rajathtirumangalam

Author: rajathtirumangalam

  • They Remember the Fossil. You Live in the Architecture.

    Ah.

    That look.

    The one where they greet you like a museum exhibit—dusty label, poor lighting, Do Not Touch.

    They shake your hand, but they’re really shaking hands with a version of you from years ago.

    Same assumptions. Same tone. Same smallness.

    People do this strange, prehistoric thing. They fossilize you.

    They remember who you were when they last felt taller than you. When you were quieter. Softer. Unfinished. And somewhere in their mind, the world moved forward—but you didn’t. You stayed politely paused, like a buffering screen they never bothered to refresh.

    So they talk at you from that old altitude.

    They explain things you’ve already lived through.

    They offer advice you’ve already outgrown.

    They mistake your calm for stagnation and your restraint for lack of evolution.

    What they don’t see is the demolition behind the architecture.

    They don’t see the years that rearranged your spine.

    The hits that sanded down your arrogance.

    The nights that taught you how to sit with uncertainty without begging it to leave.

    The failures that rewired your nervous system.

    The grief that sharpened your listening.

    The patience that came not from virtue, but from exhaustion and repair.

    They remember a draft.

    You are a finished building with hidden load-bearing walls.

    But here’s the uncomfortable truth:

    People who freeze you in time do so because updating you would require updating themselves.

    If they acknowledge your refinement, they must also confront their own stagnation.

    If they see your growth, they must admit they stopped growing where comfort began.

    It’s easier to believe you’re unchanged than to accept they didn’t evolve.

    So they squint at you through old memories, mislabel your silence, misread your precision, underestimate your depth. And you let them. Not out of weakness—but out of economy.

    Because you’ve learned something architecture teaches well:

    Not every passerby deserves a blueprint.

    Some structures are meant to be misunderstood by those who still think strength looks loud and growth looks linear.

    You don’t correct them.

    You don’t perform your evolution.

    You don’t drag your scars into daylight for validation.

    You stand there—refined, reassembled, and unexplainable to anyone still measuring people with prehistoric tools.

    Let them think you’re frozen in time.

    The ones who matter will feel the weight of the room shift when you speak.

  • The Cost of Assumption (Paid in Quiet Instalments)

    Assumptions are funny that way.
    They don’t arrive as villains. They arrive as shortcuts.
    Little mental discounts we apply because thinking deeply feels like effort and certainty feels efficient.

    You assume someone understands you.
    You assume silence means agreement.
    You assume that tone equals intent, that vocabulary equals intelligence, that confidence equals competence.

    And life nods along. For a while.

    The bill comes later.

    It always does.

    Assumptions are expensive not because they are loud—but because they are invisible. You don’t feel the money leaving your account. You just wake up one day and wonder why everything feels… underfunded. Why conversations feel hollow. Why trust feels thinner than it used to. Why you’re tired without having done anything dramatic.

    The worst part isn’t being wrong.
    It’s realising how comfortably wrong you were.

    There’s a particular kind of vertigo that hits when you realise you’ve been living inside a fabric of false pretence—not because someone lied outright, but because you filled in the gaps yourself. You stitched meaning where none was promised. You translated politeness into care. You read fluency as depth. You mistook articulation for alignment.

    No one corrected you.
    Why would they? Assumptions are cooperative illusions.

    And then there are the conversations.

    Ah yes. Those conversations.

    Where people speak in circumlocutions—Sircar’sum logic, if you will—sentences that orbit a point but never land. Language used not to communicate, but to signal. Words deployed like silk scarves, meant to suggest intelligence without risking clarity. It’s performance disguised as precision.

    You sit there nodding, half-impressed, half-unsettled.

    Something feels off.

    They’re not trying to be understood.
    They’re trying to be perceived.

    This is the moment that rattles you. Not because they’re doing it—but because you realise how often it worked on you before. How often you assumed that complexity meant insight, that abstraction meant thinking, that verbal gymnastics meant depth.

    And suddenly the room feels different.

    You notice the evasions.
    The way questions are answered around, not through.
    The way smart-sounding fog is used to avoid being pinned down.

    You realise: this isn’t intelligence. It’s insulation.

    And the realisation stings—not just because of them, but because of you. Because somewhere along the way, you outsourced your discernment to appearances. You let language do the thinking for you. You trusted style over substance because it was easier, smoother, socially rewarded.

    Assumptions are expensive because they delay truth.
    And delayed truth accrues interest.

