From Deepa's Desk

Uttarakhand, with its majestic and timeless mountains, beautiful valleys and Himalayan glacial rivers has a rich folklore of legends and stories that are still passed down from one generation to another.  In this book, Supriya has presented a re-telling of the stories in her unique way, adding lots of mysticism and poignancy to the same. Be it the princess unable to refuse the call of the forest, or the queen who gave birth to a mortar and pestle, be it the forest sprites that ask for honoring promises, or protective crows - every story takes the readers back to a time when Uttarakhand's bountiful nature must have inspired the earliest artists, poets and story-tellers.  The narrative is beautiful, bringing the images to life. The characters are unforgettable and leave a lasting impact. Supriya is a wonderful narrator, weaving beautiful trapestries of emotions and images in her stories and leaving the readers spellbound. Magic, romance, mystery, thrill - there is a story for ev...

Thinking of Winter by Shantanu Naidu While studying in Ithaca, Shantanu adopted a puppy. He named him Winter. And life was never the same again for the human and the pet. In this book, Shantanu takes us on a beautiful trip down memory lane, showing us glimpses of his early days with Winter. The efforts of the puppy to stuff himself into every little gap he could find in the room, the potty-training days, hiding the puppy's existence (because the complex where Shantanu lived had a no-pets rule), the guilt of leaving the puppy behind while Shantanu left for the university, the happiness of re-uniting with him at the end of the day - Shantanu has woven a beautiful tapestry of memories and images through his nostalgic narrative. Talking about narrative, this book feels like a monologue by Shantanu. A gripping, engaging monologue that holds your attention and doesn't let it waver anywhere. He has been at his candid best here, sharing moments of self-doubts, guilt, despair and sheer ...

Expressions and Impressions by Shashikala Gadepally This book is a collection of 33 short and beautiful poems based on various concepts such as women empowerment, breaking free from bondage, motivation and many other topics. The poems have been written beautifully and convey their message in a deep and profound way. They strike where it hurts the most. Take for instance these lines - 'What if her presence is ignored? Her due is denied! The legion shall rise again and again to flaunt the cosmic energy that she perpetuates.' There is this poem titled The Mirror that is based on a delightfully misunderstood situation between a mother and a daughter. There is a beautiful poem based on Ram Setu that describes its significance in these poignant lines - 'Its silence, a reminder of the yearning to meet, it's eloquence a gesture to unite, bridging the gap, bringing together not just two human beings but cultures, civilizations, values and relations.' Shashikala is an excelle...

April's Ambers by Durriya Sakarwala This book is based on prompts given for NaPoWriMo 2026 and is a collection of thirty poems for every day of April. The poems are soulful and soothing to read and are based on various topics such as silence, the concepts of birth and death, dreams, holding on and other aspects of life. Every poem reflects Durriya's sheer creativity and imagination that takes the reader on a sublime journey. Take for instance, the poem titled The Train Stops at Shamli. It begins with these soulful lines. 'In the hills, a library whispers calm, a cool breeze dances, butterflies swirl in song, among countless books, I find my way, the train stops at Shamli, where stories belong.' Then there is another beautiful poem titled Midnight Truths which has these soothing lines. 'Seeing light emerge from darkness, as hope appears, something bright after midnight's hush, my mind hums a lullaby, soft and plush. My heart gently pats, urging sweet sleep within...

The Dancing Monkey And Living The Way Of Zen by Serena Choo This book is a sequel to The Monkey and The Way Of Zen. In the first book, we come across a monkey who is searching for answers for the bigger questions of life. He is frustrated and mentally exhausted. In this state, he approaches a Master and lives under his guidance in a temple until the chaos in his mind somewhat silences. In the sequel, we find the monkey all set to leave the temple 'to find new places to dance, find rhythms he has never felt and see if he can dance not just in the temple but anywhere'. The monkey is no longer the frustrated version of his self that we came across in the first book. He has now changed into a lighter and freer being and calls himself as the Dancing Monkey. As the Dancing Monkey steps out of the temple for a new life and new adventures, he often comes across situations where he doubts whether he has really learnt anything at the temple. He meets people who, in their unique and inter...

