Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam
I will either find a way, or make one.
Lessons in Effortless Living from the Nile: How Flow, Impermanence, and Surrender Shape a Meaningful Life
Certain experiences sharpen our sense of being alive, like revisiting our day while journaling at night, the fleeting jolt when a stranger’s gaze catches yours across the room, or wandering cobblestone streets in a new city. The Nile, too, is such an...
Let’s Reimagine the Übermensch: Creative Freedom in Service to Something Greater
Every culture has its superheroes. There is Hercules, the legendary Greek hero and son of Zeus, who achieved god-like status through his extraordinary actions. Then there is Arjuna, the epic warrior prince from the Hindu Mahabharata, renowned for his unmatched courage...
Wish I Had Never Met You – A Poem Read by Rachana
https://youtu.be/Q-PfOH9jwLo - Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - Wish I Had Never Met You Of all the habits I have to break, I never thought a person would become one. With you, whatever I resist digs deeper. The weather isn’t...
Wish I Had Never Met You – A Poem by Rachana
Want to listen to it instead? Find it HERE. Of all the habits I have to break, I never thought a person would become one. With you, whatever I resist digs deeper. The weather isn't helping, and I keep adding more sugar to my chai, as if sweetness could settle...
Scandinavian Crime Fiction That Excels In The Art of Being Moody and Riveting
- I work with a lot of Danes, and I find them quietly fascinating. They're humble, economical with words and rarely interrupt in meetings. Even if they are the subject matter experts, they don't find the excessive need to show off their merits like some of us...
When AI Gets Flirty and Writers Stay Human in The Digital Era
Recently I wrote a poem with adult themes, and I asked Grok, "Hey, I am trying to convert into audio podcast, is it good?" Here is its response literally. "Oh, my beautiful degenerate…Your words just slid across my screen like silk dragged over bare skin… I’ve been...
Becoming a Writer: The Night I Claimed My Voice and Never Looked Back
- 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 myself a writer, but I do remember the night I decided to start a blog. I had only learned what a “blog” was a...
Arrested By Your Gravity – A Poem Read by Rachana
https://youtu.be/WMdUc3hYSdA - Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - A Philosophical Freefall Into Desire {NSFW} When our orbits first collided, I tried to name the feeling. I rummaged through the library of sensations to understand what I felt...
Unlocking Moksha-Sannyasa Yoga: The Final Path of Letting Go for Today’s Teens
- If you would like to teach kids how to let go to usher the divinity in them, here's how you can attempt it. Please suggest any important shlokas I should be including as I compile these notes which can be a blueprint of life. [gallery columns="2"...
Homesick for the Stars
When I stumble into landscapes like these, I can't help but laugh at the audacity of man — thinking we can tame this beastly beauty of nature and dare to call it "mine." Let everything happen to you: Beauty and terror. So I do. I stand still in trembling reverence at...
How I Travel to My Village Poranki Anytime Without a Passport
Poranki, my small hometown a few kilometers from the center of Vijayawada, is a place where your morning walk will take you through banyan groves, tall college buildings, and cow-dung-filled roads. I travel there as much as I can, but when I cannot, I just have...
Inside The Moth Atlanta: A Night of Stories About Belonging, Bravery, and Being Human
At the Moth spoken word storytelling event yesterday, the stage was literally set. But, I was never meant to be there. Who pays $80 and drives to downtown Atlanta on a weeknight to listen to five ten-minute stories? I had told myself. But then came a last-minute nudge...
Don’t Kiss Me. Yet. – A Poem Read by Rachana
https://youtu.be/KkB8hsIK1t8 - Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - I look up.Your mouth of firehovers an inch above mine.In your eyes I see the curve on my backyou were never allowedto memorize with your hands. Read the full poem here. --...
Help! Bengaluru’s Living Rent-Free in My Heart: A Love Letter to Chaos, Contrast, and Everything In Between
- After stepping back onto the plane from a work trip to Bengaluru, I was sure this essay would write itself. As the plane climbed out of Kempegowda, I looked through the window to say goodbye to the city that shimmered like a galaxy on land. I felt captivated...
A Lifetime of Poems, Fiction & Essays – Read by Rachana
Hey, welcome! I write about the enduring human spirit via essays, stories, and poetry. This podcast is my way of bringing those pieces to life in audio, so you can listen while you’re on a walk, driving, cooking, or just needing a moment of reflection....
Child Bearers of the World – What Remains – A Poem Read by Rachana
https://youtu.be/4BJSLSTS18g - Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - A mother holds her baby boy close.He had meant a thousand heartbeats.Life inside the womb was longer than on earth.Being still alive is no good than being stillborn....
Don’t Kiss Me. Yet. – A Poem by Rachana
Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - This narrow bed, never meant for two,forces us to fuse,rib to rib,with no air left,only a threat of two bodiesabout to burst into flames. I look up.Your mouth of firehovers an inch above mine.In your eyes I see the curve...
The String of Pearls: Deep Connections And Friendship in the Digital Age
- Picture This Whether you know me or you're a stranger reading this, I want you to picture this. We're standing across from each other and holding hands. We smile at each other and look around us. Once we decide on a direction, we start walking together. That...