From Deepa's Desk

When was the last time you did something for the first time? My travel diary displays this prompt for me right on the first page.  The diary has been gifted to me by my sister. Needless to say I am already obsessed with it, to this extent that I have started writing on it using a pencil so that I can erase my mistakes and not leave any trace on the beautiful pages of the diary. Yeah, I am weird that way. Deal with it.  Anyway, I digress. Back to the prompt.  Well, I do not really remember what I did for the first time and when. (It has got nothing to do with age). But I am going to do something after a very long time, something that I had decided never to do again. I am going to board a flight tomorrow. Was it that anti-climactic!?!? I could FEEL your disappointment, people!  I will explain. It has been around seven years since I last boarded a flight. It was from Coimbatore to Hyderabad. The flight experienced some turbulence. While it was not my first tryst with tu...

Welcome to the delightful and chaotic world of Mrs.Choudhary and her motley crew of non-humans (and some humans too). She is the first to run to the rescue of any non-human in need (much to the chagrin of her family which is already dealing with an introvert tortoise, two cats with different personalities, a lizard, a parrot that spews every word that comes his way and a dog named Happy). The latest to join her rescue mission is a tiny bird in dire need of assistance. Mrs.Choudhary's maternal instincts click in as she gets emotionally invested in the bird - feeding her home-made nectar, researching about her species and giving regular updates about her latest rescue on her social media profile. Amidst rescue missions, preventing flower-thefts in her society and attending to her duties as a budding writer, Mrs.Choudhary's life is filled with chaos. But the thing about chaos is, it also allows for moments of calm, and in these moments, Mrs. Choudhary finds a part of herself that ...

Neel Khanna is an IT professional working in the corporate sector and reeling under the impact of reports and deadlines. He finds himself in a hurry most of the times and is quite stressed. He takes comfort in spending his time at a cozy cafe named Cappuccino and Code which is run by his friend Aarohi. One day, as he sits at his usual table in the cafe, he is greeted by Elle, an AI assistant programmed by Aarohi, who talks to him from a tablet kept at his table.  It starts as a normal conversation but soon turns into a hilarious debate as Elle hits Neel with classy sarcasm and doesn't hesitate to put him down. Neel starts enjoying his conversations with Elle and soon finds himself thinking more and more about AI assistance.  Neel introduces AI in his work, much to the wonderment of his colleagues. The book gradually shows the impact and role of AI in shaping the modern society.  The narrative is quite breezy and simple. The discussions between Neel and Elle are hilarious ...

The Timeless Triad - Mystery Of The Secret Magic Lakes in Kelimutu by Lakshmi Ajoy Available as paperback and also in Kindle edition Ranpalee, Rajin and Manil - three adventurous friends feel the call of three mystical lakes of Kelimutu in Flores Island. When they visit the place, they come to know that there is an imbalance in the aura of the lakes, and it falls upon the three curious wanderers to make it all right. As they set off on a quest, they realise that it was never only about righting the imbalance in the lakes but also about inner reflection, facing some harsh truths about themselves and finally transforming into the glorious selves that they were destined to be. The narrative is extremely beautiful. Lakshmi's description brings the places to life. Lakshmi's writing style is elegant and graceful. There is a deep sense of calm while reading the book. Even though there is an element of adventure in the narrative, it has been presented in a way that both entices and soo...

Have you ever come across a book that feels like it has been written for you? This is one such book. I will start the review with an excerpt from the last chapter of this book. Most books end by telling you what to take with you. This one will not. Nothing new was given here. No belief to carry. No practice to repeat. No identity to adopt. Only a mistake was questioned. If something loosened while reading, it was not created by these pages. It was already present. The words only interrupted a habit. The said habit being, believing that 'I' am the doer. This is also the mistake referred to in the above paragraph. The whole of the book stresses on only one point that basically, we are not the doers.  It doesn't try to solve the mystery of who is, then. It doesn't preach any practice. It doesn't pertain to any one particular religion, although many facets of Shaivism are mentioned. It just advocates a way of belief - to detach, to not to stick to thoughts or events and...

Why a fox,  you wonder? In the words of the author, 'If Zen ever decided to play tricks, it would likely wear a red tail. The fox is clever. Mysterious. It shows up when you are not looking, then vanishes when you reach for it.' Like all the other books of Kai, this too has 33 short zen-centric stories. A monk sets up camp in a forest, wanting to live in solitude. Except, he finds he is never really alone.  Sometimes, a flash of a red tail. Sometimes a pawprint. Sometimes a half-eaten fruit. Sometimes a giggle. The fox reveals itself to him little by little. With every glimpse and encounter with the fox, something inside the monk shifts and transforms.  Not much happens in the stories yet they are wholesome. Most of them have open endings, urging the reader to reflect and learn from the story. However every chapter is serene and soothing to read. The elusive and mysterious fox will hold your attention and keep you engaged throughout the book. The monk, with his silent sol...