From Deepa's Desk

As if life was not tough enough, we had to complicate it even more by being hard on ourselves. Today's journaling prompt asks me to introspect the ways in which people are generally harsh on themselves, and what kind of support can we offer to ourselves to take it easy. Feeling like we are not doing/being enough: There must be very few people who feel contented and satisfied with what they are or with their work. Majority of the people battle self-criticism, always rebuking themselves for not trying enough, or for not being more. The most difficult person to satisfy or please is oneself. It is always toughest to silence our own mind's criticism! None of us has it easy in life, and yet we are coping with the situations to the best of our abilities. Sometimes we choose an unconventional coping mechanism that might feel strange or unfamiliar to many, but works wonderfully for us. To each one, their own! I feel we judge ourselves much more than we judge others, and we do not forgiv...

  Dear friend, I know that we have drifted apart. We are in touch, but we are not connected anymore. We are in chat-groups, sending forwarded memes but there is no longer a moment of shared laughter between us. I do not know where we went wrong. Ours was a friendship that started much before mobiles came into existence. We did not need an external source to stay connected. We grew up together, spent most of the day with each other and had no secrets between us. We enjoyed the phase of childhood, went through the trials and tribulations of teenage, experienced the nerves of exams and results and shopped for each other’s marriage together. We cribbed to each other about our jobs. I cannot say the exact point of time when we parted ways. New responsibilities took over. Social life became non-existent. I find it strange that when more modes of communication came into our lives, we had already drifted apart. Today I feel old, friend. Life has become one endless cycle of work a...

Yesterday I, my husband and my kid visited the newly inaugurated Lake Front Park in Hyderabad and it was a wonderful experience. The entry fee is Rs.50 per adult and Rs.10 per child. The park has been built over 10 acres of land bordering the Husain Sagar Lake. There are wonderful walkways connecting several parts of the park. We were treated to really beautiful views of the Husain Sagar, the huge Indian Flag that holds a place of honour in the lake, the enormous statue of Lord Buddha who has a separate island amidst the lake and last but not the least, the majestic Secretariat building and a towering statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar. Needless to say, the park is a heaven for photographers! Also, the gentle breeze that blows in the evening and the beautiful views serve as a treat for the nature-deprived souls from the city. As the evening progressed and the sky gradually started darkening, we got treated to a stunning sunset that painted the sky in hues of purple and pink. The purple s...