Read these to understand how education impacts the lives of women — For some weird reason I found myself reading two books simultaneously. Both were based in the US, featured female protagonists and had an underlying theme of education. However, that’s where the similarity ended. The first, Educated by Tara Westover was a contemporary memoir that told the story of a girl…

Why I chose to self-publish my memoir — When the announcement about Amazon’s decision to shut Westland, its publishing entity in India, first appeared, my feed was inundated with related news, opinion pieces, and feature articles speculating on the reasons and impact of this development. There were posts from authors lamenting about the fate of their books, editors…

You don’t need to live a long life for it to be worthwhile — The book stood silently on my bookshelf, awaiting its turn. Perhaps it heaved a sigh every time I picked something else — a glossy new read from the library, a highly recommended audiobook or even a classic. I love memoirs yet I hesitated to pick this one. Why? Because I…

A pause offers us a new opportunity to set the pace of life — We travel, initially to lose ourselves; and we travel next, to find ourselves ~ Pico Iyer The pitter-patter of rain woke me up. The room was circular, unfamiliar. What time was it? My faithful phone, which had been struggling to find a signal since we had arrived at this little…

A book that resonates with readers is the best reward for an author — When Arundhati Roy shot to fame after her novel The God of Small Things won the Booker Prize, I became a reluctant observer of the excitement that follows when Indian authors are nominated for grand prizes. I was living in the USA when Roy won the prize. Given that the…

It helps me be more mindful on ordinary days — Not long ago, I would be annoyed at my daughter for stopping us from diving into a lovely meal at a restaurant so that she could take a photograph of the pristine plate. She was on social media. I was not. Of course, I wasn’t pleased with this public display…

Two interesting reads with two very unusual characters — Ever since I discovered audiobooks, I have galloped through my reading list, particularly the fiction section. I typically choose books with female protagonists. Biased? Perhaps. But I find the lives of women more multi-dimensional and therefore more interesting. Both their outer and inner lives are deep and rich and filled…

Everyday self-care is more valuable than an annual acknowledgement — Every year on Mother’s Day I think about all the articles I have written about motherhood. The day and its associated fanfare serves as a cue to write something new. In May 2021, a few months before my children left the nest to pursue their future away from home, I…

It’s time to redesign a more humane and harmonious workplace of the future — Like many employees adjusting to a “work from office” routine after the recent update to Covid-19-related rules, I was relieved to leave my workplace at the end of a day that seemed unusually long. By the time I reached home after my 45-minute commute, I felt exhausted. And it was…