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Of Actions & Reactions

Image Source I grew up an angry, young woman. Patience was never a virtue and I was quick to defend myself even when the situation didn't call for it. I had to react to every person, situation and every spoken word. It was almost a compulsion and never a positive one. I was perpetually angry and discontent. This was the default miasma at home and that's the only thing I've seen growing up. Naturally it is what was imbibed in me too. It took me a while to realize how wrong this was. Honestly, majority of the learning on my way to sensibility and maturity involved unlearning. I had to shed pretty much everything I knew about life, the way to behave and almost everything about myself. Today, while I understand why I was the way I was decades ago, I cannot relate to that person. Doesn't mean that I have forgotten her. I'm someone who never forgets where they came from, but I'm not someone who hitchhikes there. I walked out of this dysfunctional setting with my head ...
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You, Me & Us

We’ve always been night and day I, the fire; you, the rain Yet still, our heart beats to the same rhythm  In the quiet, we break the chain 

More Than Just Clothes

Image Source I've always been someone who is persnickety about dressing well. I've had my share of wearing bawdy clothes and colors, thanks to the hand-me-downs that were a primary part of my wardrobe growing up. For me clothes go beyond dressing up, beyond fashion trends and it brings out the personality of the person and honestly, I can tell a lot about a person by the way they dress. I didn't have a choice in clothes as a child. Coming from a lower middle-class family, we liked what we could afford and were fascinated by the clothes handed down to us by our affluent cousins even though they felt the need to yell out "Hey, that's my old skirt" during family occasions. I guess taunts like these are what imprinted a sense of being well dressed in me, in the clothes I choose to wear and own. Looks like the shroud of the toxic family had a skein of silver after all.

The Cycle Of Hope

Image Source When storms of life begin to roar And hearts are torn and souls are weak Remember that the sun will soar You will find the strength you seek

The Original Tradition

Image Source Ah, the great Indian mentality; a unique blend of centuries-old traditions, unspoken rules, and a dash of unsolicited blame. If there's one thing we've mastered over the years, it's this: Whenever something goes wrong in a man's life, let's point the finger at his woman. Whether it’s the office presentation he messed up, the fact that he doesn't have the time to meet his own parents often, a change in his tastes or priorities, his habits or the cricket match he failed to win, there’s always a woman to blame. It’s like the woman is the invisible force behind every man’s performance, except when he does something great. Then, of course, it’s all him. But I digress. Let’s take a recent and omnipresent example – the Indian cricket team.

The Quiet Liberation: Life Beyond Social Media

Image Source I'm not a believer of new year resolutions, mostly because I cannot keep up with them, but one thing that I surely wanted to do this year was to go off social media. Instagram especially, as that's the only channel I'm active on as a viewer. I stopped posting updates months ago. Most people enjoy being on social media. It gives some a sense of purpose or a sense of validation. It did for me too, a while ago. It started feeling like a hindrance a few months ago, something that I was compelled to look at even if I did not want to. I was not enjoying it anymore. While I know most of the content out there is genuine (yes, I'm being generous using 'most'), more often than not it felt like "fitting in". Like being forced to do something just because others were doing it. Honestly, I got saturated of the monotonous dancing videos, baby updates, food and travel updates and milestone photography, even if those were of people I cared about. I knew I...

Microdosing Friendship - No Thank You!

Image Source Friendship, as we once knew it, is teetering on the brink of extinction. Thanks to all offline friends veering towards becoming online friends, it’s been replaced by a new-age phenomenon called “microdosing friendship.” A like here, a fire emoji there, and the occasional “We should catch up soon!” that nobody actually means. It’s a cocktail of digital crumbs and shallow interactions, served with a side of obligatory birthday posts. And while it might seem harmless, even convenient, this surface-level engagement has a price: the slow erosion of genuine connection and the profound emptiness it leaves behind. I’ve felt it, the hollow ache of touch-starved relationships.

Unapologetically Me

Image Source She walks the road, often alone No hands to tug, no ties to bind Her story’s hers, fierce and bold A woman free, a sovereign mind

The Glorification Of Overwork

Image Source When you do not have the time to rest is the time you need it the most. This couldn't be more true. Last weekend, all my hustle caught up to me and I fell terribly ill. Fever, cold, body ache, stress and what not! Apart from my chronic migraine, my health has always stood by me. This is exactly why I can work at ungodly hours and stay busy throughout the day. Until a few years ago, this was something I took a lot of pride in. Not anymore. I've finally understood that work is just a part of my life and not my entire life.

Not Just Blah Blah Blah

Image Source How do you both pass time? What do guys talk about? Looks like you guys are forever in the honeymoon stage *wink* *wink*. Especially since you don't have kids. I've lost count of the number of times my partner and I have been asked this. If there one thing that has kept my partner and me going from day one, are our conversations. For me, as much as love, trust and respect is important in a relationship, more vital than that would be the power of conversation. If you cannot talk to your partner or have to think twice before talking to them, then I'm sorry and I say this with utmost sincerity, you need to reevaluate your relationship. Conversations should not be limited to just work, domesticity and/or children. There is so much more in the world to talk about and so much more to being partners and not just a husband, wife, father or a mother.