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When I Die, Let Death Be Your Freedom

 When I Die, Let Death Be Your Freedom I have always wondered about death. Not romanticizing death but taking death as a part of a cycle. I recall telling my father I will live till I am 100 years old and would love to jump off a cliff on my 100th and mark it as a successful living. Perhaps a naïve thought but maybe a significance of its own for I was not thinking of it as a death by suicide but rather a life fully lived. Not sure what I was thinking then but what I was very clear even at such a tender age was that my death should not be taken as a religious ritual but a celebration of a fulfilled life.  When my paternal grandmother passed away, I did not see any ritual apart from 13 days of mourning. When my maternal grandmother passed away, I began to notice Hindu ceremonies. That triggered something within me and I told myself that I would like to write about my death do’s and don’ts! I never did but one thing that struck hard was perhaps that is why my paternal grandfather just lef

Granddaughter remembers #DorBahadurBista on his #90th birthday "That Last Hug"

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That Last Hug..... He will be 90 today and I refuse to use past tense. After 22 years of his disappearance, I want him to know that wherever he is, he gave me the greatest hug ever.... http://www.myrepublica.com/news/34581/?categoryId=81

My honest confession about "Go Set A WatchMan" by Harper Lee

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Go Set A Watchman Harper Lee August 02, 2015 (wrote this piece right after the book was published and posting now as a tribute to an author I admire) Let me start with an honest confession. I read To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee years ago. How could I not read it? It is one of the greatest classics and to not read would have been a blasphemy for an avid reader like me and an English major (at one point). But I forgot all about it till the rumour of the release of Ms Lee coming out with a new novel. To add to the suspense and the confusion was the fact that the debate before the release of the book was mostly centered around the issue that the novel was not a new book but perhaps a “prelude” or a “sequel” to her already best seller and the evergreen classic To Kill A Mockingbird. Part of me thought I should revisit the first novel so that I would be prepared for the release of Go Set A Watchman and part of me shamefully admitted to the fact that I

From #MyCoffeeChats: a book review

http://myrepublica.com/lifestyle/story/27036/book-review-paula-hawkins-s-the-girl-on-the-train.html Something that I really enjoy doing.....a review on its own :)  Labanya is hidden somewhere.....

My Humble Tribute

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At times all you need to do is feel the pain. But wait…how can you feel the pain of a rape victim? Perhaps as a woman, the only thought that crosses my mind and rips me apart is someone claiming my body without my consent. Then the worst part is not just once or twice but multiple times being raped by people you know or not know and finally when every part of you has been devoured, you are left to be found by friends or strangers and the story of your life becomes a news in itself and you are raped again; this time as a story. I am sorry..I am doing the same my dear girl..as helpless as I feel for not being able to help you and before I glorify my deed, I beg for your forgiveness!!!!! A butter lamp ceremony was done on February 13, 2015, at Patan Durbar Square in memory of this young Nepali girl who was gang raped and murdered in Rohtak - Hisar, India. Her body was discovered in a half eaten stage. The story haunted me so much that it not only brought the shameful memor

Story for My Diary....

Busy Being Fabulous by Eagles playing in the background while I write Calmness that surrounds me is frightening. Always on a lookout for something to happen, some news to slap my face, some character to ditch me, some love to evaporate before it even sees the daylight and then this sudden calmness makes me delusional. I have forgotten to comprehend life now. I do not understand the twists and turns it holds so I just let the calmness run through my body. Five in the morning and I decide to step out in the balcony. Oh goodness me…the chill is amazing. I am on top of the cloud and when the mist kisses my cheeks, I feel that warmth, that purity amidst the morning bliss. I stare at the greenery ahead. I look down at the lone hotel that is hidden below and think how romantic a life it is to be living in a place like this. Far away from the busy city, farther away from dust and pollution, and farthest from the scrutiny of humankind. A rich country for its natural beauty and a poor

Reflection, I am happy...

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One Day: Busy..oh so busy..always!!! I have forgotten to relax she says and she has. Sad but that is the depressive truth. She came in front of me and said that she is finding difficulty in breathing for she does not know what mindfulness is all about. I look at her, this woman who has so much to offer but she is a mere shadow now engulfed between the demands of her life slowly killing the desires of her existence. She starts with her monologue and I listen. Who am I to judge anyone for my task is to listen with a kind face. She explains the chemically enhanced state of mind, the pains surrounding the decisions she takes, the misinterpreted actions of hers, the desires not synchronizing with the reality of her survival and finally the incomprehensible thoughts complicating a simple life. We talk about life in general then she tells me how she is living in the virtual reality. She says she enjoys but also worries that each passing moment is becoming a memory. She complain