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
It was Ekadashi, a day auspicious to Vaishnavites, when he collapsed on his wife's bosom while she was trying to wash him up. She called to her sister in alarm. "Call the ambulance. We have to take chetan to the hospital." He had lost so much weight over the past few weeks, refusing to eat … Continue reading Never Say Goodbye
If you have ever lived in North Carolina, you know how unpredictable the weather can be. You can experience spring, summer, and winter, all on the same day. But the past week leading up to Christmas and New Year was anything but normal, weather-wise. We experienced record high temperatures that haven't occurred in a 100 … Continue reading The Power of Believing
I haven't been able to post anything for months. Landed a new job back in May and that has been taking up most of my time. Also, so many other life changes. Kid moving out of the nest to go to college. Another kid going back to school after a year and a half of … Continue reading 30 Days of Gratitude
Sometimes men are unaware that they are being supported by a branch and unwittingly saw away at the very branch that is holding them up above the roaring river below that could swallow and drag them like a rag doll for miles afar. You probably know someone like that. People who are so full of … Continue reading Biting the Hand that Feeds You
Right after the car accident in the summer of 2019, I remember penning a blog post. My priorities had changed after a terribly close brush with death. I wanted to (a) publish my book, (b) devote more time doing Reiki, and (c) I’ll get to that in a bit. This month, I crossed off (a) … Continue reading Ticking off Items on My List
Punctuate Life 