Author Archives: Archana

About Archana

I'm Indian and Canadian, and many other countries in between. I read comics every morning and believe the world could do with slowing down.

Ode to Music

Posted on August 2, 2020 by Archana

I should have been in Canada right about now, soaking in the local friendliness and bright blue summer skies. Instead, I’m logging in my fourth straight month of solitary home confinement in the Covid-19 lockdown. Cabin fever came and went … Continue reading →

Posted in City life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

When The Heart Is Heavy, Look To The Rain

Posted on June 21, 2020 by Archana

The Arabian sea tossed and turned, growling under the watchful sky. Waves formed and then crashed against the rocks with the fervor of a death wish. Froth sprayed. We all need to throw a tantrum sometimes. The sky observed it … Continue reading →

Posted in City life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Banyan Tree

Posted on June 6, 2020 by Archana

Just outside my native home in Ambajogai, there is an old banyan tree. It is as old as time, it feels, because everyone simply refers to it as “vadacha zhaad”, or “the banyan tree”. There is no need to describe … Continue reading →

Posted in Growing up global, small town life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Take Off The Mask

Posted on May 24, 2020 by Archana

All kinds of masks are coming off in this pandemic season. Even as we put on one kind of superficial mask, others are dropping off. Make-up has become make-do. Eyes, at most, get a kohl treatment. The rest of the … Continue reading →

Posted in buddhism, City life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

When Things Give You Comfort

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Archana

They say things don’t make good gifts. If you want to make someone happy, give them an experience. During the current Covid-19 quarantine, where I have been isolated from friends and family for more than 2 months now, I have … Continue reading →

Posted in City life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The View from Upside Down

Posted on April 10, 2020 by Archana

The other day, someone remarked, “The air is the cleanest it has ever been, and here we are, forced to wear masks when we go out.” It made me pause. This was irony at its best. I wondered, what else … Continue reading →

Posted in human behaviour, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Making Sense of Life

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Archana

Dawn crept over me, shyly. I had not pulled my curtains properly the night before and so, through the cracks of fabric, soft pink rays began to peter in. I squeezed my eyes, pretending to shut them out. I turned. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Space Between

Posted on February 2, 2020 by Archana

What do you do when you are between things? When you are waiting for the elevator, do you fiddle with your phone? When sitting in traffic, do you keep changing radio stations until the traffic signal turns green? Or, when … Continue reading →

Posted in buddhism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cote D’Ivoire, A Tiny Country With a Big Heart

Posted on December 28, 2019 by Archana

In Cote D’Ivoire, a tiny country in West Africa, there is a lot of love to go around. I experienced it firsthand, when I traveled to Abidjan, the biggest city, and Assinie, a sleepy beach resort, to be with my … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Finding happiness in bread

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Archana

“How’re you liking your new home?” I asked my cousin. He had recently moved to a new city, his first time out of our home state of Maharashtra. “It’s all right, I guess,” he said, in a somewhat non-committal fashion. … Continue reading →

Posted in City life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment