Most self-help advice for any anxious, depressed, or anyone going through some mental trauma revolves around rewiring your brain. "X steps to fix your mood forever." Although well-intentioned, they all seem to skip a critical step. In order to rewire your brain, you first need to identify exactly when your brain is spiraling out of control. Often by the time you realize that you are feeling anxious or overwhelmed, it has already triggered so many things that it's hard even to pinpoint what you were stressed about. We all know the …
A day in the life of a newbie solo traveller
On my first solo trip to Kashmir, I wanted to go for a day or two hikes in Gulmarg/Pahalgam. But the weather had suddenly become quite cold (~Zero degree Celsius at night) and I didn’t have appropriate winter clothing. Contemplating between whether or not to buy all the winter gear and then a hard look at my overpacked suitcase took a while and by the time I stepped out, it was already 12 pm. And as luck would have it, the sun was blazing hot after 4 days of gloomy, cold, and rainy weather. I had seen a hot air balloon while crossing …
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Yahan Sukoon he..
Early morning conversations during dal lake shikara ride. Chacha, is poore pahad me light kyun lagi hui he? Yahan koi famous night trek hota he kya?Nahi, ye Military Cantonment area he.Oh, yahan pe ja sakte he?Nahi, civillians allowed nahi he. Aur, vo doosra pahad? Ukse upar kya he? Mandir?Haan, vo Shanakracharaya ka mandir he. Bohot famous he.Acha, vahan se dal lake dikta he?Shayad. Me kabhi gaya nahi.Kyon? Aap to yahin rehte ho. “Sundar to sab hi he. Jahan he vahin ka luft lete he.” He replied looking at the mesmerizing sunrise from dal …
From Cacti Killer to Gardener
This quote hits home. I’ve tried growing plants a couple of times. And I’ve killed all of them - every single time. I’m talking about killing - Aloe vera and cactus, also known as the king and queen of the most indestructible plants on every gardening list. After a while, I ran out of excuses for blaming external factors like bad weather, bad plants, bad soil, etc. but still didn’t want to publicly admit that maybe gardening is not my thing. Every once in a while, I would tell Hari, let’s get only a few plants, this time it will …
Books & Me
Even before I learned to read/write, books were my sanctuary, my safe haven. The former years of my childhood were spent in a big Marwari joint family. My mom was almost always in the kitchen. She would make a circle of magazines and books around me and make me sit in the center. Even if she was occupied for hours at a stretch, I would keep turning every single page of those magazines patiently and make my way from start to finish of the circle. I think I was around 1-2 yrs old at the time. She was sometimes late in giving me food but even if I …
Why Kashmir is my happy place?
Kashmir became my home in just one visit. And almost the whole of it is because of these people. I went on a solo trip to Srinagar and stayed with Insha and her beautiful family for 6 nights. I've never stayed/seen such a huge property and also lived with a joint family. The place is stunning with big rooms, wi-fi, power backup, a fully equipped kitchen, open grasslands of the size of the mansion, an orchard, a cave, and even a water stream opening to dal lake. I was greeted very warmly by everyone. Aunty (Insha’s …