I am always baffled when someone says I inspire them. I simply can’t believe that. How can you not know what a fraud and impostor I am? But unlike me, I want to share with you those genuine people who inspire me. The Happiness Series, I hope, will chronicle what I see in you and […]
I am sitting on Marina Beach, Chennai on an upturned canoe sometime in 2004. Next to me is a guy – Suresh. I watch the waves recede. Ebb. Flow. Recede. Relentless. Suresh turns to me and breaks the silence. “So, let’s talk about you and me.” I almost fall off the canoe and hurriedly clamber […]
If you go to Bhutan, and you must because it’s my favorite country, then you will find that for a nation that pursues ‘Gross Domestic Happiness,’ its people are curiously obsessed with death. And since I am obsessed about happiness, then it follows that I am obsessed with death too, right? So, one day, I […]
Irony is this. I design social media strategy and content for brands. I know social media marketing. I know what kind of posts go viral. I know how to increase engagement. I know this. My professional life has been entwined with social media for the past eight years. Yet, I have no social media accounts […]
Sometimes, it’s really about time. The right time. About 1.5 years ago, I had cringed when I hadn’t been generous when faced with someone in need. Since that May of 2017, I have gone through so many different situations when I have had opportunities to be generous, kind, and compassionate, and yet found myself wearing […]
Last year in April, I was on Bangalore’s Metro train to MG Road, on my way to a meeting. As the train pulled out of Cubbon Park station, a visually impaired young lad got in. Someone scrambled to make way for him. He was on the phone. I glanced at my Kindle, waiting for the […]
On the 6th of September, 2004, I stood at the entrance to a rather forlorn-looking building on Bangalore’s Double Road or KH Road. As I entered, I saw another woman sitting at the entrance in front of a security guard. The guard was apologetic. “The office opens only at 9:30, Ma’am,” he told the girl. […]
I have written a lot on this blog of my soul friend, Birdy, but I haven’t told you about my other soulmate. I usually don’t write about my other relationships much because I thought I would keep those private. But what’s the point of keeping a blog where I promise to be honest and open […]
A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in Toopi, fixing a smartphone holder to the window pane with a boy in front of an automotive accessories shop. When the phone rang, I was irritated because I am like that. I get annoyed with things like that. “Is it Smitha?” the person asked. “Hmm, yes,” […]