Living a slow life

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There is a solace in mastering the art of being content and satisfied in one’s life. Finding pleasure and satisfaction in simple things in one’s routine life – a day of reading, a good show, a stroll in the nearby public park, a visit to the temple, the joy of having prasad, or just vegetable shopping from the nearby vendor once in a while without ordering it via the 10 minute app. Or just cooking simple hearty meals at home for your loved ones.

“Never Settle” – this adage never rung true to me. Being ambitious is good, for those who want it – but being satisfied in the present too is a life hack. An essential life skill. There is always a need to slow down. I want to be able to afford a slow life. Money wise, yes but also mentally, emotionally. Slow down sometimes with my family. Have good food, from fresh produce. Grow a kitchen garden. Books. Or just be with my thoughts, daydreaming without my phone in reach. Is dwindling ambition to soar professionally is necessarily a bad thing? Though some days I want to strive for greater heights, but on other days I just want to be. I had read about this in some articles on motherhood. The rat race seems futile. Some decompress in a dance or musical practice and some delve into spirituality. To each his own instrument to de-stress.

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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 – Arundh...
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