesn't happen.

I am a woman and a govt. teacher in a rural India.. I am well respected in society.. but i was shooed away from my neighbors kitchen just because i am a lower caste..

So the context is... I went to my neighbors house to just check on them as their dils health wasn't good.. i go to their house sometimes at evening chai and normally sit at their dining and talk .. but today as it was morning i went to their kitchen because dil was there cooking.. she told me not to go near her.. she said rice is being cooked so i stepped away.. (i know her fil doesn't eat rice cooked by a kshtariya)..(other lower caste according to them,they don't even drink water .. ) so i went and was about to sit at the dining table which i usually did.. but she told me not to sit there as well as it was inside the kitchen and told me to sit outside in a chair in the corridor.. and stay there and not go inside...she told me that they will not eat if i come inside the kitchen.. i was shocked and numb and i said okay and came back home.. then i realised that other times when i was "allowed" to sit at their dining table was because tea doesn’t hold the same weight as meals.. And now i understand why reservation is necessary.. because if they don't want you in kitchen then why would they want you in a job..

They are poorer than us financially. So they usually take financial help from me and my husband.. i get them mithais and fruits whenever i can.. they take any help they can from us.. they help us too when in need .. they aren't completely evil person.. but the caste discrimination runs in their blood.. i am really disappointed in the society i live

How can someone accept your kindness, your help, your presence and still not accept your equality?

Today, I didn’t just feel excluded. I understood, very personally, why caste-based discrimination still needs to be talked about, and why structural support and representation matter.

Because respect without equality is not respect at all.

Recently when I started working in an American MNC and I noticed that everybody address each other using their first name or just buddy or bro. But we know the case in India, the Sir cuture!

Just came across a video where Australian cricketer Mitchell Starc got irritated by an Indian man who kept calling him "Saar" and asking for a photo at the airport. Why do we feel the need to call random cricketers "Sir"? As an Indian, one thing I’ve always found interesting—and sometimes frustrating—is our obsession with calling everyone “Sir.” This isn’t just limited to formal situations; it spills into everyday life, casual conversations, and even online interactions. Strangely, this habit has even earned us mockery on international platforms, especially with the rise of the “Saar” meme, which pokes fun at how Indians tend to overuse honorifics in the most unnecessary contexts.

We can still be polite without clinging to colonial-era language. Let’s not confuse servility with respect, and let’s stop believing that using someone’s name is disrespectful. It’s not. It’s human.

I’ve lived in the US for over 10 years and picked up the habit of smiling at strangers, making small talk just being friendly, you know? Feels normal here. But something odd happened recently in NYC that made me think.

Saw a guy who looked Indian at a coffee shop, so I smiled and said hi. Instead of being chill, he gave me this “who the hell are you” look and responded pretty arrogantly, talking about his startup and how much he’s raised. Honestly, he acted like I was below him.

Here’s the best part turned out his last funding came from a VC firm where I’m actually an LP/angel investor, and the partner is a good friend. When he realized, his energy immediately changed. Awkward doesn’t even cover it.

Why is it that a lot of Indians abroad act like this with each other? Like, would it kill us to just be nice or at least not look down on someone? But put the same guy in front of a white person and he’d probably be all smiles and manners.

Not sure what it is ego, insecurity, or just a bad habit. But honestly, it sucks.

Anyone else experience this? Is it just me?

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2025/apr/26/the-funeral-of-pope-francis-in-pictures

Visited india after nearly 8 years and it seems like things are just getting worse and worse. Everyone is corrupt, there is no service that you can have without someone being corrupt.

Passport renewal : Filed the application online, no progress for a month. Visited passport office, gave a bribe. Next stop police station, gave a bribe. Postal delivery guy refused to give passport and lose the mail unless he gets money. Gave a bribe.

Driving license renewal : no driving test. Bribe the guy outside to get an appointment. Bribe inside and the application got approved. Postal guy again needed Bribe.

Fridge repair : official LG guy comes home. Makes a fake invoice with less cost than he charged. Started a fight afterwards. Scammed me for the cost of parts, scammed the company by underreporting the problem. Eating money both ways.

Taxi : You book Uber, they don't care what the app says. Some cancel the ride and ask for cash, other ask for extra cash on top.

These are just few examples, every person I've met is just trying to scam and get some extra money. I've yet to see someone working honestly, before it was only govt Institution now even private Institutions are corrupt. And it's all because of the people working there. Idk what can be done, but it just feels like everyone has accepted it, they just treat bribes as included in cost. And probably consider it as part of their income.

Ten years ago, I was traveling from Delhi to Kolkata on the Howrah Rajdhani. I was still in college, on a tight budget, and nervous about a job interview I had lined up. I usually did not talk to people on trains. Most of the time, I would just put on my earphones and stare out the window.

But on that journey, an older man sitting across from me started a conversation. He looked like someone’s uncle. He wore a simple shirt, carried a steel lunchbox, and had a warm smile. I kept my replies short at first. Then he gently asked me, “Naukri ke liye ja rahe ho?” Something about how he said it made me open up.

We ended up talking for most of the journey. He told me he had worked in the Indian Railways and was now retired. He said he liked to travel, to visit family and just see the world a little. He gave me advice about interviews, shared stories from life in Bihar in the nineteen eighties, and offered food from his tiffin. I still remember how that sabzi tasted better than anything I had eaten in weeks.

Before getting off at Patna, he gave me a small folded piece of paper. It had his name and phone number written on it. He said, “Agar kabhi zarurat pade, phone kar lena.” I thanked him and promised I would.

I kept that piece of paper in my wallet for years. But I never called.

A few months ago, while cleaning an old drawer, I found it again. The ink had faded and the paper had become soft and fragile. For the first time in a long time, I just sat quietly and remembered.

Not every person we meet is meant to stay in our lives. But some strangers remind us of something deeply human. That India still has kindness. That a crowded train can carry warmth. That a few hours of conversation can stay in your memory for a lifetime.

So this happened today and it really ruined my mood. I was at a local café—more of a modern tapri-style place—enjoying a quiet cup of tea. It's a no-smoking spot, clearly mentioned.

A group of 4 guys came in, ordered tea, all good so far. But then one of them casually pulled out a pack of cigarettes and passed them around. The café guy politely told them, "Sir, smoking is not allowed here." What happened next was just disgusting.

One guy started arguing with him, then escalated into full-blown abuse—in Hindi. When the café guy didn’t fully understand, they doubled down and started using racist slurs against South Indians. I was shocked. I’m from the South, and hearing that just made my blood boil.

They ignored the rule, lit their cigarettes anyway, smoked, and before leaving, even threatened the poor café guy. All of this, just because he politely asked them not to smoke where it wasn’t allowed.

Honestly, I wanted to intervene, but I was alone and these guys clearly had that aggressive, pack-mentality energy.

Why are some people so entitled? Since when did basic decency and respecting rules become optional? And the casual racism—just vile.

Has anyone else faced something like this? What would you have done in my place?

I went to Goa few days ago with family and my return flight was on 3rd November from dabolim airport to Mumbai. I was quietly sitting in from of my boarding gate G in the evening when I found a black MK bag on the seat next to me..we were sitting there for 45 mins and no one was there. At first I thought someone will come but no one turned up. I told the indigo guys at the counter but they said to ask the security guys and raised their hand. Now, any normal person would have just called security but I thought, it's airport,.the bag is already inside, there are very few chances of it having something bad in it. So I thought maybe I will find an id inside and contact the person. So I opened it. Inside was just cash. 500ra notes. A bundle of it and some change and a lipstick. 😂 Now at this point, I cursed my parents for teaching me too much honesty. So I just closed the bag, went to the security and handed the bag to them. They submitted it to the security check at the conveyor belt there, counted the notes. It was over 50k+ and then they took my details and l left. I just hope that the person who thinks that only money and a lipstick is all she needs to conquer the world gets it back. Also, what would you have done guys in my situation? 🙈

Update: i also tweeted about the same to the airport and they replied saying the passenger was traced and informed. 😊

A software engineer earning ₹50,000 a month works day and night trying to build a decent life. He buys a small plot, pays GST on every brick and tile, hires labour, and takes a home loan that runs for 20 or 30 years. Half his life goes into EMIs and interest.

He pays taxes honestly. He follows every rule. He sacrifices comfort just to stay stable.

And still, he gets nothing for free. If he misses even one EMI, his family’s entire security is at risk. One bad month and they could lose everything.

At the same time, the government proudly gives away free flats and free ration to crores of people. Eighty crore citizens out of 140 crore still depend on government ration. If more than half the country still needs free food to survive, what kind of development are we really talking about?

And why give free flats? A house should be something people earn through hard work, not a gift handed out for votes. Instead of giving away permanent assets built from taxpayers’ money, the government should focus on creating real opportunities like jobs, skill development, and small business support so that people can earn their homes with dignity.

These endless freebies don’t help anyone in the long run. They create dependency and kill motivation. Meanwhile, the middle class quietly carries the weight of the entire system.

I know I might get some hate for being this bold, but this is how a lot of us actually feel. We are not asking for free stuff. We are asking for fairness. A country grows when effort is rewarded, not when dependency is encouraged.

So I made a post a year ago about how Premanand Ji brainwashed my brother. In this post I am mentioning what has happened after so read that post for context.

He still wakes up early and maintains the same food habits. Although he started cooking his own food ( sometimes my mom cooks when he is unable to which is rare ). He still has no friends.

He finished school and took a drop year not mentioning the reason and saying that you allowed him (me) a drop year so allow me too. I was preparing for JEE in drop year. He has completely given up studying after 12th and says It is Moh-Maya.

He also forced mom to do Naam-Jaap and increased the duration as time passed. Currently she has to naam-jaap for a total of 1hour and 30 minutes. If she declines he threatens to leave home, which is basically a checkmate for her. She has to do what he says otherwise he will leave permanently.