    By the time clarity arrives, you’ve already invested time, energy, respect, even affection. You don’t just lose the assumption—you lose what you built on top of it.

    But here’s the quiet, uncomfortable grace in all this.

    The moment assumptions collapse, perception sharpens.

    You stop being dazzled by verbal chandeliers.
    You start listening for coherence, not charisma.
    You learn to value pauses over polish.
    You ask cleaner questions. You tolerate fewer foggy answers.

    You realise that real intelligence doesn’t mind being simple.
    And real understanding doesn’t need camouflage.

    Most importantly, you start catching yourself mid-assumption.
    That tiny hitch in your chest before you fill in a gap.
    That pause before you nod along.
    That instinct to ask, “Wait—what do you actually mean?”

    Assumptions don’t vanish forever.
    We’re human. We’ll always make them.

    But once you’ve seen the cost, you stop spending so recklessly.

    And you stop living in borrowed certainty.

    Which is expensive, yes—but never as expensive as pretending you knew all along.

  • The Ceremony of the Bicycle Seat

    There is a quiet ceremony performed on empty streets at dusk—
    an initiation where one pair of trembling hands teaches another pair to trust the trembling.

    You hold the bicycle steady, though nothing about you is steady anymore.
    You run behind them, half-anchor, half-shadow, lending balance that you’ll never get back in return.
    It’s strange, the intimacy of it—
    your breath syncing with their panic,
    your footsteps stitching the ground so their wheels may glide.

    Every teacher of this ritual knows the secret moment when the spell shifts.
    A tiny tilt.
    A new rhythm in their legs.
    A surprising confidence that wasn’t there when they were clutching your arm like a lifeline.

    And then—
    your hand leaves the seat.

    This is where the poetry gets teeth.

    Because the very second your hand lets go,
    their memory lets go too.

    They shoot forward, not just newly balanced but newly authored.
    As if the road opened for them alone.
    As if the wind arrived specifically to applaud their brilliance.
    As if they were born pedalling.

    They do not look back.

    Not out of malice—
    no, something far more ordinary:
    the ease with which humans forget the scaffolding that held them up.

    You stay behind, a ghost with sweat on its forehead, holding nothing but the outline of where the bicycle used to be.
    The street doesn’t clap for you.
    The world does not say your name.
    You are simply the invisible angle that made their straight line possible.

    And here lies the symbolism people rarely talk about:

    Some learn to ride.
    Some learn to take flight on borrowed balance.
    Some learn to claim the journey as if the hands that steadied them were never there at all.

    But you—
    you learn a different lesson.
    A lesson older than bicycles, older than roads, older than praise:

    That some people will ride off with what grew in your palms,
    what bruised your knees,
    what cost you breath—
    and they will not even gift you a backward glance.

    And yet—
    we keep teaching.
    We keep running behind wobbling wheels.
    We keep offering balance that won’t be remembered.

    Because in some strange cosmic arithmetic,
    giving is the only act that leaves a mark
    even when the world pretends it doesn’t.

  • Taking the First Step: Your Journey to a Fulfilling Career


    I get it. The idea of reaching out for help can be intimidating. Maybe you’ve faced countless rejections or been told what you “can’t” do. But what if I told you there are places where your abilities are seen first, where your potential is the only thing that matters? The fear, the hesitation—it’s all valid, but it doesn’t have to be the end of your story. It’s time to let go of those doubts and take the first brave step.
    There are organizations right here in India that are not just ready, but excited to help you. They’ve built entire programs around people like you—talented, determined, and ready to work. They see beyond visual impairment to the skills, creativity, and resilience within you. Think of these as partners in your journey, not just services.
    Enable India: Your Champion for Career Growth
    Enable India isn’t just about getting you a job; it’s about building a career you can be proud of. Their Enable Vision program is designed with one goal in mind: to give you the skills and confidence to thrive in a digital world. They’ll help you navigate the modern workplace and connect you with companies that value your unique talents.
    How to connect:
    Don’t overthink it. Just make the call. The people on the other end of the line are there to listen and help, not to judge.

