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 […]
‘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 […]
“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?” […]
Over the last week, at least 6 people have messaged or spoken to me about the restlessness they are going through with this pandemic. Make that 7. I will include myself in that list. As the conversations flowed, over email, text, and phone, I could only offer crumbs of comfort. Cliches. “It will get better.” […]
Someone I knew used to love buying me soap from Kerala. Don’t ask me why. I don’t want to know. Now, it has been months since this person left my life for good. But the other day, before Bangalore’s second lockdown began, I went to my now-desolate apartment to pick up some books. When I […]
Bangalore has been beautiful these last few weeks. At night, I sleep with a light quilt. The evenings and early mornings are edged with misty showers. My ‘walks’ on my terrace, therefore, had become less frequent with the rain. But one evening did draw a blue shade of promise for me, and I ventured up. […]
I am a reluctant writer. And an even more reluctant sharer of what I write. I am the sort of person who will write a novel in a frenzy in 30 days, and then delay sending a pitch to a publisher for 300 days. Also, I am a shy person, and I really can’t believe […]