• There is no point B - book cover
    Adventure,  Enlightenment,  Meditation,  Soul-stirring,  Spirituality,  Yoga

    There Is No ‘Point B’ – Awakening of a software engineer

    I wrote my first book, “Chennai to Chicago – Memoir of a Software Engineer” circa 2015. I shared the story of my journey from Chennai, to coming to the US for my Master’s, some heartbreaks, adventures, travels, and the spiritual quests that ensued. I was always seeking something throughout my life. As a kid, as a teenager, as an adolescent, as an adult, as a software engineer, traveler, writer, friend, yogi, I always sought something. I always thought, “There is a Point B and I need to get there.” I had no idea where that Point B was or how to get there. But I always felt, “Something’s missing.” And…

  • Spiritual Awakening
    Meditation,  Soul-stirring,  Spirituality,  Yoga

    This is all there is!

    It suddenly struck me that we only have 7 or 8 decades of life, and half of it is already gone. Life suddenly feels so short! When I was in the university in the US, I liked a girl, we used to cook and eat together, spent hours on the phone discussing a lot of things, she called me when she went to buy cloth or jewelry, “Does this look good on me?” she would ask. Once she was looking at the miniest of the mini skirt and asked me, “How about this?”. I examined it for some time and hesitated a little, but asked her with concern, “What if…

  • Do what you can - Help
    Soul-stirring

    Do what you can

    “Do what you can”. That’s what my Sensei told me when I was in Cleveland in 2009. It was snowing badly that day, and I wanted to skip the martial arts class that I had been going for a few months. That was a small non-profit dojo, very kind but talented martial artists. It’s called “Aikido”, a form of Japanese Zen-style martial arts. We start the day with a small meditation, some gentle exercises, and off we go to the mat. The initial few classes were about how to fall without getting hurt. And my Sensei said I am picking it up really good. I loved it. But the class…

  • Gwyneth-Paltrow
    Adventure,  Soul-stirring,  Travel

    A beautiful dream with Gwyneth Paltrow

    I had a super weird dream. Somehow, I literally traveled back in time, to 1991. I was standing in the middle of a road confused, the place was kind of like those small-town uptowns in Europe, roads laid with hexagonal bricks, where people hang out in pubs and coffee shops, laughing and chatting outside, everyone knew everyone else. It was kind of late evening-nighttime, it was quiet outside, but people were hanging out inside the restaurants. I was standing alone in the middle of the road looking around confused, when suddenly someone grabbed my hand and pulled me. I somehow instantly knew it was Gwyneth Paltrow! That confused stranger feeling…

  • Chennai to chicago book
    Backpacking,  Books,  Hiking,  Road trips

    Chennai to Chicago – A memoir

    This is a memoir from a part of my life, filled with tribulations, heartbreaks, travel, and adventures in the US, eventually being hit by the routine, frustrated, losing purpose in life as a software engineer, packed everything back up, and backpacked around India on a soul-searching journey, discovering myself along the way. Webpage created for the book: https://www.chennai2chicago.com Here’s a link to my book on: Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FM8QLKP Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07FM8QLKP Goodreads.com – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54965063-chennai-to-chicago I actually completed that book in 2013. Then one day I had a thought, “Who would wanna read what I did with my life?”. And that was it, I did nothing, and it had been sitting…

  • Adventure,  Backpacking,  Hiking,  Road trips,  Travel

    Iceland

    My trip to Iceland did not start off on a good note. I sat next to a guy on the plane whom I guess was having a Tourette syndrome. Tourette is when people have these uncontrollable ticks. His tick was pulling his hair, arranging his books in proper order on the tray table, and violently shaking his hands. He kept doing that for 7 hours straight, except when he dozed off for a few hours. OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, is when doing something doesn’t give any pleasure, but not doing it gives immense pain. I felt bad for people living with those conditions, they just can’t control it, they…

  • Adventure,  Backpacking,  Hiking,  Road trips,  Travel

    Area 51

    I landed in Vegas and booked a room for the night at the Luxor hotel. There was a heavy rush for the long weekend, full parking lots, cars wandering around trying to find a spot to park, long lines everywhere through midnight. I stood in line for hotel check-in, watching people losing money in slot machines, half-clothed drunk women with full makeup at midnight tottering around trying to find their balance, drunk men wandering around smoking cigarettes, nauseating smell of alcohol and tobacco everywhere, scantily clothed men and women groping on huge television screens all around, I felt suffocated inside those flamboyant buildings. What is everyone up to? Trying to…

  • Buddha peaceful meditating Golden
    Poem,  Soul-stirring

    Breathe… in and out… in and out…

    That life in your breath, wetness in your heart When you… Drenched in the rain Held a puppy in your hands Felt that butterfly in your stomach looking at someone Felt that pang when someone betrayed you Held your first job offer in your hands Cried as an adult Felt a deep love in your heart Felt a scalding hurt in your heart Take it all in… All the successes All the failures All the love All the hurt All the friendship All the betrayal Take it all in… Through all the happiness Through all the scars Take a deep breath of contentment… For all the beautiful experiences Of darkness…

  • Baby in mothers arms peaceful
    Poem,  Soul-stirring

    Dear Mother…

    Dear Mother I entered this life through you You put skin on me Carried me right through the door As the door opened I heard the song of life What a glorious time it is! The life that gave me breath And sense And feelings And caring through my heart I walked on Trying to understand the mystery of life Love expanded me Hurt deepened me Made me more sincere And I walked on Sometimes blind and deaf Sometimes with pain Fought with my fears Embraced the unknown And still, I walked on Until I began to hear the song of life Sang through the birds Spoken through the winds…

  • Intercranial Hypertension brain MRI
    Adventure,  Soul-stirring

    Reborn at 35

    “Cerebral Atrophy Empty Sella Tortuous Cornea Intercranial Hypertension”. I shuddered looking at my brain MRI scan report. The doctor said, “You have a small hole in your brain”. Is that it? Is that the end of this life for me?   I started having high fever after my July 4th trip to the Big Bend National Park in Texas. I went to my primary care doctor and he ran some blood tests and said everything looks normal, would be some viral fever, and should go away in a few days.  3 weeks passed but I had a fever on and off. This time, I felt some weakness in my right hand…