    • Phone: 080-67323636 or 9845313919 (Tuesday to Friday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm)
    • Email: candidateservices@enable-india.org
      Mitra Jyothi: Your Partner in Empowerment
      For decades, Mitra Jyothi has been a trusted friend to the visually impaired community. They believe true empowerment comes from a mix of practical skills and personal growth. Their approach is holistic—they’ll equip you with crucial computer and life skills, making sure you’re ready for a job and for the independence that comes with it.
      How to connect:
      Reaching out to them is like talking to a friend who’s a professional at this. A simple phone call or email is enough to start the conversation. You’ll be met with understanding and a genuine desire to help you succeed.
    • Phone: +91 (0)80-22587624
    • Email: admin.office@mitrajyothi.org
      Giftabled: Your Advocate for Inclusion
      Giftabled works to create a world where disability isn’t a barrier but a part of a diverse and talented workforce. They are experts in connecting people with the right opportunities. Their programs, like Thriving Futures, are all about unlocking your potential and showing companies what a valuable asset you are.
      How to connect:
      Don’t be shy. The best way to start is by visiting their website and using the contact information there. Let them know you’re visually impaired and looking for training and placement. They’ll be your advocate, helping you navigate the job market and find a place where you can truly shine.
      Let Go of the Fear, Embrace the Possibility
      This is your moment to take control. You are capable, you are valuable, and you are ready. The only thing standing between you and a fulfilling career is a simple phone call or email. Don’t let fear win this time. Pick up the phone, send that email, and start writing the next chapter of your life.

  • Favors, Strings, and Emotional Invoices

    When someone offers to help you, you expect a favor — not a lifelong debt. But for some people, kindness is just a down payment on future control. These manipulators build dependence, frame favors as moral debts, and use your silence as permission to exploit. Their generosity comes with invisible strings — and once you’re tangled, good luck cutting yourself free.

    What starts as a helping hand often morphs into a chokehold of obligation. They remind you — frequently and theatrically — of how they’ve supported you “on multiple platforms, multiple occasions,” as if they’ve launched your career, cured your anxiety, and funded your existence all before lunch. In their world, helping is never just helping; it’s laying bricks for the pedestal they expect to be worshipped on.

    And when the time comes — and it always does — they cash in. Suddenly, they “need a little help.” A loan. A favor. Access to your time, energy, wallet, or sanity. After all, you owe them. Why? Because they once did something nice. Once. Maybe twice. Maybe they liked three of your posts and made a phone call. To them, that’s basically a co-sign on your life.

    The manipulation is subtle at first, disguised as kindness. They step in before you even ask, solving problems and offering assistance like a personal concierge with a halo. But every act of “generosity” is added to an internal scoreboard — one they’ll weaponize when you least expect it. Gratitude becomes expected. Repayment becomes assumed. Your boundaries? Optional.

    Their favorite tool? Your silence. You don’t speak up, and they interpret that as agreement. But staying quiet isn’t the same as giving consent — it’s often restraint, grace, or conflict avoidance. Unfortunately, manipulators see silence not as mercy, but as permission to tighten the screws. You’re too polite to call them out, too drained to confront them — and they thrive in that gray zone.

    Worse still, they abuse without shame. There’s no internal moral debate, no reflection. Instead, they walk into your life like it’s a hotel lobby they’ve already paid for — lounging on your time, ordering room service from your energy, and sticking you with the bill. You don’t complain? Great. That means you’re fine with it, right?

    They will never forget the time they helped you. They’ll reference it like a war story: “Remember when I…” followed by a heavily dramatized version of something that barely cost them effort. It’s help dressed up as martyrdom — complete with emotional invoices and passive-aggressive reminders. You start to feel less like a friend or peer and more like an eternal debtor in a guilt-ridden pyramid scheme.

    To be clear: real help doesn’t require a parade, a plaque, or a payment plan. True kindness doesn’t come with a punch card. Manipulators, however, see every good deed as an investment — and they expect dividends. Financial, emotional, or otherwise.

    They scratch your back, but expect your spine in return.

    They say things like, “I was there when no one else was,” as if they’re now entitled to name rights over your life. They don’t want appreciation — they want ownership. If you push back, suddenly you’re the bad guy. Ungrateful. Selfish. Disloyal. It’s a script designed to shame you into compliance and keep you playing a role in their self-centered narrative.

    But here’s the reality: being helped doesn’t mean being owned. And being silent doesn’t mean being complicit. Gratitude is not a leash. A genuine favor is a gift, not a contract. And no one — no one — gets to claim moral superiority for doing what decent people do without strings attached.

    So next time someone offers “help,” ask yourself:
    Is this support, or is it bait?
    Are they lifting you up, or building a cage?

    Because in the end, help given with expectation isn’t help at all — it’s a hustle. And you don’t owe anyone your peace just because they once held your door.