Rantings of the mind

 Some experiences don’t arrive loudly. They enter quietly and stay. This workshop was one such experience for me - gentle, intense, and deeply personal. From 29th to 31st December, I had the opportunity to attend a three-day theatre workshop conducted by the genius playwright and director Mahesh Dattani. Until then, he was a name I had known only through textbooks and exam syllabi. Meeting him in person, learning under him and eventually performing in a play directed by him felt unreal. On 1st January, I watched Yogi vs Bhogi by his troupe and performed in the play Vidhi, written by G. Sankara Pillai, under Dattani sir’s direction. It felt like the most meaningful way to begin a new year. I genuinely had a lot of fun during the workshop. I woke up every day excited to learn something new. We were introduced to Michael Chekhov’s techniques, especially Staccato and Legato. Staccato was sharp, quick, and energetic, while Legato was smooth, continuous, and flowing. Slowly, I realised t...

This evening, while sipping tea, I found myself thinking about who I am. I thought that I would type down my thoughts before I feel like not doing it.. I just realised that what works for other people… doesn’t always work for me. Just because everyone’s doing something doesn’t mean I have to. Sometimes, it doesn’t even make sense. Take coffee. Some people can’t live without it. It’s their obsession. Me? I love it. I enjoy it. But I don’t need it. It’s just there. It doesn’t matter if I drink tea for a change. The warmth of the cup, the quiet sip- I like it. That’s all. I have my own pace, my own way of doing things. I know what I like. I know what I don’t. I know what I need to feel okay. I get angry over things that feel like a violation. I get emotional over things too, though most of the time, I don’t show it. I just… hold it inside. Boundaries aren’t walls. They help me feel like myself. I don’t feel obligated to explain them to people who don’t want to understand. And honestly, I ...

It’s been a while since I wrote anything. I don’t really know why, but today something pushed me to write again. Yesterday, I found myself complaining to a friend that the skies in Kottayam aren’t as pretty as the skies in Chennai. But today, the sky decided to prove me wrong. I had gone up to the terrace to wash clothes, and then I looked up casually - what I saw was ethereal. The colors, the calm, the beauty of it all… I couldn’t take my eyes off it. That moment made me realize something. It was never about the skies being different. It was about me - about how I hadn’t learned to notice them from different perspectives in different places. To be honest, I was never someone who enjoyed watching nature. My habit of looking at the sky began in the quietest moments of my life - when I had nothing left to talk about with people, when I was walking alone, or when I was lost in my thoughts. The sky became a silent companion, something I turned to without realizing. And somewhere along the ...

 I’m in Kottayam now. Hmm… yeah, you read it right — I joined the School of Letters at Mahatma Gandhi University for my postgraduate studies in English. It’s been around four days here. I don’t know… the place feels strangely familiar. The trees, the roads, the stalls, the classes, the staff — everything reminds me of MCC, the college that became my safe space during UG. There’s a certain comfort in these surroundings, a quiet warmth that takes me back to those days… as if this place, too, is ready to offer a kind of home. There’s nostalgia in the air, but also a silent promise of something new. And this time, I want to do things differently. I carry my UG memories with love — the happiness, the chaos, the fights, the friendships — but I also carry the lessons. I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes. I want to grow through this phase, to make these two years meaningful and fulfilling. This is a fresh page. And I’m ready to write it — slowly, honestly, and with purpose.

An Extrovert? Her? Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Honestly, she was still figuring it out. People often said she lit up a room— but sometimes she wondered if she just made others uncomfortable. They told her, “You’re so good with people,” and expected her to take the lead. They admitted feeling a bit awkward— and she understood. Not everyone was wired the same. But did that mean she was too much? She really tried to include them. She pulled them into conversations, introduced them, laughed a little louder just to ease the tension. And still— they stayed silent, or quietly walked away. Was she helping? Or missing what they truly needed? Was her outgoing nature a bridge for them— or simply a path they weren’t ready to walk yet? It was tricky— finding the balance between being herself and making sure others felt comfortable too. So yes… Her being an extrovert? Bane or boon? She still didn’t know.

 In relationships—whether they’re friendships, family bonds, or something more—communication and empathy are everything. Yet, so often, people get caught up in blame, ego, and emotional games, forgetting the simple truth: everyone just wants to feel heard and understood. Blaming situations is never a solution to anything. When a person tells you they’re hurt, they expect understanding—not a lengthy essay about you were hurt by them in the past. Shifting blame to make the other person feel guilty just to feel better about yourself is unfair. What kind of attitude is that? Everyone has their own struggles in life, and everyone deserves to be happy. If you don’t have a history with someone, you don’t have the right to judge their actions. It’s their life, their choice. You can’t just hate someone without a reason and throw around derogatory comments ( don’t think that it's cool) —that only makes you look like the meanest person in the world.  Confrontation and healing need to com...