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Showing posts from February, 2016

That Feeling Of Being Lost #MondayMusing

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I downloaded an audio book today- ‘Eat Pray Love’ by Elizabeth Gilbert read by the author herself. I listened to the first part, pausing at times to imbibe the meaning, mulling over the effect, and reveling in the author’s beautiful voice. She talks about her faith in the divine, her prayers, her failing marriage, tough days in life, and her journey to healing and her renewed belief. She was depressed in her marriage. She didn’t want to have a baby. She would sob endlessly crouched on her bathroom floor in the middle of the night, repeating endlessly to herself, ‘I don’t want to be married anymore. I don’t want to have a baby.’ It had me thinking. Depression comes in the same way- it breaks you apart- it breaks your core. It drains you of all hope. It makes you feel helpless, extremely vulnerable; makes you want to escape this wretched feeling somehow, but you have no way out. You know your responses to certain situations are not normal, you know your sobbing is not normal, rath

Musings On A Saturday

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A normal day starts with the ring of the double alarm set in my mobile, which I first set to ‘snooze’ and wake up with a lot of effort on the second ring. Half an hour later I settle down in my corner of the bed with my usual mug of hot beverage, most of the times it is Horlicks and tea/ green tea, coffee occasionally. I am trying to cut down my caffeine intakes. I love sipping these lazily while reading emails, replying to Whatsapp messages, looking through my Facebook newsfeed, or just browsing through the net about a certain object that must have piqued my curiosity somehow. If not any of these, I just read a few pages of a novel, reclining on the wall near the window. Mornings are the best time of the day. I love this routine. I am currently reading ‘Norwegian Wood’ by Haruki Murakami . About 100 pages through, it is now a bit melancholic, sad. He describes everything as if it is the most natural and usual thing in the world- even death. I mean, yes it is, yet he doesn’t prepare

Seeking Inspiration

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Source: desertmeanderings.com Inspiration comes from where we seek it. You seek, and you shall find. Inspiration comes from where you choose to get it. I may not get as inspired by watching a video of an amazing renowned motivational speaker as you do, but I get inspired multiple times by a simple quote. Complex logic by a certain guide may not motivate me, but few simple words by a simply dressed lady called BK Shivani manages to reach my soul. Her words are what I seek to know and understand. The concepts of spiritual awakening in daily life, practicing detachment daily and changing our core ‘sanskar’ for a fulfilled living appeals greatly to me. I like watching the show ' Awakening with Brahma Kumaris '. Recently, I listened to such talk with Suresh Oberoi about removing our dependencies on others. It resonated with me totally. As sister Shivani rightly said, we all want to be physically and emotionally independent. We don’t want to depend on others’ behavior for our ha

I Belong...

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Source: pixabay.com I belong In all the quotes I imprinted in my mind In all those words I fell in love with In all those imaginations I freely indulged in In all those characters I lived through the books I read. I belong To all those places I ever called home To all those people I ever called family To all those friends I ever called life’s gems To him that I ever called soul-mate. I belong In the forgetful memories of people once dear In the lost chances to reunite with love In regrets that they harbor In the guilt that gnaws at their souls. I belong To the wind, that caresses my face To the sky that showers its love and blessing To the seasons that welcome me with open arms To the miracle that life is. I belong To the receding breaths that leave me faint To the beats of the heart, that are pulling the breaks To the oblivion, that awaits on the other end To the bottomless pit that threatens to swallow me whole.

Looking Beyond Stereotypes #IAmCapable

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Source: pixabay.com Appearance is not everything. Even today whenever a potential marriage prospect is looked up for a son in the family, the parents and all the extended relatives search for a fair bride with impeccable looks who adheres to all their notions of character, behavior, poise and upbringing. But little do they realize the fact that these notions do not really work for a happy, complete and prosperous marriage. The girl is more than her looks and appearance. She is her choices, her mottos, her viewpoints, and the principles she upholds in life. She is capable of a lot more than you allow yourself to opine about her. I know of a lady who had troubles winning over her in-laws and relatives in her husband’s extended family. At first, it was because she was doing a job and refused to quit it even after marriage. Her office was conveniently situated nearby their house; she would go in the morning after preparing breakfast and come back in the evening, would do household wo

Why you should read ‘It Happens For A Reason’?

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The author: It’s rare that an author leaves so much of herself in her books- as if chunks of her life and soul in the characters that she creates. When you have followed your favorite author through her blogs, writings, talks and interviews for years, you know what she believes in, what all things she stands for, she raises her voice against, her likes, her dislikes, and her passions. Preeti Shenoy writes about love for dogs- the extremely loyal, infinitely loving canine companions. They may be mute and dumb, but are the ultimate epitome of selfless love. She writes about her craze for fitness and her delight in comfort food. She writes about her relationship with her son and how much she is proud of him through her characters. She talks of her zeal and enthusiasm for gardening, her attachment to plants and her love for greenery. She vents about her obsession with creativity and love for travel and adventure. I totally love her artworks, paper quillings, and portraits. Awaiti

Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundhati Katju

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