Silence in love...

Silence is everything, 

 From nothing is left to be said,

To nothing needs to be said.

What is the difference between the two?

One ends it while the other makes love true!

Silence can speak more than words,

It lets the eyes say what the lips can't,

The only thing that can eclipse a rant.

It lets your mind listen to the touch

Of a hand and watch you blush.

Silence is inevitable,

To listen to what is unsaid,

To watch chaos and commotion ebb.

But to know Silence's true voice, 

You first need to know the noise!

Get away in the lockdown!

The side of the lockdown no one speaks of is the messy floors, messy kitchen, messy bathrooms, messy beds... In short mess every where. If you have little children or pets in the house, it is in the best interest of all to not even begin to describe this mess! Of course it cannot ever mean anything in the face of the growing deaths or the impending recession! But I am afraid if people don't see a ray of hope for breaking this 'Lockdown', death by frustration in this period will start peeking in! 

A disclaimer: My household is an exception, and you'll know why towards the end of this post! But here are the top 3 things we did differently as a family along with the increased work from home hours.

1. Evenly distribute chores among the family members (even the 6 year old member had to contribute more than he did before the lockdown)
2. Schedule video calls with the family not with you, every weekend and a few quick calls through the week.
3. Catch up on reading, writing and everything that was on hold earlier because "we were always short on time"

Having said that, the above didn't solve the most common "SUPER BORED" effect most of the people I know experienced and still continue to experience. Wondering what must be missing, I figured that most people in this 'super bored' category are used to spending time outdoors. The fact that they had to stay put inside their homes and that too with their own families was beyond being stranded! 😂  They needed to breath! And I think I might have a suggestion which might help them with a get away without a lot of work! 

However weird it might sound, but the lockdown didn't lock down every place! Baring the containment zones, there are several local places you can go and spend some time away. Even in the containment zones, you can get out of the stranded feeling by getting a bit creative! For eg. your balcony, open garden in your society or in front of your house, open parking lots, terraces and so on. 

So here's the suggestion: Use the above places like mini picnic spots! 😇

Just to help you unclog the frustrated mind, here are a few reasons to go on a mini-picnic with yourself or your family or friends and keep the group under 10 nos. Ideally do not mix them to enjoy every bit of your get away! But even if you do, don't fuss over it! The idea is to simply enjoy, as long as you don't forget this, it will be a time well spent! 😍

1. Reading or writing
2. Photography or video recording
3. Breakfast or high tea
4. Water falls in rains, Star gazing in Summers (Indian Summers are harsh), Barbeque in winters
5. Trekking or bike riding
6. Bird watching or plant collections for propagating
7. Mindfulness or yoga
8. Sun rise or sun set 
9. Interesting conversations or overdue catching up discussions
10. Just closing your eyes and listening to all the sounds you can hear! 

Now as exciting as it may seem, do not leave without the essentials. I have a list of essentials that ensure light weight traveling. Depending on the number of people heading out, you can reduce it further. 

1. Finger food only packed in tiffin boxes (Saves you the space and weight of trays! 😇)
2. Water bottles 1 litre per head at least
3. Thermos for the pre-made hot beverages (If not, skip it! One less item to carry!)
4. Juice boxes or Alcoholic drinks (I prefer choosing the ones that can be consumed at room temperature. It saves a lot of space and weight that an ice box takes! But if it is a necessity, go on, it is worth the pain!)
5. Wet and Dry wipes
6. Eco friendly disposable plates and cups (spoons not needed as I carry only finger food)
7. Garbage bags (I use diaper disposable bags, you'll know why in the second part of this post! 😁)
8. A one sided waterproof sheet that'll fit your items, your family and friends along with weights for the 4 corners of your sheet to hold it to the ground 
9. Foldable outdoor table and chairs (It is a life saver when you can't find a good place to have your picnic. Setting the table at a scenic road side area saves the day! 😉)
10. Suitable bag that can carry all the essential items

If you have kids under 12 years of age or pet dogs just add these 3 things and you are good to go! (Can apply to other pets as well. But I know what works with dogs as I grew up with dogs! 😇)

1. Small toys that can fit in one bag for the kids. Balls and bones for the dogs.
2. Favourite finger food for the kids. Favourite dog biscuits for the dogs. 
3. Diaper bags (good for collecting waste, trash on the go, dog poop and of course diapers! 😁)

Do not forget the SOS items if going out. Can be skipped altogether only if you are having this picnic in your balcony. Other wise every other place, do keep this. 

1. Bugs and mosquito repellent
2. Swiss Knife
3. First aid kit
4. Torch

Happy get aways in the lockdown! I know a real get away seems like a dream today. But we all will survive this, together! 😇

Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma: A Personal Rendition

Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma: A Personal Rendition

This is my humble rendition of Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma, inspired by the timeless version of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.

I dedicate this to the memory of my grandfather, whose mother tongue was Kannada, a language that carried stories, silences, and an entire world I inherited in fragments. There is something about this composition that feels like a bridge across time. Every note holds nostalgia, not just as a feeling, but as a living presence.

Where I come from, music has never been merely regional. It is layered in cultural, historical, and deeply personal memories. It carries lineage. It remembers what we sometimes forget. And in singing this, I find myself not just performing a bhajan, but returning to my roots, to a fond memory, and to something quietly sacred.