When I started reading this book, I had a lot of ideas to write a good review. But now that I have finished reading it, my finger tips hover above the screen, searching for words that prove inadequate. What can you really write about a book that took you on an unforgettable and devotional roller-coaster ride?! Lord Jagannath has fascinated humankind since ages and this book brings him alive in a beautiful way. The book is divided into six parts, sharing narratives about the origin of the legend of the deity, the creation of the temple, the beautiful relationship between the three siblings - Balabhadra, Subhadra and Jagannath, miracles and spiritual experiences of people, folk tales and tribal legends and finally the mystical experience of the Rath Yatra. Every part of the narrative resonates with faith and devotion. The author has presented the stories in such a way that every generation reading them will be able to relate to the stories. The narrative is calming and soothing to rea...

The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by Takuya Asakura Available in Kindle edition During every cherry blossom festival, a bookshop magically manifests itself for people looking for solace and healing. The book shop is run by Sakura and her mystical kalico cat named Kobaku. Sakura chooses a book recommended by Kobaku to read and when she and a destined soul both read the same paragraph at the same time, that's when the soul is drawn towards the bookshop for an experience that will liberate them from whatever regrets they are suffering. The story is told over four seasons featuring four visitors. Each one visits the shop in each season and gets a closure from grief. The narrative is beautiful and poignant. There is grief but it has been portrayed beautifully, the usual way of Japanese literature that literally gives life to every emotion. Sakura's tryst with each visitor is heartwarming and delightful. The characters are beautifully etched and will be difficult to forget or get...

How To Read A Book by Monica Wood Available in Kindle edition Harriet is a retired teacher and runs a book club for imprisoned women. She visits the prison once a week and initiates discussions about the latest book read by the convicted women who never fail to amaze her with their sharp observation, strong opinions and underlying courage. Violet, a young girl in her early twenties gets released from the prison and faces the daunting task of starting life anew. Frank, a machinist tries to get his life back on track after losing his wife who was killed by Violet. These three lost souls meet and thus begins a poignant story of friendship, second chances and redemption. The book club discussions are extremely interesting. I liked how Harriet views the women as just readers without judging them for their crimes. I liked the dynamics shown between Harriet and Frank. The story has several emotional moments that make you pause and reflect. The narrative proceeds at a leisurely pace and is sup...

Buddha's story has been told and retold countless number of times. I had read The Light Of Asia and found it to be one of the best pieces of literature ever written. But this book? It is - different. More meditative. It brings the Buddha to life in front of you through short yet powerful tales of his journey from a prince to the greatest monk of his time. The stories have been presented from various PoVs - as a narrative by Channa, the man who had once carried Siddhartha on his shoulders, taught him to fight and had been his biggest cheerleader who had to watch the prince transform into a wandering ascetic right in front of his eyes; as a narrative by Kanthaka, Siddhartha's horse whom none else could tame and who would have followed his master to the end of the world if he had only asked; as a narrative by the river where Siddhartha, in his initial days as an ascetic, almost drowned but was carried away to the shore by the river's current... Many other PoVs by other charact...

Char Dham by Shweta Mathur Lall Char Dham, namely - Puri Jagannath, Rameshwaram, Dwarkadhish and Badrinath - have fascinated mankind since ages with their mystical and deep-rooted connection to Indic wisdom and spirituality. These four became the pillars of faith and tradition for zillions of people worldwide and Char Dham yatra came to signify the journey of an entire lifetime. In her book, Shweta takes the reader on a virtual journey to each of these temples, narrating in such a way that you find yourself there and viewing the scene through the author's eyes. Not only has she given a thorough and detailed description of the places, she has provided many excellent facts and lore associated with these holy places. There are beautiful narratives of the events that led to the existence of the temples and their deities. The author has also given extremely helpful information about the rules and regulations generally followed there. Every narrative has a solid foundation in an event th...

