It was a shy afternoon in Koramangala, then one of Bangalore’s ‘emerging’ areas, when I first met Saanvi. I never considered myself gangly, having acquired corners in all the right and wrong places from an early age, but Saanvi was. With her short hair and long limbs, she towered over me. I was never sure […]
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 […]
What a beautiful word. Nourish. I think of all the possible permutations in sound. Now Rich, if you have a lisp. New Rich, as well. Now Rise, if you want to pronounce it differently. The words all carry the same meaning. I read this in the morning and I thought I should nourish myself. I […]
I like ellipses. In informal writing, ellipses are used to indicate a trailing-off thought or to express hesitation or an unsaid thought. I have always overused ellipses. When I saw the prompt for today, I wanted to laugh because I don’t have to write anything more after these three dots. The ellipses say it all. […]
Flowers dozing gently by the wayside or nodding in tune while you ran. The sun winking smiles even as it set. Conversations that lasted into the night with the Universe sleepily providing memories to discuss by. Roads that seemed to stretch forever. Connections that rekindled over an open flame. Glittering dust of yesterdays that marked […]
Nine more days to go before this year draws to a close. Over the years, I have tried to spend New Year’s Eve in a new place. I have watched fireworks in Kuala Lumpur and Kathmandu. I have seen the night sky draped with stars in Jordan’s Wadi Rum. I have watched Hong Kong put […]
What is a solstice? Living where I do, the onset of winter is barely marked. The most I might notice is a slight dip in temperature in the morning or late night. It was a clear blue sky throughout the day, the sun almost scorching in its heat. I had woken up earlier to see […]