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  With all the tragic things happening around the world as a result of coronavirus, it might sound strange to talk about being positive and looking at the brighter side of it. But that’s all I can see that would bring calm in our lives at this moment. It’s much needed now more than ever. From my personal experience of being a stay at home mom, these are few things I have learnt during this whole on-going lockdown period.     Fear isn’t Real   Our words have a lot of power. What we tell ourselves all day and even hear from around the world creates our reality. It’s ok to feel low but not stay in it long and brood over it. Yes there is going to be panic with the all the chaos that’s happening around the world but fear only reduces our ability to think. It’s proven that negative thinking affects our immunity levels which we need to reserve most at this moment. It’s ok to be aware of all that’s happening, take best precautions you can t

    Dev and Naina were celebrating their ninth anniversary today. This one, for a change, they had decided to be on their own and not take their in-laws and their seven year old daughter, Tara along with them for dinner. Every year they were surrounded by family and friends on every ‘special’ occasions be it birthdays or anniversary.  It was Naina who insisted on going with Dev alone even though he wasn’t too keen about it. They had made it through the “seven year itch’ phase of their marriage and he thought it’s going to be all smooth sail now. He felt their relation had reached a cozy comfort zone. By now he sensed everything about her with ease, even her reaction to different situations, what she thought and how she felt. He lived his life on an autopilot mode as far as the marriage was concerned. There wasn’t much thinking or newness about it. But for her, she had started to feel a pinch of monotony settling in, if not absolute boredom. Sh

When we are busy in the routine life, we crave freedom from everything and want solitude and when we are just given that, we want routine - Such is the human nature. After accepting our fate for the next few weeks, we should be thankful and utilize this time for the very things we always wanted to do. Instead of complaining, we should create a positive atmosphere in our home and pray for the safety of the mankind. At least we are all safe and sound in our homes with food to eat and many facilities to pass our time. Not many people have such luck. I know it is difficult to just sit at home as we are not used to the idleness but this is the need of the hour. The authorities are trying their best to control the situation and we, as responsible citizens, should contribute by obeying the law. This is the test of our patience and discipline. Start your day with a positive mind, do yoga/home exercise/meditation whatever you feel like doing. Learn new recipes, new art/craft form, spend quality time with your family

It was day 4 of the course. By then I had overcome the fluctuating mental resolve, the ups and downs most students experience. The night before, one of the students had scaled the wall and ran away, unable to endure the process anymore. Not that we were not warned before. On day zero the teacher did brief us, “this course is like a surgery, once you commit to it, you have to go through it till the stitches are done, you cannot just abandon the process half way, with your mind opened up’’. Yet the fellow had run away, but I had managed to devise a strategy of my own. “Two test matches, back to back and one session at a time”, I had told myself. It helped me to break it down into smaller tasks and tackle it one at a time, allowing me small victories. So it was day 4 and having spent three days learning and practicing the Anapana technique, finally it was time to learn Vipassana. I was eager to know what the big deal was. I had heard stories about people discovering their chakras

In this fast-paced life, we are always running - sometimes away from certain things and sometimes towards certain things. Many a times we run on autopilot not even feeling the things we do. All this running in life ultimately takes a toll on our health. It took me many years and some not so good experiences to finally understand that I should stop running and reconsider my priorities. Our happiness is not in the material things but in the simple pleasures of life and at the end of the day peace of mind is of utmost importance. All other things are secondary. A hindi film song aptly describes the feeling – mushkil se zindagi ke rang haat aye hain. Gut feeling is also very significant, always keep in mind the vibes you get when you face a new situation – be a new place, new job or meeting someone new. Never ignore those vibes. Sometimes desperate times will force us to make certain decisions but they aren’t for the long run. We take bad decisions thinking we can manage everything but it is no

In today’s hectic life everyone is so busy that it is difficult to find peace and tranquillity. We are so used to doing things all the time that we forget sitting idle and doing nothing for a few minutes daily is also good and helps us to recentre ourselves. All of us should practice meditation in our daily lives. When someone says meditation, we imagine it to be a difficult task done by only saints with saffron robes sitting on a mountain top but it is not so. Meditation can be practiced by anybody and in due course can be inculcated as a daily habit. Initially begin with 5 minutes of your time (ideally in the morning but anytime is good) Choose a room with proper ventilation and silent surroundings Sit in Sukhasana (if you cannot sit down, sit on a chair with your back straight) and close your eyes Take 5 to 6 deep breaths to centre yourself Try concentrating on your breath – breathe in and breathe out Don’t try to stop your thoughts, just be a passive observer to them as it is pr

