Life Inspires

In 2010, I was working with one of the most sought-after software companies not only in India, but in the world - Adobe. I liked the company, and I was doing pretty well professionally. I was an outlier when it came to being hired by Adobe - I wasn't an engineer or even an MCA when I applied in 2003. But my growth in the company had been quite steady. I was happy and content, but then suddenly my passion came calling. It struck like lightning and after that I never had any doubts in my mind. I knew that was what I wanted to do, and I knew it would work. I knew that the journey after that moment would be completely new and would surprise me at every step, but I also knew that I would do anything for this. I wanted to pursue my childhood passion of writing. And also help others pursue it. I went to the Newcastle University , Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK to pursue an MA in Creative Writing, and got a chance to learn from some of the best tutors in the world. I visited places where s...

A couple in love dancing together People offering to let old people go first in the queue A baby flashing an instant smile at me Decorated Christmas trees People carrying shopping bags, talking to each other, and laughing Emails from friends that are more like letters Facebook updates British people gathering in large numbers to enjoy Community Diwali fireworks Dark,winding passages in old forts Wild streams flowing in dense forests

Yesterday, my nephew, Nishant, became 4 months old. Ever since he was born, I have seen my sister change. As usual, there have been wakeful nights, tiresome days, and unending baby demands. When the baby was not dirtying his nappies, he was crying for feed. After having his fill, he was again dirtying his nappies. No doubt it was tiring. His sleep cycle keeps changing. When his parents are up, he is asleep and when they want to sleep, he wakes up. On the whole, it is very interesting. I visited them on the last weekend. A visit to their place cheers me up a lot. So whenever I feel I could use some rest emotionally, I end up at their place. Anyway, this time I saw something so beautiful that I realized that my sister is a new person altogether. It was a busy day at their place and by the time my sister got some free time to take a bath, it was almost noon. After bathing Nishu, she put him to sleep and went to take her bath. She had just entered the bathroom when Nishu woke up and starte...

As usual, we were stuck in a mini-jam at the red light near my office today morning. Me and my husband were looking around and making intellectual observations about things around while our car crawled through the traffic. Down the road, some meters ahead of us, we noticed laborers pushing a cement-mixing machine on the side-walk. Those of you who know what I mean by a cement-mixing machine will picture it as a circular container suspended on bars with huge wheels. Cement along with other material is put inside this circular container and the container is rotated to mix the cement properly. It is not a light contraption; on the contrary, it seems quite heavy. These laborers were moving quite fast. They were actually running behind the machine while pushing it with their hands. One laborer was pulling it from the front. "I wonder why they are moving so fast," My husband wondered. "They must be in a hurry," I suggested. "But this machine must be heavy and difficu...