Unlearning, to be me.
Writing about myself has never been easy for me.
Because how does one put into definitive words the eternally transitional process of becoming?
And over time, I have realised that it is less about becoming, and more about being. Which, in some ways, means un-becoming or un-learning. Letting go of the things we have been taught to be, and slowly discovering & connecting with what remains.
By now, you may have guessed my spiritual inclinations and my bent towards philosophy.
So rather than attempt to define myself, perhaps I can share some things that catch my interest and those that shape my way of living. These are some activities I like to immerse myself in, the things that I return to and those that make me feel most like myself.
Music
Music has been one of the biggest sources of energy in my life.
I don't just listen to music. I live with it, meaning there's always a melody I am humming to, or a rhythm / song-of-the-day..
Music has been a companion, a source of inspiration, a way of connecting with people and also with myself through the different emotions it invokes.
Born & raised in a family of classical & “Natya-sangeet” music enthusiasts, I was trained in Hindustani classical music at the age of 7 but shortly discontinued the classes (within a couple of years), after failing a music exam. Cut to 2013, I rediscovered Indian classical music through a fusion band called Maati Baani, and also discovered my love for folk music thereafter.. music that carries stories, traditions, emotion and a sense of groundedness within it.
My love for music has also found its way into my work. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with musicians and artists, being part of their creative worlds and helping bring some of their ideas and projects to life.
Ear Worms this week
It is one of those things I never plan for, but am always very grateful for the way it finds its way back into my life.
Writing
I have always been passionate about writing and have been doing so since I was about six or seven years old.
I started with short poems and stories, scribbling them into notebooks and journals, and then, sometime around 1994, began typing them out on WordStar, on our first computer at home, back in the days of DOS.
A few years later, I took to journaling and have filled up a lot of diaries since then.
In 2007, I took my writing to the internet and started blogging on Blogger — that little corner of the internet was where my journey with online writing began. And that also opened up a whole other world to me: of blog friends, a community of bloggers.. We even went on to meet in person, organise Blog Camps and Bar Camps.
Over the years, writing has taken many forms for me.. Personal reflections, stories, observations, and eventually more structured and informative pieces. My more recent writing has found a home on Medium.
Writing eventually found its way into my professional life too. A lot of what I do at work involves finding the right words, making complex things easier to understand, structuring information, and thinking about how an idea can be communicated with clarity.
I have written non-technical articles as well as technical and SEO-focused pieces.
And if you want to go back to where it all began, my old blogs are still around on Blogger. A little archive of an earlier me, preserved somewhere on the internet.
Seeking, questioning, knowing
I have always been curious about the why. I like learning the fundamentals.
And it's also helpful to listen to someone who has spent years studying or experiencing something. To understand where a perspective comes from before deciding what I think about it.
This curiosity eventually led me to start a virtual podcast called Clear Conversations.
It is a space where I explore ideas, social trends and questions that have found their way into modern conversations, by seeking perspectives from people who have first-hand experience or knowledge of the subject.
The intention is quite simple: to know more, to listen better, to question thoughtfully, and perhaps to live a little better.
Things that grow
I am drawn towards gardening, I think I get this from my maternal grandfather!! Gardening has made me appreciate small changes: a new leaf, a tiny shoot, a flower that wasn't there yesterday. We have close to 70+ plants at our home, collectively across the different windows, balcony and the terrace! There is something deeply grounding about putting your hands into soil and tending to something.
Plants don't really care about timelines. They grow when they are ready.
Spirituality & Yoga
I started practising Yoga in 2009-10, at a time when I was struggling with anxiety. A neighbour suggested that I try it, and I joined classes conducted by Yoga Vidya Niketan, founded by Padmashri Nimbalkar Guruji. I continued practising with them for a couple of years.
Looking back, I think my spiritual journey had already begun around the same time, although I did not quite recognise it as such then.
In 2013, a friend and I rather randomly signed up for Vipassana: a ten-day silent meditation retreat. I went into it expecting some sense of calm. Instead, it surprisingly amplified some of my emotional disturbances and anxiety. I came out of it with more questions than answers, and spent the years that followed looking for ways to understand and ease what I was experiencing. It took me quite some time to even accept that this was a journey I was on.
Around 2019–20, I came across I Am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj. Reading it (the simplicity & clarity in the answers by Maharaj) seemed to quieten the constant movement of my thoughts, what I would perhaps describe as easing the waves of thought. In today's language, one might call it “regulating the nervous system”. Whatever the terminology, I had experienced something different.
It was also my first real introduction to the idea of a Guru.
What followed was a gradual unfolding rather than a conscious search. My experiences and explorations around Sai Baba of Shirdi led me towards discovering Sri M, Neem Karoli Baba, and other saints and teachers, particularly those connected with the Nath and Vaishnav-Nath traditions.
In 2025, I found a direction / path through a living Guru, Sri M. Since then, I have been trying to practise what I have learnt, alongside traditional prayer and worship.
I also returned to Yoga more seriously and have been practising Hatha Yoga quite regularly since February–March 2025. Around the same time, I made my first journey to the Maha Kumbh.. an experience that felt, in many ways, like another marker along this rather unexpected path. The journey still continues.
Tea & Conversations
I like having people over.
There is something wonderfully simple about making tea for someone and sitting down to talk. No agenda or particular destination for the conversation.
Just tea getting progressively colder while the conversation flows.. I like connecting with people, and I have found that a warm cup of well-made tea always manages to loosen up both the listener and the speaker!
When I was signing up for my Twitter (now X) account back in 2008, one of my blog friends suggested a handle that has stuck with me since: @teatattler — someone who tattles over tea!!