Coffee And Karma

When a family decides to accept a girl from another culture, it cannot expect it to adopt everything from boy's culture. That would be nothing less than a love jihad - an expectation of a "conversion".  Two cultures coming together is a beautiful moment. It's a fusion that will be born out of that union. Two cultures will bring practices and make new rituals. That's how hybrid variations of culture are born. That's how acceptance and tolerance find it's space. That's how our beliefs evolve, and we humans evolve. 

Festivals exist to bring people closer. They're not about "me time"; they're built around rituals and traditions that remind us to connect. Every festival has its own unique cadence and expression. Navratri is celebrated twice a year, Diwali once, and Mother’s and Father’s Day annually. We still look forward to them and celebrate in whatever way we can. We don’t wait for a day or moment when we “naturally” feel like celebrating Diwali. Regardless of our mood or circumstances, we show up on the date Diwali is. And every year Diwali may feel different depending on the phase of life.  So why does the concept of weekly or daily rituals with loved ones feels like an imposed corporate meeting? Why scheduling a Sunday date with husband, or a Saturday walk with dad, or a daily 5 mins check in with sibling feels "unnatural" ? Why clearing out resentments and counting gratitude before bedtime with your spouse feels like an agenda of a meeting? Sometimes we need struct...

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/54138521-how-to-take-decisions-management-sutras Another book by Devdutt Patnaik, and it was not that much fun though it's hardly a 1 hour read.  I'll rate it 6/10 because it felt incomplete sometimes.  The book surrounds around the concept of Karya karma (who obeys decisions), Karta (who takes decision) and Yajamana (who allow others to take decision).  The focus is that every decision comes with a consequence and hence one should own it. The book shifts between mythology and modern life stories to share the same concepts. The good thing I liked about this book is that it emphasizes that whatever  you  decide, it has consequences. We just need to own them. And that we'll never have 100% information to take a decision. We'll have to jump in.  Some favourite quotes: “At the time of action, our decision is based on a set of assumptions. The assumptions may be wrong. Leaders have to constantly deal w...

Quarantine days are showing me a different side of life - a playback speed of 0.75 has been set in my life. I can see, hear and absorb things a lot more clearly. I am liking the high energy level and my dedication to reading and working out, and a lot of me time. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12313226-99-thoughts-on-ganesha Rate: 4/5 A recent book that I picked was on Ganesha. It's by Devdutt Patnaik and it's called 99 thoughts on Ganesha . I discovered a lot of fun facts and stories about Ganesha. The best part about this book is that it eventually connects with reality of why Ganesh Chaturthi is big, and how Ganesha is beyond India, and how different puraans have different stories and nothing is a fact. Some of my discoveries :) 1. Lakshmi and Ganesha are NOT a couple. Some theories suggest Lakshmi and Saraswati are sisters of Ganesha, and Shakti is the mother. Some theories say Ganesh is the adopted son of Lakshmi (wife of Vishnu). 2. The right side symbolis...

Every day seems the same. Those little behaviours and habits seem the same. It's a suffocating feeling  that my life is on repeat mode. Same failures, again and again. The destination is still far, very far. People around me are moving milestones by milestones. Kids around me are growing. I feel stagnant. It's the same me, which I was yesterday.  But is it really true? I know something definitely changed. I'm not the same person who had a very limited view of life and knew only a few ways of living her life. I am the not the same person who once doubted her ability to achieve all that I eventually achieved. So when did the change happen? And why it feels the same?  Are these everyday steps counting? Or taking me anywhere further? May be my view of life is too myopic that I can't see how far I've come.

I opened the door of ICU and scanned through the big hall but I couldn't find her. Suddenly, I realized it was her on the bed next to me wearing a green gown (so unusual of her) and an oxygen mask and couple of machines and needles going through her. She looked half of her size. I stopped breathing for a moment. I couldn't believe this is happening. I went inside, touched her hand and she moved and looked at me. I knew she wanted to say something. As if she's telling me to rescue her from here or may be she's welcoming me as she always would when she sees me. But she was definitely saying something from her eyes.  Every day after that I would wait outside for visiting hours and try to get as much time as I could in those 2 times I could visit. Did I thank her enough? Did I spend enough time with her? Do I even know her enough? Suddenly, all the time spent with her seemed less. I could see her life slipping. There were days when I would find myself alone with her a...

