MEANDERINGS

❤️

🪔 दीपावली की शुभकामनाएं! During Diwali — the festival of lights celebrated in India and by followers of many faiths around the world — clay lamps are lit as symbols of hope, the pursuit of knowledge and prosperity. We wish a happy and safe Diwali to all those celebrating.

“Agar bahut door tak saath chalna hai, to yaad rakhna, bahut baar ek-dusre ko maaf karna padega.” ❤

❤️‍🔥

❤️❤️

"A lifetime spent dodging bullets, and you’re killed by a hug, a goodbye, and a 'never'..." — Ulises Kaufman

A memoir is a stranger trusting you with their life.

Be gentle with people. Not everyone who smiles is happy, and not everyone who seems distant is unkind. Some are fighting battles they don’t have the words to explain, carrying pain they never show, and simply trying to make it through another day. You may not be able to take away someone’s struggles, but you can choose not to add to them. A little compassion can mean more than you’ll ever know.

We used to have one family computer in the living room. Privacy was a myth.

"Every season that shapes you will take something from you first."

SUNDAY ✨

Who you become is decided long before anyone notices what you've accomplished. It's built through the choices nobody sees, the sacrifices nobody applauds, and the difficult things you do when there's no reward waiting for you. Anyone can stay disciplined when life is exciting and things are going their way. The real test is what you do when progress feels slow and nobody seems to care. Keep going. You're building more than results. You're building yourself.

I think there’s a kind of loneliness in always being the person who reaches out first. Eventually you stop for a little while. Not to test anyone. You just want to know whether the connection still exists when you’re not the one holding it together.

Miss the days when you'd go online at night, see which friends were up, and message someone just because you were both awake. The internet felt more alive.

I used to be intimidated by academically brilliant people because I thought they were automatically more intelligent than me. But as I grew older, I realized that intelligence develops through different experiences and disciplines. Building connections, researching unfamiliar topics, understanding systems, and learning how to navigate opportunities have expanded my thinking in ways I never expected. I no longer see myself through the limitations I associated with my academic years.

Your kids (nieces and nephews too) need to see you fail and get back up. That teaches them more than watching you win ever could.

It is strange how someone can be sitting right next to you and you still feel completely alone. Because there are worse things than an empty house and one of them is being in a full one... where nobody sees you.

The world may not notice your struggles, but it will remember your success, so keep going even when nobody is watching.

I think there’s a quiet sadness in realizing you’ve become careful about what you share with someone. Not secretive. Just aware that some parts of you feel safer when they stay with you.