The Kindness Butterfly


Interviews, Writing

Have I been kind? Many times, I find myself asking this question. The answer I get each time is revealing. I am frequently unkind. To myself and others. Short with my time and words and harsh with my flaws. But what is kindness, really? I used to mistake kindness for being ‘nice.’ It resulted in […]

February 20, 2023

The Yellow Umbrella Of Hope


Musings

Today morning, I was working out on the roof of my parents’ house. From the corner of my eye, I noticed that my old friends, the mynas, were back.  The neighbor has blocked the chimney to prevent them from nesting, yet there they were, squawking around. I stopped my workout to observe them for a […]

February 26, 2021

The Smiles Of Grief


Musings

It is a typically mild Bangalore morning when I step out for my run. I have been dawdling a bit since I woke up, and I am impatient to ‘get on’ with the day. What this getting on means, I really don’t know. But there’s always somewhere else that I want to be. Something else […]

February 2, 2021

Regrets Are Not Final


Musings

Regrets are not final. They are redeemable coupons, urging us to look for the good in our self and others.  I was in Chennai in November last year. It was a typically hot and humid day when I came across this small outlet tucked away near a corner just behind Besant Nagar’s beach.  “Madras Coffee […]

January 29, 2021

This Kid Needs A Name Too


Musings

My family tells me that I was born with a twin. A baby boy. He didn’t live longer than 18 days, and he was never named. During the rare times we spoke about this, my Mom would tease me that it was I who had contributed to the little baby’s death. Apparently, I took most […]

February 6, 2020

When Kindness Makes You Cry


Musings

We live in a world where hope seems dry; where the dreams of our lives flutter like dusty rags; where we flounder in the decay of our putrid emotions. And then…you see this. I had just gone to the hospital to get my monthly injections when my Dad told me to stop by at a […]

August 11, 2019