Thanks To All My Readers !

Today, my tiny blog reached 18k views! And I must say, I'm touched that my writing has managed to reach out to readers across the world.

I had never planned on starting to write, but it so happened one day by chance; and I continued it as and when I could.  It has been a long journey. 

They say that our friends encourage us and push us when we need to be pushed. They are there with us through thick and thin and I want to thank some of my friends who have been there since the start of my blog. You guys have always told me to continue writing no matter what.

While I write, I don't plan the post much in advance. I have an idea or a topic, and I just go with the flow of it. I have always kept my writing simple and true, so that everyone can relate to it. Some of it is fiction, some parts are general views and other parts are inspired from real life.  

My readers !!!!

A big thanks to all the readers from all over the world, especially from my country India.  You guys have been very supportive and encouraging! 

If I have managed to touch even a few lives through my posts, I consider my little blog to be a success. :)  I have never written for fame or commercialization. I write for the love of writing, and my theme revolves around life.  If my readers are inspired or touched by my work then nothing makes me happier. 

I do hope to continue writing, and I do wish that all you readers continue to read my posts.  I hope I continue to brighten up, inspire and touch the emotions of my readers in the future! 

Once again, thanks guys!!!! :) Lots of love to all of you. Muaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh :) 

Just Another Story

Astha was a Tulu Brahmin and she stayed at Chennai with her family.  Astha had an elder brother who was settled in the US with his wife.  She hailed from a middle class family and was a software developer.  She was very creative and enjoyed singing in her free time. She was 29.

Amay lived in Bangalore.  He was a Tamil Brahmin and was his parent's only son.  He was a Business Analyst in a leading software company. He was also into theater during his free time. Amay also came from a simple and close knit family.  He was 31.

Astha and Amay met each other a few months ago through a common friend.  They had met just once, but decided to be in touch through whatsapp and facebook.  After sometime, they started talking over the phone, and once they would start talking, they would continue for hours. Eventually they moved to Skyping each other almost daily.

Astha had gone to Bangalore to visit her friend Rashi one weekend and also met up with Amay during this visit.  By then Amay was serious about Astha and he knew that she was the girl of his dreams.

He proposed to her that quiet sunday evening at a Chai Point outlet. There were no chocolates or big gifts, as that would become very cheesy.  Amay got Astha two roses - one yellow rose and one red rose, and a ring.  He remembered Astha tell him that it is important to be friends first in a relationship.  The yellow rose signified friendship and the red signified love.

Amay also said the following lines to her:
"You complete me. You inspire me to become better in life. I am not perfect, but I will take care of you and love you forever. I'm bad at speeches, so to cut it short, ..will you marry me?"

 Astha was a very sensitive and emotional girl and Amay's proposal made her cry of happiness.  She said a "Yes" and he hugged her tight and kissed her forehead gently. She trembled out of emotion.  He was 6 feet tall and she was just 5.2 feet.  She looked tiny next to him, but his embrace comforted her.  She felt like she belonged in his arms.  She blushed and had a shy smile on her face. Her eyes still had tears.   Astha had liked Amay since the first time they had met but she wasn't the kind of girl who would propose a guy. She was the shy kind, and so she never spoke to him about it.

Astha had to return to Chennai that very night. Amay dropped her at the station.  She was happy that Amay proposed but sad that she had to leave Bangalore. She wanted to be with him, and spend more time together.  Long distance relationships can be difficult. 

After a month, Amay and Astha decided to speak to their families about each other. They wanted to spend their lives together. The news came as a shock for both the families as they had no clue about the relationship.  Amay came from a Tamil family and Astha was Tulu. This would be the first inter community relationship in their families.  

When Astha's and Amay's families met for the first time, they got along quite well, though there was a certain amount of nervousness in both them.

The engagement happened in a simple way. Only the families and a few close friends were present. After spending some time with each other, the families realized that there were so many differences in their customs.  She was Tulu and he was a Tamilian.  The families had to communicate in Hindi and English.

In the midst of all the differences, there was something that connected both the families as well.  It was their simplicity and goodness. It was their joy in the small things of life.  And most of all it was the love between Astha and Amay. It was also the shy smile and dreamy eyes of Astha, and the happiness on Amay's face.  These things were enough for the cultural differences to be wiped off.

After a lot of confusion, and new customs, Astha and Amay got married.  They got married twice - one in the Tulu style and the other in the Tamil style. The guest list was kept small - families, close friends and some near and dear ones. 

And that is the story of Astha and Amay. 

-- The above post comes under the category 'Fiction'. Any feedback is welcome. 

A Pen and Paper

We all live a fast paced life. Life is not the way it used to be many decades ago. Many years back, life was simpler. People had more time for themselves, there was no virtual world.  People went for walks, did gardening, read more books.

Though we have progressed a lot, at times we can feel tired with the fast pace of life.  Sometimes we feel disconnected with ourselves or think where the world is rushing to.  And at times like that it is best to get back to basics. Writing down our thoughts as they come in the morning or before going to bed is a great exercise. This process is also called as Journaling and has been around since ages. It doesn't require any extra stuff. All we need is paper and a pen.

When we write, we need to go with the flow. Write the thoughts as they come. Don't control or stop anything. Don't resist any thoughts and ideas. Just allow it to come out onto the paper. Sometimes, we will not know where to start, and at times like this we just need to write whatever comes to our mind first. And allow the words to flow out without us judging ourselves.  We will sometimes have a lot to write - many pages, ideas and inner dialogue. Or at times a couple of pages will suffice.

Whatever it is, just let it be. And once we are done, we should read what we wrote. In the middle of all the extra words and thoughts, we might find some valuable insights about ourselves.

This practice is useful for getting into the state of mindfulness, where we let out what is going on in the mind to make space for new ideas and thoughts. Journaling has proven benefits for stress relief, calming the mind, and getting into a state of being in the present moment. It is also regarded as a form of meditation, just like Zen doodles.

This was practiced by ancient monks and bright minds long ago. Older generations also wrote regularly. It is only with the advent of phones and computers that we lost touch with this practice.

Journaling is gaining a lot of importance now as people are realizing the benefits of this practice.  So those of you who haven't written in a long time, go grab a dairy or sheets of paper and a pen and get scribbling!