The author Babita Kejriwal has undertaken subconscious mind training and using the technique of Dhyan Samadhi, she could establish a deep connection with babies. This book is based on the concept that the soul in the form of a foetus can hear voices, understand and respond too. The author has shared her experiences of conversing with babies growing inside the womb. She has shared amazing happenings when the babies showed their response to chants and positive affirmations. The conversations are delightful and filled with much positivity. They are simple yet profound and we gain many amazing insights about life in general. We indeed live in an amazing Universe where miracles are possible every instant and there is nothing that we can say for certainty. The conversations point to the prospect of reincarnation and also show how the soul retains memories while still in the womb. It makes for a very interesting read. Babita's narrative is simple and heartwarming. I have been reading her ...

This book is a collection of 25 short stories that are based on everyday occurrences. The stories, while simple and concise, impart unforgettable life-lessons in the unique way that Zeyd usually writes. It is amazing how the author has transformed simple events and conversations into timeless insights. The stories cover various aspects of the human psyche - the human obsessively focused on the destination and not enjoying the journey, the mountaineer on the edge of giving up and searching for courage, children stuck in a war-ravaged city, the person stuck in the prison of his own mind, the mother refusing to let her son fly off the nest and many other stories that tug at your heart and leave an unforgettable impression. These stories are uplifting, showing both struggle and victory while teaching us that it will always be about staying centered in life and not getting swayed by its ups and downs. It is brilliant the way Zeyd has made abstract concepts as the protagonists in some of the...

Someday we will find out what it is exactly about Japan-based stories that make them so soulful, poignant and heartbreaking all at once.  In an island named Teshima, there is a building that has the recorded heartbeats of people from all over the world. Some visit to listen, some to record theirs. This building is named Heartbeat Archive. (I checked on the internet, and this indeed exists). The Library of Heartbeats is centered around this archive, although it makes a brief yet unforgettable appearance in the whole narrative.  Shuichi is in his forties and is struggling to cope with the death of his mother. As he sorts out her house, stowing away all of her stuff to be disposed, he finds that someone is tampering with the stuff. He installs a camera in the garage where the stuff is stored and finds that the person moving through his mother's items and helping himself to some is none other than a small boy. For reasons unknown to him, Shuichi befriends the boy when he comes to ...

  Read The Previous Blog Here   I thought my travelogue would end with Guruvayur. But something extraordinary and funny happened on the last day of the trip and deserves a blog of its own.  The morning after, we had breakfast and visited Maamiyur temple.  Some of our group had already visited the temple and got Darshan of Lord Shiva. But when I, my son, my sister, cousin and aunt went to the temple, the sanctum sanctorum was closed due to some renovation and repair work. We spent some time inside the temple and decided to visit ISKCON Guruvayur that I had checked on the internet.  My sister, my son, my nieces and I hired an auto which dropped us off into a remote location where a tall building bearing the name of ISKCON stood proudly. Since there were no other vehicles (or people) to be seen there, we requested the auto driver to wait for a while. He obliged.  We entered the building and removed our chappals, only to be informed that it was the guest house ...

Read The Previous Blog Here On 6th May, Kerala Restaurant And Hotel Association declared a strike to protest against the LPG crisis. That was the day we left for Guruvayur.  Luckily we could still have our breakfast at the resort in Munnar but we had no idea about how we were going to manage the other meals. There were three children in the group and four senior citizens too.  Help came in the form of Brahmana Samooham Community in Guruvayur. My father called up the community and requested for lunch arrangements for our group of 12 people. The community members told us that lunch would be served until 2.30 and if we could make it on time, our lunch would be ready.  Our driver drove as if possessed. That there were no tea/coffee stalls open enroute only made the journey faster, otherwise we would have stopped for breaks.  We reached Guruvayur at 1.30 and rushed to the community hall, just in time for a fresh batch of food being served. We are with gratitude and relief...

