FORTY WINKS

    Presenting the complete article , part of which was published in  www.timesofindia.com  Hyderabad edition  on September 20th , 2023.   It was a chance visit to Auroville , Pondicherry in the December of 2022 that awakened inside me a quest to unite my mind, body, soul  with mindfulness of time , space , surroundings and consequences of my choices. When Ms Smita my friend who is a certified yoga expert offered to assist I began learning restorative yogic practices at the age of 45. For past eight months that I have been attending yoga sessions. The outcomes are apparent- lesser episodes of headaches, thoughts less jumbled, body more flexible with definite inch loss. Yoga is much more than a framework of complex asanas or chants or speedy toolkit to nirvana. It is about realization and reorientation of our inner energy. There is a need to dispel misconceptions around yoga being meant for older people, skinny youngsters or for the ones lookin...

This poem is contribution by my teenage daughter -  Ms Snighda Sharma.  An engineering student who likes to play guitar and write  poems when she is not doing the regular teenage stuff.  😈 The Trigger whoever said t'was supposed to be easy trying to find your path create a life of your own remove the shackles of your binding mindset behind whoever said t'was supposed to be easy never pondered enough on what is like to find the trigger that binds you to your old habits preventing better ones to flourish whoever said t'was supposed to be easy never struggled or slogged never had sleepless nights or wandering thoughts never held a pen or lifted  a weight lived as easy as a feather's touch little does he know that feather or nail hold equal weight struggle is struggle however small however great. 

Mirage  ( published in Anthology) by https://www.verseskindlerpublication.com In the counselor's office, 19-year-old T.J. sat in silence, his gaze fixed on the wall as he waited for his turn. Draped in worn-out blue overalls, he bore little resemblance to the once handsome and hopeful teenager he used to be. The weighty framed quote adorning the waiting room wall seemed to bore into his very soul. A sharp, shooting pain pierced his head, causing his hands to tremble and agonizing spasms to wrack his abdomen. Desperate for aid, he looked around but found no one willing to lend a hand. Yet, such distressing scenes were a common sight in the rehabilitation center. His impulsive decisions, like abruptly dropping out of school because he found the curriculum ordinary and rejecting the traditional family system as outdated, led him to a life of seclusion. While seemingly liberating at first, these decisions soon revealed their true cost. He found himself isolated, his friends disappearin...

  Divine Love Published by  https://www.verseskindlerpublication.com/   Two souls from different dimensions in the cosmos. Two spiritual entities with divergent beliefs.  One is hardened by adversity the other softened with emotional chaos.  Oblivious of each other's existence manifesting for everlasting love.  You and I. Our love was meant to be. Celestial elements brought us together and we created a bijou universe.  Ours was a passionate union, not a quintessential bond.  Together we witnessed phases of luminosity and obscurity.   Some days were fuzzy than dusk some nights radiant than sunshine.  You and I. Our love was meant to be. Here we are today, two individuals yet feel as one.  Nothing ever I wanted more than to grow old with you. Watch the orange summer sun lazily embracing the waves. Walk through the woods your fingers interlaced with mine.  Wake up next to you every morning with a heart full of gratitude....

RISE, MY TRIBE,  Hold my hand, take me along, and pick me up when I fall.  Roar hard when I charge to break the glass ceiling,  Be the comrade I can count on, saber to walk through obscure days.  And on those quiet nights, a salve to alleviate my pain. It isn't  time yet to raise a toast  to celebrate the hustle of  mothers, sisters, and daughters alike.  The clinking of glasses got to wait.  From the depths of slumber, I march on to awaken the latent feminism.  Of dismayed mothers feeling flawed for not birthing a son.  For she is a progeny, too.  Of braggart aunties who could have more than one.  For male is but a gender.  A highheaded senior relative quizzed about how she could afford an original Fendi.  For she, too, earns.  Of daughter's friends gauging their worth on the scale of pulchritude,  For looks only last for a while.  Of spiteful co–sisters ridiculing the new bride in the kitchen....

Yay, yay, yay, it's the 8th of March! My FB profile is updated & Whatsapp has changed. Send forwarded re forwarded re forwarded messages, wishing everyone a Happy Women's Day! Adrenaline is rushing through me, and  I've been waiting for weeks to flaunt those Zara dresses with mineral makeup in place. So much to do and so little time . I will probably skip the seminar on domestic violence and visit the rehab center, too! To attend a jewelry exhibition and have a free Mexican lunch. An all-women club social in the evening is where I want to win free passes to the movie Pink! Excuse me, what did u just say? How different is this Women's Day from the last several ones? Did I cheer, inspire, or promote at least one of my tribe? But why should I even try? I didn't spend my husband's money on grooming sessions for ground-level work. For that is the job of AN AVERAGE WOMAN!

  Presenting the complete article , part of which was published in  www.timesofindia.com  Hyderabad edition  on September 1st , 2021.   ONE CHANGE THAT I HAVE EMBRACED TO KEEP UP WITH THESE “NEW NORMAL” TIMES It was March 2020 when our country went into tizzy by corona-virus pandemic. It started as a region specific practical joke but spiraled into a un- ending ordeal. I had never comprehended that the stressful times would affect my psychological, emotional and physical well- being.  The first phase of lock-down impelled the apparently closest ones to switch sides. The masks started to fall off.  I learnt the harsh reality that my family did not figure in any of the schemes for folks whom I had spent decades loving and pleasing.   The big change that I have embraced is self-actualization . I emphasis more than ever on mental health. It’s high time we stopped glamorizing multi- tasking and over work. I pr...