All About That Blog!

Being short does not go unnoticed in today’s world. You would think that being below the average height would let you get away with stuff because… well… no one is looking at you. You would be wrong. Its bad enough that you get called out in school for being short. Class photographs, sports day, choir practice, physical ed training, including random sunny days, but it doesn’t end there. Being an above average student all my life did not help either. The only thing people focused on was that my height did not match the requirement. “Where is the rest of you?” They would often ask, almost as if they were expecting a reply like – “Oh I got tired of being tall so I just shaved off part of my legs.” You must’ve noticed a trend of 'the short people look' taking over society these days. I certainly have noticed more and more Indian women making eye contact with me or looking up to me (in the literal sense) and its probably just genetics playing up. Its no wonder that we have more ...

When you're trying to make it down the road as an adult, more often than never you find yourself stopping to take a break. Faced with new challenges every day you seem to think of your past problems as unworthy of all the time you spent on them. You now begin to remember them with such fond appreciation. You may even long to go back in time even though it seemed tough then. Because when you are in the middle of that dark forest of problems, there is no getting out. You can rarely see a way and there's inevitably a hundred voices singing in unison about the things you are doing or were doing wrong. But when you pass that stage and a new problem comes along, your past does not seem so bad. “Try to stay positive,” maybe the four words that you don't want to hear from anyone. There is a limit to how much helpful advice one can take. "You will learn from this situation," "Trust me on this," "Be positive." Positivity never helped you before. Ti...

It is the faith of the people that brings them to Father Agnel's church to follow a rather peculiar tradition. They come from all over and all religions to hug and kiss a bust of Fr Agnel’s statue and revere him with colourful flowers, candles of wishes and prayers for miracles. While tying their garlands of adoration around the statue, many whisper in its ears, with the deepest conviction—the unanswered prayers of their past.  Some would not make their whispers too obvious while others would even carry their children up to the figurine so that they, too, may speak to the bust. I’ve always found idol worship hard to believe. Revering statues made of stone and clay seems like such a nomad thing to do because you are giving in to the belief that God dwells in that statue instead of the living things around you.  But I watched on as the followers of this late priest came in Sunday after Sunday with such devotion in hopes that their prayers to the almighty would be answered throug...

There is a kind of consistency to the way we live our lives. Not necessarily evident when you look at it up close and personal, but definitely noticeable when you’re standing at a distance. We do like to play the blame game with Gods of destiny and leave our lives to be designed by fate.  But this is also true when it comes to the genius that lives within you.   Motivational speakers will tell you that there’s a genius that dwells close to you to help you in your time of absolute dire need. So the genius acts like the elves in the shoemaker's store who come in when the master is asleep and leave the shop in the morning giving all the shoes a little more than a professional touch. Much like the poor old shoe maker who couldn’t take credit for the masterpieces; the people of pure brilliance sometimes avoid taking credit for their work as they fear that it would drown out any future episodes of great works of art. People often say they're waiting for that ha...

If you want a permanent tattoo and you’re living in India, why scar your body with needles?   Just stand out in the sun with a stencil of your desired impression and voilà! A tattoo that may not necessarily be brought on by endless pain and bleeding, stays with you for days on end. I went to an amusement park in early April, wearing my favourite strappy sandals and it looks like I haven’t removed my shoes since then. The memories of the amusement park are still so fresh that even the roller coaster rides, the screaming and the measly proportion of good food did not need constant reminding.  And that’s when I began to wonder why do we need to have a constant reminder of a long lost love, a deceased parent, reminiscence of a pet, a dream or a deep set desire bound by stranded hope or even a string of words you once read in a book of faith.  And the answer was right in front of me. Sometimes we don’t have a choice. You just get scarred, people leave a ma...

Am I really the only one who sees so many similarities between the corporate world and your love life? It’s like when you’re on a date, throw on a wardrobe of formal outfits with a bunch of your High School diplomas and you've got yourself an interview! You always have to share the same level of optimism. In fact, the level of optimism should be optimum! Eagerness on the other hand can be treated both ways. You can either look like a willing participant to be able to do anything you’re offered (in this case a partner or a job) or you could look completely desperate. Looking desperate may get you through the interview/date but it definitely won’t do the job. The key is to play a little hard to get (by not asking too many questions and answering to the point). Of course you have to look fabulous for both occasions because even though looks aren't everything they can help. ;) Presentation is important but do not go overboard. Also don’t miss out on the simple signs...

How many times have you heard an aunt, uncle or even your parent say, ‘Don’t tell them what you are doing with your life because of evil eyesight.’  I never understood their logic of keeping certain cards hidden. They treat life situations like a game of poker and believe that their strongest contender is the evil eye. My mother is a staunch believer in God but one thing that always upsets her which even God cannot pacify is when I finish of the last of the leftovers in the serving dish. She always says, ‘Never eat food directly out of the vessel it is cooked in, because it will rain on your wedding day.’ Other than the fact that I serve myself last and I hate having too many dishes to wash, I like eating in the vessels in my own home. It seems unpretentious to me. But I can understand my mother’s concern for certain things that go wrong in life. You do need an entity besides the almighty for all the things that are not going according to plan. Now it probably w...