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Category Archives: City life
When The Heart Is Heavy, Look To The Rain
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 emotions, monsoon, monsoonrain, naturetherapy, rains, renewal, restoration, revival
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Take Off The Mask
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 authenticself, coronavirus, covid19, mortality, newnormal
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When Things Give You Comfort
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 aloneness, connections, coronavirus, covid19, gifts, isolation, loneliness, memories
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Finding happiness in bread
“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 bread, chapati, citylife, cosmopolitanlife, family, happiness, Maharashtra, Marathi, momscooking, movingtoanewplace, mumscooking, poli
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Aloneness
A person out on her own must be lonely and is, therefore, to be pitied. “Table for one? This way, ma’am.” The poor thing has no one to eat lunch with. “One ticket? Oh, ok.” So sad, doesn’t she have a boyfriend … Continue reading
Posted in City life, Uncategorized
Tagged alone, aloneness, break, community, loneliness, metime, pause, rejuvenation, restoration, revival, singlehood, solitariness, solitude
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The New Vacation: Exile
Lately, I’ve been thinking about vacations. It’s about that time of the year when I need a respite from the usual grind, when my batteries go into the amber zone and send out a plaintive signal to be recharged. As … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism, City life
Tagged break, exile, holiday, overstimulation, peace, quiet, recharge, rejuvenation, respite, sensoryoverload, solitude, vacation
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The homegrown mango
“So-and-so kaku sent you some mangoes from her family farm in Kaij,” my mum announced, handing over a handful to me. I beamed in delight. I looked down lovingly at the three or four golden orbs cradled in my arms. … Continue reading
Posted in City life, small town life, Uncategorized
Tagged climatechange, climatecrisis, connectedness, globalheating, globalwarming, identity, Indiansummer, kaij, locallygrown, mangoes, Marathwada, rootedness, roots, summer
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Learning acceptance from a mangy dog
The skinny dog limped onto the road. Her ribs stuck out, a thin fur hanging unevenly over them. There was no one on the road at this time of the day; every sane soul was taking shelter from the sharp … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism, City life
Tagged acceptance, awareness, buddhism, dogs, mindfulness, Mumbai, summerdays, zenbuddhism
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Discovering Friendship in a Bhel Vendor
Every evening, as the sun begins to descend from its high perch, a bhel vendor quietly rolls his rickety food cart down my road. It is a daily, late afternoon ritual, when the sun’s rays take on softer tones, and … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism, City life
Tagged bhel, community, friendship, humanconnection, ordinariness
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It’s A Too-Hot Summer Already
It’s too hot, all of a sudden. Blasts from a furnace hit my face. I look up, scowling at the overheated sun. Why the wrath, I ask it? As if in response, a wave of steaming rays hits me. I … Continue reading