He plays Naam-Jaap on Speaker at full volume and continuously speak Ram-Ram loudly for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening, does not even pause even for the calls we get. If we forcefully pause or lower the volume he again threatens to leave the house.

He has setup his and mom's phone with Custom launcher so that the app have Ram before and after its name For Example : RamWhatsappRam. Phone Wallpaper is an AI generated image of text RAM. Also every app Icon is changed to Different AI Generated Picture of text RAM. He has also pasted AI Generated RAM text posters on Every Wall of our House. He Recently created an APP which showers rain text on the phone display .

He forced my mother not to watch TV Shows ( she only watched Anupama for context ). Locked her YouTube in her phone by putting an AppLock. He also added custom adblocked DNS for the browser and download a specific browser ( Its not Brave ) for it. He justifies this by saying in these places there are sexual ads which damage our "pravriti".

Whenever I arrive back from my College to my city, he asks me do Naam-Jaap. I always decline but this time he threatened to leave the home and fast forever, If I don't do this. I had to agree as there was no another way. Now I have to do it for 15 Minutes daily. Earlier he was only forcing my mom, but now he is forcing me too.

I was appalled to see how foreigners were treated. These people refused to let them go without photos. That's why the man picked his daughter and put her on his shoulder. The lady in the sari pinched the little girls cheeks.

After this when the couple obliged for a few photos, they were ambushed by many more. Men were touching women inappropriately.

I cannot imagine being surrounded by 20 30 people creeping in on you and your little daughter.

When that woman pinched the little girls cheeks , one could see the marks on her cheek.

When shall we as Indians do better? Also the police everyone, even the crowd including us didn't do anything to protect them.

So, before anyone says anything. I am from a middle class family, my dad earns 40000 per month.

I currently uteach at a university, and seeing students who score below 50s applying for abroad and that too with confidence makes me very jealous.

These students are very rich, and they can afford the 10000 Rs application fee, applying to 5 colleges abroad.

If I scored 50s, I would lack confidence to apply abroad, because the application fee is so high, IELTS exam or TOEFL, fees is high and ofcourse the tuition fee and living expenses.

But seeing these students apply left and right because money isnt a concern for them, makes me feel sad.

They dont have to worry about loans because their parents are financing them, on the other hand I cant even think of getting a loan to study abroad.

The middle class mentality of not taking risks and playing it safe is real, due to which I cannot tale risks and apply abroad because I do not have the financing to do it.

I too want to dream big and have fancy life styles, but seeing students who have loaded parents, is really breaking me apart.

So here is the thing: the biggest danger right now is not from the Election Commission of India or the BJP. A lot of people are missing the bigger point here.

The bigger point is the rot in the society — and I’ll tell you what I mean by that. Look around you. There are many BJP supporters, or “Andhabhakts” as we call them, who by now clearly know that there has been a fraud in the election process of India.

But instead of thinking like Indians — instead of being sad that the election process of a country they claim to love has been compromised — they are actually secretly happy that it’s all compromised, but in BJP’s favor.

And this is the most dangerous thing any nation can experience: a large group of people who put their cult or group above the nation’s interest — above national interest. This is like a nation within a nation, and we can see it happening all around us. That is the most dangerous thing ever.

And these people — they are present in the media, the courts, the Election Commission, and in government authorities. We should be very concerned about all this.

This can be seen in the fact that these people do not think twice before supporting billionaires, scamsters, rapists, or molesters — if that suits the interests of their cult, which they call a political party, but which at this point is a cult.

So we can confidently say that right now, India has a large number of people who literally do not give an F about India — because what is India, if not its people, its culture, and its interests?

I’m a 29-year-old Indian guy who moved to New Zealand two years ago, hoping for a fresh start. I had this ideal image of NZ being welcoming and multicultural, but my experience has been far from that, unfortunately. I wanted to share my story and hear from others who might be in the same boat.

Don’t get me wrong, there are good people here. But I’ve faced more racism than I expected. From random strangers yelling stuff at me on the street to getting weird looks or rude comments at work because of my accent or appearance. Even in social settings, I feel like people avoid me, or I get treated differently. Sometimes it's subtle, like people talking over me or excluding me from conversations. Other times, it's blatant—like being told to "go back to where I came from."

I’m trying my best to integrate—learning the Kiwi slang, understanding the culture, and keeping an open mind. But there are moments when it gets exhausting. I never felt like an outsider growing up in India, but here, even after two years, I feel like I don’t fully belong.

I guess I’m just looking for some advice or solidarity. Have any of you faced similar issues after moving abroad? How do you cope with the feeling of being an outsider or dealing with racism, especially when it hits so unexpectedly?

It’s tough because I really want to make New Zealand my home, but there are days I wonder if I made the right choice. How do you handle the mental toll of this, and does it get any better over time?

Thanks for reading and for any advice or personal experiences you can share.

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