Shilpa Roy Kota

We recently completed 10 years of married life and I have been itching to write about it. Anyone who is or has been married even once, would know that marriage is the most complex relationship. All other relationships are either tied by blood, or have the freedom to walk out easily when things get rough, but marriage is different from all of them. Our marriage has been no different and hence it took me a long time to put my thoughts together on it.  To start with, we had a love marriage, in an age, where it was not very common. Both side of parents graciously accepted and we landed together under…

I was fortunate to be part of a great session with a spiritual guru and have had quite a few takeaways over the last few days. I am sure some or most of them will figure in this blog sometime. However, this one stands at the top of my head right now because most of us have at some time asked this question and the answer provided by Sadhguru was truly profound. Question: What is the purpose of my life? Answer: We try and find a purpose to our lives when we think our life in its current form is not worthwhile. We are unhappy with what we are doing,…

I was out on a long drive today, a long list of to do items in my head and my favorite music on the air. I was in no hurry to get anywhere fast and was thoroughly enjoying the drive in the light traffic and the warm sun.  Suddenly a large white van started honking from behind trying to find a way to get ahead. I was myself stuck in between some cars and had no option but to continue driving where I was. I tried to ignore the honking, but it got to me in some time. As he literally pushed some cars out of the way and cursed loudly at some others,…

Born into a highly talented, creative and artistic family, I always considered myself a misfit whose handwriting was pathetic and who could never draw a single straight line, leave alone landscapes, portraits or fashion designs. In addition, I sucked at any sport you could name and got the worst grades in ENGLISH! My future to me seemed extremely bleak in those days and I had quite honestly resigned myself to live a life in the shadows of my extremely talented present and future family (if there was to be any). Since those days, I gave up trying my hand at any sport, never bought a pack of colors or brushes, and tried…

Ever since I started working, I have always looked forward to the first day of every month. Quite obviously, the reason for the excitement is that we receive our salaries on this day. It used to be measly amounts initially, often handed over in cash. Over the years, the amounts grew and got  added directly to my bank balance. The excitement associated with this day, nonetheless remained pretty much the same over the years. Now we have our own business, office and team and the first day of the month means responsibilities to ensure all payments are released on time. Honestly speaking, my salary hardly ever gets processed on the…

One dream at a time, one light burning deep inside One hope that refuses to die and one shoulder to cry These are the small things that keep me moving forward How often do we share, our smiles or our tears Life is so small, to live in our fears I never asked for much, and look at what I have Millions of moments to smile, cry and laugh with my dears You will find your answers, maybe not now, perhaps not ever How does it matter? You still have your questions to tickle your mind To make you smile, to make you cry to live your life.

Silence so deep, it echos through my soul Silence so dark, it blinds me more I wish it would stop, I wish it would go I wish to break it, but how can I so I smile, I laugh, all seems fine Inside I cry for no reason or ryhme Gone are the days when the moon would smile Now the wind is cold and the nights are blind The past was beautiful, the future remains unknown Yester memories keep me smiling whenever I am lone A warm hug, a bad joke, a stupid advice How they all changed my life! So much to remember, so much to try Then…

When you are trying to improve your public speaking skills, you are often taught to stand in front of the mirror and talk to yourself. Some trainers even go to the extent of recording your presentation and replaying it back to you so you can see where you need to improve. Obviously, when you know you are being recorded, you try to look perfect, act perfect and talk perfect. Does such recording really help? All it can tell you is, how good you are at imitating perfection. But it can never tell how good you really are. I experienced something similar recently, that helped me discover a little more about…

It just seems like yesterday, when I used to reach out to hold my daughters hand the minute we stepped on the road, in a busy shop or just out for a walk. My motherly instincts guided me to keep her safe, always at an arms distance from me. As she and I both grew older, the need to hold her hand slowly became less. The minute we would step out of the car, she would bound off, free from the confines of the car, ready to explore the world around her. The air tangling her curls even more, she would run on roads, play with dogs and pluck flowers…