Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam
I will either find a way, or make one.
Building Trust and Safety: How Accountability Strengthens Law Enforcement and Communities
I have lived in the United States for nearly twenty-four years. This is my home. I am a person of color, and so are my children. In my city of Johns Creek, a suburb northwest of Atlanta, I often see police officers on the roads. I respect the work they do. They show...
Sri Hari Stotram (Jagajjalapalam): The Eight-Verse Path That Leads the Mind Beyond Sorrow
This hymn is in praise of Lord Vishnu. The final part called the "phalaśruti" translates to this: Whoever reads this eight-versed necklace-like hymn (Stotram) of Murari (Vishnu) daily with a concentrated and peaceful mind, certainly reaches the eternal,...
Kryptonite – A Poem by Rachana
“To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves,” Federico García Lorca once wrote. This poem explores a kryptonite-like allure that softens iron wills, the digital-age loneliness of glowing screens and unsent...
Cohesion – A Poem Read by Rachana
https://youtu.be/r8htwM3FEhk - Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - Cohesion {NSFW} This poem is a raw, sensual, and unapologetically erotic poem that celebrates intense, prolonged physical and emotional intimacy between lovers. Stay here with these...
Madi Sikharam: The Peak of the Mind and the Inner Himalayan Journey to Self-Realization
Is it strange if I tell you that even though the icy wind of the Himalayas has never touched my cheeks, I have felt that chill within me? When I sit down to meditate and think of the mountains, I feel as though I can taste the thin, luminous air that circles the...
Brain Rot Is Infecting AI Too: How Doomscrolling Is Breaking Human and Machine Minds
People are writing research papers on which biryani (Indian-flavored rice) is the best, but more on that later. 😅 This might be the most important paper on AI we will read. Scientists are showing how large language models can rot their own minds, in the same way...
I Stumbled Upon a Baby Shower in a Café. It Became a Reminder That Joy Finds Us Anywhere.
It's safe to say it's been a while since I've attended a baby shower. I don't even come across infants on a regular basis. I last saw a baby (almost 1 year old) was at a party this past Thanksgiving. My friend had a grandbaby in 2025. So, that's that. And also...
Kagemni Slayed Me With a Reed Pen: A Love Affair With Ancient Egyptian Scribes and Tombs
Falling Into A Saqqara Tomb Silly me, when I visited the Djoser Step Pyramid complex of the Saqqara necropolis (ancient Egyptian burial ground city), I was worried I would fall into a catacomb, one of those recesses between the ancient Egyptian tombs. Little...
Rama Nama Tarakam: The Two-Syllable Mantra That Carries Souls Across Samsara
Rama Nama Tarakam is a song that asks Lord Rama to help us cross the ocean of samsara. His name can act as the divine boat (taraka) to cross the ocean of worldly suffering, bringing peace, purity, strength, and spiritual awakening. Rama’s name is considered the...
An Open Letter to Balayya, NTR & Gulte Fans in America: Movie Pride Doesn’t Mean Theatre Chaos
A little introduction about me. I’m from Vijayawada, where Telugu cinema worship is often said to have originated. So I know what I’m saying. Just listen to me. For many of us who grew up Indian, especially Telugu, cinema wasn’t just entertainment. It was our...
Living in America’s Melting Pot While Confronting the Housing Crisis No One Talks About
It’s safe to say that even in America, as a true blooded Indian, I live in my own world of Indian food and Bollywood style parties. What little I understand about how everyone else lives is mostly through shows like Friends, Seinfeld, Sex and the City and movies like...
Becoming a Writer: The Night I Found My Voice – An Essay Read by Rachana
https://youtu.be/qm6ygiEOWdc - Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - On Becoming A Writer I have to write great opening lines if I’m going to become the most famous writer in the world. I don’t remember the exact moment I started calling...
The Festival in My Heart: An Essay Read by Rachana
https://youtu.be/U8Cx2Bj6nsQ - Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - To Live Or Not To Live Years ago, I traveled to the Piazza di Spagna in Rome in search of John Keats. Never mind that it was approaching his 100th death anniversary, I simply...
My Productivity Playlist: Opera, Hans Zimmer, and How I Get Work Done as a Right-Brained Adult
Music To My Ears I feel like every artist I meet has the same exact goal in life. Spend all the money they make on their art on other people's art and then die happy. I try to do a little bit of that myself to encourage other fellow right-brainers to keep...
One Road Trip, Many Spains: A Soulful Journey Through Art, Faith, Food, and Freedom
A Slow Drive Through Spain’s History and Heart I have a million essays planned about Spain. I’ve already written about some gorgeous places HERE. We went on a 16-day road trip through Spain, starting in Barcelona, traveling to the tip of Catalonia, looping...
Cohesion – A Poem by Rachana
Listen to the audio version of this poem on HERE. This poem is a raw, sensual, and unapologetically erotic poem that celebrates intense, prolonged physical and emotional intimacy between lovers. Stay here with these words, in these suspended, heated moments....
My Devotional Music Repertoire | Bhajans Collection Sung by Rachana
My Humble Tribute To The Carnatic Music Trio Hi everyone, welcome. I'm learning bhajan music as a way to deepen my meditation practice through the power of music. Please note that these compositions are not necessarily categorized as Carnatic music. However, I...
A Dream Mehendi in Sitges: An Indian Wedding Celebration Where Tradition Meets Mediterranean Magic
In Sitges, a coastal town in Spain's Andalusian region, we once attended a beautiful mehendi function. A mehendi event is a pre-wedding celebration where family and friends gather to decorate the bride’s hands and feet with henna. Henna (or natural tattoos) is...