I am on top of the mountain. Fairy lights are winking at me in the valley below. I imagine gentle laughter and the sound of tiny tinkling bells drifting up from them. Here I am surrounded by angels, I think! Or maybe my inner voice speaks. There are messages for me. And maybe for you. Listen.… Continue reading 4 Letter Words for Diwali!
Born premature, incredibly skinny at 1300 g, unable to feed or move, and fighting to stay alive, I was the antithesis of the healthy baby parents look forward to having. When I was barely a few days old, on a visit to the hospital, my father picked me up on an impulse from the crib… Continue reading On ‘A Father and His Daughter’
How quick we are to voice emotions and thoughts to those to whom these make not the least difference in terms of personal relationship! Diss or defend a politician? No problem. Confess to having stars in the eyes for that sportsperson or movie star? Totally! Bitch about someone you dislike and hardly have any interaction… Continue reading On ‘Being Honest and Untruthful’
For years, I have been designing ways to develop in school children the ability to see a situation or issue from different perspectives. Over time, I have found this helps in making them less judgmental and critical, and more amenable towards accepting of differences. They hold opinions, of course, often defending them vociferously, arguing and… Continue reading On ‘Being Crazy and Unapologetic About It!’
Criticism comes irrespective of whether you think it is due, deserved or unwarranted. Just by the mere act of being, we invite criticism into our professional and personal spaces. The immediate reaction to it depends a lot on how it is delivered. The accusatory brand derogates, harms, undermines and works to destroy our sense of… Continue reading On ‘Making Criticism Work’
I was recently in a discussion on loving with two distinct sides where one – the romantics – were laughed at and the other – the rationalists – were convinced that they are superior with their arguments based on reason and logic. I backed off after a few minutes as it was entertaining to simply… Continue reading On ‘A Romantic’s Perspective on Love’
I found the man I would marry when I had just turned nineteen. And I did not have to seek him out, nor snatch him out of someone else’s embrace, or worry about him belonging with someone else whose territory I was poaching. I did not have to compete to win him over. Neither did… Continue reading On Saying ‘Thank You! I Love You.’
Things are as they are: Our reality is unique to each one of us as individuals. We are each an island; isolated and independent, complete and proud of our individualism. Yet, we desire to fall in step with a few others in our life’s journey, just to make it a pleasant shared experience. And so… Continue reading On ‘Waiting’
I am grateful to the friend who reminded me that without pain, we would never know joy; without grief, we would not know love. They are two sides of the same coin; inseparable. Images of my father flood my mind at unexpected moments in the day, from a quiet coffee break to the middle of… Continue reading On Endings and Beginnings
There is a very interesting discussion on one of the closed groups that I am member of. A parent has requested the school of their kindergartener to allow him to crossdress in school as the child likes to wear girly clothes and things. There were plenty of comments and opinions on the topic, ranging from… Continue reading On ‘A Question of Gender Identity’
I have spent four days laid up in bed alternating between being completely knocked out with sleep medication and a floating, dreamy wakefulness where I am not quite sure that I am awake. My muscles are so relaxed that I am not able to squeeze a lemon into my lemon tea. While my brain is… Continue reading On ‘Thoughts of a Woozy Wandering Mind’
I can’t bear to watch the news. Every second piece is about rape, abuse, or murder of females: infants, toddlers, pre-teen, teen, young woman, middle aged woman, old woman, paralysed woman, mentally challenged woman, sick unconscious woman, drunk woman, maimed woman, destitute woman, starving woman, dying woman. Sister, daughter, wife, relative, tourist, friend. Anything with… Continue reading On ‘Thoughts of an Ordinary Woman’
The Right to be Wrong 