Breaking the Mold: Rediscovering ‘Tamasha’ and Choosing Your Own Path

To each his own. Eight years ago, when the movie "Tamasha" was released, I watched it in the theatre and found it difficult to sit through the movie. It wasn’t because I could connect with it at a very personal level and I felt sad, but it was because I was bored to death. The …

Reasons Why Traveling Is Great for Mental Health

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”-Ibn Battuta Getting out of your home and seeing other places is one of the best ways to meet the world, but also to learn more about yourself as well. Getting away from your everyday environment is great for your stress level and your …

Poem on Depression: I’m okay

Someone told me- depression is like the Dementor in Harry Potter Series It wipes out all your happy memories It sucks away your vigor for living But to me, depression was a cruel friend that took off all those swanky masks I bought from the world in return of all the worldly adjectives I earned …

A conversation with my younger self

(Trigger Warning: Suicide) It’s a lovely morning in Bangalore. I grab a cup of coffee and climb the stairs to reach the terrace. My eyes are focused on the sky. The sky is perfect blue with gray clouds trying to cover it but blown away by strong winds. While I am enjoying this game of …

Dear Voice in My Head

Dear voice in my head Ever since I learned languages, I taught you how to put forward your opinions and take a stand. When I was a kid, I reflected you like a mirror. People used to laugh at you but adore me. When I grew up, my parents and teachers conspired against you and …

My mind is a kaleidoscope

If my mind can be a place, it is a maze Some parts are deep stinking ditches While some are fragrant bright gardens Some are as dangerous as a cliff edge While some are as benevolent as a rose bed Some are roller coaster rides to old memoirs While some are winding roads to a …

A Ray Of Hope For The Tired Soul

Every sprout is a promise to the seed Every invention is a tribute to the need Every intention welcomes a new deed Every incarnation is the birth of a creed When everything new bids farewell to old Each new day hands me memories to hold Every literature gives me thoughts to mold Every tragedy leaves …

Death

A very old poem I wrote when I was suffering from clinical depression and couldn't see any hope ahead.   They say life is not a bed of roses You say everyone goes through one But tell me, dear, for once Do you know what it is really like?   To witness life as a …

The Demon Inside Me

They say everyone has a demon to fight, I have met mine. It sits between my heart and throat, I fear if it wakes up, It won’t let me move. I fear, either it would pierce my heart open or project my inner darkness on the world. Sometimes I fight, often I lose; I sit …

Mental Health during Lockdown: Lessons I learned from my tryst with depression

How the survival skills I learned trying to combat depression is helping me survive lockdown