You can set your watch by me, that’s how punctual I am. However, sometimes I do have days that make me rush through my routine to keep my punctuality record intact. Last week I had one of those days. I slept through my alarm and woke up to realize that I had precious little time to get showered and dressed for my meetings of the day. To save time I decided to finish applying my usual lipstick, kajal, bindi and don my accessories in the car, on the way to my venue. As I rushed towards the venue I nodded, smiled at and smiled back at people I met along the way. I breezed through the day concludi ..read more

12 months. 365 days. 8760 Hours. 525600 Minutes. 31557600 Seconds. Each time a year draws to a close, I find myself looking back at it to conduct a year audit and a self audit.  I remember starting 2023 with dread and hope, a strange cocktail, wouldn’t you say? As one month followed the next, hope became the dominant flavor, and dread dissipated but not before leaving behind a bitter aftertaste.    The seasons changed, and spring arrived, in nature and in my heart. Hope started blossoming, giving birth to buds of clarity and joy. 2023 began to delight me, and I started to look f ..read more

The clouds seemed to be darkening by the minute thought Mia as she looked up at the sky yet again. She then craned her neck to look down the winding road as far as her eye could see. No sign of the bus yet, she sighed to herself her shoulders drooping just like her mouth was. As she tapped her foot on the ground small plumes of dust flew around it. It was her fault, she chided herself. Why did she have to miss the morning bus! If only she was better organized! If only she hadn’t overslept! As Mia continued berating herself she thought she spied a vehicle in the distance. Would it be the bus, s ..read more

His foot hits the tarmac with a satisfying thud, the sinews of his thigh tightly knit with the impact. The other foot precedes it and the cycle continues. Practice and mistakes have taught him that he needs to pace himself, not too slow and not too fast either. After all he’s just warming up. His race is with himself, and the sun. Which is lazily nestled between in the dark clouds, knowing it will have to rise soon. The runner owns the road, spread before him like a sheet of fine oiled leather, the shine a deceptive mirage. He picks up pace, his body catching up with his legs, hands pumping th ..read more

As kids summers meant Sundays spent at the beach. At the crack of dawn, my sister and I would be up, waking our favorite uncle (only for the beach Sundays, please! We could afford to be picky. We had 5 uncles, you see!) from the deep slumber he had fallen into after returning home from a night of partying just a couple of hours ago. When he was finally up, we started yelling for friends, who lived across the road. I am sure all that yelling meant that we woke up at least half the neighborhood in the process. After collecting our friends and assorted beach paraphernalia we would finally drive ..read more

This is a fable from long ago you’ve probably heard it but I’ll tell you once more. It’s about an Oyster and a Grain of Sand and a little bit of how fate plays its hand. It all started on a bright, sunny day when the Oyster had decided to sleep it away but then came in a grain of sand, which irritated the Oyster enough to change its plan. The Oyster was snoring, its mouth open wide the grain of sand was wandering, looking to hitch a ride. Somehow it found a way into the Oyster’s open mouth and decided to stay put because try as he might he couldn’t get out! The Oyster awoke from his sleep so d ..read more

With each new day, I start once more The salty sea air my perfume My riches are strewn on the shore. Your waste is my treasure Your thrash brings me pleasure. You use and throw, My mountain of joy grows. Crumpled candy wrappers Like diamonds, they shine The candy, your child’s reward The wrapper, mine. A broken pen I use to write Letters never known A string of beads I carefully put away Something to call my own. The sun shining down on me As I go through the day Wading through the debris of your discard I make my way Picking and choosing what I deem fit Weighing, measuring, what I’ll get for ..read more

‘The Halwa you make, Ram Bharose, sometimes I feel Lord Krishna himself comes down to savor it! It is exceptional every time, and the taste has been the same, for the past 20 years!’ exclaimed Vishnu, as he relished yet another spoonful of the golden yellow halwa from his silver bowl. ‘RB, I lurrvvveeeee your Mathri’s with that pickle, Dude!’ said a voice from behind a thick book, ‘…and your Besan Ladoos, yeah!’ ‘RB? What is this RB?’ Vishnu turned toward the book, which was lowered to reveal his daughter Pia’s face. ‘RB is Ram Bharose, Dad. I call him RB, so much cooler! shrugged Pia, and the ..read more

Anju was fascinated by the sight of Mrs. Broota popping one scrumptious laddu after another into her garishly painted mouth in quick succession. “I’ve suddenly lost my appetite” Anju murmured to herself as she tore her eyes away from Mrs. Broota’s steady sequence. Placing the laddu back into the platter, she walked towards her sister who was perched on a swing, having her hands and legs covered with intricate swirls of henna. Anju was back home in Delhi after 5 long years, for her little sister Dipti’s wedding. Being back after so long made her realize how much she missed India and her home ..read more

This sweet is known as the 7-cup Barfi as all the ingredients used total up to 7 cups. There are multiple recipes for this sweet on the internet, with different ingredients. I have tried a few myself. This particular recipe was shared by my fellow blogger Kala and is by far the easiest, quickest, and most delicious one I have made.  This recipe uses all the ingredients I always have at home, is quick to rustle up and texture ensures that it just melts in your mouth!   Ingredients: 1 Cup Besan /Gram Flour 1 Cup Cashewnut Powder 1 Cup Milk (warm) 2.5 Cups Sugar 1.5 Cups Ghee (melted ..read more