Srishti Kumari

Tag: life experiences

  • The Magic of Creative Living

    By Renuka Gavrani

    Picture by Srishti Kumari

    I must say I have read something really fresh, rejuvenating, soft, simple, inspiring, and authentic after a long time in the genre of self-help. And this has been truly a lovely reading.

    “The Magic of Creative Living” touched me in ways not many self-help books could before. The honesty, simplicity, and authenticity of the author make it an absolute gem.

    Thankfully, someone writing a self-help kind of book talked about the myths and shit we feel trapped in so openly and loudly.

    I loved this book. Loved each page, each chapter, and each paragraph a hundred percent.

    Renuka has shared her life experiences, her problems, her struggles to live a life that finally feels a lot softer, meaningful, simple, yet successful, with all the fulfillment our soul craves silently. She nudges readers to sit, to question, to journal, and to basically pause and check if they are living the version of their lives they are really proud of from the bottom of their heart, or is there something missing? And if something is missing, then how to actively start participating in our lives instead of running away from it and scrolling for hours.

    She has nudged throughout the book. It is a non-preachy read. You will feel the honesty. You will surely relate to the reality she is talking about between the pages.

    For me, it has been one of the best, most refreshing, and simplest possible books in the self-help genre. I liked the writing style and the content of the book as well.

    If you are fed up with to-do lists, how-to guides, early morning alarms, scrolling endlessly, mediocre performances, and a sense of fear and loss in life, then go read this book. It can be your saviour. I mean it. If you are ready to change, the author has your back.

    Give it a try. You will get it.

    Happy reading!

    Take care.

  • Write

    Because you need to write.

    Photo by Daniel Álvasd on Unsplash

    Write, because you need to write.

    I know you are writing a lot. I know you are working a lot. You are thinking, ideating, brainstorming, discussing ideas, themes, and topics. You are researching very well for your case studies. You are refining, editing, and proofreading each and every LinkedIn post of yours, your articles, blogs, and that email newsletter – everything is being meticulously checked at least five times before anyone else’s approval.

    You are reading, browsing, scrolling, attending meetings, editing drafts, making new drafts, planning content, and learning from all the available sources you can, hoping it will boost your growth. And you are growing as well.

    Actually, you have grown. You have learnt a lot. You have become much better in your work. Your writing has become versatile. You can write for the CEOs, CxOs, founders, billionaires, and businesses across the industries without compromising the quality. And that’s excellent. Kudos to you!

    I knew you would do this. I knew you would achieve all the professional milestones, all the financial growth and success you had dreamt of. And see, you did it.

    But I need to talk to you. I am seeing that you have stopped doing something. In this business of writing copies, telling stories, building perception, branding, and business development, though you have written a lot, you have come far from writing itself.

    Do you see what I am trying to say? Can’t you see this? Isn’t it bothering you? I mean, it’s great, and it’s really awesome that you have built the fabulous financial security by doing something you love to do. It’s truly a blessing. And I am so, so, so happy for you.

    But I am missing my friend who used to write for herself — just for herself. No personal branding, no thought leadership, no brand integration, no business collaborations, no client work, no agency work, no premium global clients’ work, no emails, no pitches, no proposals, nothing of these sorts.

    I know my friend, each of these things is very important. I get that. But, I just want to remind you that you also need you. Talk to yourself. Talk to your friends. Talk to us. Talk to your diary. Or, just talk to your forgotten blog you once launched with childlike curiosity and eyes full of dreams.

    Those dreams need you too. You need yourself. You need to write for yourself. You need to write to yourself.

    Yes, you do.

    I hope you remember that.

  • Shaam ka Naashta

    Rare no?

    Photo by Raghavendra Mithare on Unsplash

    I remember, back in the school days, when I was in an all-girls residential campus, shaam ka naashta, I mean our evening snack was the more or less regular thing just like our breakfast. It didn’t matter what the snack was, be it a fruit, nuts, rusk, packet bhujiya, or sometimes noodles, dhokla with our sometimes not-so-good tea.

