Saturdays With Shivani Every time I read a post on domestic abuse it leaves me with a tinge of sadness. Most of them are nameless and faceless people who linger in my mind as I wonder what they finally chose to do. I may not comment there but they are in my thoughts as I pray for them to have the courage to move out of the abusive relationship. However, when it happens to someone I know, I realise the

Saturdays With Shivani A lot happened in this week that elicited some strong reactions (some good, some not so good) from me. I contemplated writing on a few of them but I think I need to distance myself from them for a while for the sake of some objectivity and perspective. This week allow me to share my thoughts on the Geetanjali Shree’s historical International Booker Prize win. Naturally it is a huge reason to cheer and to feel proud

Saturdays With Shivani As the IPL advances, one can clearly see how BCCI has shoved in four matches of the ‘Women’s T20 Challenge’ almost as an afterthought. The stepmotherly treatment accorded to the three teams cannot be a casual oversight. While the men’s teams deserve ‘at least’ a day’s break and most matches begin in the evening, the women have no such luxury. Harmanpreet Kaur’s team Supernovas plays against Trailblazers on the evening of May 23, and then again take

Love May Lack Permanence; Honesty Shouldn’t Have An Expiry Date Saturdays With Shivani I am a part of a few all-women groups on Facebook and I can see a lot of anonymous posts there. The veil of anonymity gives women the confidence and safe space to pour their hearts out. While it is sad that even in this age and time one feels the need to conceal one’s identity, given the fear of judgement it is understandable too. Among other issues

Saturdays With Shivani Last year when I started my fitness journey, it took me six weeks to gather the courage to declare it here. I had mentioned that this column was ‘like a promissory note to myself; a journal that I shall try to update every month so I can share my journey with all its pitfalls and milestones’. I haven’t done it in a long time but as I inch closer to the one-year mark, an update now seems

Do Not Bring Us To The Test Saturdays With Shivani I am still bleary eyed from binge watching season 18 of Grey’s Anatomy (nothing can cure me of that). In one of the episodes a character, Dr. Webber, is increasingly having bouts of self-doubt. For those of you who have no idea of what I am talking about, here’s a little background- Dr. Webber is like the grand old man of surgery in that hospital; a passionate surgeon who has

Saturdays With Shivani As I sit and write this, my daughter’s school begins face-to-face teaching. Unlike India where the children stayed online for a prolonged period, for us here in Hong Kong it has been an off and on situation ever since COVID hit our shores in 2020.  Two years down the line we have started taking things one day at a time but I remember how difficult the transition was; both when we went online and then moved back

Saturdays With Shivani Living up to one’s potential, something that I wrote about last week, hinges critically on discipline so how could I pass it without giving my two bits on it? The moment we say discipline, it conjures up images of Dina Pathak in Khoobsurat who plays the role of the strict matriarch running a bustling household with clockwork precision. Or Paresh Rawal in the hilarious Andaz Apna Apna where he keeps roaring ‘sab cheez time to time hona

Saturdays With Shivani While growing up, I rather enjoyed school and exams were fun. For me, it was a way to challenge myself. I have no qualms in admitting that I didn’t take too kindly to a bad performance. My mother, a teacher herself, would go through my papers and make a note of my weak areas. Once done, she only had one question for me- Did you put in your best effort? If I nodded in the affirmative, she’d

Saturdays With Shivani Courage– when we hear this word what’s the first image our mind conjures? That of a weapon yielding warrior, something on the lines of a gladiator. Why is bravery equated with physical courage only? How often do we tell our kids and each other to be brave and by that we mean to wipe our tears, swallow our pain and gather ourselves to fight back? Not many talk about moral courage; our integrity, which I have come