Undoubtedly, the journey from the vulnerable to the fortified self had not been an undemanding one. Nonetheless, it was possible only because Ashima found friends, almost discovered them, here and there and everywhere by changing, not only her perception but also her perspective towards attachment and association. — The digital clock on her phone screamed nine o’clock! As her thoughts raced to collect all that she had missed in the past couple of hours, Ashima struggled with the obstinate slumber that still slowed her down. Indeed, she was getting reckless by the day. Streaming through series up to…

I must admit here that when we were “on the threshold of being no more,” we succeeded in being more…..Unwittingly, the ‘eye’ preceded the ‘I’ and for the first time, we realized what it means to not take this life for granted. It seemed to be over. The doctor had…

There have been so many years of living through it that it doesn’t seem newfangled for another year of late worship and festivals to set in! — Over decades immigrants like us have traveled and settled on foreign land and subsequently rested their religion and beliefs. New places of worship sprouted everywhere around the world, and along with that, changed the ways and terms of prayers and reverence.

A perpetually hard thing to resist I have stayed alone in an apartment for five months. I interacted with people only over the phone or when I was outside for work or shopping. Nothing seemed unbearable, though my close ones advised me to be more social. I slept and woke…

…their faceless identities empowering the subtle more than the substantial… Their tours were not actual but virtual! It’s been a ‘trying’ time for most of us. I mean in both parts of speech. Exhausting and experimental. I was losing a semblance to my preferred self and succumbing mostly to domestic…

It’s been a year. Though the first 7–8 months of blogging were difficult, defining, and yet gratifying, very much like nurturing your own child, the last four months have suffered distraction and distance. In fact, even right now I feel like the way Malala Yousafzai (well-known author of the book…

With years of roles foisted upon her, she has forgotten what it is to be herself. — A certain Mrs Sen was staring hard at life. Four decades of scathing remarks and constant belittling had reduced her to an entity she could hardly recognise as being her true self. Irritable and lost, all that she could remember of her past was the warmth of her childhood home…

Cherishing the simple stuff of life, staying close to nature, using a positive vocabulary, hanging out with the right kind of friends, rejecting retirement, inculcating new hobbies to boost the brain and the brawn can add to the inventory that holds the secret to a-century-and-still-batting league. — As I had mentioned in my previous article, a steady purpose and a somewhat slow pace seemed to be the secret makings of the successful life-stories of centenarians. …

Why would you wake up tomorrow? Why should you take it a little easy? — Being a teenager who was fascinated by the ‘carpe diem’ concept (seizing the now), popularised by poems like Robert Browning’s ‘The Last Ride Together’ and as a woman who still binge-watches on shows like ‘Little Things’, the present and the little are all that matters and makes sense. It’s a…