From Deepa's Desk

It has been a week since I uninstalled FB app from my mobile. I log in once or twice in a day through my laptop, either to post a blog or to refer to my reading and writing groups. I did post a snap two days ago to promote a new plot I have started on.  I could re-discover many of my hobbies that got left behind in the course of following reels. I reconnected with online crossword, an activity that I thoroughly enjoy. I started reading articles from Speaking Tree, a column of TOI that I used to eagerly look forward to every day. I have been trying to get started on newspaper reading but haven't had any success in getting a paper delivered to the area where I live. I hope to get it started soon.  I caught up with my habit of doing some warm-up exercises and Yoga. I read some good books. I even watched a TV series and loved it. I spent some time with the kid assisting him in his summer activities for the school. I also updated my cooking blog site after a long time. All in all, ...

Today was the second day of having uninstalled FB app from my mobile.  I did log into FB from my laptop to post a book review and then to check my writing group for updates. But that was it. Uninstalling FB has brought in several unpleasant realizations.  Firstly, the reels were taking up almost 80% of my day. 80%! I myself was amazed at everything I could do today which I would have postponed or procrastinated if the dreadful reels were there.  To start with, I could finish a story that I had begun ten days ago. Not just that, I could also edit and submit it to my writer's group. While I was writing only 500 words every day, today I could write three times more than that and brought the total word count of the story to 5k. I got so excited that I shared the word count of the story as my status in WA. (WA is allowed. It's not as addictive as reels!).  I could get some cleaning done. I also did some exercises. I got started on reading a new book and also started makin...

Today, on a whim, I decided to take a major step.  I uninstalled FB from my mobile. Now you may think there's nothing remarkable about this. May be. But it's a big deal for me. You see, I am a homemaker. Most of my entertainment and social life exists only because of my virtual avatar in FB. I am an introvert in the non-virtual world and an extrovert in the virtual world. FB became the place where the extrovert-me found people to hang out with, have conversations, share mutual interests and become a part of a tribe.  I lost myself in the virtual world. There was always something to post, something to be commented upon, some photos to be liked and loved and what not… And let us not get started on the story-sharing. Whatever I came across in the Social media and liked, I had to share that as a Story in my FB profile. Then I would check how many viewers the story has gathered. I would check how many comments my post has got. I never realized that everything had gradually be...

Can I really call it summer when monsoon is already making its presence felt?! One fine morning, I woke up to a dark sky overcast with clouds. Just like that, monsoon had arrived with a bang! Of all the seasons, rainy is my favorite. That, rain falls from the sky and brings fresh life to earth is nothing short of a miracle for me. I love petrichor and wish we had the ability to bottle it. This year's summer passed by in a brutal heatwave. So rains are all the more welcome. But I know that I will miss summer. I will miss the excited chirping of the birds during early summer mornings. I will miss the bright light of 5.30 am that can be found only during summer. There's a certain energy that summer brings with it. I usually feel like spending more time in some physical activity during Summers. I will certainly miss this energy, for very soon, cold and dark days will follow which will make me want to curl up on the sofa with a cup of coffee and a book in hand.  I will miss the summ...

At 6 in the morning we left for a walk. A cold and foggy weather greeted us. Frankly, we had not expected such cold weather in Coorg in the month of May. I, my cousin and my husband set off, rubbing our palms gleefully and basking in the chill of the morning. Narrow lanes define Coorg. Narrow lanes, beautiful and cozy cottage-style houses with mini-gardens in front of them, a dog in every house and steeply reclining roads that left is wondering how the natives walk or drive there. We could witness a magnificent sunrise on our walk. The sleepy town of Coorg was just waking up, with few natives out on a walk, some shops opening up to serve coffee and tea and vendors readying their wares for the day.  While returning my cousin had this brilliant idea of relying on GPS for a 'short-cut'. That short-cut cut short my breath as I climbed steep lanes, gasping and panting. It was an exhilarating walk of about an hour but every second was worth it.  After breakfast we left for Talakauve...

