MellowDrama

The Secret Life of Debbie G is the story of a teen girl named Soundarya. Her family and friends of course make for the rest of the cast of characters. But that is not the information that would want you to pick this book up and zip through it. Vibha Batra and Kalyani Ganpathy have created #agraphicnovel that is a coming of age story.  The book is very important in the number of topics it manages to bring to the fore. The writer and the illustrator have dared bring the topics generally swept under the carpet, out into the open.  What's more, with Debbie G's help and with that of the social media they have laid these bare and out in the open for everyone to pick up and examine with a lens of their choosing. Still, as you progress with the story you do realise that judgments are easy to pass especially at the younger lot who are just beginning to explore this world that adults before them have muddled up. As a mum of a teenager the book gave me a perspective on life as a teen in ...

I have always known that the respect in any relationship matters utmost. There are other things like being seen and heard that are mandatory for a relationship to thrive but here are some ways I have realised to see it in simpler tangible things. Whatever the nature of relationship might be- romantic or platonic.  1. It should make you feel good about yourself. Very important. Non negotiable. Absolutely. 2. Also I don't think there is an accusatory tone in a healthy relationship 3. I think it should give you aspiration, some inspiration and not hold you back from wanting and expressing what you think you are Some seriously good stuff from The Angry Therapist 1. Healthy feels like safety  2. You having the ability to express yourself and nothing is taken away. There are no consequences. 3. Held not grabbed 4. Supportive, encouraging and CHAMPIONING your story 5. Helps connect you to yourself 6. It should not hold you back from wanting something because you should be able to wan...

 To be loved means to be seen as existing.  My friend Ruchi had shared a clip from Thich Nhat Hanh's interview being conducted by Oprah Winfrey in which I heard these words for the first time. It was a couple of years ago.  As soon as I heard him say this my whole world sort of lit up.  I have always struggled with the idea of love. I have never found a satisfactory answer from people who claim or who I have known to be in love. I have had this conversation with Ruchi also and I don't know if this in any way contributed to her sending me this particular message but despite our discussions on purpose, authenticity, love, karma- I have my doubts. Well, anyway. So back to love. I think I was set on this search for meaning of love, quite unwittingly by my younger sister. We were small kids in a village in Himachal Pradesh living the life that could only be imagined via Blyton's books. One day after being scolded by either of the parents she went on to stand on the extend...