Author: Rhea

Last evening we had a singing soiree , with my teacher who I am learning Sufi singing from, and a few friends, It was one of the most joyful situations, and yet deep down I felt waves of sadness and strange rumbling in the pit of my stomach and my skin still feels like it is on fire. Somewhere she mentioned the nazm that we had learnt a few months ago, it was the first time I heard it – and yet even then I had broken down. That time we were in the thick of the Israel Palestine war.…

Dictionary defines it as, the medieval forerunner of chemistry, concerned with the transmutation of matter, in particular with attempts to convert base metals into gold or find a universal elixir – Or a ‘seemingly’ inexplicable or mysterious transmuting. Alchemy is form of speculative thought that has the power to transform. Their secretive experiments, usually involved heat and the mixing of liquids. It roots also corresponds to astrology, which is apparently an older tradition. Both – Alchemy and Astrology represent attempts to discover the relationship of man to the cosmos and to explore that relationship to his benefit. All this I kind…

I woke up to a message from my friend, Rajesh – “You are Blessed”. I felt blessed by those words. They lingered much like the aroma of my morning coffee and my mind went to Magic. I wondered what that feeling meant. Abracadabra !!! Does not matter which culture, language we know this term. “Abracadabra” spells Magic. The code word for magic to happen. It’s a word that fascinates many. We love Magic, even when we pretend we don’t. Harry potter is a proof. As children and adults, Magic has such a pull. As kids we were in awe and…

I could not find my wallet, yesterday. I generally don’t lose things, so this already was signally something to me. I must not be fully present. I traced my steps back several times mentally of course but I just couldn’t find. I searched the house. There was a little search party that happened. Nothing. But I still didn’t feel as if it was lost. Yet I couldn’t find it. There was a difference in I can’t find it and I lost it. One is describing a present continuous tense the other, a past tense. One leaves you with hope the…

Last three days have been an emotional roller coaster. Some realizations, things held unspoken, encountering some shadows, some grief that collied with celebration, or because of it. And I feel exhausted. My eyes are tired. On an impulse as I was coming home in a rickshaw and it started to rain, I put my head out and looked at the sky with eyes wide open. Mostly for the rain water to go into my eyes and felt I would get relief. It was way better than rose water. Very quickly the expressions on the faces of passerby cars made me…

Today is my Sons Birthday. This day 25 yrs ago, both he and I became free. Both of us unboxed. Both of us were new to the role. Both of us are learning and teaching each other about this role, even till this day. I didn’t become a mother and he didn’t become a son. We are both learning and becoming and the process I suspect will continue. Just like our country today continues to learn at 75 how to be a people, a country. Happy independence journey Yesterday, a simple banter following a friends doodle, on being happy by…

I have declared, much to the annoyance of some of my friends, that in my next life, I want to be a bird. And I don’t think I am alone in this wish. We have always envied birds their wings. We keep creating angels, superheroes, paper rockets and not to forget avian-human hybrids have been fixtures of myth, legend, science and art. Why, I wonder. Where I live, I am privileged to have at least 15 different species with wings around me. And it is fascinating to watch, sometimes also scary. I have been quite fascinated by the sunbirds, humming…

I watched, The ship of Theseus, this intense amazing movie, that for some reason I had missed. And I landed on the Theseus Paradox. (pronounced Thee-see-us – there is a reason I am putting the pronunciation, those of you who have seen the movie will probably see it ) The experience is churning me and I can still feel the heat the restlessness. It has brought up something very core, a question that has been simmering inside me, a dilemma, an almost ancient pain. Which for me is not concept but an experience. Where do I end and the environment…

I came across this film on Vimeo, Granny Power. It is about the Raging grannies movement. (My friend who sent it got so excited, she send it while she was watching – Thank god for friends) The Raging Grannies, are activist organizations in many cities and towns in the United states, Canada etc. They are social justice activist, all women old enough to be grandmothers, fighting for a just world for their grandchildren dress up and sing songs at protests. They use their life lessons, time, freedom to just be – using songs, humour, audacious truthful statements to change the world.…

A friend sent me an article about an amazing idea in Naples, where the railing on a gazebo has braille description of the view for the blind. So brilliant and inclusive I thought. And he wrote, ‘Why does the world shy away from replicating great ideas everywhere?’ – This conversation and the pain in that tone, stayed with me – why indeed !!! I think the culprit is the notion of “Original” . The unfortunate thing about originality, is that nothing is truly original. Including this statement. The grave of many artists, is dug by the search and wait for the…