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.
If something here resonates with you, I’d be grateful if you’d subscribe.
Subscribe by searching for Our Future STRONG wherever you get podcasts, at Apple and Spotify.
Thank you for being here. ❤️
Yes, we all have a talent for living fully.
We just forgot we did.
Nigama Nigamantha: A Devotional Prayer to Lord Narayana
Hi all,This is a devotional Hindu bhajan in praise of Lord Narayana. This beautiful Telugu devotional composition expresses a deep human longing to reach His divine lotus feet beyond the material world, "I long for vairaagya and inner peace, but you keep me...
Where the Mind Is Free: My Tribute To The Power Of Silence – Read by Rachana
- Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - Solidarity to Solitude When I read Sylvia Plath's poetry, I often think of the manner in which she died. Putting her head in an open oven and killing herself, while her little children slept in the...
Hanuman Bhajan: Anjaneya, Vayu Putra, Ramadoota & Ranadhira
Hi all,This is a devotional Hindu bhajan in praise of Lord Hanuman. By addressing him as Anjaneya and Vayu Putra, we honor his divine birth as the son of Anjana and the God of Vayu. Anjaneya is the Vanarottama, the greatest among his kind, the Bala Bhima, a...
An Anthology of Poems by Rachana Nadella-Somayajula: Love, Life, and the Human Spirit
Child Bearers of the World - What Remains 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. Read the full poem HERE. Still Standing, Still...
Suddha Brahma Paratpara Rama: The Hidden Cosmic Meaning of Rama’s Most Powerful Devotional Chant
Hi all,This is a devotional Hindu bhajan in praise of Lord Rama — an incarnation of Vishnu and the hero of the Ramayana. Here are the lyrics. Thank you for listening. Shuddha brahma paratpara ramakalatmaka parameshwara rama Shuddha brahma paratpara...
Breathless – A Poem Read by Rachana
- Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - Breathless Through Breathless, I capture fleeting moments of desire and intimacy, weaving cosmic and everyday imagery. These micro-poems are tiny jolts of electricity, meant to be felt when words fail and...
Sri Rama Rama Bhajan: The Chant For Each Divine Name Of Lord Rama
Hi all,I enjoyed singing this, as its a beautiful string of epithets for Lord Rama, each highlighting a different divine quality or a stage of his life. For the first time I added the tanpura in the background. Hope you like it. Bhajan Lyrics: Sri Rama Rama...
Ramachandraya Janaka: The Mangalam Song That Ends Carnatic Concerts & Prayer Sessions with Blessings
Hi all,Ramachandraya Janaka is a classic "Mangalam" that's often sung at the end of concerts or puja ceremonies to invoke blessings and peace. Thank you for listening. Hope you like it. Here are the lyrics: rāmachandrāya janakarājajā manōharāyamāmakābhīṣṭadāya...
Kryptonite – A Poem Read by Rachana
https://youtu.be/r1ydUcfoIsU - Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - Kryptonite Kryptonite is an exploration of that high-voltage space between a professional facade and private vulnerability, where an "iron will" dissolves into the blue light...
You Don’t Die Once – A Poem Read by Rachana
https://youtu.be/cAahMdoN9J8 - Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - I’ve written this from the perspective of a mid-lifer, about how we get infinite chances at reinventing ourselves only if we’re looking for those opportunities. My children...
A Speck on the Sahara – Read by Rachana
https://youtu.be/ob4pSskh2pg Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - Sipping Tea In The Sahara One early morning in late December, we set off on a three hour journey from Cairo to Dahshur. As we passed village after village, lush green fields...
That Will Leave a Mark – A Poem Read by Rachana
https://youtu.be/9ByubdjMp-U - Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - That Will Leave a Mark In a locked hotel room, two people are orbiting each other in loaded silence. There is desire, there is restraint, and there is the tyranny of...
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...
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...
Homesick for the Stars – Read by Rachana
https://youtu.be/AHm4v2h1PhU - Want To Listen To The Article Instead? - Homesick for the Stars This essay is about travel, wanderlust and our perennial need for discovery. I wrote this while staring at a glorious sunset. As the golden hour sky...
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...
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...
Trackbacks/Pingbacks