A new syndrome has been detected in almost all human beings, this article is to alert all humans to take preventive steps and stop spread of this syndrome. The name of syndrome is Gol Roti Syndrome, the symptoms include judging everyone, bullying, not accepting oneself, surviving according to others and not being weird. Beware, as it’s a communicable disease, can transmit from 1 person to another.
Well, all of us have heard this 100s of time that we must make gol roti, we prefer to have gol roti, other shapes are left alone and circle wins the quest to become a ‘roti’. The roti is bound to be circle and it can’t be anything else (exceptions exist though which will be found once in a blue moon). Even Earth is not fully round, why people expect roti to be always gol? If it’s a free hand drawing forming various maps, its rejected and made again and again till it loses its own identity and becomes like every other roti – gol. (Don’t be offensive all those who have attained PhD in this course, will surely run a campaign to have Dr. in front of your name! It’s a great skill and a difficult task too to successfully make a gol roti but for now let’s focus on this syndrome). If we think the other way we will find though shape and size changes roti remains the same, it remains a roti and it tastes the same, there’s no change in anything except the appearance, but it’s treated differently!
Don’t you think we all our like the rotis- small, big, thin, fat, black, white with our sparkles of weirdness and uniqueness! We all are humans, we all are same but treated differently based on some external characteristics. We all are constantly working and even sometimes forced to be gol roti!! It’s true, we never accept others and even ourselves if we don’t meet the so called ‘normal’ standard…We follow everyone’s rule book and in trying to make ourselves gol and perfect we lose our true identity, even we don’t realize but if we think calmly we will realize many a times we do what we don’t want to do just for acceptance by others, we don’t live our life but survive according to the rule book of society. Our decisions are based on the rule book and in simple words we live life prescribed by the rule book rather than exploring and creating our own path. Body shamming, bullying are some toxic by-products of rule book and to escape facing these by-products fake masks are used. But are these masks good solution? They may provide temporary relief but are harmful to identity of person in long run. Everyone wants to be that gol roti who is slim, fair skin and normal as prescribed by society but what if we are not? We try to change ourselves, we don’t accept ourselves as we are, we try to fit in the frame which is not made for us, leaving the beautiful ones we have. Imagine not getting a footwear of your choice, we need to adjust with different sizes for mean time but discomfort level is all time high and once we are back in our own shoes we feel comfortable. Similarly, once we are ourselves we feel comfortable and being others though might seem normal to others, but only the person knows the discomfort and trouble it carries with it. If you are perfect according to society it’s great, if aren’t then also it’s great because we all are unique and no one needs to be like all! We’ll always be judged- she speaks too much, she speaks so less; he is too fat, he is too thin…..and the list goes on. No matter what we do, we will be judged. So why not be ourselves, be comfortable in our skin rather to be normal in others.. But it doesn’t means that we should stop growing, we must continue working on ourselves and growing each day but with a slight twist i.e. accepting who we are and not struggling and fighting each day to be someone else but we ourselves! If simplified it will be like if you are a mango seed you must work towards becoming the best mango not an apple and enjoy being a mango instead of regretting you are not an apple. Flaunt your weirdness because that’s your uniqueness!
Let’s create our own rule book which is unique and not ‘normal.
Let’s try breaking this syndrome, and be who we are along with growing, a roti always bears and fights the heat and pressure and becomes a roti no matter its shape, size. Enjoy being yourself no matter you are gol, square, triangle or even a decagon!
By: Urvi Shah
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