Tag: India

YIF – One Year Later

This time last year, in the sweltering heat of Delhi summer, I was preparing for my graduation ceremony from the Young India Fellowship. Cars were crawling in through the Ashoka gates, parents were gathering in numbers, being met with delighted shouts from their sons and daughters. Fellows flapped around, borrowing pins for a sari here, … Continue reading YIF – One Year Later →

Meditating in the Matrimandir

No trip to Pondicherry is complete without a visit to Auroville. Located about 30-minute's drive from the centre of Pondicherry, Auroville was inaugurated on 28th February 1968 by the initiative of The Mother. It is an international-universal township project, where all men and women of good faith can live in peace with the purpose of … Continue reading Meditating in the Matrimandir →

The Genderless Heart

In the background of the contentious Brett Kavanaugh confirmation and #metoo storm which swept through India’s media and entertainment circles, I became despondent. Now, more than ever, healthy conversation was needed around the topics of male privilege and entitlement, consent, the negative impact of patriarchy, gender sensitivity and the collective fight against sexism. But the climate … Continue reading The Genderless Heart →

Elephant Parades in Palaces, Meditation Flash Mobs and Spreading Acts of Kindness – The Heartfulness Dasara Event

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Heartfulness Dasara Event in Mysuru. This event is the first of its kind to take place in Mysuru Ashram and so, not knowing what to expect, I packed a duffle bag and began my journey from the hustle and bustle of Bangalore. From what I learned … Continue reading Elephant Parades in Palaces, Meditation Flash Mobs and Spreading Acts of Kindness – The Heartfulness Dasara Event →

From Fellowship to Fellowship

When first coming to India, I had only intended to stay for one year. But that is clearly not what life had in store for me. Through a series of unexpected events, I found my passion for Heartfulness meditation. Upon visiting the Kanha Shanti Vanam ashram in Hyderabad, myself and another YIF-er, Ankur, discovered that … Continue reading From Fellowship to Fellowship →

Finding Soul in Satkhol

As part of the fellowship program, we were treated to a week’s retreat in the Satkhol Ashram. And so, fellows from around the country converged through trains and planes and automobiles, to wind our way up to the ashram, nestled in the hills of Uttarakhand. It seems that ashrams, like all good superheroes, are not … Continue reading Finding Soul in Satkhol →

10 things I wish I knew before joining YIF..

1. INTENSITY In preparation for this blogpost, I looked up the definition of intensity, which the Oxford dictionary very ambiguously describes as “the quality of being intense”. Over the course of my interviews for the programme, I was asked time and time again how I dealt with an intense workload. Having worked for two years … Continue reading 10 things I wish I knew before joining YIF.. →

Ashoka University – Pretty Juicy for a Fake University

As I was handed my passport containing my Indian student visa the embassy official told me that I was going to a fake university. She said that the one that I had listed was not on their register of legitimate universities. Ashoka University – the university that I am attending – is 7 years’ young … Continue reading Ashoka University – Pretty Juicy for a Fake University →