What Mauritius Needs

I am very often alleged to behave too much like stereotypical 16-year-olds. And I do take that as a compliment. I don't tend to walk greys. So when you party, you party hard and when you study, you study hard. It's about adding the maximum of your energy and optimism into something. I think it's important that we remain excited about everything, about the tiniest thing happening around you. It not only helps boosts the positivity within you but also automatically makes you happier and a highly aura-projecting soul. I prefer exciting people. Boredom and people is just, well, boring. Get yourselves more exciting, it makes you so much more alive! Trust me! And I don’t mean it in a way to just make your personality shine a tad brighter, but to make you feel good about yourself, for your overall health and well-being. I just want to share a little story from my backyard. I have a grandmother and she’s pretty young by mind. She talks. About the news, world affairs...

This morning, I overheard my aunt and our house maid having their daily morning chat. I had just woken up and had tooth paste froth in my mouth as my aunt eventually called me and pronounced in a high pitch voice how some neighbors had invited over 100 people during the weekend to celebrate their daughter's coming of age. In the kitchen, both women sounded quite surprised by this occurrence and although they didn't drag the talk too much, one of them didn't stop herself from commenting: "Bizin fer tou dimune conner quand tifi inn vinn grande fille?" (Why do they have to let everyone know that their daughter is now a Big Girl?) I pulled my tooth brush from my mouth and tried to articulate: "Zot ban Tamils?" (They are Tamilians?) My aunt acquiesced. Celebrating a woman's first menstruation is followed in several cultures. And it definitely not unique to South India, from where the ancestors of the Tamil people of Mauritius come ...

At the beginning of your happy, jolly journey on Earth as a little h-oo-man, it’s just you. You get all your parents’ attention, sharing and another little h-oo-man that would snuggle himself in your seat at the dining table remain two alien concepts. Then, before you know it, you’re a big sister to a baby brother. You swell with the importance of your new responsibility – until you realise that it’s a life-long commitment. My brother and I are six and half years apart in age. Naturally, there were those few years that involved constant fighting and him blaming everything on me and somehow never getting in trouble while I took all the heat. But what are the Perks of being a Big Sister to a Little Brother?  1. You get to dress him up in female clothing For the first couple of years, before he is impregnated with any preconceived societal ideas of gender identity, you get to have him wear your Mom's bras and have him apply bright red lipstick. Heck, now that I...

The following is a Guest Post and may not be in line with the philosophy of Our Alter Ego. I just wanted to give people the opportunity I always thirsted for but never got, which is a platform for expression. I hope you appreciate the endeavours.  Be Light,  Much Love, Iam Aehr. .  .  . What's a fight to you? To me, it's when you don't give up and stand up straight in the face of adversity till the last wisp of life doesn't abandon you. That's a real fighter. It's going to be nearly two decades since I've been roaming the earth and I can confidently assure that life is a constant fight. Sometimes voluntary or involuntary. We do not choose life, life chooses us. From the mind-boggling frenetic race against million sperms to see the light at the end of the tunnel to welcoming the oblivion of death, everything is predefined. 19 years of existence and I've come to realize that each and everyone is fighting their own respective battles. Al...

I believe in the power of annoying little brothers. My brother fits this title perfectly. It can be hard having a younger sibling, especially when he’s a boy. Especially when he’s twelve and going through puberty. He’s shifted from being my baby little brother to my little brother simply. To be on the same level of annoyance as my little brother I make fun of him. I tease him. He responds with a pillow punch, or if I’m lucky just a “shut up”. Like most siblings, we fight. I’d accidentally push him into a bedroom wall then he’ll respond by tackling me to the floor. I need to keep a tight grip on his fists just so they don’t collide with my face. How we fight and exchange mean words over who should do the dishes. How when my mom gets mad when there’s no more toilet paper and asks “who was the last one to use the bathroom?!” and my brother responds that it was me, when it wasn’t. How he gets embarrassed when he’s around my friends. Despite the fights and the curse words exc...