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Philoxenia

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Philoxenia in Greek is translated as 'Friend to the stranger'. The  ancient Greeks practiced the sacred rule of hospitality to strangers known as 'Xenia'. Xenia bestows guest friendship. It was rampant and significant in the days of old because people believed gods mingled among them.The Trojan war depicted in the Iliad of Homer arose from a violation of Xenia. Traveling from place to place seemed quite extensive and lengthy during those days, which could be the probable reason for the prevalence of Xenia. Travelers had to rely on hospitality for food, shelter and protection. Xenia consisted of two basic rules.  Rule 1:The respect given by the host to the guest  - The host must provide them with a bath, food, drink, gifts and a safe escort to their next destination. It was considered rude to ask questions pertaining to their identity before they had finished their meal. Rule 2: The respect given by the guests to hosts - The guest must be courteous. He must not be a thre...
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Periwinkle

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Death walks into our hospital corridors uninvited. It sneers the living, who do all they can to save lives and walks away with its prey. Some very calm and peaceful and some with tremendous pain. Some almost in an instance and some day by day. My pen fails to justify the moans of the dying and the shrieks of the beloved watching their own depart. Who doesn't want a beautiful ending to their story; a dignified death - a death where you would have your loved ones at your bed side. Those final moments that you bestow your loved ones with; by just being beside them in their final strides of their journey on earth.  But when death walks into your house by the name of Covid-19, it humiliates the very concept of a dignified death. A death where the moans of the dying goes unheard by the beloved whose shrieks are silenced by the stigma of the disease. Death walks into our corridors uninvited. It sneers the living and snatches its prey.  Periwinkle is commonly called...
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