A humming word

You stink  Because you inherit  Pride, misanthropy, unrecyclable discord and an Orgasm for power You stink  With the blood of an infant,  Murdered for a surname,  Whose innocent letters Wonder of its purpose  You stink  Of the rusty sensory organs  That have given into a commercial of belief  And they are engaged to it And you stink  Because your feet are fixed on an island  So primitive that they cannibalise emotions  And worship deities of fear  But I urge you to cleanse yourself  See hear think what you are born for  Leave the island  Live everyday till the stench leaves you  Or you leave the stench  Note: Amanda's poem for Joe Biden's ceremony inspired me to write this. Here is her poem.

  Raaga Katta is an illustrator based out of Anantapur. Her page Grey Brains is fun and witty and I found it endearing that it is bilingual: Telugu and English. I recently ordered a calendar from her and it sits on cutely on my grey desk.  Here’s a quick interview with Raaga via email! She is equally perky on email too.   Why Grey Brains? When did you conceptualise it? Spill it all out :)  This was back in 2017 (while I was pursuing my MBA), YouTube videos and content creation was a rage. I quite liked the idea of saying quirky things on social media and calling it content. I also wanted to do something like that, but I was and still am a little camera shy (for recording, I love getting photographed) so I thought I will draw and say what I want, I can make characters and make them do any thing that human beings would not be open to do.  It's a different thing that I later learnt this is an actual thing and it is called Illustration (cos like any other Andh...

The last week-and-a-half, I have avoided eating too many times outside, rather cooked meals. The new year started with a sandwich and fruits. Bread is not good for me though. So avoiding it.  Also, I realise, I still am tempted with chocolates and ice creams and I want it to temper that temptation naturally. So i started taking them in small bites or saving it up and eating part by part.  Working on temptation rather than quitting cold turkey is important. So I have done two things:  1. Bought a box of chocolates  2. I am going to record the times I get tempted. I lost a kilo, since the last time I checked. Let us see.   

Okay, so the 2020 lockdown was partially a fest of gluttony for me.  Making yum food. Found solace in Pancakes. Caramel Lattes. I survived the Dolgona fever. However, food became my friend. I have done this before too. Brownies. Shakes. Cake bars.  And, when I met a colleague to indulge in a plate full of nachos, I realised, what a big glutton, I have become. But it is also because, I have, in the past, been a detox-addict and cut down on a lot of things I otherwise, loved.  So, this year 2021 - will be the year of balance!  I will document my journey here - time to time to stay responsible!  Stay well and Be Good. Happy Balancing! 

  Art: Eduard Manet, 1867

Imagine these teachers in a staff room of a school in Hyderabad.  1. Aamir Khan, an Arts Teachers, who is scouting for lovers of Art 2. Rani Mukherjee, who teaches Math and Science but has a Tourette's Syndrome and  3. RajKumar Rao, a PTI teacher, basking in the glory of his success in his school at Haryana Aamir will focus on the lack of focus on Arts in the School. Having identified Darsheel, he now wants to create an impact in this school. Rani Mukherjee wants to focus on the inability of students who can pay and is out there pooling in people. Already her students have created a Fan page for her and now, they want her to go out there and involve as many students as possible.  While Rani and Aamir are working on their ideas, RajKumar Rao is struggling to live up to his reputation that he has created in his school in Haryana. The students here are tough nuts. Their parents want them to study hard too. But more importantly, there are no guava fields or Cow Dung cakes to ...

Often the deepest friendships are formed when you are a child. But busting myths is the right of every individual. And, we have done it too.  Met at a workshop, Divya Murarka, is a friend and a sister, now. Over the past two years I have learnt to understand her and myself, through her.  She befriended me at a very different stage in my life. In 2019, I returned to India from the US to take up a job and pursue life again and that's when I met Divya at British Library. A starry-eyed woman with a manuscript written for parents and a hope that the MS document would turn into a book with a beautiful cover and a spine. It was February 2019. While I promised to edit it, I was still unsure.  Her confidence stirred into me and I began editing on my way to work, every day. I found beauty, honesty, truth and more importantly, a purpose in her writing. While the book, like Hyderabadi Haleem, was taking its own sweet time, Divya and I met for Sphagetti, Coffee, chai and spoke about a...