To Choose To Live


Musings

Let me tell you a story. A travel story. In 2003, I was teaching Spoken English in a tiny city called Lianyungang, China.  It was the first time I was in a foreign country. Living by myself. Teaching a language I wasn’t confident speaking. And had narrowly escaped the confines of a Chinese prison. (A story […]

January 25, 2024

When Mondays Meant Saris


Musings

When Mondays meant saris… My first job after graduating was as a teacher at Jain International Residential School. There were many other firsts: It was my first time as a teacher. Studying a paper called ‘Teaching English as a Foreign Language’ can in no way prepare you to meet a bunch of raucous 5th graders. […]

June 26, 2023

Feel Your Feelings


Everyday, Mental Health, Musings

“How are you feeling today?” This is probably the most difficult question you can ask me. When I first started therapy about 1.5 years ago, my therapist would ask me this question first, and I would freeze. I didn’t know the ‘correct’ answer. Do you actually respond with what you feel? Because we have been […]

June 2, 2023

The Power Of Listening From A Rabbit


Mental Health, Musings, Reading

“I just want to be heard!” This is me during most of my therapy sessions. All my life, I have craved this feeling of being held in silence and understanding. My closest friend in life, Travelling Birdy, and I have a long friendship of almost 20 years. Like any other relationship, we have grown and […]

April 28, 2023

Sashaying With Sushi


Everyday, Featured, Mental Health, Musings

Many years ago, in 2016, I went on a solo trip to Japan.  The country was everything I had imagined it to be – a bustle of contradictions and sweeping contrasts.  It was also, expectedly, expensive. And being a vegetarian in Japan was even more expensive. There were two ways I could get vegetarian food […]

April 15, 2023

To Be Slow, My Friend


Musings, Travel

The last few days have been trying for me as I watched the light of my life – my mother – hospitalized yet again. It scares me to see her like this, and my heart is restless.  As always, I turn to what gives me the most succor: words and, through them, memories. And this […]

April 12, 2023

The Relativity Of Time


Musings

“Time is relative.” – A wise philosopher in Chennai told me this a couple of years ago. The quote then was a nonsense, mocking response to a serious question. But here I sit, in 2023, buffeted by stormy winds, blowing skies, and a loose sun, and I thought, let’s revisit that quote, shall we? This […]

April 8, 2023

Tripping On The Past


Mental Health, Musings, Travel

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? These last few days have been a cloud, a dank, damp, and heavy cloud. On such days, my workouts help. A fast run or a furious boxing workout. Reading can be a hit-and-miss – when your mind is saturated, it’s more challenging to focus on words and […]

April 7, 2023