Petals!

Dressing up for Diwali is lots of fun. That's one of the best 'fun' things about being a girl/woman but so often we miss the delight of dressing up because we are in a rush. Yesterday evening, I reached home and decided to wear a saree to office the next day. Now, don't get me wrong. To wear a saree to office is no big deal but for some one like me who doesn't drape a saree except once in few years when there is a wedding in the family or something on those lines, it's a bit of a tricky tangle to be in. Well, I decided I needed to rehearse the whole thing to get the timing right because I have only 15 minutes to get this done in the morning before the rush hour strikes. So, I bravely ventured into the territory. The saree looked very innocent and helpless to me. I mean, what could possibly go wrong there? Once I started trying to drape the whole thing over my kurtha and jeans, everything went beserk. Finally, the saree had transformed itself into an octopus that…

In the last few days, I saw many tweets and Facebook updates/jokes & comments on women who celebrate Karva Chauth. While I can understand our need to express ourselves on every festival under the sun especially those we don't observe or celebrate, why do we mock those whose beliefs are valuable to them? 
Lack of acceptance - therein lies the crux of the problem. This has nothing to do with religion. It's about our attitude to others around us - the increasing intolerance and sarcasm. 
I still don't get it. Why do we force our beliefs or lack of it on others? 
Let's take Karva Chauth itself. I don't follow or observe it but I don't mock those who undertake it. That's their choice. As long as they do not pressurize us to follow what they do, what is the problem? Why are we so judgmental about what others do when we don't have the patience to contemplate on our own beliefs or lack of them for that matter?
It's also interesting how many youngsters in my…

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” - Ernest Hemingway Mothers inspire us in little ways because the ripples of love that they send out into this Universe is tremendous. Mind blowing, really. Reading about a mother (whose daughter died and she found strength by writing) got me thinking seriously about how we handle the tragedies in our lives and yes, in a way, it moved me and inspired me.
You lose your iPhone and you think the world has ended. But do you realize that you may be able to buy it again? Or some one may gift it to you when you least expect it. Anything can happen to bring it back. But what about a mother who loses her child to Death for no fault of her own? How does she find the courage to live? Every morning when she wakes up, she hopes to see the baby she thought she had borne. But there is no such a baby and the world, despite all it's fancy words of sympathy and condolences, moves on and doesn't bat another eyelid for …

Recently, my seven year old son told me “Amma, why do you call yourself a writer when you never write?” I asked him ‘Why do you think that I am not a writer?’ He said, “I never see you write, Amma.” After this dialogue with my son, I have increasingly thought about my secretiveness in the writing process. For instance, I cannot write in a public place. I cannot bring myself to bleed on paper with a hundred people or their voices hovering around me. I need to be completely alone to write, to unwind and to bleed on paper. I have wondered if this secretiveness has done me any good and whether there was something not ‘normal’ about my writing process.  The seven year old’s question stemmed from curiosity and I began to contemplate seriously on my writing process and thought of sharing it with you, dear reader. Perhaps you can help me gain clarity on my writing process. Or perhaps you can simply listen and be with me now at this moment. Writing:  The early years make a big difference When I fir…

Time flies by and we barely realize how it has sped past us! Some weeks catapult into months and before we know it, a New Year is just around the corner. I mean, why isn't there a pause button to savor some of the best moments in your life so that the day can stand still at least for a fleeting second? Have you ever wanted that pause button? 

At my end, this has been quite a challenging roller-coaster year. So busy that by the end of the day I simply can't find the energy to work on my manuscript that remains half-written. Are you a struggling writer?
The challenge of writing a book is that you feel pulled by a hundred forces around you. A growing child who needs your loving attention.  A family that needs you to be there.  A life that is lived, from hour to hour, day to day, going beyond the words one is crafting in the silence of the mind. Still when the words have to bleed onto paper, I begin to feel helpless. I am unable to find the energy to sit down and write at long stretc…