Anuradha Sridharan

 A few days back, I randomly chose a Harris Jayaraj playlist on Spotify and started to listen while cooking dinner. His top hits came one after another and I was humming them happily. Then came a song that sounded familiar but also a little different. I haven't heard of it before and it sounded lovely. I was curious to know about the album. The song was "Thaen Kaatru" from the movie "Gethu", sung by Haricharan and Shashaa Tirupathi. Any ARR fan would immediately say that this is "inspired" by the song "Pookkale satru" in the movie "I"🙂 Though I'm a Rahmaniac, I love both songs. I don't mind such "inspired" versions. Frankly, I prefer Harris' "Oru Manam" from Dhruva Natchathiram over ARR's "Khamosh Raat" from Thakshak. Such inspired versions are slightly different interpretations. They might simplify the original tune to an easy-to-listen format. They might elevate the lyrics to the fore...

  I came across a speech by Thalaivar (Superstar Rajnikanth), where he spoke about how the combination of alcohol, smoking, and non-vegetarian food is deadly. I'm so glad that he shared his thoughts on this topic and his honest declaration of how he had these habits and how he overcame them. I agree with his point but would also like to add another angle. I have come across people who never had these three habits and yet don't lead healthy and peaceful lives in their 60s and 70s. I have also come across people, whose food habits aren't 100% healthy. It is worth noting that how foods are categorized as healthy is quite subjective, given the confusion prevailing in the media. Nevertheless, the point is that even though they may not eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, they enjoy a healthy and vibrant life in their 60s. A good social circle, active hobbies and interests, extended family support, and meaningful conversations - are the possible reasons. A simplified interpretatio...

 I love the books from the Bihar School of Yoga. When I visited Blossoms bookstore a few weeks back, I picked up this book - Nawa Yogini Tantra - Yoga for Women . As the name suggests, this book is focused on women - their connection to spirituality, physical well-being and relevant Yoga practices. The initial chapters provide a basic understanding of the hormonal and reproductive systems, the role of ida/pingala nadis, the summary of chakras, and the pancha koshas. The author then moves on to the topic of menarche and menstrual cycles. On the topic of seclusion and the origins, this point made a lot of sense - " This retreat was a psychological protection at a time of heightened emotional sensitivity ". I wish the intention of this custom was conveyed with this meaning rather than making the young girl feel impure/polluted/disgusted. As I started to tune inward with my body, I could so resonate with the point of increased sensitivity and awareness during my monthly cycle. I ...

  Melancholy - As a word, it may not be too popular in our everyday conversations, but as a feeling, I'm sure all of us have experienced it in some point of time. According to how I have interpreted it, it resides in that space between feeling normal and feeling sad. Many women might have experienced it in their fourth week of monthly cycle. You don't feel normal, at the same time, you are not too sad either. Sometimes, it is easy to pinpoint a reason (or many reasons) on why you feel this way. There are also times when there is no reason that your conscious mind could decipher. When such a feeling occurs, Sometimes you try to distract your mind by watching TV / scrolling through social media feed / eating an indulgent dish etc. Sometimes you try to go deeper to understand what triggered this feeling in the first place - a contemplative walk / journalling / talking to a friend etc. I'd like to bring to your attention those rare times when you just want to sit with that mel...

If you don't believe in astrology, please kindly skip this post. I'm a beginner in the field of astrology. Apologies in advance if there are any mistakes in my interpretation. Today marks the day of the transition of planet Saturn from Makara to Kumbha. When Saturn is in the 8th place from a person's Rashi (moon sign), the planet will influence certain events and challenges that will teach valuable lessons. This period can also be a significant period in a person's spiritual understanding, as planet Saturn is considered as the planet of life lessons, Karma, hardships that test your resilience and help you gain new perspectives on life. Since 2020, there have been back-to-back challenges in my life. As a person who used to be extremely analytical and expecting logic in every aspect of life, I was clueless when certain events happened one after another. One morning, when I was under serious stress, I came across a video recommendation that talked about the monthly rasi pa...

  First book review of 2023. I'm so glad that this book picked me at this time of my life. I have been following Meetu Bisht 's posts for the past few months and I find them very insightful. I bought her book " Living Spirituality " on Kindle sometime back but didn't start reading it immediately. A week ago, I had written a post on spirituality and how we shouldn't blindly succumb to influencers' ideologies. That same night, as I was casually browsing through my Kindle, I stumbled upon this book and felt a strong urge to start reading it right away. The first few chapters just spoke the same words that I was trying to convey through my post. The author elaborates on the various misconceptions about spirituality and the myths and beliefs surrounding the same. Her explanation of the differences between religion, philosophy, and spirituality was super insightful. The subsequent chapters set the context on what spirituality is and what it isn't. Spiritua...

 I learned to ride a bicycle when I was 17. After wrapping up my 12th std, I started to learn, taking help from my friend and my younger brother. Until that time, I used to be a pillion rider on their bicycles, holding our school bags 🙂 Once I learned this skill, it helped me tremendously in reaching my college bus stop and back home for the next 4 years. And I enjoy cycling even to this date, though I don't do it regularly. I narrate this story to my daughter often. At times, she does feel left behind when her friends cycle or skate. She hasn't learned them and honestly, as a parent, I'm not worried. When we were kids, life's race began when we were starting our 9th grade. Kids of today's generation experience competition and bear the weight of expectations from the time they are as young as 3-4 years. Rollerblade skating at 4 years, wakeboarding at 5, cycling at 6, football/basketball at 7, keyboard/violin at 8, etc. We left D to pick activities she is interested...

 I don't follow the news, but somehow a particular incident came to my attention via Youtube recommendations. After following the sequence of incidents and the news anchors' analysis, I felt quite disturbed. My mind was racing with so many thoughts and questions. Spirituality is becoming a growing business, especially in this post-pandemic world. As we face the challenges of life (grief, trauma, tragedy, stress, daily struggles), we are looking for solutions. We are looking for leaders who can help us get resolutions, who can help us see things from new perspectives, or who can help us process our feelings. A spiritual leader doesn't grow overnight. It is up to us as followers who decide the growth trajectory of a spiritual leader. Just like food influencers, lifestyle influencers, and fin-fluencers, there is a growing breed of spiritual influencers on social media. I don't understand the blind adulation and complete faith that people entrust in such influencers without...