For those who believe in law of attraction, the title would make sense :) "So 11 @ Google, huh?"  he said , and murmured E-L-E-V-E-N to himself.. "Yesssss" , she said with a beam in her eyes and a wide smile.. :D "You must have seen Google evolving no?" , he asked in amazement.. "Well, if you look back at last decade of your life, you'll realize EVERYTHING evolved as well. Smartphones vs no smartphones world no?" , she said while fiddling with her phone and a smile on her face.. "But.. how you do you feel? And if I may ask, what would you advice to others?" "Just love what you do and don't count the years. As they say, age is just a number" ;)

Here's my first attempt at a short fictional story. Would love to hear your feedback in comments. Scene 1 Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai A girl, in her early thirties, is waiting for the queue to form for the 9pm play she booked. It's 8:30pm, and the place is beautifully decked up in yellow and red lights. There are posters all around on upcoming theatre shows but the one poster that brings a smirk to her face is titled as "savdhan! dulhe ki talash hai". As she is sipping the cold coffee, she observes the people who are here for the show, and starts thinking about how Delhi and Mumbai have different vibes. "Excuse me. Are you a writer?"  Suddenly these words bring her back to reality. A guy, probably in his mid/late thirties, with black frames is standing next to her.  "Umm, no." She smiles. "though I aspire to be" she murmurs to herself. "Oh, you look like a writer. "  "Really?" "...

Yesterday, I was was watching ' Artist is Present ' documentary and that led me to a series of videos about Marina Abramović. Since I recently visited MOMA, I was fascinated by the concept of Performance Art. This is all about controlling your mind, and not get affected by external situations. Many organizations like Art of Living also preach similar things but with a different purpose, of course. In one of her interview, when asked for an advice to the youth, her answer was: "If you are drawing with your right hand and you're getting better and better to an extent you can draw with your closed eyes, immediately switch to left hand". If you get used to routine, then that is end of everything. If you do things you like, you never change. You do the same stuff again and again. To do something different, it's important to go to different pattern. Here's the video.  Another important point was about "being in present". When you are stan...

Amristar Sep 2015 Quite an eventful trip it was. Although it was a weekend trip, it felt like I was there for a week. The trip was all about eating good food, sleeping well, and enjoying the blessed feeling of being around the Gurudwara :) The trip started on a hilarious and anxious note when I booked an Ola cab which was suppose to first pick my friend, followed by me and then drive us to the airport. Due to miscommunication, the driver finished the trip when he arrived at my place. Even though I was sitting in the cab, Ola app was assigning me a new driver (who was ~10 mins away) when I was trying to book again. The good part was that the current driver willingly helped us in coordinating with another driver, and dropped us halfway to the new assigned cab. The boarding had to start at 8:10, and at 7:30, we were still ~11 kms away from the T3 airport. The new cab was very dirty but all I wanted was to reach the airport. I knew we would reach at very last moment, but at least ...

Going through some of the Humans of Pakistan & Humans of New York and similar pages, I found some gems:  "I don't know but hiding these mistakes right from childhood make an individual kinda introvert. Maybe. I guess the first step in 'opening' ourselves to the world is to let our parents know our mistakes rather than hiding it. And parents, too should be suggestive, directive and inspirating, not scolding." "After 16 yrs of marriage. I have learned love is never 50/50. Someone is always doing more or loving more but that does not mean both people do not love each other. It is a hard lesson to learn and accept." "You can not compare the two choices....people find meaning /purpose in their own way." "Fake it till you make it" "I had a faith. And I returned to it" "Givers have to set limits, because takers rarely do." "Remind me not to date anyone with rigid rules and zero Imagination" ...

Bangalore August 2015 Bangalore was always on my wishlist, but I never had a chance to visit this place. The moment I got a wedding invitation, I knew I had to go :) The city has a charm with a laid back lifestyle and delicious food. I had the BEST rava idlis in my life here from a street shop (which I can't recall the name now :/). The nariyal chutney they make is something to die for. Although most of my days were spent in a hotel attending a wedding, the best part of the trip was the last day which I intentionally extended for exploring the city. One of the biggest achievement of the day was my trip to Art of Living International Center. I'm not an ardent follower, but the thoughts & beliefs preached by this organization aim at helping you finding inner peace and happiness. Beyond that, I stay away from accepting it as a religion as it destroys the core belief of not binding yourself to a religion, caste, gender or nationality. The trip to the Ashram was a...

