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When the body becomes all eyes
This is the first poem of mine that got published in October 2023 in Issue 103 of the Rogue Agent Journal.This journal focuses on the body and accepts poetry about the body. It is run by 3 poets-editors who live in different parts of America. They like themes that are body-focused, and call it writing the body. I got the title from a book on Kalaripayattu. The rest of it is, sadly, a lived experience, that continues today for women all over India and the world. Read a book called "Chup" by Deepa Narayan-- no relation-- which is an exploration of what it means to be a woman in India.
Hindustan Times: Cheese & Bread in Bangalore
Today, oddly enough, happens to be World Malbec Day, an entirely manufactured celebration, brazenly marketed as a “world” event, when in fact, it was created by Argentina to promote their Malbec grape. Heck, it worked.
Nagging Instructions
This poem was published in Volume 14 of The Stillwater Review on June 9, 2024. This is a print journal published by the The Betty June Silconas Poetry Center at Sussex County Community College in New Jersey.
Hindustan Times: AI & Studio Ghibli
This post is about AI copying art from Studio Ghibli and also the season of outdoor concerts in Bangalore-- particularly the Ramaseva Mandali ones in Chamarajpet.
WisdomCircle: Character vs Achievement
No matter what the field, there are three things that all of us need for success: content/talent, attitude, and projection or marketing yourself.
Untouchable
This poem won 3rd Place in the Summer Poetry Winner: Humans of the World. August 23, 2023
Hindustan Times: Water and Food pop-ups
Bangalore has always been a city where citizens want to participate in the city’s improvement only to be rebuffed by the government.
Refugee
Refugee was published in The Mantelpiece Magazine, published in Iceland, in the May 2024 issue.
Hindustan Times: Ambition & Adaptation
Politician Tejaswi Surya married Carnatic singer Sivasri Skandaprasad earlier this month with great fanfare and predictably some controversy. All of which led me to wonder about ambition and adaptation. Ambition requires nimbleness and adaptation.
Travel Stories (my favourite type of writing)
Old favourites that I wrote for Condenast Traveler (US edition)
Condenast Traveler US: Costa Rica
We were in Monteverde, the second leg of my family's eight-day-trip through Costa Rica. Our itinerary was tight. We would fly into San José, the capital, rent a car, and drive the La Fortuna region where the dormant Arenal volcano loomed over the landscape like a benevolent pyramid. From there it would be onward to Monteverde, one of the last remaining cloud forests in the world. Finally we'd head to Jaco beach, beloved to surfers, before flying ‘home’ to San Francisco.
For Condenast Traveler US on China
I have come to China from my home in Bangalore, India, to find a tai chi teacher. My pursuit of tai chi has been punctuated by such cultural challenges. When I informed my conservative Indian family that I was interested in tai chi, they were appalled. Why was their Indian child, heir to an ancient and proud tradition of yoga leaning toward an alien discipline?
Singapore fling
Staid, chaste, strict, small—Singapore has heard it all. But this island-nation of 4.2 million people has one thing going for it (many things, actually, but we'll get to that later): Singapore is a sure fling. Having lived in Singapore for two years, I have returned wanting to revel in it as a tourist—to see it all and do it all within forty-eight hours.
For Condenast Traveler US on Japan
I have come to Japan to learn about allure. I’ve been married for seventeen years, and while my marriage isn’t falling apart, it is fraying at the edges. So I have come to Japan to learn about feminine allure from its acknowledged masters: the geisha. Geisha were created to pamper men—but they were also the freest women in old Japan.
For Condenast Traveler US on Mumbai
I am going to Bombay to become a movie star. Why not? Every country in the world, if it is lucky, has a city that allows people to create such gauzy fantasies unfettered by the grim shackles of reality. They thrive and inspire, catalyze personal transformations and fuel creativity, not through wide-open spaces but through vibrant congestion.
For Condenast Traveler US on Goa
Once a hippie haven where even India's tightly chaperoned teens could turn on, tune in, and drop out, Goa has lately gone upscale. Living in a trading port for the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and Europeans meant that Goans were forced to interact with the outside world far earlier than the average Indian. This has made them friendly but not overly curious about foreigners.
For Condenast Traveler US on Scuba Diving
I don't want to write about this place. Few people know of it; fewer still visit. Perhaps that's the way it should be. In this rapidly shrinking world, there ought to be somewhere that remains remote, even obscure; set apart in space and time; offering the promise of mystery, the romance of discovery. Lakshadweep—the name comes out in a sigh.
For Condenast Traveler US on bargaining
The thought occurred as I eyed a stunning Persian carpet in a downtown Manhattan shop. The Mogul-inspired piece looked terrific but cost thousands more than I wanted to pay. The smile on the manager's face suggested that he was willing to bargain. But where to begin? Middle age brings with it the sobering realization that you can actually learn something from your mother.
For Condenast Traveler US on Cambodia and Laos
Cambodia is like a lotus bud concealing an onion—serene on the surface but eliciting tears as you peel back the layers. The scale of the Angkor temples contrast with the photos of skulls in the Genocide Museum. The peace of a Buddhist monastery gives way to the raucous din of tuk–tuks. I am in Cambodia to meet a monk and to travel the Mekong.