I’ve often been told that I don’t rant. I make a point and leave. Of all the things that I hear about myself, this one pleases me a little more than others. And that’s because this is a trait that I have consciously and conscientiously cultivated over time. Like most of us, over the years, I have expended a lot of energy in defending my decisions. To family, friends, sometimes even to random strangers. Maybe I needed to look good

Imagine a scenario where you are sad, angry, hurt or happy and you are speaking with someone and suddenly that person interrupts in between and starts to speak about something unrelated.  You want to vent something out and the other person is busy watching the mobile.  You are sad or in pain and conveying your pain to the other person and he/she starts to describe his/her sorrow. Sounds familiar?  Most people are very good at giving unwarranted advice but not

Listening is one of the toughest skills that a person can master as it requires them to be more present, attentive, and patient. Good listening skills in this digital era, is fast becoming extinct. There is a whole world of difference between hearing what someone is saying and actually listening to them. Listening means we are taking their perspectives into consideration and actually considering what they have to say. People usually have the habit of starting a conversation and putting a

Last Saturday’s thoughts on Etiquette of Grief brought in an outpouring of messages from concerned friends and well-wishers. Thank you so much for checking on me. As my faith was tested severely in the last few days, your words of comfort helped me get back on my feet. I lost someone to a bizarre, freak accident. When she was battling for her life, I was on an emotional rollercoaster. Every time I would break down, it was my daughter who

Most, not all, people from our generation or a generation before that remember being the kids who would be appreciated and called good kids only if they quietly obeyed their parents and elders, never argued or questioned, rarely expressed their opinion or asserted their choice.  The children who would want to live life on their terms and conditions would be labelled as disappointment, rebel, ill mannered, and so on. Why do we have to raise docile children?  Children who are

How can I define life? What can I do to make it more worthwhile?Will I be able to survive the unexpected blows of life?What if my predictions, my judgement will turn out to be completely wrong?What if I will be declared guilty without even getting a chance to prove my point?And there will be plenty more questions about life that I am sure must have visited your mind, thereby giving you sleepless nights, yet life is beautiful and will always

I wish you light, one that lies within sometimes dormant sometimes restless mostly flickering.. It is right there show it to the world Let it shine. I wish you silence, to be able to hear your true self and feel the tinnitus within. Silence your negative thoughts without getting lost to the noise outside. I wish you wealth, one that comprises of knowledge, love and imagination A wealth with an urge to share with the world beyond. I wish you

I know it’s the season to be festive and I should be sounding bright and upbeat and yet I am finding it difficult to come up with something that is even remotely so. I just lost someone I was extremely fond of, to a bizarre accident. The thought that she had just completed her studies and was looking forward to a bright future just makes it worse to bear. Her ever smiling face and her optimism could cheer up the

With the onset of the festival season, the never-ending struggle of having our home in a spick and span condition begins. We leave no stone unturned in decking up our abodes by spending a lot of money. But somehow, we end up getting too engrossed in these activities that we forget to realise and embrace the real essence of it. In my opinion, it is mainly about rekindling and rejuvenating our relationships with our friends and family, neighbours and relatives

Make your child self-reliant Inculcating self-reliance in my child has always ranked high on my list. Not to undermine the importance of education and values, I want to draw attention towards what we might be overlooking. Why the premium on self-reliance?  Because it’s not just a trait but a survival kit. A child who knows she can rely on herself will sail through challenges life throws at her. Surprisingly it doesn’t take much to instil that confidence in a kid. Start small,