I’m not an overly ritualistic person and my relationship with God is extremely personal. As I write this, an oddity glares back at me that makes me smile. I talk about my worldly relationships very openly but paradoxically I don’t talk about one that I have with God but that would be a topic for another time. Today I shall not digress and in accordance to my plan, I intend to tell you a little about THAT ONE guiding principle

Last week Reuters published an article carrying the headline- One in 7 reported COVID-19 infections is among health workers, WHO says. It further elaborates that in some countries this figure rises to one in three. I don’t have to tell you which way India would be leaning statistically. The article further says, ‘It’s not just the risk of infection. Every day, health workers are exposed to stress, burnout, stigma, discrimination and even violence.’ As we crib about the new normal

They also serve who only stand and wait– thus reads the last line of John Milton’s poem ‘On His Blindness’. My mum introduced me to this line when I was a little girl since patience was never my virtue. She drilled it into me that the poet had written this when he was struggling with his own blindness and may be trying to find his place in God’s larger scheme of things. I don’t know how he found it in

When cable TV invaded our homes, in the name of content we had conspiracies, murders, shape shifting snakes, reincarnations, one-night stands and promiscuity shoved down our throats- all in the name of TRP. A TV czarina had gone on record saying that she made these serials for masses and that’s what they wanted. I lived in Doordarshan nostalgia when the content was way ahead of its time. It saddened me to see the sharp decline of the Indian television and

Often doing nothing leads to doing something meaningful from my latest experiences. Which lead me think and read deeply about this concept . Sri Sri Ravishankar of the art of living says “ Meditation is the delicate art of doing nothing “ I somehow agree fully to his quote . The term “Dolce far Niente “ an Italian concept which means the sweetness of doing nothing and another term in Dutch “Nisken “ which also means the idea of doing

Saturdays With Shivani- I Am Just A Teacher “I am just a teacher working in a school. Not an expert like you.” This statement came when I requested someone not to address me as ma’am because I do like it when I’m referred to by my first name. I replied, “If it wasn’t for my school teachers, I wouldn’t be where I am.” I added, “Our country may not care much for teachers but that can’t take away their importance.”

A newborn child is often compared with a mound of clay and the parents and teachers are the potters. As we grow older, we tend to absorb the influences around us which get catalogued somewhere in the crevices of our subconscious. Like a sculptor’s hammer and chisel, these experiences carve our personalities. While with some circumstances we may have no choice but with time we learn to filter what reaches us and for the rest we pick consciously some over

Five pointers for a wonderful retired life For someone who doesn’t know her off side from the on side, Dhoni’s retirement generated quite some curiosity and emotions in me. He has an inimitable style that reflected in the video that he shared while declaring his retirement. Anybody else in his place would have chosen to celebrate his victories in his swan song but the video begins with a picture from his first ODI where he got out cheaply and ends

This week I was invited by a school to host a webinar around the theme of patriotism. Eventually I ended up talking about partition owing to a book that I have written around it. Nonetheless, my curiosity made me Google patriotism and this is what I found. Wikipedia defines it as the ‘feeling of love, devotion and sense of attachment to a homeland and alliance with other citizens who share the same sentiment. This attachment can be a combination of many different feelings relating

As 15th August is near, my WhatsApp, like everyone else’s starts getting deluged with endless Independence greetings, some containing beautiful patriotic songs sending people of my age into the nostalgic world of sixties. Yes…..those were the days when we experienced the real fervour of patriotism. I am transported back to the year 1963–exactly 57 years back. That was the year when I, after clearing my 12th class had joined college. We were celebrating independence day in the college assembly hall.