Hi
How have you been? Seems like the pandemic is petering out though one does hear disturbing news about virulent and fast-spreading mutants of the virus.
I have been busy with some projects, so haven't been able to reach out to you for some time now. December was a particularly horrible month with a family medical emergency which saw me travel in a wailing ambulance for six straight hours as a caregiver. Thankfully, everything is back to normal now.
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A few days ago I came across an Instagram post about compliments. It resonated with me and so I thought I'd share it with you. I've often thought that we dissect and analyse a compliment too much. We go down a veritable rabbit hole.
For example if someone says, "I liked the speech you gave during the meeting."
Our thoughts go something like this:
Is he trying to flatter me? Maybe he wants me to do him a favour. What does he really mean by saying that? Maybe he has ratted something nasty about me to the boss. That's why he's walking around paying me compliments. Now if I accept his praise he might think I'm the type who falls for flattery. Maybe he expects me to praise him in return. What on earth am I going to say about him. I can't think of anything nice to say in return. Now he's going to think I'm downright arrogant.
Seriously?
I used to do that a lot. Dissect and dismember a compliment. But for some time now, I just say thank you and move on. Believe me, makes life simpler. And happier.
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From My Blog
I haven't been posting on my blog quite as regularly as I would've liked to. But I did post a folk tale and some random thoughts. If you have children at home who demand that you tell them a story, you might find the folk tales section of my blog useful. Here are the links to the new posts:
Guest post by a musician and travel buff - A Strange Night
Interview with Dr C. P. Unnikrishnan, scholar and Kathakali exponent.
Guest Post by one of the first women in the Indian Army - Olive Green Dreams
My random thoughts about quitting a book
A folk tale about Kandan - The Elephant with the Free Spirit
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Book Talk
I've been reading some books though not as many as I'd have liked to. I know I keep saying that and maybe it's a general feeling among all who love to read. I finally got round to reading Dickens' Bleak House and felt that all my writer friends who had said it was mandatory reading for a writer were right. It is indeed very different from his other books. I read it slowly savouring the different Dickensian quirks and idiosyncrasies. Reading Dickens also brought back memories of my school since I read most of his books while there.
I reviewed this book The Tombstone in My Garden by Nagaland writer Temsula Ao for Desi Book Reviews. Click to read. She is one of the most significant voices from the Northeast and her stories have a folk tale like charm.
A piece of good news: My short story called The Missing Syllable was featured in an online magazine for South Asian Literature called Jaggery. Click to read if you haven't already.
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I know that's quite a bit of reading. But then again, isn't reading something that gives us great pleasure?
If you enjoyed that please share on social media and also encourage your friends to subscribe.
That's all this time. Here's a Greek quote for you to ponder till we meet again: "What didn't you do to bury me / but you forgot I was a seed."
Until next time then. Take care and though the restrictions may have eased, wear your mask and sanitise your hands.
Best,
Veena
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