Several moons ago, Rajus from modern day Andhra Pradesh moved to a small town near Madurai. Nestled between the Sanjeevi hills and the Western Ghats, this town was named Rajapalayam after its early settlers. The Raja family cultivated the rich, fertile land and the land as well as the people prospered. Into one such Raja … Continue reading A True Raja
If you're a parent that has to deal with a picky eater, then this story is for you. I can't promise you'll get the same results but it's worth a shot if you've exhausted all other recourses. Back in 2005, my boy was a wee baby just getting introduced to solid food. And I had … Continue reading The Pea Monster and Other Made-up Stories
It's February and hearts are popping up everywhere. You can't go to the grocery store or watch TV without a constant reminder that this is the month dedicated to love (read as buying heart shaped stuff. Heart-shaped Cheerios anyone? ) And what if you have no one to shower with heart-shaped gifts? Spend it on … Continue reading Love So True
Lost my dad in the beginning of 2022 and it has been hard to keep my head above the water and carry on. This year was a mixed bag. Ups and downs, hits and misses, losses and gains. Come November, I didn't want to do this but I'm glad I did because it made me … Continue reading 30 Days of Gratitude in a Challenging Year
A friend of mine travelled all the way from the US to visit me in Chennai. While planning what she wanted to do during her visit, she mentioned that she would love to visit some temples. My mom suggested that we make a trip to Kanchipuram to visit a weaver's colony to see how Kanchipuram … Continue reading Goddess Diaries – The Legend of Kamakshi
I have two biological grandmothers and one adopted grandmother. My book, "Thank you, Dadima," which is a memoir of my dad's mom has an entire chapter dedicated to Ganga, my adopted grandmother. But many of you don't know much about my mom's mom or Mutasshi, as I used to call her. Her name was Sumathi … Continue reading Sumathi Mutasshi—My Other Grandmother
I hate to say this but that title was hijacked and I was replaced by a mutt for the past 13 years. After my grandma passed away in 2009, my parents moved to her bungalow from their cozy 2-bedroom apartment not too far away. For years my dad and brother, both dog lovers, had been … Continue reading Papa’s Pet
Dear Papa, When Amma was sifting through your things, she found your Madras Literary Society card and said, "Papa wanted to give them a copy of your book." Little did I know that this would put in motion a string of events that would lead to my book launch---something you wanted to do when I … Continue reading For you Papa
While most parents bought toys and games for their children, Damayanti’s parents bought her a lot of story books; fairy tales, comics, and adventure stories. As she grew older, even more books were added, and as she began to write, fountain pens joined the collection. Biographies and autobiographies are usually not very popular and normally … Continue reading Memoir of a trailblazing granny, way ahead of her times by Ravi Damodaran
After 24 years I returned to my alma mater, Women's Christian College, not as a casual visitor to roam around campus and take selfies, but as a speaker on the occasion of World Book Day. I still marvel at how the whole thing sort of fell in my lap without great effort on my part. … Continue reading Meet the Author Day at WCC
Punctuate Life 