I just returned recently from two weeks in Thailand and Cambodia with one of my daughters. On the way home, a young man sitting by me on the airplane mentioned that he had not traveled much by plane in his life. He asked if I was more experienced, and I mentioned some of the traveling (and living) I have one overseas. He asked me a question that still has me thinking: “Why do you travel so much?” So today in my column I will answer his question. Gustave Flaubert, a…
Read MoreI started living my life to my highest potential: Malini Ramani, fashion designer-turned-yoga guru This New Year, we start a column on people whose life has been transformed by walking the spiritual path I’ve been learning yoga since I was six years old. My mother had gifted a children’s yoga book and I started experimenting with fun poses. The journey from being a learner to a teacher of yoga has changed my life. It was in 2006 that I turned to spiritual yoga – more meditative. The transformation from a…
Read MoreEven when your garden is filled with a crop of sprouting grass, as ours is at this point in the season, you can still teach your children some of the basic principles of food production. Hard work, the complementary gifts of soil and water, and the disappointment of seeds that never produce food also yield valuable lessons. As parents, one of the most fundamental opportunities we can pass on to our children is that of experiential learning. Life is best lived hot (the beating noonday sun) or cold (the icy…
Read MoreI love festivals. Unabashedly so. The anticipation, dressing up, the traditions involved, the food (oh the food!!) and absolutely anything and everything about festivals. I dress like the demure Indian bride on Karwachauth, have my tree up every Christmas and love tossing popcorns into the bonfire on Lohri. But most of all, I love the month of Diwali. The period between Dussehra and Diwali is my favourite time of the year. The vibe of the Capital city changes completely. It is the month when the weather (thankfully) is sublime, there…
Read MoreBollywood star Hrithik Roshan says he has gone through a lot of ups and downs in his personal life and been through depression, but it is something which should not be stigmatised. The “Bang Bang!” star says issues relating to mental health must be spoken casually and not as if it is something which can’t be cured. “I’ve been through my ups and downs. I have experienced depression, I have experienced confusion, as we all do. It’s a very normal thing. We should be very casual about it when we…
Read MoreHave you looked at the mirror and hated what you saw? Now increase that self-loathing a 100 times and add panic to it…that’s what I was like few months back. I hated my nose, pimples, skin… I hated looking at my reflection whether in a shopping mall or at home. I would wash my hands and face constantly. The only saving grace was that I looked better at night. At night, at some angles, with my hair done a certain way, I looked alright. I know that for a fact…
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