Gratitude. Tolerance. Compassion. We are now fully feeling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re all stretched in all directions, a little bit flustered — or a lot flabbergasted. My favourite poet- Maya Angelou has quoted this beautifully and so relevant in today’s time: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour and some style.” I wish I had more of all three of these

In the present scenario when the whole world is surviving this pandemic at their own level, we all are doing our best to tackle the situation, but self-care is what most of us ignore. As the saying goes, we can only give what we have – we can love someone only if we have love in our hearts, so to care for our near and dear ones, we need to first take care of ourselves. We can do this by:

A child gives birth to a mother And a mother was born She was amateur and callow Her life seemed a bit hollowVulnerable to the dreaded postpartum Luck turned her into a spartan Fear of being clumsy and confused She perpetually felt abusedShe didn’t know what to do With this bundle she just deliveredWho seems so selfish crying and howling Even as she quietly quivered Found no love for this being and no bondShe only waited  for a magic wand So she took each day as it cameAlone battling this

I am not ashamed to admit that I didn’t know how to cook. I picked up the skills on the way and can now proudly claim, I can cook to survive or may be a little better than that. I think everyone, and that means both genders, should learn to cook. You may not do it every day but it does give you the confidence that you can. And you never have to give in to the cook’s threats. This

Time is such a relative term. On one hand it seems that we’ve been under lock down forever. On the other hand, it seems just like yesterday when the second semester of my MFA started. Where did the twelve weeks go? This realization dawned on me when I was asked to submit my manifesto as a writer, on the last day of my classes. I have always been wary of comfort zones and the complacence they beget. My manifesto spoke

In love with this obscure flower since my childhoodautumn months filled my lane with her fragrance divineallured by its beauty and intoxicated by it’s scentI stood under that tree many a timesin awe of its beauty, colour and many tell-talesI vow to have one such tree in my own garden one day. Parijat – a tree from heaven as they sayethereal flowers with provoking fragrance.The Gods who themselves were smitten by her beautyfought amongst themselves to lay a claim.Harsingar she

In every party, there are roughly three types of people. The foodies whose mouths are so stuffed, they cannot talk. Then there are the enthusiastic cooks who want the recipe of everything, that’s laid out on the table, before they can begin to enjoy the food. And finally, there are those who are not really fond of eating, neither are they very interested in cooking but they love the conversations around food. I belong to the last category. I love

This is a gratitude poem … since every day now during the lock down seems the same, with everyone at home and same chores and responsibilities to rerun, but before we start our day , if we could pause and reflect and introspect on the present moment that we are in , we would invariably be filled with love and gratitude. We could count our blessings by every minute that passes by, only if we can be sensitive and think

Two months ago, in February, when we had landed in Mumbai, COVID/ Corona were words that didn’t mean much. Unless you had someone, you know living in China or Hong Kong. As I look back, I realise how far we have come from those days of blissful ignorance. Two months ago, even a suggestion of a possible school closure drew sharp reactions from harried mums. They dreaded and worried for their sanity at the thought of having kids at home.

I wanted caring friends and relatives.COVID distanced all my friends and relatives only to show who is really close to my heart.I needed to work hard, earn, and save money.COVID made money lose its value for there’s nowhere to go and not much to buy.I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.COVID has taught me how to ‘touch’ the lives of people around me without touching them.I needed to be more spiritual.COVID made me pray to God multiple times