If you missed the above link, you can listen to my rendition here. 

Voice

Do they ever make men who respect voices just for their content, ever?

When a man criticises, no matter how harsh or blatant he is, he gives a constructive feedback. But when a woman criticises, no matter how involved or polite she is, she gets hyper, she says inappropriate things and she doesn't listen!

When a man speaks loudly, he has a loud voice! But when a woman speaks loudly, she yells, she gets angry and she has an ego!

When a man wishes to lead a group, he has leadership qualities. But when a woman wishes to lead a group, she is bossy, she is dominating and she is adamant!

This list can go on and add to my existing frustration with every passing word! Let me make it extremely clear that this isn't a comparison between men and women. At the same time, being a woman in a man's world, this is something I deal with, witness and even succumb to (How I hate myself for it!) regularly! By the way, I am being extremely polite by using the word 'regularly' in the previous statement!

Dear Men, please know that, no matter who is criticising or speaking loudly or wanting to take some lead, if the content is worthy, it should't matter who says it! If you can take a man criticising or speaking loudly or taking a lead, there is no reason why you should undermine a woman doing it! 

If I could tell you

In another world, you'd be mine,

Under the stars on a mountain so high,

Kissing my lips and closing my eyes,

Fallen in love, you and I!

You write for me I sing for you, 

Life is too good to be true!

We are meant to be together,

Is a dream I'll share only with you!

What we share has no logic, 

You and I just create magic!

My life is good and so are my dreams,

As I close my eyes and our world begins!

If I could tell you one thing

That changed my life upside down,

Is knowing that there is a world where,

Though in dreams, you are all mine! 

p.s: If there was a bright side of unrequited love...

आई

आई म्हणजे नुसत एक नातं नसतं 

आई म्हणजे गजबजलेल गाव असतं!

ती असली कि चार भिंतींच घर होतं 

ती नसली कि घरपण नाहीस होतं!

आई शिवाय आनंद कधीही पुरा होत नाही 

आई इतक दुःख कोणालाच समजत नाही!

माया उतू जाणं, हे आई कडून शिकावं 

आई म्हणजे काय, हे आई होऊनच बघावं!

What I learnt from living out of a suitcase!

Living out of a suitcase for me, on an average, happens every alternate week, some times even more. It is almost always for work and rarely for pleasure. From 2009, traveling has been a big part of my life for various reasons and this day marks 10 years since it began. As a small treat to this element of my life and for completing a decade, I wish to dedicate this post listing 10 things I learnt from living out of a suitcase.

1. Minimalistic lifestyle: "Look for the bare necessities..." I always loved this song from 'The Jungle Book'! It makes more sense to me since the last 10 years. Traveling frequently, really lets you identify the bare necessities. It is liberating in its own way. 
2. Schedules: No matter how many times the joke is on me for promoting schedules, I still believe it helps in managing the mess around frequent travels. I am still in the career building phase and for me the frequent travels call for an addition to the current 'work in progress' status. One of the main things that helps me with handling the fear of missing out is by scheduling in all the important things. 
3. Fitness: It always comes down to fitness, at least for me. With constant change of climate, water and food; if you are not fighting fit, you are doomed. I have had my share of illness and multiple courses of antibiotics in a year to come to this place. Today I can say that I have been able to schedule in timely exercise and smart eating habits while I am at home and during travels. They are entirely different from one another, but they are there and it helps big time!
4. Sleep: I cannot emphasise on this enough as I learnt this thing the hard way. In most cases, I am sleep deprived for several reasons before I travel. Sometimes the change in time zones aggravates its effects. Clocking a good 8 hours sleep during travel is essential. 
5. Journeys: I have met people who hate traveling more than the ones who love it. However, in the defence of the ones who hate it, they were always traveling for work and not pleasure. I give them that traveling for work has little fun to it. But again, the uninterrupted conversations, meeting different people, watching the road, catching up on reading and the list goes on which is just the same when you travel for pleasure. Why taint the experience of traveling only because the purpose of the journey isn't for pleasure?
6. Catching up: The best thing that traveling lets me do is catch up. Catchup on my sleep, writing, reading, organising photos, etc. The best part is when I get to mail or chat with my family and old friends. I literally get to experience the next best thing to actually meeting them. 
7. Reflection: I have been told on several occasions that I tend to overthink. In spite of that, I feel reflecting is an important practice and should be done often. I do it in every possible way, writing down my thoughts, discussing with my core family, seeking advice from different people and it helps me in the most unexpected ways. 
8. Patience: Delays, traffic, break downs or worse, last minute cancellation of travel arrangements. Everyone who travels meets with these patience testing moments. And every time you brave through them, it adds to your patience. 
9. Flexibility: Given the number of roles one plays in a lifetime, it is not possible to travel frequently without being flexible. Unlike the common presumption about me that 'I have everything my way', it is quite the contrary. I never, literally never have it my way! Everything is always adjusted keeping the larger picture in mind. 
10. Home: There is something precious in coming back home, knowing that there is a place where you can be yourself and do your blooming laundry after the travel. People who travel more, know how important it actually is, just because of the lack of time at home. This has helped me in focusing on quality time with my family! That extra effort never fails to pay off!