Last evening, it rained heavily in Bangalore. The rain cast sweeping hues of melancholy on my car’s windshield until I stopped and got out of the car, embracing its sweep. Melancholy can serve a twin purpose – it can push you to the darkest corners of your soul, or it can also sweep the darkest […]
I have a friend who gently, ever so gently, pushes me to explore boundaries I have drawn a border to, decorated, and felt proud of that design. Almost every other day, that friend gives me a ‘challenge.’ No, these are not the “Do 100 Push-Ups” kind. That wouldn’t be a challenge for me, anyway. But […]
I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. I am sipping black tea with a tinge of sugar (just decoction, as they called it), sitting on the stone bench in front of a small shop selling groceries in a village called Devi Gere. I have just finished my bottle […]
Only I would think about the books I read in January AFTER I finish writing a post about the books I read in February. I had not really thought of making this a book review site, but I figured I have to make a place for the books I read, somewhere. This seems just as […]
One of the things I promised myself this year was that I would read more. I am also learning to read more mindfully and with more purpose. I am trying genres that I had previously spurned or neglected. Genres like Children’s Literature or Sci-Fiction. I am also trying to organize my reading and not just […]
A few weeks ago, I was contemplating going to Dharamshala for my year-end vacation. I looked at flights and guesthouses to stay in before changing my mind. I changed my mind when I read that the Dalai Lama rarely gives public talks these days. When I read that the monk has cut down on his […]
What really is friendship? The dictionary says it is the state of being friends. I met a good friend a couple of Saturdays ago and I left her crying. No. Not what you think. I am not a monster all the time. I had been speaking with this friend (and you know who you are, […]
I came across the Chinese phrase, “Wu Wei,” in a book I am reading by Emma Seppala called the “The Happiness Track.” Wu Wei is the heart of Taoist philosophy and roughly translated means “the art of doing nothing.” It can be misinterpreted in many ways, but it does not mean sitting idle. It just […]
Gratitude. It’s a strange word, this. It has received an explosion in popularity over the last decade and more. We have gratitude meditation, gratitude journals, and even courses that teach you the art of gratitude. Gratitude has been proven to be a happiness expander. The more we have things we are grateful for, the happier […]