The Meraki Tales

“If dreams were made of stone, it would be Hampi.” The magical temple town greets you with ruins spread across a large expanse of land. Cradled between mountains on one side and the mighty Tungabhadra river on the other, states the strategic motive behind it. As far as your sight can reach you see a very vibrant and unique landscape. Huge stone boulders, pale yellow in colour, of different sizes and shapes stacked randomly contrasting with the greenery around. Slowly the architecture comes into focus as it is so subtly merges with the landscape around. You are reminded of what […]

It was in a library that I first came across this magical book called ‘Invisible Cities’ by Italo Calvino in the classics section. Little did I know it was going to be the most exciting read of my life. The story begins with Kublai Khan- a Chinese ruler who senses that the end of his empire is near and calls for its news. In response to this Marco Polo, a Venetian explorer and merchant, narrates the stories of various cities in his empire to his host. Throughout the book there was never a dull moment. The vast palette of imagination […]

Today I thought of an interesting metaphor. Ever wondered why plastic isn’t good for our environment? The answer is simple – because it doesn’t degenerate. It’s something we can produce in abundance, but something which is very difficult to recycle or destroy. Hence it is unhealthy. Now, apply the same logic to tradition, religion or even a thought. If it doesn’t change or progress over time, it is unhealthy. Everything that comes to life has to die; only then will the cycle function properly. This is in opposition to our mentality as humans. We always want things to last, continue […]

Every time I look at my soul which now I have engraved on my body in the form of a sign reading “infinitely free”, I end up questioning myself if I am really free. Considering the life long relationship I have had with myself and with all the trust and faith involved I can’t lie to myself. That’s when I realize I’m not free. In fact lately I’ve been very troubled to see myself struggling to move ahead with a heavy burden. I’m tired, exhausted and I can’t see things clearly. If I would want to make it clearer I […]

Today as I go shopping with my girlfriends totally unplanned I spot a beautiful dress on display at the store. My heart jumps with excitement and I am instantly drawn to it. In my mind I have already bought it and matched it up with a pair of sandals and my favorite accessories. It is almost like love at first sight. Without even looking at the price tag or trying it on, I already want it. With my excitement at the brim I quickly find my size and run towards the trial room dying to try the dress on…and what […]

‘SOULMATE’ –it’s a word which seems simple and nice to hear. But finding one is apparently quite difficult a task. Somehow everyone you come across is looking for one. But why is it so hard to find one? Are we looking in the right places? Are we looking in the right direction? Or, more importantly, do we really know what the word soulmate signifies? When you ask people around you regarding what they feel about the concept of a soulmate, most of them will say something like, “A soulmate is that one perfect match or love who completes you and […]

There is that moment in one’s life, when you neither look back and repent or regret, nor do you look forward and expect. You just push all these thoughts away and continue living the present moment.“Why did I have to do this?”, “why did that happen?”, “what if that would not have happened?” – seem like unimportant thoughts, just like background noise.Similarly, questions like, “will it ever happen?”, “is it the right thing to do?”, “will I still be happy?”, seem like petty things. I have always thought of that moment, just like they show in movies – when everything […]

I wonder where it all went. Did time wear it out? I don’t know. But the evidence that is left back is daunting. It is a proof to a greater reality that existed once upon a time. The cold breeze, the buzzing sound of a bee and the loud silence makes me question; what must have been the scenario then? The space might have been physically destroyed to a large extent but the soul in it still exists, like it always does. Soon everything comes to life, the way it was back then. Time stops and I am caught back […]

I have been hooked to a movie series for the past two days in such a way that I ended up watching all the three parts over this period. After such an experience, it so happens that it becomes really hard for us to believe that all what we see is in the movie, and that the people we feel are so real are just actors doing their job. It couldn’t be less true. We get involved in the experience in such a way that we forget everything else. We enter a world of fantasy and we become one with […]

Today I sit with a paper and a pencil, and without any second thought begin to draw several lines on it. They cut the plane of the paper and divide it into several smaller planes. By the time I finish I note that from the point I started till the point I ended, there seems to be no connection anymore. With a sigh I begin to relate it to my life. My life is my paper. I can draw whatever I feel like and if needed I can paint it too. The canvas is infinite and so are the possibilities. […]