My mother turns 80 today. One of the blessings of this pandemic is that it has brought us closer to what really matters in life. For most of the last decade, I have been living away from my parents – with someone or by myself. Work initiated the move. And then, independence necessitated it further. […]
I traveled to Chennai last month. There, I met a person whom I have written about previously on this blog. Years ago, this friend, who I still believe I have a magical connection with, chose to accept her boyfriend’s demand to not be friends with me. It wasn’t a meeting that the person wanted. It […]
Whenever I fill up an application form, I am asked about my religion. Officially, I am a Hindu. But at heart, I am a Buddhist. I have been fascinated with Buddhism for the last two decades – not just because the Buddha was an atheist – but because it works so much with death. I […]
I grew up reading ‘Gone With The Wind.’ Then, I thought of slavery in a romanticized, removed manner that had nothing to do with reality. That classic tome, written by a white woman, made me think of slaves as dancing around in the grand, white mansions while their white owners indulged them. The Mammas were […]
‘If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learnt how to live’ – Lin Yutang Lin Yutang was a Chinese philosopher who knew how to lead the good life. I clearly am not a philosopher, and neither do I seem to be doing great at leading the good life. But there was […]
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – Anonymous. When I started my meditation practice today, it was a bit chilly. (By South India’s standards, not Michigan standards). I meditate on the roof, facing a wall. As has been the case over the last month or so, my meditation is all over the place. I […]
I have been a bit quiet on the writing front. I sit down to write, and then my mind takes me on a whirlwind that has nothing to do with writing. Or I stare at the blank canvas of Google Docs, and I can’t bid the words to emerge from where they are colliding with […]
There are some books that are beautiful and transformative. With gentle kindness, they invite us to embrace ourselves. They call on us to accept change. They allow us to free ourselves. Vanessa Zuisei’s ‘Still Running’ is one of those books. When I read this last month, I had no idea that this book would take […]
“It’s too late.” In my mind, those are some of the most damnable words in the Universe. Along with “If only.” Those are the words we tell ourselves when we brush aside our regrets, pile up our weaknesses, and refuse to meet our strengths. When was the last time you told yourself “it’s too late?” […]