Paulo Coelho’s The Archer takes the reader on a quest to find beauty, grace, goodness, perfection by way of understanding the elements of archery. In simple and subtle ways, it talks about finding elegance and brilliance in our actions, our pursuits, and the manner we accomplish our dreams. The book does not teach you the … Continue reading The Art of Mastering the Self
Not every decision we take will have a clear, reasonable answer and rationale behind it. Many of our life-changing decisions and choices we make are often intuitively guided. Like that cushy job you left to embark on your long-cherished adventures or to build your dream business. Perhaps, for once, you mustered your courage to part … Continue reading When the time is right. You know it.
To think of Kabul and of the culture, the people, the snow-capped mountains surrounding the brown, barren landscapes—the 3000-year old city has always felt familiar. This is a land that I have never visited, but in my mind’s eye, Kabul is vivid and intriguing. Faces of young men and women with flushed cheeks and bony … Continue reading Sometimes all that is left of a place are beautiful memories. Taran N. Khan’s Shadow City is a revisit to her beloved land—Kabul.
Tiny flowers blossoming through the cracks of neighborhood walls; dandelions thriving in the wilderness; water streams, making their way to a distant lake, shaping the terrain and sculpting the rocks on its path; trail of fallen leaves on that morning mountain hike; and the warmth of the afternoon sun on a cold wintry day—don’t they … Continue reading Ruskin Bond’s My Favourite Nature Stories teaches about little pleasures of life
On a balmy afternoon, while sifting through my beloved mahogany bookshelf, I came across an old edition of the Outlook Traveller magazine. I opened it, perhaps, out of my aching desire to hit the road, see the mountains and catch the waves again, or maybe I realized that we are somewhat stuck in a time … Continue reading Expeditions and Explorations: An Atlas that can open many possibilities of life
When the monsoons arrive, they change Goa’s landscape into a dramatic vision—turning the foliage into lush green, soaking every bit of the parched land and making the distant hills grow verdant with eagerness. One can see nature’s abundance all around: be it the dark, heavy clouds almost touching the land about to burst or the … Continue reading Goa: Monsoon Escapades and the Never-Ending Chase
Welcome to this extraordinary epoch of new-normal. The three-syllable word has come to resonate with a profound change that is happening in the world today—redefining our outlook and putting our life into perspective—on our existence; our relationships; our ambitions and accomplishments. At such times, the word, unprecedented, has found a special place in our everyday … Continue reading A Novel Change: Where Do We Go from Here?
I will never get tired of Ruskin Bond’s writings. His unhurried words seem to reflect his gentle demeanor. How easily does he talk about the simple pleasures of life—taking a walk in the wilderness, gazing at the setting sun, observing the flowers and the birds and welcoming them to his abode with equal fervor. The … Continue reading Ruskin Bond’s Landour Days Talks About Journaling and Simple Pleasures of Life
Sometime back, I came across this piece in The New Yorker magazine. It was an interview with the Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri, on writing The Boundary and few other works in Italian. I read the narrative, which she had translated into English. I am glad she did. Perhaps, I would have never known her … Continue reading Unaccustomed Earth: A Book That will Rekindle a Part of Your Life
Two months ago, my office shifted to a new location. What was earlier a 5-minute commute is now a 25-minute drive. This means I have time to think, read or listen during that journey. We all have a tendency to keep ourselves busy. Not that it is a bad thing to do. I feel, sometimes, we … Continue reading Your Strength and Support, It Matters…
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