Anuradha Sridharan

 It's exactly 3 months since I quit Instagram, a platform where I had been an active content creator for nearly 10 years. I also briefly returned to Twitter as a passive content consumer when the election fever in India was at its peak. After the election results, I deactivated the account. So technically, I've been off social media over the last 3 months (not counting WhatsApp and YouTube as social media platforms!). I have already listed down my reasons for quitting Instagram, so I don't intend to repeat them in this post. As I ponder over the last 3 months regarding what has changed, what I missed, and what I'm grateful for, a few thoughts surfaced. What I miss: Interesting and stimulating conversations, chit-chats, and comments from friends I made on Instagram. Though some of them are in touch through WhatsApp, it doesn't quite feel the same. What has changed: I continue to write on my blog whenever inspiration strikes but without the need to customize/edit it ...

  Consider this scenario - while walking on an uneven road, you twisted your right leg all of a sudden and ended up with a ligament tear. For the next few days, you found it difficult to walk as you underwent treatments and took medications. You slowly recover and get back to walking comfortably. It feels so good to keep both your feet firmly on the ground. You feel happy and grateful that you can walk fine without any issues. Strangely, we don't feel the same gratitude when our body functions well and stays healthy. We take it for granted and abuse it in all possible ways - overeating, eating at the wrong time, lack of movement, compromising sleep and binge-watching TV series late in the night, etc. Many of us feel that exercise (in any form) is something we HAVE to do. It is a chore to complete, an item on the to-do list to check first thing in the morning. What is needed is a shift in perspective - being grateful that our body is flexible and has stamina and strength, thanking...

 Movies, web series, podcasts, videos by social media influencers, interviews, books, tweets - any form of mass media of today comes with its motive or agenda. Gone are the times when we watch a movie or a series for the sheer entertainment value. Whenever I see a post of an influencer on social media, I find myself asking - "What is this person's motive? What is the narrative he is trying to convey? Is he part of a  toolkit?" A movement promoting a raw vegan lifestyle in the name of "satvic" has an agenda. Someone who concocts masala in a lab also has an agenda when he says - Without processed foods, human life will perish from the planet. Narratives peddled on social media are deliberately coercing ordinary people to turn their attention toward the direction the peddler(s) want them to.  Which piece of content / news should one read / hear about? How long should it stay in one's mind?  What is the reaction one's mind should have? What is the belief sys...

  Bullying happens not only in high school corridors but also in corporate offices and meeting rooms. One can notice various direct and subtle forms of bullying: overriding someone's decisions canceling meetings at the last minute or showing up late on purpose interrupting when someone is talking Not coming prepared for a key meeting called by a peer, not going through the relevant documents that were shared before the meeting - done intentionally to assert a certain "attitude" and not due to lack of time Power struggle with peers by executing deliberate tactics to derail the efforts of others Why does a bully behave a certain way? Feeling of insecurity or worry that a peer might take on a more influential role than him Marking territory - A well-entrenched person in the organization might want to claim authority over a new peer who might have more relevant experience than him Grabbing important decisions by intruding into another's role - especially happens when ...

 Let's revisit our experience riding on a Ferris Wheel (or Giant Wheel, as some of us call it!). As our wagon in the Wheel slowly reaches the top, we get a spectacular view of our city - the distant buildings, water bodies, moving cars, people, various lanes, and narrow streets. As the wheel comes down, we feel an uncomfortable churning in our stomach.  We look forward to going up to the top in the second round as it feels good to get the larger picture. The operator decides to stop the Wheel for more people to get on board. We feel happy if our wagon is the one that is stationary on top during this boarding process. Some of us might appreciate the view, some might get distracted looking at the people climbing the wagon and some might get irritated if the wagon stops. Our daily life gives us opportunities to get on a similar Ferriss Wheel - to grasp the big picture view of our life.  Where am I in this whole scheme of things? What else is there in my world?  Is there...

 A 10-year-old boy meets a hungry stray cat. He feels sorry and asks his parents to get cat food to feed her. They buy him a small packet of food, and he happily feeds and plays with the cat. The cat responds with a soft purr and acknowledges the kid for his kind act. The action performed is karma. The same boy often sees the stray cat in his vicinity and continues to feed her. This has become a daily activity, and the boy feeds the cat and plays with her for some time. The habit formed is samskara. The boy grows up and travels a lot around the country. Whenever he sees a stray cat, he tries to give some food and pet him/her. Strangely enough, wherever he travels, he stumbles upon a stray cat on the road. It feels like there is an attraction or an energy that brings him and the cat together. The constant engagement with this habit has now turned into his tendency or vasana. This vasana continues with him for the rest of his life. The more he engages with it, the more likely he will...

 " The Fall of the Human Intellect " by Shri Parthasarathy ji is a crisp and short book of 140 pages, and it took me almost 3 months to finish. This is such a kind of book that needs time to contemplate and reflect upon the points discussed. More importantly, given its condensed nature, it requires deeper explanation and analogies to connect to the topics.  I'm grateful to YouTube for bringing this book and Vedanta Academy to my attention. I signed up for the book discussion sessions organized by Vedanta Institute Kolkata . The weekly sessions conducted by Ramaswamy ji have been insightful with beautiful explanations and correlations drawn based on the topics from the book. He brings in a lot of clarity through references from scriptures and personal anecdotes. Thanks to the YouTube recommendation algorithm, I came across Vedanta Institute London 's channel where the recordings of the book discussion sessions conducted by Bhaskar ji are uploaded every week. Bhaskar ...