A humming word

Sita and Rama are the most unfortunate couple in the Hindu mythology. When I was growing up, my mother would often tell me, one must never name their daughters Sita or Janaki. Their fate and life was deplorable.  Volga, the pen name of Lalitha Kumari, is a noted feminist writer and is a stalwart in the Telugu Literature. And hence, this fictional account is written with its ink dipped in feminism. The right kind, ofcourse.  This book is set in Valmiki's ashram and Lava and Kusa are now grown up and explore the forest. Sita, along with the mothers in and around the ashram, performs the duties of a mother. However, nudged by fate, she begins her internal journey by meeting Ravana's disfigured sister, Surpanakha, who is now tending to a beautiful garden, Parsurama's abandoned mother, Renuka, the wronged Ahalya, and lastly Urmila. The book ends with the chapter on Rama, who was equally wronged, wrapped in the ethos and pathos of Arya Dharma. Also, my favourite chapter.  What ...

 I just put my mask on, now,  whenever I see a person it is a reflex that will never fade away.  "Hope is an obstacle" - Thich Nhat Hanh This is our doing anyway! we let things happen while sitting  in our cubicles watching the sunrise we remained mum as species became  extinct and animals became homeless  We chose indulgence over need  We never let empathy touch our greed  Today, we hope we have a better tomorrow  But we forget we burnt the bridges we polluted the Ganges  We did what we pleased  because we could  We have no longer the right to even feel hopeful or even sorry for us  rather we need to work together and  though it may seem useless   it is like saving a dead plant that you never watered in the first place  because you were busy scrolling some feed or  attending a course that seems irrelevant now  because your loved one's breath  is what is needed to make you feel alive...

 When Manohar Grandhi, an enthusiastic member of the Hyderabad Book Club , shared that his daughter wrote a book. It took me by a surprise. Writing a book is a difficult task. Writing, while managing school work must be difficult but the young author who also entered the India Book of Records did it. Meet Disa Grandhi, whom I had the pleasure of interviewing over email.   Hi Disa,  Why did you think of the book? I wrote many stories in my storytelling class. So when I wrote my own stories this story was one of them. My parents encouraged me to write it in a book. What resources did you go through while writing?  I did not go through any resources to write this book. It is completely my own story. How was writing benefitted you at school? Now everyone in my school knows that I am a young author. My Principal Anju Madam, Supriya Madam, and my Class Teacher congratulated me when I met them personally.   How many books do you read in a month?  I read ...

 Note: Anupriya Khandelwal talks about Minutes of Positivity, her blog that features up and coming entrepreneurs and change makers.  On Positivity  -  By Anupriya  I never imagined in my life I could even start my page and that too on positivity. I have never been a positive person throughout my life, I was the most negative person you would have ever met. However, as time flies, you start to value things and so did I. It was never on my bucket list but when I started up my podcast I had to start my page and then I choose the name minutesofpositivity. I had always wanted to share my thoughts with people and my point of view on things and always had this thing that I want to build my identity by myself. Minutes of positivity can only give me my identity and it is the only thing that gives me tons of happiness and makes me feel proud of myself. My journey has been wonderful, full of discovering new things, and on this beautiful journey, I discovered myself. I ...

  Walking bare feet on a carpet of broken glass, you wear grippy socks and running shoes But you walk  S-l-o-w-l-y  You are tired, though! along side some run  along side some sprint They wonder: Why are you walking? Are your branded shoes not fit? Are your legs aching too much? Do you have a problem? Bothered, you join them. Running. Swiftly walking.  The pieces of glass only hurt you further You meander! There is a park with freshly cut grass  Here, you can sit on the empty benches  You can remove your shoes,  and your bloodied socks and one-by-one, remove those shards of glass pieces! Ouch. bathe your skin in the glowing turmeric, Massage it with a block of ice Wait. Pause. Heal. Aah! And then step up on the soft grass: This softness  gives you an adrenaline rush, now

A friend once said the Telugu movie, Shathamanam Bhavthi, belongs to the genre of sci-fi. It happens in a parallel universe. Who would not buy a ticket and go and visit their children? Or who would behave in such a manner? (Other details too) But yes, Rang De re-emphasizes that same fact: that the movie belongs to the genre of sci-fi. It is like a watered version of Inception where the tuning top is GMAT (yes, that competitive exam) and the actors, Nithin, and a semblance of Keerty Suresh (let us call her Kitti), are " childhood friends".   Kitti is extremely affectionate, to the extent of being ridiculous. And Nithin is extremely ridiculous and is driven to the point of being affectionate in a caricaturish manner. As the story progresses, you can only wonder why is this movie all about exams and GMAT? But then, marriages itself, at times, are deals. So there is a hint of truth there. However, some of the most awe-spiring scenes are: Kitti and a gang awaiting Nithin to fight ...