COMFY FOOD & NOSTALGIA

Which food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?

I don’t know when I became madly in love with one dish that my mother made. Even today when she makes that, my eyes gleam in happiness. It’s nothing but Parippu curry(Moong dal).

Let me take you through it. The parippu is very soft after cooking and the flavours are mild but well balanced.

Now imagine you have a  cut banana leaf spread over the table. Put two spoons of cooked Matta rice over it.  Make a small well in the middle of the heap of rice. Add the sizzling hot parippu to it and then add a teaspoon of ghee to it. I am salivating just by describing. Take a pappadam and break it over the parippu and mix everything well and enjoy your food.

Enough foodgasm for today; have transported me well to a lot of childhood memories.

Until I see you with another dish, later, bye.

MY WAY OF BEING SPIRITUAL

How important is spirituality in your life?

All around, I see spirituality being labelled to a particular religion or a diety but I’m not there. At a younger stage of my life, I was a great believer whose comfort and connection was with someone divine in mind. 15 years apart, I can see how I have evolved from a believer to an atheist and then to a spiritual person.

For me spiritually is an experience that feels beyond the five senses. It could differ for each person. I don’t completely believe in the existence of a god whose command dictates what happens in our life. I can’t label my spirituality to a religious experience or ritual.

Above everything it’s energy that flows between individuals and every living and non living that excites me. I can feel energy sucked out of myself when I feel sad, or betrayed . I can feel energy radiating through my smile when I’m happy. The above applies to other individuals in my view too. These are just vague expressions that are describable because what I experience and feel is beyond description.

Hence let me free myself from the general notion of spirituality and flow along the Stardust until I’m one among them.

SELF CARE and SELF LOVE

How do you practice self-care?

How would a person with low self esteem rise above the wounds that made her so? Well, I would be a walking example of that.

Today, healing has helped me in loving myself whole heartedly and caring for my body and mind equally on a regular basis. Self care involves everything you do to make your body feel genuinely loved and cared for, not  some instant dopamine rush or impulsive love.

I care for my body by taking care of its health problems, having a healthy lifestyle by exercising and having a balanced diet, taking care of skin and hair on a daily basis and acknowledging the imperfections I feel I have. Accepting your body as such without promoting either  toxic body positivity or fad diets. Being responsible for my actions and taking steps to correct those in case of mistakes is also a method of personal growth and self care.

To maintain my mental health, I journal regularly, try to exercise daily, and seek help if necessary. Avoiding toxic environments and setting boundaries with others, personally and professionally, is also a kind of self care that almost everyone struggles to achieve.

Cheers to the self love one can give to ourselves and thus can love others more truly.

Through my eyes; Dr APJ sir

Share a story about someone who had a positive impact on your life.

It was months before he became the President of India that Dr APJ Abdul Kalam sir visited our school. Being a student of ISRO’s school was a blessing and privilege, I would say.

Inspite of being a very young kid, I was very excited to have an interaction with him. Though I couldn’t ask any questions directly, I saw him respond calmly to everyone who asked him questions. That persona he left behind still radiates within my head. Each time I see a previous interview of him in TV or YouTube, I remember his presence at our school. The aura he radiated is an inspiration to be and have impacted me very positively in my life.

Kind humans radiate positive energy.

Freedom: Through my eyes

What does freedom mean to you?

Oh! I see myself as a rebel and still haven’t felt complete freedom yet.

For me freedom means the ability to do things I love to do without harming another person within the rights given as per constitution. As a woman, it means my independence to choose what I wanna pursue academically, where I want to travel, what I chose to wear and what I dream to achieve in life.

I have understood from experience that to achieve complete freedom as we dream, it’s important for one to be financially independent. It not only builds confidence and motivate but also make one less dependant on others to do what u need to.

At the same time, having freedom doesn’t mean we can hurt anyone or break any law. But in times of injustice, we can definitely peacefully fight for our rights.

In the times of war and miseries around, I absolutely find Freedom to be a privilege I have.

Everything Matters

What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?

Even the minute things around me can give me instant happiness.

Be it the  dew drops on my scooty as I unpark it for a ride to my workplace or the sight of a bird flying over the sky making patterns.

Even a small interaction with nature or people brings me joy. It may sound cliche but finding two people laughing out loud on the side of the road can make me smile too. My mother calling and telling her daily affairs can make me happy. My coworker saying good morning can make me happy.

A peaceful cup of coffee with a yummy ghee roast can make me happy.

Some materialistic, some feelings, some energies, some conversations; all can make me instantly happy.

Childhood and Balarama

What book could you read over and over again?

Oh! It’s too evident I guess. Almost every 90s malayalam kids would never get bored of reading Balarama, the weekly children’s malayalam story magazine.

I don’t know how many years, me and my brother had waited for Friday, just to grab its copy. Then it’s overall a fight , about who will read it first.Bro was very curious about books , stories, reading through pictures, even before he started reading letters and writing. He would make Amma sit and make her read it multiple times until he feels satisfied.

The Friday newspaper used to come along with a supplementary paper and then balarama, both kept inside. I wouldn’t even have the patience to check the main newspaper. I would just scramble the top papers and just grab our balarama.

Even today,even after turning 31, I wish I could read the short stories of balarama, play the small puzzles and feel refreshed , daily I guess. The millennial middle class malayali in me will be so happy.