Honestly I am very judgmental about people bringing young kids in cinema halls to watch mature content. I do understand that the “parental guidance” category exists where adults are supposed to steer their “impressionable young adults” such that they understand the complexities. But here I was surrounded by adults who themselves were clueless about the gravity of the narrative? On my left were three middle aged men who were initially amused, then a bit shocked but who eventually went silent. One of them kept exhaling long breaths as if exhausted with what he saw. At least these people had the sensitivity to digest what they saw, something that must be difficult to process given the decades of conditioning they must have gone through. Maybe they were watching from the parent’s perspective. Behind me was an all-girl group. They kept on chatting throughout the film and passed comments on every scene. I looked behind a couple of times giving them an irritated look but they had this

After ending a self proclaimed writing sabbatical, or rather a writer’s block, I was toying with many ideas to finally write a piece about. I won’t lie, I have numerous, partially- written pieces in my notes about so many things I’ve been wanting to put out there. And I promise to complete those and share too. But this one just seemed to be the need of the hour! Fashion. Now fashion isn’t my field. But I’ve had flair and fondness for it. I am ‘Guilty of Gucci’ to say the least. The point is, fashion means different things to different people but it does mean something to everyone. It’s the most dynamic external influence on human mind. Well, after social media of course. But Social Media does play a huge role in everyone’s perception of fashion! Speaking of dynamic, there’s something new in the field of fashion each day. By the hour actually. Every time you open Instagram, there’s a new shirt sleeve you need to bookmark, or a heel type your

Few years back a friend asked me this question, trust me it was a very genuine question, there was no malice in it, he asked; “I have read history books as well, why do you Marathi folks revere Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as if he is God incarnate? I don’t see you guys following his footsteps, but you use his name to bully us, those from out of state, why?” I will share the answer here for all my non-Marathi friends. First the politically tricky part; Do we directly or indirectly bully non-Marathi people by leveraging his name? First and foremost, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj isn’t just a Marathi King, he is an Indian King who represents all of us and our shared way of life. Now do you feel we bully you? Yes, if you feel so! Let me clarify, the show of strength symbolized by the excessive worship of our beloved King, which you misunderstand as bullying, is just a reminder of our tolerance. If you perceive it as bullying, then it is because deep down you know that your aggression has g

        My world never felt empty It had thousand reasons for me to go on I was living it in peace and sanity But never found one like you to count upon   Just when I thought I was sure That I had these feelings buried down deep You came and touched my soul with yours In joy you made my heart give a leap   You showed me a whole new way The one that I could have only dreamt of You presented to me a totally new world That consisted of only and only pure love   You are the sole reason behind This constant smile on my face The twinkling in my eyes And the happiness in my soul   I hear your sensual voice Even when you don’t say a thing to me Every time you whisper how much you love me You make my heart skip a beat   This sure felt like a deep connection Not from now but many lifetimes before We may have left our unfinished story behind I now wonder for us, what else is in store?   You are more than just a companion to me now

I understand the commercial compulsion. It has become nearly impossible for film makers (and artists at large) to keep their art independent of commerce and hence a lot of films we see these days are monochrome. Firmly dipped in a saffron or green or blue and now the newly emerging or shall we say reemerging red, the chosen color complements the product’s (art?) positioning. The choice of color isn’t a subtle watermark anymore; these films are blatantly opaque. There is no chance of any light passing through, everything is reflected back in the same color. I am unwilling to call these products work of art, these are mere propaganda tools. The other extreme is the transparent film. Very rare to find, we will have to go back in time or broaden our search to find such gems. We know it when we see such film, because it stands out in its brilliant transparency. The work is clear, it is sharp, the expression is independent of any ad-hoc riders and it allows us to witness the full spectrum of color. It

With the onset of the new decade, we are all excited to welcome a whole new era of interior design. Every decade is defined by its unique design trends that change and evolve. Some trends last for years whereas some only for a season. I have to admit - there are hits and misses… So here is some sweet nostalgia for you from the past few decades-   Do u remember how the 1990s saw furniture in pinewood (almost blonde in colour), huge tv/wall units, and the daunting use of poor quality artificial plants?   The 2000s were all about granite kitchens in black and white, that one accent wall in the living room (often in lime green or orange colour) and dark wooden furniture.   The trends from the 2010s that still warmly feature in our spaces are the neutral tones, open-concept floor plans, the shabby-chic concept, and rattan furniture. My favourite from the 2010s still being the popularity of maximalism: the more-is-more concept.    Come 2020 and you have probably read hordes