Experiences

 Kaunai malin dapne aaye... Grandma's stories!!! We always have a first time with experiences which we hold close to our heart...the first story, its first rendition, the voice modulation, the sudden inclusion of a song within the story, the sparkling expressive eyes and the hand movements, they kind of etch the story forever in our minds...oral rendition with the magic of imagination is still one of the best forms of storytelling but nobody does it better than babi papa(dada dadi) , stories are the fuel that keep the excitement, curiosity and imagination alive within our world...which makes us survive trudge through the mundane The story of 'Parvati and Shiva' is one such story which echoes with the childhood of Kashmiri Pandit community. The month of Feburary is an auspicious month, its when kashmiri households come alive; saaf safai, Shiv Gora bhajans, onset of shopping for Shivratri samigri, lots and lots of walnuts, and once again 'watuk bharun' (experiencing t

  Past Defines... I have heard so many of life coaches, mystic gurus and friends and loved ones say let go past, move on and ahead but its there and it defines what you are , you cant let go but you take a deep breath and move ahead. When you were judged to grow up fast or have an early puberty... the stares and remarks still linger on and encourage you to stay solitary in the comfort of a book or coffee... When you were mocked for not fitting into the parameters of what society considers physically appealing, it stays with your personality as you still prefer silence, yourself and a movie because the pinching feeling in the middle of your chest still comes back , even today when you dress up and go out your mind clouds with how will the stares judge you, how will the facial expression give away the mean comments and how that eye contact and those whispers will judge you again...we get up, hold a steady smile and move on but there is a crunch between the lungs... When at your workplace