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
I see You in the large empty house for rent I see You in the shadowy trees I see You in the dark, crowded market roads As we stand by the curb eating Cocoberries. I see You in the busy prefrontal cortex I see You in the thoughts billowing like breeze I see You in the … More Paths 3-5
I was in a fury this morning. “I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to do this,” I muttered, as I went about doing a chore I hated. “I don’t want to be this kind of person.” My resentment and bitterness poured out into my actions as I tackled the work at hand … More Singing a different tune
These days, I am very much caught up in the maya of day-to-day existence. But a few oases of awareness do manage to surface, mostly inadvertently through discussions with my family. 1. Cup of tea? Belonging to a digitized generation, being brought up under the tutelage of a ‘modern’ Indian mother, and going to progressive … More Cups of tea and fancy showers
This last week I had the good fortune of visiting a yoga retreat in Bangalore called Shreyas. It was a short break from a month that had begun to look like a typhoon had swept me up and smashed all semblence of peace in my daily existence. My mind whirled with work and home issues, … More A needle in the hay
Someone recently told me, “It’s very brave of you to be able to bring up two daughters single-handedly in a city like Delhi.” But I have never felt ‘single-handed’. I’ve felt overworked, yes, tired, exhausted, worn out and any other synonyms you can come up with. I’ve felt physically incapable of juggling all the ‘work’ … More Not alone
A few days ago, my team of mostly young women and I had a debate in the office about the importance of girlfriends versus romantic partners. I had shared with them a statement a counsellor had once told me: “The day you start talking negative things about your relationship to your friends, the relationship is … More Learning to love unconditionally
Existence is a bubble. It feels like all this is real, tangible, holdable, feelabale, touchable. But the moment you stop thinking, stop looking for clues and confirmation, stop the ferris wheel of analysis constantly going on in your mind, the illusion drops, and it is all reduced to the transparent, filmy surface of a bubble. … More Making bubbles
This afternoon, I met one of my aunts after a long time over lunch. Her personality is such that it fills the room. While describing her later to my partner, my mom used the word ‘enthusiastic’: “She is such an enthusiastic soul. We all ate the same vada, but she’s going to go about telling … More The enthusiasm angels
Somewhere between what my mind dwells on and what the world reads lies the grey area of privacy. When I started this blog, I was the only reader and I was happy for it to be a personal space of documenting my personal journey towards my personal God. Somewhere along the way, the subscribers grew, … More A question of privacy
It was close to midnight on December 31st, and my kids, partner, dogs and I were watching two movies simultaneously on TV (switching during commercials, you get the drift) with the lights dimmed (to set the party mood apparently). Suddenly, I noticed it was about to strike 12 on the living room clock. I stood up … More New year, old treasures
I usually refrain from talking about current events on this blog, which is a journal of my inner growth. But the December 16 Delhi gang rape has affected me at a very personal level, and I am not alone because all my women friends and colleagues feel like a part of them has been violated, angered … More She was born to awaken us
A month ago, my partner and I decided to get engaged. Considering all the practical logistics – my daughter’s exams, my brother-in-law’s annual leave, my nephew-in-law’s Christmas holidays – we zoomed in on December 23 as our date. We had only our immediate family and very few close friends with us at the dinner held … More Engaged to growth
A week ago, I woke up with a load of things on my mind. The previous evening, Ronnie, one of our newly adopted dogs who is generally hyper-active, bit me when I took him for a walk. He was excited to see another dog come close by and I think he craves socialising with other … More Lessons in forgiving
“Why am I so resistant to change, mom?” my younger one asked me. She is the least open to new experiences when compared with my other daughter and myself, who don’t mind a bit of a deviation from routine now and then. This 13-year-old, however, finds it very stressful to even walk on the other side … More Voluntary change
“You’ve come a long way,” she said on the G-chat window, this dear friend of mine. We were talking about dogs and gods and trying to arrange my engagement and finding someone to fix the plumbing and seeking a columnist to write about relationships. Then, a short while later, I found myself in a family … More Coming and going
100 Paths 