Stories • Culture • Voice
Stories • Culture • Voice
A house fire moves faster than most people realize. By the time you’ve gotten your family out the door, the paperwork that proves who you are – birth certificates, passports, deeds, insurance policies – may already be gone. So can…
August 5 this year came around like every other year. Yet, it wasn’t like every other year after I met Ryan on that day. It was the first year we didn’t wish each other ‘our first day we met’ anniversary.…
Many couples don’t have that conversation with each other and end up ruling out couples coaching altogether or assuming they should try coaching when they’re really thinking of therapy… and then being surprised and possibly frustrated when the first session…
If there’s one word I’d describe Ryan, my late husband, it would be “Adventurer” or “Wanderer”. He was an outdoorsy person who loved discovering new places. I was the complete opposite, the homebody who loved nothing more than the cozy…
Asha Bhosle has been my undisputed numero uno singer in the Hindi Film industry from childhood. That opinion has not changed to date. While the majority thought the “Nightingale of India” i.e. Lata Mangeshwar was Hindi Cinema’s greatest of all…
8 March 2019 My daughter asked me a few months back. “Mummy, why do you like to work so much? Why can’t you stay at home and relax?” I told her because I love my work and you will understand…
The Indian film industry, specifically Bollywood, has a bad reputation for being a notorious copycat. But in recent years, the trend’s been reversing and by the looks of it, it’s here to stay. Here are 10 international songs that’ve been…
We check our phones before our feet even hit the floor. A notification lights up — someone liked the post, replied to the story, and hearted the photo. A small burst of warmth. Then the wait begins again. Most of…
In recent years, Disney princesses have been criticised as passive, outdated, or “damsels in distress.” They’re accused of waiting to be rescued and reinforcing old gender roles. But what if we’ve been reading them too shallowly? Cinderella isn’t just one…
Shakespeare’s stories still grip us 400 years later. Its timeless fascination and appeal are not because they were just about kings, witches, or mistaken identities. It’s because they’re about the human heart. That’s what always gets me. His characters feel…
Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of books around the subject of death and grief. It’s been doing its magic of providing me light, joy and comfort in my dark times. However, I’ve also been seriously contemplating adding humorous, cheeky…
“Curiousity killed the cat.” This was a term I disagreed with since the moment I first heard it as a child. It didn’t fit in at all for a naturally curious girl like me. For some reason, curious women, especially,…
I bring you a Read of the Day—a beautiful short story so we can all indulge in the simple joy of reading. Feel free to visit my site for a detailed analysis and join the discussion in the comments. Read…
Short stories are like hidden gems in the literature landscape. For both the reader and the writer. In fact, it’s short stories that broke my reading sabbatical that lasted for decades. They were my reentry point into reading. I also…
A parent asked me about my feedback of her child. I gave her the assurance that everything’s fine. She needn’t worry about the progress of her child’s writing skills. I gave her my honest feedback without being too anxious about…
Is listening to audiobooks the same as reading? I know I didn’t consider audiobooks to be reading for the longest time. For that matter, it is only recently I started fully embracing and accepting that ebooks are as legit and…
This is the literary equivalent of the classic question: ‘Which came first, the chicken or the egg?’ There are two groups of people: those who believe writing cannot be learned or taught, and those who believe it can. Before I…
In my earlier post, I wrote about the songs that held me together on the days no one prepares you for. This is not that list. This is for the days that came after. The days when you try, imperfectly,…
My Dearest Grieving One, If you’re here, I want you to know that you are not alone. Even if you feel you are alone now or fear that you will be alone in the future, I am here to tell…
Right after Ryan, my beloved husband died, I had this insatiable urge to read about the darker truths of life. I was actively seeking books on death, loss, and healing. If you’re grieving over the loss of your loved one…
One of the most common remarks I hear as a woman who recently lost her husband is: “You’re so strong.” Everyone whether they know me well or not at all seem curious to know how I’m doing. The most common…