A couple of days ago, as I changed into my yoga clothes in my still-dark room early morning, I caught sight of a stream of sunlight streaming in through the window blinds. Sharp and straight it shot, all the way to a little sun on the wall near the floor. Enraptured, I called my partner inside … More A little luxury

“Why do these Tibetan monks look so happy?” he asked as we drove past a group of tourist-monks gleefully clicking photos on the streets of Chanakyapuri. “There’s a certain liberation to be had when one does not hanker after material growth,” I mused. “They can’t dress any different, they can’t own anything more than what … More Happy drive

I’m travelling out of the country starting tonight, and this morning, I was just thinking to myself, “Hmm, what kind of reading material should I carry along?” Instantly, I recalled a book by Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie, which I’d read on a flight from Delhi to Ahmedabad many years ago, and which had left me … More God in the post

Yesterday, as I sat in bed having my first cup of coffee of the day, after having done all my early-morning chores, I chatted with my daughter who was drying her hair. A bunch of residential students from her school were walking down to the day campus and I used it as an excuse to … More ‘Pehle aap pehle aap’ (first you first you)

My yoga teacher, Krishna, has taught me something more than asanas. A Malayalam speaker, he is not as fluent in English. Besides, he seems to be a reticent personality and is frugal with words. Ever since he started teaching me yoga four months ago, we must have barely spoken a few dozen full sentences to one … More Nonverbal communication

Last month, my partner moved into the same apartment complex I live, but in the next building so we are sort of half living together. We now do yoga together, have breakfast and dinner together, go for walks in the evening sometimes, and drive to work together. Not surprisingly, there are various raised eyebrows all … More Gossip gossip

Yesterday morning I caught a reflection of the view from my living room window in our showcase glass. Basically, it was an inverted version of a familiar view. On one hand, there was something ‘known’ about it; on the other, it seemed fascinatingly new. I recalled the words of great saints who say this life … More Reflections

This morning, as I lay flat on my back on the yoga mat, my eyes closed, sighing in sweet surrender, I could not help thanking God for the abundance in my life. Things are suddenly at a point that I had visualised several years ago – professionally, personally, spiritually. Certain dreams have been fulfilled – perhaps … More Dream a little, big dream

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. I recently came across this quote and instantly recalled an incident when my partner and I had taken a romantic boat ride on a lake once. The sun was going down and it was just the two … More Treating ’em well

Someone asked me what my religion was. I said my Hindu religion allows me the openness to practice anything I want, and that I am more spiritual than religious. I choose to see divinity in just about everything, the God in the details, the miracles in everyday life. And so on this 10-day trip to … More Everywhere I looked

It was an unusually unlucky day. My flight from Whitehorse to Vancouver was meant to start around 8 am, but because the little airport wasn’t able to handle so many passengers (the entire conference seemed to be leaving at the same time), we were delayed by an hour. As a result, I missed my connecting … More A 12-hour journey into eternity

I feel so blessed to live in a country that inspires God everywhere you look. People are named after gods so you cannot help uttering a few sacred names in the course of a usual day. My younger one is named after Goddess Durga. My aunt had a domestic helper called Mahesh (another name for Lord … More Surrounded by God

“One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.” – Iris Murdoch Yesterday was an exhausting day, so today, I decided I would allow myself a few indulgences. Early morning, I allowed myself to read through a chapter in a book (I’m into the Ramayana these days) — despite knowing that my yoga class … More A day of indulgences

This weekend, I had the task of picking up my younger one from a friend’s birthday party at a mall. When I got there, I was unceremoniously dumped with the duty to take home not just my own kid but two others as well. Since my car already had three of us in it (myself, … More Fart and furious

Today I spent the evening with a mother-daughter duo in my residential complex. I’d only briefly met the mother before, and she was intrigued by me and insisted I stay for tea and tell her daughter, who is about my age, ‘my story’. I spoke for a long while, and the older woman probed and … More Story time