Read The Previous Blog Here All the plans of leaving for Munnar 'latest by 8.30' flew out of the window as we found ourselves in an impromptu photo session in Palakkad at 9.30. It was around 10 when we finally left. So much for leaving early! The route, for a while, was pretty uneventful as we drove through the beautiful lanes and roads of Palakkad. The first moment of excitement arrived when we passed by Kaladi, the place where you can still feel the auspicious presence of Shri Adi Shankara, and where my son had his Upanayanam done. We passed by the town searching for familiar roads and reminiscing about our very brief stay here in 2020.  The route started getting interesting and adventurous as we passed through Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and drove through Marayoor, a forest abounding in sandalwood trees. We opened the windows and let in the aroma of sandalwood that wafted around. As we kept driving up, the temperature kept dipping. It was a major relief to experience cool wea...

Read The Previous Blog Here Before I begin about Munnar, I would like to share some awesome moments from my stay in Palakkad. Obviously the epic stand-off between the peacocks and crows merits mention. Like we always do, my husband and I had stepped out for our morning walk. My sister had joined us too. That morning we decided to take a route hitherto unexplored by us. It was a narrow lane with houses bordering the edges. As we walked, we came across a majestic peacock strutting over the road. Now, peacocks are no strangers to the village. They often roam the streets, perch on the trees surrounding houses and search for food and water amidst the foliage that is an integral part of the village. But that particular day, we didn't see just one peacock. Even as we watched, one more joined the one standing on the road. Another came, yet another and before we knew it, NINE peacocks had suddenly appeared on the road. Nine!! I have uploaded a video of the same below.  While we watched in s...

Mike Mansfield specializes in finding lost people. Not just lost people, but those on whom the whole society has already given up as dead. He is approached by David Bruni who wants to find his daughter who had disappeared four years ago. David would go to any extent to find his daughter, and that would mean creating a supercomputer that could collate pictures circulating all over the world to create a timeline of events. Through coalition of pictures David and his team keep searching for the last place that his daughter must have visited. What starts as a simple investigation turns into something deadly as Mike finds himself always one step behind an invisible enemy who doesn't want him to solve the case.  The story is fast-paced and keeps the reader engaged. The characters have played their part well. I especially liked how Mike is portrayed differently - not your regular good-looking and sturdy dude but someone in his mid-fifties with a hairline and a physique to show it. Mike re...

Read The Previous Blog Here My cousin's train was supposed to arrive at Palakkad Junction at 5 am. My husband and I were planning to leave by 4.30. Accordingly I had set the alarm for 4 that morning.  Needless to say, I would have woken up even without the alarm. At dawn, the birds in the area broke out into a melodious cacophony, the likes of which I am yet to hear anywhere. Sharp, clear, melodious and rhythmic songs filled the dawn with sheer magic. The three days that I stayed in Palakkad, I woke up to this music every morning.  As I write this from my city, I can't help wondering what did we do with the birds, for there are very few here. Our auto arrived sharply at 4.30 and we left for the station. I was amazed to see many stalls already open enroute. Most of the shops were selling tea and coffee. I recorded a very short video of the ride but it was both exhilarating and peaceful to drive in the early morning on the lanes of Palakkad and watching the village slowly wake u...

Read Part 1 Here! "Psst! Remember that anti-histamine tablet that makes you drowsy? Why not gulp two of them at once! You won't feel anything on the flight!" Came my mind's brilliant idea. Of course I brushed it off. (But the temptation was too great to numb myself to not to feel any turbulence). The kid was hyper-excited, the husband was hyper-worried and I was hyper-paranoid. Still when we made it to the departure gate to walk towards the flight, my kid's enthusiasm turned infectious and we found ourselves smiling at his antics. That smile lasted on my face until I stepped inside the flight. Instant claustrophobia. Have the seats shrunken in flights in the past seven years? Was the flight always this congested?? Did I usually have only so much of leg room? The thoughts wreaked havoc on my mind. But the icing on the cake was yet to come. I and my husband hyped up the kid about the take-off process. The kid had the window seat and I was in the middle. All was goin...