Founder of eShe magazine (eshe.in) and the peacebuilding initiative South Asia Union (southasiaunion.com). Features in and as 'The Unsuitable Girl', in episode 1 of 'Love Storiyaan' on Amazon Prime. Email: aekta@eshe.in
It takes seconds for the children to fall asleep. Their mother, however, lies awake in the darkness, unwilling to let go off what is Yesterday, unable to dive fearlessly into Tomorrow. Every night the same mental drama plays out; the minute the lights go off, the screen of my mind begins throwing up images I … More Light in the dark
It was a teachable moment, and I decided to talk my 12-year-old Isha through the big, bad world of international diplomacy. I told her about Libya, and how Gaddafi — after decades of rule — is now turning on his own people who want a new government. I told her about how NATO is now … More Talking to Isha
This is one product I’d definitely recommend for a beach vacation. I spent nearly all of last week in the African sun (as my previous two posts will tell you), drenched in salt water. The last time I had a similar holiday (in Goa), I’d come back tanned about four shades darker, lucky only to … More Product review: L’Oreal UV Perfect Longlasting UVA/UVB Protector
(Continued from previous post…) The second space I found God in Mombasa was underwater. I did lots of swimming in Kenya last week; either lounging about in the excellent swimming pool at our resort (Diani Reef Resort and Spa), sipping liqueurs at the pool bar, or else in the sea. And different kinds of sea: … More Underwater sojourn
I went to Mombasa in Kenya last week with a bunch of other journalists. Lots of God for me to find there, but I’m going to talk about just two instances here. The most important was the banana boat. It was day 3 of our trip, and so far everything had been going right. I was … More The lesson of the banana boat
I recently read the parable of the empty boat. A monk decides to meditate alone, away from his monastery. He takes his boat out to the middle of the lake, moors it there, closes his eyes and begins his meditation. After a few hours of undisturbed silence, he suddenly feels the bump of another boat colliding with his … More The empty boats
I have always hesitated to try Lush products. One, because they have to be used up very quickly and I take plenty of time to use up a jar of cream or a bar of soap since I always have several options every day. Two, they are pricey. So I was rather pleased when the … More Product review: Lush Skin’s Shangri La
The mark of a good book is that you can’t get it out of your head for at least two days after putting it down. Penguin’s latest release The Wandering Falcon (Rs 399) is one such literary treat. This debut novel by retired Pakistani diplomat Jamil Ahmad is a series of linked short stories, set … More A view of the unseen
Earlier this year, I met a tarot reader who also doubles up as a Bach-flower therapist. It was all very mystic the way we met, and I don’t even remember her name now. Though I don’t usually go for astrology and other ‘forecasts’ (I enjoy making up my future as I go along), in this … More I affirm
I have loved swimming since childhood. I considered myself a bit of a water baby, luxuriating in the other-worldly feel of the pool or the sea the minute I stepped into it. But I have also always been painfully inhibited about my body. I was on the swimming team in my school in Abu Dhabi, … More Burst of swim
I went belly dancing for the first time yesterday. It was a class full of about 40 women, from teenagers (my own daughter was one) to women in their sixties, and from all different social backgrounds. Initially, I was inhibited and shy, doing only tiny circular movements, all controlled and propah. But luckily, our coach … More Shake that thang
One of my seniors in faith is perplexed at my constant exploration of other forms of spirituality besides the one I am committed to – Nichiren Buddhism. “Why do you want to get yourself all confused?” this dear 72-year-old asks me. “This is a fine path, just stay on it and give it your total … More Spirituality and science
I’ve been obsessed by babies lately. If they aren’t a tangible, down-to-earth, in-your-hands-and-ears evidence that God exists, then I don’t know what is. Watch a pregnant woman balloon from conception to delivery, and tell me you are not able to look at the end product with dumbstruck awe. How did a single cell become this … More Baby baby
My favourite path of them all: poetry. There’s lots of God in poetry. Isn’t Shakespeare just divine? He was my favourite in college back in the early 1990s, when I studied English Literature. (I also liked him because the teacher who taught us Shakespeare was a fiery, passionate woman and a committed professor. So the … More How do I love Thee? Let me count the ways
My earliest memory of the Om symbol was one inscribed on my father’s hand, a greenish-blue tattoo made when he was a few years old. He was born in Lahore in 1944, three years before the Partition. It was the ‘it’ symbol of the time, a religious stamp on his and his brothers’ hands to prove … More Everything starts with Om
100 Paths 