Love thy plants

We have a daily ritual in the evening where my mother-in-law takes the practice of Geeta Adhyaay (lesson) from my son and then narrates a story to him. This happens via WhatsApp Video call almost every day. Yesterday she recounted a story to him, and I was also nearby and happened to listen to it. I was so moved by it that I decided to write about it on my blog. It also brought tears to my eyes, and then in the evening, I happened to see a program on television about an old man who had a similar experience as described by my mother-in-law in her story. And that was a sign again, two times, I had heard about the same emotion and sentiment. How can this be?

Puzzle solving

It will be a month soon that the schools and offices and shops are closed owing to the Corona pandemic. Everyone has the same routine of getting up, having 3 meals a day, watching TV or surfing the internet, and sleeping. A few activities like baking, writing, reading, sketching, going for a short walk in the fresh air may be the activities for the few privileged ones. Still, for an average woman, it's just cooking, cleaning, and answering many questions. The man of the house is busy working on the home office model, and his help can hardly be anticipated in this new scenario.

Urja - Do not hide your light, let it shine!

If one is open to new things and if one has a passion for doing something and keeping oneself busy, life always gives you chances and opportunities to make the best of it. A similar opportunity knocked on my door, and I decided to grab it with both my hands. What exactly is the title of my blog post today, and what does Urja mean? Urja means energy, your inner light, that deep voice within which guides you to do good things to keep you happy. And that's precisely the name of our new venture, which I have started with my friend, Sarwari. It's a platform for women where we encourage and motivate them to come out of their houses and do something for themselves. I will tell you more about it as to how did we reach here and what brought Sarwari and me together in this.

Circle of life

Drawing and painting was never my forte, at least I had thought that for me. I had assumed that I was no good in this beautiful branch of Arts. There are many negative blocks in my head, and this was one of them until I decided to let go of my fears of not being able to do it or being good at it. Anagha Mahajan, my friend from Stuttgart, is a hobby painter and she is damn good at it. She is very humble and doesn't agree that she is outstanding at this art. But I consider her to be one of the budding talents in Stuttgart. She has done many exhibitions, workshops for small kids. She has recently ventured into drawing Mandalas. And that's precisely the title of my blog post, which in my view, the meaning of Mandala is.

Corona go, go corona

Everyone is at home, I am sure. Corona has managed it to slow us down, to teach us mindfulness, to enjoy the day to day routine things that were quite boring in the modern, fast-paced life. We are doing our bit to save us and others from getting the Coronavirus. India is in lockdown for 21 days, and if you observe carefully, social media is abuzz with different ideas and things that people are doing in this compulsory lockdown. Various authors are offering free story reading sessions to kids; many people are keeping themselves busy with cooking, painting, reading, and entertaining the kids.

Stay calm and fight the Corona virus!

Corona Virus has brought the whole mankind to a standstill. It has held the entire world to its ransom. From the time it was first discovered in Wuhan, China, it has claimed many lives and has literally terrorized people. Many countries are in a lockdown state, and the movement is restricted. Social gatherings are a far-off dream now. No one knows how long it will last and how long will this phase go. Every country is trying it's best to cope up with the crisis and making all the arrangements to slow down it's spread. Europe has been grappled with it too, and desperate measures are taken to curb the spread in every possible way. The schools are closed in the town, where I stay in Germany. My husband is instructed to work from home, and the institute where I teach is closed down too. Till 19th April, we all are home. We had to devise tricks and tips to keep ourselves engaged and not bang our heads against the walls out of sheer boredom.

Stop, think and act - Cook healthy, eat healthy!

I have been practicing Intermittent Fasting since July 2016, and it has given me tremendous benefits. I no longer crave food throughout the day, and I am very conscious about what I put in my mouth. I don't buy fruit juices or packaged items loaded with sugar from the supermarket. I see to it that I cook every day at home with whatever resources are available to me in Germany. I am a vegetarian, and whenever I go out traveling within Europe, the options available are cheese, vegetables, and salads. I enjoy them now as under no circumstances would I ever eat the meat that is abundantly available here without any problems. It's easy to pick up unhealthy and packaged meals from the supermarket. It saves time and energy. But what about the quality of the food that you are eating?