Today was a date with Nature. After a wonderful and fulfilling breakfast we left for Coorg.  Enroute Coorg, we visited a beautiful Tibetan settlement. Narrow and lovely roads with near and beautiful houses in either side, lots of greenery amidst fields with hills in the background and inside the settlement, a beautiful monastery called as the Namdroling Monastery which is also referred to as the Golden Temple - this place is a must-visit.  The monastery itself is a majestic wonder. Surrounded by nearly trimmed lawns and a manicured garden, this monastery houses beautiful idols of Lord Buddha and two other Boddhisatvas in golden hues. The place is beautifully decorated with Tibetan drawings.  Here's a humble request - When and if you visit this place, kindly maintain silence to feel the aura of the place. Inspite of several boards requesting for silence, people visiting the monastery today were at their loudest, thereby ruining the serene atmosphere of the monastery. This ...

We reached Mysuru at about 10 in the morning. The climate was a far cry from Hyderabad's. After spending about two weeks in 40+ degrees, Mysuru's 36 seemed so welcoming!  I usually try to describe a new city in a phrase or some word. The word that comes to my mind to describe Mysuru is 'gentle'. Another word is 'royal'. Everything about the city seems gentle. The people are polite and well-mannered. Mysuru still contains it regal charm of yore, with buildings resembling the majestic Mysore Palace in their construction and build.  It was 12 by the time we reached our hotel. After a leisurely bath and a scrumptious lunch, we set off for sightseeing. Having only half a day in hand, we couldn't explore the Mysore Palace but we did see it from outside. My son was fascinated with his first sight of a real palace! It stands majestic and tall, a testament to resilience.  The roads of Mysuru are a pleasure to drive on! Broad and even, they are every traveller's d...

Heat... Heat is all that exists in the world. What a day it has been! There's so much to  write but I cannot stop focusing on the heat. At 7.30 in the evening, it is still 40 degrees. I am traveling in the second AC compartment but all I can feel is the heat emanating from the resin beds, the windows and just about everything.  So we left home at 4.30 in the evening. We had to board the train from Kacheguda station at 7. One might wonder why we left at 4.30 to board a train scheduled to depart at 7. The thing is, we have a history with trains. We stand at the wrong coach and run along with the train to the right one when the train arrives at the platform. Sometimes we board the wrong compartment, argue with someone who had been sleeping, then sheepishly realise that we are the wrong party. Once we missed the train. That remains our unsurpassable feat in the whole history of traveling. Not to take any risks, we always try to leave as early as possible. Even if it means waiting ...

I stare at the suitcases in horror. How did it come to this that I packed minimum clothes yet the suitcases feel like I have packed rocks??  Then the husband comes to my rescue. 'The suitcase itself is heavy. It's not the weight of the clothes but the weight of the overall suitcase.' He declares. This puts me in a reflective mood. (Or it could be my tactic to divert my husband from seeing the amount of clothes I have packed. I will leave it upon you to decide what this was). The comment about the suitcase itself being heavy has brought an insightful realization.  Often it feels like life is a burden. But what if it isn't life, but the thoughts in our mind that are making it heavy??  We are going on a trip after a long time. Since it is the day before the trip, chaos reigns at home. I remind my husband for the umpteenth time to pack some extra shirts. 'Amma, how many times will you say the same thing? Even I am getting irritated now!" remarks my not-yet-a-teen-b...

Post this in your newsfeed! That way, you will get more readers! But, what about my blog site? A site that I lovingly created to keep record of my write-ups? What about the efforts I put into selecting its theme, cover, background, font and all? Are they more important than getting readers for your blog? I pause. My mind is on a rampage today. Ever since I decided to write something today, my mind has been suggesting that I write it as a post in FB.  Perhaps the easiest way to gain more readers is to post my write-up in the newsfeed of my FB profile, instead of writing it as a blog and sharing the link there. I scroll through my newsfeed in a moment of distraction, and I see hundreds of writers sharing the links for their blogs, tagging people and requesting for readers.  I am forcibly reminded of the stories that I read in some books - of people posting their first blog or Vlog, getting hundreds of subscribers, thousands of likes and millions of views. The truth could not be ...