Founder of eShe magazine (eshe.in) and the peacebuilding initiative South Asia Union (southasiaunion.com).
In 2010, I went for a ten-day vipassana course near Delhi. Group meditation was conducted in a large hall for almost 10 hours every day. After a few days, along with this group meditation, our schedule included sitting in silence in tiny cells, where we could meditate in privacy for an hour or two every … More Shaking in devotion
Google Photos recently threw up a memory of me two years ago, a quintessential excited north Indian tourist in Kerala, clicking photos of the wooden stairway and the coconut and papaya trees in the backyard of my mother-in-law’s home. Looking back now, that younger version of me would never have imagined that it would be … More A year of staring your priorities in the face
It was my first night outside my house in one year and eight months due to the pandemic. We had some work outside the city and decided to make a holiday of it, staying in a fancy hotel for a night. Our room was on a high floor, and the floor-to-ceiling windows gave us a … More The sight fight
Just yesterday night, the husband and I talked about crying. I have only seen him cry once or twice in all these years, and that too from anger or frustration, not really sadness or grief. I have never seen tears in his eyes. Not even when our beloved dogs died. I, on the other hand, … More Sadness and tears
“I’m furious with you,” I told Krishna this morning. “Why, what did I do,” He joked. “You betrayed me,” I said, holding up my copy of the Bhagavad Gita, and pointing to verses 32-33 in chapter 9: Those who take refuge in Me, O Partha, be they outcastes, born from a womb of sin, women, … More The betrayal
Husband and I went for a walk today, as we always do. And I told him about how I’d shared our ‘love story’ with a fellow Buddhism practitioner in my neighbourhood, a single woman in her late 30s who is seeking love and is yet fiercely possessive of her freedom. My candour and openness in … More Naked in the street
My husband and I have started going for yoga classes together, and in one of the classes last week, our instructor took us through a visualization meditation process. We were supposed to first remember a happy moment from our lives, and then later visualize our fondest desire come true. In the first part, I remembered … More The marital hazards of visualization
The last few months have been nothing short of a series of miracles for me. I started my own company, then launched my own women’s magazine with a full-time employee strength of one (me). Then became media partner for one of the world’s most prestigious all-women conferences. Now I’m all set to tie up with … More Cover girl magic
One of the most difficult parts of being a mother and wife (as I am sure my fellow mothers, and my own mother, will agree) is the thanklessness of it all. Much like a copy editor’s job in a magazine isn’t really noticed until it doesn’t get done (been there too), being there for one’s … More Blending into the wallpaper
Gosh, it’s been a long time since I wrote here. Surprisingly, it has also been a time that my spiritual life has been rich and vibrant, with plenty of reading, discussing and assimilating going on. But how difficult it is to apply all that knowledge! A term that I have been wrestling with, and which comes … More Fundamental darkness
This morning, I was walking in our neighbourhood biodiversity park with my mother-in-law. It’s a partially man-made forest close to my house, and we go there daily. We have fallen into an interesting rhythm, she and I. So we have long moments of banter and then long silences when we dwell on our surroundings and … More Light and shade
A poem by Hafiz At some point Your relationship with God Will become like this: Next time you meet Him in the forest Or on a crowded city street There won’t be any more “Leaving.” That is, God will climb into Your pocket. You will simply just take Yourself Along! … More No more leaving
I’ve published my blog as an ebook on Kindle. What is the difference, you ask? Okay, so here goes. One, the blog is in reverse chronological order, but the book is organised as a story in chronological order from 2010 – 2015, a time when I went through huge changes and challenges in my life. … More My ebook
I was unexpectedly invited to a book launch by the Tejgyan foundation today. I’ve never attended their events before, nor am I familiar with their philosophy. They greet one another with ‘Happy thoughts!’ said with a Namaste. I went through one of the little books in their The Source series, called Laws of Thought: 7 Steps of … More The seven laws of thought
I have a theory. It struck me after a month of leading a relatively stress-free life. I noticed that while I am definitely happier and calmer than earlier – more likely to break off into song or dance when good music plays, for instance – there is a downside to the whole situation. I react … More A little bit of stress
100 Paths 