    It was a thing back then. When I shifted to Delhi for my college studies and started living with my parents, mealtime just got too erratic. Of course, college timings and late classes were the obvious reasons. Some days, I used to have my breakfast after 11 am and my lunch after 5 pm. It was bad. But that was it. My college years were far from perfect in any sense. Those years were haphazard throughout.

    So yeah, evening snacking wasn’t a specific thing for me then. And after that, I spent many years at my home doing self-study and exam preparations, coaching, etc., and breakfast, lunch, and dinner were the norm. Evening snack became occasional. And it is still now.

    For the last few days, I was asking Abhi(my partner and hubby) to make a chiwra snack for me. In bihar we call it choora ka bhujja. It is the regionally grown flatrice which is then shallow fried in much less oil until it becomes crispy, and then we add finely chopped onions, chilies, and during winters, also fried peas and groundnuts. It can be made in different variations according to taste and the way you want to relish it. We had everything at home that we needed. Abhi knows very well how to prepare it. But. But but but but but, for this particular thing we had to have a day when we both would be free in the evening, and we will have enough time in our hands. In short, you need evenings for an evening snack.

    Thankfully, today was that day. Abhi came home a bit early, and on my request, we managed to finally have our choora ka bhujja with fried peas, finely chopped onions, chillies, groundnut, and a bit of salt for flavour in our shaam ka naashta. Finally!

    I hope that this occasional snacking or shaam ka naashta remains in our lives. I don’t know why. I just want it to be. Maybe because it still reminds me of my childhood, my hostel days, when I used to look forward to it alongwith my friends. Maybe. I don’t know.

    Well, our naashta was really good. I liked the taste. It could have been crunchier, but it’s so sweet of Abhi to just make it for me within minutes. And I loved it that way.

    Happy Snacking!

  • Walking is my remedy

    And it is one of the best ones

    Photo by Charles Gaudreault on Unsplash

    Walking is a gift to me. Always. It’s always been a gift to me.

    I vividly remember my evening walks with my friends when I was in a hostel during my school days. We used to just roam around for hours on our campus. Those days, little did we know that something so simple as just going for a walk with your friend in the evening would someday feel like a luxury. And honestly, today I feel that this luxury has gotten really expensive.

    That’s life. A timepass evening with your friend every day becomes the occasional video calls, and we realise what we had was a lot more precious than whatever we can earn and buy now.

    After finishing my school, I came back to Delhi for further studies and started living with my parents there. I think those were the days when I started solo walks. It started slowly. I stuck to it. It helped me. It became my companion many times. Walking on my terrace became my everyday thing. Most of the times, me, my earphones plugged in and my walk – It continued like that for some time. Then I started going to parks for my morning and evening walks. This time, shoes were put on, but earphones were not always in. And this phase also continued for a good time.

    Time passed. I got married. And I moved from Delhi to my current residence. But my walk continued. Evening walk on my terrace. Shoes put on, headphones on, and my smart watch perfectly counting my steps.

    Today, I have a treadmill in my hall for having a good cardio, and I walk on my treadmill most of the days.

    Today, I feel walking has saved me from many things. Maybe many, many things. Many times, many, many times, when I feel lost till day, those few minutes or hours of walking bring me back to my roots, to my values, to my aspirations, and, most importantly, to my love for this beautiful life.

    Whenever I have felt lost, I have found myself. Whenever I have been overwhelmed, I have emptied myself. Whenever I feel stuck, it frees me up. It has been my remedy since the time I didn’t know it was the remedy I would need in my life.

    Today, I walk to pause. I walk to rest. I walk to exhaust myself. I walk to start afresh. I walk to finish what I have started.

    I walk to choose me, to choose faith, to choose faith in life, and to choose life every time.

    And I hope you choose life as well.

    Happy walking. Happy living.

    Take Care.