At first, school felt a little lonely. I have always been an introvert, and actively making friends never came easily to me. Over time, I did have a few good friends, really good friends, but for the most part, I kept to myself. I was chubby as a child, and some classmates would often call …
Gratitude: Cultivating gratitude as part of mindfulness.
“Be thankful for what you have, you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” -Oprah Winfrey What better time to write about gratitude than when the world around us seems on the brink of crumbling? The times may be turbulent, but perhaps this is …
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Echoes of the 90s: A Nostalgic Reflection
Those peaceful days without cell phones, ever-buzzing notifications, and the pressure to stay connected 24×7—yes, I am talking about the 90s. A time when our eyes were more familiar with playground dust than glowing screens, and luxury meant upgrading from a landline to a cordless phone. I lived through the 90s, and for me, it …
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The Overbridge
Pic credit: Anirban Bagui “Taratari hato, Reema (Walk faster, Reema). The 11:20 local won’t wait for you.” Baba didn’t look back. He never did. Missing a train was almost a moral failure in the Banerjee household. I followed him toward Konnagar station. The overbridge rose ahead- tall, grey, and mostly ignored. Konnagar is a small …
Makar Sankranti: A Festival Of Light, Harvest, And Hope
The new year ushers in festivities, and for many of us across India, the year truly begins with the comforting warmth of Makar Sankranti. When I was little, Sankranti meant just one thing—food. Tasty, sweet, soul-soothing food. Being a Bengali, I associated the festival with Puli Pithe more than anything else. Those soft rice dumplings …
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Educating a Girl, Educating Generations
I don’t remember how many forms I have filled out over the years.School admissions, exam registrations, scholarship portals, and college applications. Uploading documents, checking details twice, and clicking submit. For me, these were routine tasks squeezed between everyday responsibilities. For her, each form was a step closer to a life she was determined to build. …
Who Moved My Cheese? By Dr Spencer Johnson
When I was in college, my father once brought home a book from his management training. It was a thin little book titled Who Moved My Cheese? The title intrigued me instantly, and I read it in one sitting. I realised the story was a metaphor—one that spoke about our lives, our desires, and the …
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The Unexpected Twists That Shaped My 2025
Every year carries its own surprises, but 2025 gave me two plot twists I never saw coming. Each one nudged me gently, yet powerfully, into a new version of myself. They were disguised as new opportunities and endless possibilities that I didn’t fully understand at first. But as the year draws to an end, reflection …
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Book Discussion: Before the Coffee Gets Cold — A Tender Brew of Time, Regret, and Hope
When I started reading Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold, the element of magical realism kept me hooked. I wanted to understand its significance—its origin, its purpose, the whys and the hows behind it. But once I finished reading, I did not get direct answers to my curiosity. Instead, it gently revealed what that …
Welcome, December: A Month That Feels Like a Warm Hug
December brings a soft chill to the air, one that wraps the world in a quiet stillness. I have never been a big fan of winters, I feel too cold and look like an Eskimo, but still, there’s something about this month that gently warms my heart. Maybe it’s the way the temperature drops just …
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Cerebration 