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
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
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
I am guilty of living in the past. I can't really explain why. It's like an aching. A longing. A strong conviction that the past held magic amidst the mundane. The glittering golden glory days of yore - far superior than the modern day drudgery. Something about those bygone days captivate me. Something about musty … Continue reading Waxing Nostalgic
Whenever I think of Goddesses incarnating on earth I fondly remember my grandma. She was a powerful matriarch with an iron staff (or should I say sword?) She was fearless and stood up to most anyone - die-hard patriarchs included - who saw her as a hapless widow. She owned her power. She was kind, … Continue reading Unleash the Goddess Within
As January 20th approaches my thoughts are with my grandma (Dadima) and I fondly remember the way she celebrated her birthday every year. She didn't have it easy. Widowed at the age of 36 and sickly most of her life, she had to fend for herself and reinvent herself several times over. From a village … Continue reading Celebrating You
How some of us take driving for granted! An article in Reader's Digest about a Saudi woman who couldn't drive (like all women in Saudi) got me thinking of the time I couldn't drive. No, I didn't ever set foot in Saudi Arabia. I lived most of my life in India, where my grandma's driver … Continue reading Driving Miss DC…
My grandmother was a busy woman. She used to work at her gas agency from 8.30 in the morning to 1.00 in the afternoon. Then she'd come home for lunch, pop a handful of pills (she had heart disease and high blood pressure) and settle down for a nap. She napped every day from 1.30 … Continue reading While You Were Sleeping…
No, I'm not talking about apocalypses. Not even World War III. I'm just exploring a question that came up during a conversation with a friend. She really didn't believe in signs and was joking around about the 'Universe' sending her a really rotten sign. Me in all my self-righteous glory, got all defensive and declared - … Continue reading When the Omens Spell Doom…
Punctuate Life 