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My dear independent Indian woman

I am privileged to have met, befriended, and worked with some of the most kickass women in India. These women stand up as idols just by virtue of their strength and personality. I am not talking about women CEOs, astronauts or leaders. They are great no doubt. I am talking about your average Joe's. Women who have their shit together and do it all with grace. I often wonder when I look up to these women, if I can ever be that person - They do it all so flawlessly. It must have taken so much grit, practice and time to be where they are. So where are they? Are they happy where they are? I cannot imagine how they have a successful career, marriage, kids, extended family, personal interests and a life. Is it possible or is it just an unicorn? Fortunately or unfortunately, when you grow up in India, you develop certain notions. A certain understanding of a gender specific role. There is a seismic shift in the role of a woman in today's world. A lot more things on her pla

Do you have darkness in you?

What is the secret to success? Most people would say - hard work, perseverance and so on. All those things are good and necessary. But what gives that mad drive. Why do they stay up working for their dream while others rest? The answer to that burning question is deep and sad darkness. Every successful person is like a phoenix. They come out of the ashes. There is a place in their heart for a deep dark experience they had. Something like highly critical parents, being dirt poor while growing up, sudden illness... People often forget that sadness is just negative energy. Some brood over things and retain the negative energy. Others just turn around, give it a hard look and change that energy into something beautiful. During the darkest moments in my life I felt a heavy presence. It was suffocating me, just watching me experience grief with a smirk. As I slowly grow out of it, I can feel this lightness, total power and supernatural powers. I might be bad at explaining this but my ide

Day 3: Let it go!

Day 3 of meditation was about letting things go: Anger/sadness/frustration. No point in carrying around stuff you don't need. No point stuffing it inside your closet. Just experience it and let it go. Feel it ache in you, hurting you. Feel all the pain, collect all the bad thought. Do not let it out for 15 minutes and understand what it does to you. I tried holding in sadness for 10 minutes. It was racing my heart and tightening my tummy. I let it do what it is supposed to do: hurt me. I stopped when I felt I have collated all my pain. Then I lied down and let the tension out. I could sense my heart returning to normal. There was an ease in my existence. All this is 5 minutes of wishful deliberate thinking. I am happy. I am just packing post war veterans and returning them. No use for prisons and hold backs. Just letting all signs of the war go. That was a war where I lost time and won wisdom. Learning to let go, learning to love.

My Secret 21 days Experiment: Day 1 and 2

I have always loved Osho just for his thought. How can a man think like that? Different for sure, yet so right, so insightful. Of all my recent decisions, a really cool one was to take a 21 day online course on meditation by Osho. Here is the scoop from day 1 and2: Love the calming music Love it that it is short and sweet The first day exercise given to us was about awareness. It actually worked. I was aware of what I was eating and I stopped stuffing my body with food. I am aware of what I am typing and hence lesser typos. I can feel the texture of the keyboard I have never heard Osho's voice. Honestly I imagined it stronger and bolder. The man in my head sounded so. I am getting used to his odd diction and pronunciation The second day was about love and relationships I loved the distinction between love and relationships There is a human urge to cut down chances of change and hence the need to settle down Fear of unknown compelling us to settle for the known There are

Averaged

I remember so clearly, like it was yesterday The day that my professor said: “Is Average ok?” With all the thoughts that were fed, With all the inspiration I get, I said: “No way!” Little did I know, two years from then; Average is all I want, it is all I need. It made me feel cozy, It made me feel good. But I ran behind great, all so hazy. I rarely slept and barely ate for I had a dream. I did not dream of ponies and unicorns, But of winning and winning some more. Because winning gives you a high, Even to the most sober of souls. Enjoy it while it lasts as it is fleeting! I do not know if it was the wishful look from fools, Or your mind tricking you to believe you are better Better than everyone else. Not the best, mind you! I am too humble for that. Days went by and months went by, And winning became my thing. I looked for a reason to cry To feel important, To show others how I had overcome adversity. All this just to say: “Look

Is There a Positivity Thermometer?

We often hear requests from people asking us to be happy and cheerful. “Be Positive”, they say. And I am like, “Yeah! That is my blood group.” My poor jokes apart: “Is this Universe listening to you?” Wouldn’t that be a lot of noise?   I have comfort in think whatever I want as no one is judging me in my head. When someone asks me to be positive it is like I have a traffic cop in my head, diverting all the “Bad Thoughts”. This led me to thinking two things:   1.       Who defined Good and Evil? 2.       Does the Universe not go deaf with so many people emitting their thoughts to it?   Let’s take it one by one. The definition of Good and bad is a hoax. The truth is, there is no clear definition. Life is in shades of grey. Same thing is really Good at one instance and really bad at another. Do I sound confusing? Fear not! There is a simple explanation behind this. Unni (Lovely character in the book “The Illicit Happiness of Other People” by Manu Joseph) believed that ther

The beggar

Something that I saw today made my heart skip a beat and my blood boil at the same time. That moment I realized that I am indeed very lucky. Every one else who is reading this post is equally lucky. Not because I am talented writer (would love to be one in the future) but because all of you have access to internet and in some way can afford the same. What is this sight that affected me so much? Thinking of it even now gives me chills down my spine. I was in a restaurant having my evening snack (S, I do have the 4 th meal ;) ) that’s when I saw a man begging. I am very much against begging, especially if that person is physically fit. Mumbai as a city has a lot of beggars.  Most of them demand alms as if it were their birth right and my bondage to oblige. Many a time’s people are harassed at signals by beggars. I too have been a victim of that. This is one characteristic of the city that disgusts me. Coming back to our beggar of the day, he was in rags and very dirty. Of