After a very long gap, it was time to visit US on a solo trip. It was a 3 weeks trip with 2 weeks in California. The time flew in a blink, but when I look back today, I do have loads of memories to cherish. The long US flight I managed premium economy of Delta/KLM co-share and the long hours of the flight wasn't bad. I also manged to see Amsterdam (airport at least ;)) :) This is how Canada looked from flight  :) San Francisco Food Tour (May 14, 2015 ) This was one memorable tour that I did with my team as an offsite activity. Also, this was only time I had to see SF Google office and the city (once again). We did a food tour with Foodie Adventures . The guy (Chris) was amazing and took us through various food joints which I relished to the core. It was all about trying the best truffles at XoX truffles and hearing the owner's story about how he started this business, to eating at Z&Y restaurant (I cannot forget the taste of peanut flavor of tan-tan noodl...

Portland May 2015 There are places that are never on your wishlist, but just because there is a friend who connects with a part of your life, those places that manage to pull you :) Before Portland, I always saw a busy side of US like New York and California. Portland offered a different laidback city life of US where you can view mountains & greenery from any point. The weather is sometimes damp and makes you want to sleep more & relax. However, me and a group of 3 frends decided to be on the road with a touristy checklist in our hands to cover some of the famous & breath-taking spots in a span of 2.5 days. The views were spectacular and the beaches were pristine. We covered multiple spots like Multonamah Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Lost Lake, Cannon Beach and Astoria Bridge (which connects Washington & Oregon). Overall, the trip was all about visiting my friend's home, and doing a REALLY long road trip (something I always try to run away from in Indian road...

Problems are there in life, but you are bigger than problems. Remember you have enough to survive and you'll always be protected. Phuket, Thailand

If your body is in present, and your mind is in past, it's like driving a car while looking back. You know where you have been but you don't know where you are going and of course, there are chances of bumping into something as well.  Dun Laoghaire, Dublin

When your body argues that there is no justifiable reason to continue... your only recourse is to call on your spirit, which fortunately functions independently of logic. :) --- "Come on, your medal is waiting..". I could hear some teenagers cheering me up, and I could see the finish line close to the the green ambulance. Beyond that, every detail was hazy.  In spite of my legs wanting me to just stop,  I continued running till I actually realized that I made it. The feeling cannot be described into words. :)  Running pumps adrenaline and endorphins into the blood. When you run with all you have, it feels you're leaving every fear, tension & pain behind with every new step you take. And somehow, your body musters up courage to continue.  ----

This picture amuses so much cos I can actually see myself fitting into that girl in white t-shirt who is figuring out the nuances of aerobics, and is totally out of sync. Early thoughts: Trying to exactly mirror someone's steps (when you're constantly wondering why left first and not right) is a fun experience. Brining the left foot, hand, legs, fingers etc in action. Repeating the same steps on left side which you just did on right, makes you feel this part of the body is not controlled by mind.  Watching yourself dance in the mirror is an awesome feeling :D   Remembering the choreography part sucks!

That peace of mind that can only come from giving happiness :) #InternetClassesForWomen #HWGO #EmailsInMyInbox   #NothingLikeBeingATeacher http://www.hwgo.com/intl/hi/

I always describe myself as a moody person. I can be extremely happy in one moment, and super depressed later. Recently, I subscribed to few health feeds, and came across some very interesting articles. Next time you're angry, think about the  food choices you made today.  ( At least I know what to blame next time :P) Your favorite cup of coffee is controlling your mood ? (Well, I just named my blog 'Coffee & Karma and now it has a DEEPER meaning ;) )  Tomatoes , which have excellent health benefits, can make you angry too?  Even wheat & diary products (if not digested properly) can affect the brain function.   It's interesting that it takes  20 minutes for your brain to know you're overeating ? (Yes, that long!!) Photo Courtesy:  Blog Sidenote: I recently got to know about this new cool website http://healthifyme.com/ . If you really really want to eat healthy and loose/gain weight, aaaand you're fond of Indian food, this is t...