In 2018, I slept better. All the way to the 365th night. It was a good, long sleep last night. Even the midnight celebrations in the neighbourhood failed to break it. For the rest, as usual, it seems to be a mixed bag of spectacular failures and successes. This is how it seems to always … Continue reading Roundup 2018
My friend reminded me that yesterday, October 10, was being observed as World Mental Health Day. It brought back memories of individuals I met whose situations struck me as impossible, had I not met them for real. On a long flight some time back, the man on seat besides me and I began playing with … Continue reading Deal With It
Kigali smiles generously. There is intrigue, amusement or a smile on most faces that a visitor crosses on the streets here. and kind to each other in numerous small ways. Elsewhere, we spent time discussing conflict, peace and post-conflict societies. This elsewhere was a classroom several years back, in Bangalore. We were high on ideas … Continue reading Possibilities in forgiveness and healing: Rwanda
In a way all the years have the same course, from hopeful beginning, onto slow middle and tapering off with tiresome but content or at times relieving sense of having lived through another year. Yet, one reflects. Sometimes it is a list of things done or accomplished. Sometimes it is a list of experiences and … Continue reading Roundup 2017
Paul Kalanithi's book When Breath Becomes Air is an unsettling read which at the same time leaves the reader with a compelling sense of optimism. It is a stirring experience of knowing a man's mind from the frighteningly close distance of his own words, as he prepares himself to meet his end. It certainly doesn't seem … Continue reading When Breath Becomes Air
The Paris Review ran a thought-provoking piece last month by Claire Dederer, who reflects upon What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men? set against the backdrop of series of allegations of sexual assault and misconduct by several famous men, who have also been exceptionally good at what they do for a profession. As Dederer … Continue reading Art of Monstrous Men
Reading biographies can be an unsettling feeling. Since school, I have read several biographies - first being Gandhi's My Experiments With Truth. It has become one of my favourite genre of reading for its deliverance and reflexivity that it comes along with. However, it has taken several years to understand the nature of discomfort, or … Continue reading Reading Biographies
