pen.books.and.scalpel

What once used to be a ‘green city’ and ‘The Paris of the South’ is now turning grey and is choking. Don’t take me wrong, I love travelling. I have been to a few places as a tourist, and I have always sensed a kind of hostility from the natives. I used to wonder why. But when I started being the native myself, I finally understood the reason.  Tourism is a very important industry that helps my place thrive. Job opportunities for locals are blooming, and people are happy to welcome outsiders to enjoy our place, including me. But now, things have changed. The reason? Partly the government, and partly a few irresponsible visitors.  1. The cheap alcohol gimmick What once used to be our unique selling point has now become an overrated and unwanted attraction for the town. There’s a bar or liquor store every 100 meters, and that has put many lives at risk. It has turned several locals into alcoholics who do not know how to drink responsibly or socially, adding to the disease and soc...

In a way, life is just like books. We never know what’s coming next until we reach that page. No one prepares us for the twists and turns coming ahead. They might strike us when we least expect them. But you know what? We learn to move on. That's what human resilience is made of. Every loss, every shift, every change passes—slowly, sometimes painfully, sometimes in a wink—but pass it does. And sometimes, a book you thought you might hate might surprise you. Sometimes, a character who didn't quite strike a chord with you might leave you devastated when they part. Isn't it quite life, though? But we cope. We learn, we grow stronger, and we prepare ourselves for the next chapter.   The same book that destroys us also heals us. And when life breaks us down, these words become the comfort we turn to. No matter if it disappoints us or threatens our peace, it will always provide answers—or at least help us ask the right questions at the right time. We learn just as much from a boo...