An ode to my favourite town in Austria — How do I summarise This charming little town? Whichever road you take, The well-known one Or the path untaken, You come upon a square, With lovely cafés. You find everything you want In this charming little town. From large chains To small boutiques, From old-world trains To luxury cars, From red-roofed houses And old world architecture To new-age…

A Poem — A city that reminds me Of a town, Vienna, The one with cool winds And cooler heads. On a Sunday, Everyone gets a break, The city shuts down, As if on a curfew. No shoppers or eaters Roaming on the streets, All establishments shut And everyone stays home. For an…

When I follow Paryushan, the 8 day festival of Jainism where I try to follow the minimalistic lifestyle, fasting, eating only when needed, avoiding certain kinds of food, reading books on Jainism, I am often asked a question or rather indirectly told that if I really am into Jainism, I…

Aparigraha — Jainism’s Minimalism — Today, let us discuss a concept of Jainism that all of us encounter in some way or another in our daily lives. We each realize its pitfalls, we try to ingrain it in our children through the concept of ‘sharing’ and yet we are unable to inculcate it in our…

Today, I am going to discuss a highly debatable topic of Jainism — Karma. Since it is highly debatable, I would actually love a debate, for I have realized that debate helps me add perspectives and expand my knowledge. Getting the basics out of the way, Karma theory is an…

Anekantavada — A core principle of Jainism — Today, I am going to talk about one of the main principles of Jainism, as I understand it. Anekantavada. This principle comes from a simple story that I heard from my grandfather as a child. Five blind men decided to inspect an animal that seemed to have made its way…

For me, it is a philosophy — On the first day of Paryushan (an 8-day period of minimalism observed by the Jains), I grappled with the question of how to explain the concept of Paryushan to my 2-year-old daughter. …

Now that, I finally have the freedom I have sought for over a decade, to do as I wish, to follow my passions, to control my time, to not be bound by any compulsions or concerns, I feel confused. I don’t know what to do with this freedom that I…

A story of two upstanding citizens of India — It was 12.15 am last night, on my way back from the airport tea post when I realized that my husband’s (let’s call him ‘A’) wallet (which I had with me to buy tea) was missing. I knew that the track pant I was wearing had giving pockets. Things slipped…