Magic Moments

   a story of friendship, passion for research, a life cut short  There are several quotes in this book that touched me, held true, audaciously. The cover is beautiful – and was the first thing that drew me to this novel. Next was the blurb – a female friendship, one of them missing in the Himalayas, societal expectations and female angst/rage. It is a novel of self-reflection, of friendship, of male chauvinism, and a search for explanation to the mystery. At 25 pages mark I wanted to write pages on my life and my best friend. I didn’t, except annotate at places, and kept reading. It is divided into 3 parts – Mansi’s POV, Bhaskar’s and Tara’s POV. Tara is missing for weeks, and Mansi finally gathers courage to leave her life with her husband, in laws, work – taking a short sabbatical – to trace Tara’s whereabouts, if not for a glimmer of hope for her survival, for absolution of her own guilt. She shuts herself for days in Jora, spacing out watching the TV, and sleeping in...

I do not want to renew my domain. Magic-moments.in. A URL I had long associated with my blog, but it’s an unnecessary expense I feel now that I am not regularly writing. It is not that important to me anymore. What’s more important now is to have a writing routine, practice typing words done daily, with a goal of a wordcount, and hone them on stipulated days, polished enough to publish as an essay or blog. It’s not content churning but a healthy habit of articulating well through my existing vocabulary while also learning new ones. New ways of seeing. Making and cultivating my own voice. Be it clauses after clauses, never-ending, or simple crisp details, several full stops in a single line. As my reading has grown over the years to be more diverse, my writing has not. It has rather degraded back to the rudimentary level of decades past, I feel. Books I choose to read these days have depth, make me reflect, take the pen and scribble in my journal, or type on Substack or here. Apart fr...

  Love. I have read a few books in the genre, but the number is fewer than those in mystery and thriller genre. But I have watched enough movies and shows to recommend it. I list down below few of my latest favorite shows on love, relationship and romance – it encompasses everything – the highs and lows of a relationship, the intricacies of sharing space, trust issues, care-taking, all with love at its core. It’s the adult version of love, along with the teenage version of butterflies in the stomach, and the anticipation. First Love: The Japanese web series was released on Netflix sometime last year. I watched in almost entirely while travelling - flights to Pune from Bengaluru, to Bhubaneshwar from Pune and train journey to Keonjhar from Bhubaneshwar. It was a roller coaster of emotions. The story goes back and forth from 1990s and 2000s. A cute little teenage romance brews between the high schoolers - boy, Namiki, and the girl, Noguchi. The fresh brush of first love. It i...

A girl thinking When I read, it is like being a voyeur. Bearing witness to someone’s deepest fears, overwhelming emotions, untold miseries, memories held dear, and secrets long buried. It is for a few hours that I wear their skin, reside in their world, see through their eyes and feel through their words on the page. It is almost reimagining a different life. And many a times it makes me think – my own life, rethink my views, revisit my old memories. On Earth We are Briefly Gorgeous - I thought of my grandfather while reading about Little Dog and his white grandfather Paul. That time when we traveled to Nayagarh in the night bus from Rayagada, few months after the birth of my sister. I had some school holidays – durga puja vacations perhaps – so elders suggested I enjoy my vacation with cousins at Nayagarh, while my mother could rest awhile after her delivery with one less person to care after. I had munched fryums, sev, and coca cola, deliriously happy travelling without my parents, ...

  There is a solace in mastering the art of being content and satisfied in one’s life. Finding pleasure and satisfaction in simple things in one’s routine life – a day of reading, a good show, a stroll in the nearby public park, a visit to the temple, the joy of having prasad, or just vegetable shopping from the nearby vendor once in a while without ordering it via the 10 minute app. Or just cooking simple hearty meals at home for your loved ones. “Never Settle” – this adage never rung true to me. Being ambitious is good, for those who want it – but being satisfied in the present too is a life hack. An essential life skill. There is always a need to slow down. I want to be able to afford a slow life. Money wise, yes but also mentally, emotionally. Slow down sometimes with my family. Have good food, from fresh produce. Grow a kitchen garden. Books. Or just be with my thoughts, daydreaming without my phone in reach. Is dwindling ambition to soar professionally is necessarily a bad ...

The blank page seems daunting. Even for jotting down the highs and lows of this year- 2024. But try I will. It’s been long I have blogged just for the sake of blogging, not for a sponsored book review, not for a blog hop, just plain and simple purpose of curating my thoughts. I saw the archives and seems I just posted 5 posts this year. Well, motherhood and mood swings have taken away most of the zeal and enthusiasm from me, and the low readership of the blog does for the rest. All me-time goes to binge watching K-drama while I should be catching up on my sleep schedules. I had the luxury of reading though, through thick and thin. And I managed to clear few interviews and get offer letters and resign at my current company, though I am yet to get onboarded.  We traveled quite a bit with family too. Huge win. And our home couldn’t be more disheveled as it is lively currently with an active toddler who is a few months shy of speaking. So, it’s a cycle of cuddling, throwing, spitting, ...

    Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins India (25 May 2024) Language ‏ : ‎ English Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages Genre : Psychotherapy / Non fiction Buy At : Amazon   About the Book Dive into a transformative journey with Neha Bhat, the insightful mind behind @indiansextherapist on Instagram, as she fearlessly tackles the intricacies of sex, sexuality, trauma and shame in her groundbreaking book, Unashamed. In a society that often hushes discussions on the most fundamental aspects of human existence, Neha invites readers to explore the uncharted territories of their own desires. With a unique blend of empathy, humor, reflection and unwavering expertise, she dismantles the stigma surrounding sexuality, in turn, asking readers to embrace the full spectrum of their desires without reservation. Unashamed delves deep into the psychological landscape of shame, unraveling the roots that bind individuals and communities to outdated norms. Through engaging anecdotes, rel...