Musings

A 5-minute break for your well-being

To enjoy this 5-minute vacation, the first thing you need to do is disconnect yourself from the outside world. Not completely, of course, just switch off or silence your cell phone for 5 minutes, so that a ping or a flash on the screen does not distract you.
The crime of tardiness

Have you ever waited for a friend or an acquaintance so long that you fell asleep?
Words from a commoner

Tagore songs take me back to my childhood. They remind me of the nights when my mother would stay awake well past midnight to watch over me while I studied for my board exams.
Chronicles of the Andalusian Blackbird

There are very few periods in medieval history where people of different faiths rubbed shoulders with one another, exchanged their writings,
Bad Vibes Inc.

Having a job comes with being a fully functioning adult. With all the people skills you have developed, you encounter different
Honesty on a tightrope

Calvin was probably right. We now live in a time where people still believe that the world is flat and that vaccines are a hoax.
Lungla Station:our heritage and pride

It is a testimony to the glory days of old. It bears witness to many events which characterise the place, and puts it in the annals of history.
The scent of rain

The breeze that heralds rain has a different smell —a rich soothing aroma, instantly evocative of wet earth, and unbridled joy of feeling the first drops of much anticipated rain, cooling droplets cutting the dominance of a blazing sun, or increasing the mystique of a pitch black silent night.
The Ice Cream Love Affair

In this scorching heat, a shower might cool your body but what is going to cool your soul? Whoever you are, whatever your age is, ice cream is probably something you cannot say no to. If you can, you might be pure evil. Be in the form of smoothies or sundaes,
A wristful of rainbow

In our always-in-a-rush lives, truly just running from place to place, and errand to errand, barely taking a breather every weekend, ‘We have no time to stand and stare.’
Her third eye

I rolled over my bed and grabbed the mug from the bedside table, taking the first sip of the day from the leftover coffee of the previous night. Bitter and stale.
If we could read minds

Imagine a world where everyone could read everyone's mind. Wouldn't that be scary? But it would also help keep our ugly thoughts at bay, and be more honest with the people in our lives.
A queen–sized heart

Modern narratives are wretchedly bare of the stories of powerful Muslim women, and their achievements are rarely emphasised.
You have to ‘bujhte hobe’

Relationships are built on a lot of things; love, trust, loyalty, communication.
Fashion in Peril

Fashion is an unceasing lost-and-found affair. Trends emerge and dissipate, only for some to come back again after a while. While some make comebacks in a big way, there are also some that fall into oblivion.
When the thought counts

“What do you gift a person who has it all?” – this is an impasse that most of us have certainly faced at least once, especially when buying for someone who literally, and often metaphorically, has it all, in this day and age of consumption and love translating into more and more things!
How credit cards made life easier for me

Keeping track of banknotes in the wallet may seem painless to many, but I have always been bad at handling cash. When I lived in Dhaka, I used cash a lot, because 10 years ago, credit cards were not as widely used as they are today.
'Tis the holiday season

Santa Claus and his sleigh, reindeer, wreaths, Christmas trees, string lights, holiday banners, streamers, glittery window displays and LED light shows are all over the country, especially in America's malls and shopping centres.
The school bell still rings at my alma mater

The twentieth century had dawned to see the culmination of changes in all spheres of life. One of the most visible changes was in the education sector.
What follows “I do”

By 3AM in the morning, the hullaballoo was over. Our wedding party had reached Dhaka, the ceremonial welcome of the new bride over and done with, and J, my kid sister ushered us to the room.
Baby's first morsel

The literal translation of the Sanskrit word means 'food feeding' or 'eating food,' but in the Bengal regions, it is more commonly known as “Mukhey bhaat.”
On the edge of anxiety's seat

Do you ever feel like your mind is enveloping you in a hug, and not the nice, warm one, but a tight, suffocating hug that constricts your breathing, makes your skin sweat or your heart race in fear?
The peculiar case of nicknames

Do these words sound familiar? Maybe not, if you are a millennial, but Gen X can surely recollect the expression, as words spoken by people in the peripheries of Bangladesh.
Letter to My Past Self

This is a letter you would want to save for the future; for all the heartaches and bliss you endure.
My Billy goat gruff Code two three double o!

I am not at all against sacrifice. It is a sacred duty bestowed on all well-to-do Muslims and I see many social benefits to be reaped from it, along with obvious spiritual cleansing. However, the blood and gore involved does unnerve me. A little!
Remembering our nana

The void that has encapsulated our lives in the wake of his absence knows no bounds. From the day we were born till the day he passed away, he had always made it a point to shield us from each and every unfavourable circumstance that hit our paths.
Your latest cooking disaster

While some excel at whipping up delicious meals within minutes, some just do not quite make it. No matter how many ingredients you have lying in your pantry, and the latest gadgets that are supposed to make life simpler, some of us just do not possess the magical wand required to make cooking an art!
Revisiting songs and lyrics of a decade

The Nineties as a musical era started late and ended early — kicked in by the scritchy-scratch power chords of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," ushered out by the doomy piano intro of ". . . Hit Me Baby One More Time." Anti-pop defeated by pop — full circle, all apologies.
Lost secrets of the blue enveloped letter

While technology has made things easier to access, it has also drastically impacted the dating scene. The beginnings of a lifetime commitment can now be traced back to a poke or swipe on social media. Funnily enough, it can also define the end of that very promise as well. Lost are the charms, bittersweet heartaches, and relevance when a blue enveloped letter arrived in the lover's name.
The comeback of printed photos

A decade or two ago, people would rush to get their negatives printed, and they would cherish each and every photo, bind them, and beautifully arrange them in photo books. If one was ever lost or found, the feeling was exceptional, and little would make one happier. Today however, no photo can ever be truly lost as all we have to do is scroll down long enough to find it, and although that is not necessarily a bad thing, it lacks the soul and feel once associated with a printed photo.