Fluky Wisdom

“The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest (people) of the past centuries.” – Descartes I have been writing my thesis for the past few months, reading a lot of books as a part of the process. Juggling between performing, teaching, practicing and Ph.D. has been so overwhelming that it gave me a lot of stress and anxiety. This led to a terrible consequence called 'Emotional Reading'. Yes. Although reading my subject books strained my eyes, I still chose to read so many non-fiction books to reduce my anxiety and stress. And what a wonderful bad habit it is. It keeps us away from the bad, boring and cliched movies, gossips, low-quality conversations and makes us travel through time. These are a few of the books I read, reading and re-reading for the last couple of months along with reading books related to my research work. Presenting five of them in this post.  1. Real Artists Don't Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Cr...

03-11-2018 Hyderabad I was having a rough day and reached home tired. After an hour of reaching home, my two little flowers turned up for dance class. Seeing those innocent faces itself would always be an instant mood lift. Today, it was even more wonderful as my two 6-year-old students were determined to perfect their steps. They didn't complain of their sweating, they didn't complain of me not giving a water break, they didn't even complain about their legs hurting. All they wanted was a little pat from me that they did well. While one student strives to maintain her constant smile on her face just because I asked her to smile, the other student wouldn't stop dancing until I say. Sometimes, I ask her to practice the same step and would forget. After 15 minutes, I still see her dancing without break and I always end up being in a state of awe at her determination. Teaching was never my passion as I consider myself still a student and I like performing. But, whe...

“No one who achieves success does so without the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.” – Alfred North Whitehead    In my childhood, I never understood the statement given by Aristotle which says, "Man is a social animal. He who lives without society is either a beast or God". But today, after so many years of struggle and hard work in the field of dance, I owe everything I achieve to all those who stood by me during the tough times, and all those who have given me opportunities even when I couldn't recognize my own talent. The success of an individual is never ever just that individual's success. There will always be an invisible army behind that person which constantly supports that individual just out of pure love. Whether we agree or not, we are the most fragile and vulnerable beings where we crave for that little spark of love, appreciation and recognition. I have always been grateful for the people around me, and whe...

"Great dancers are great not because of their technique, they are great because of their passion". Does it sound like an old and well-known quote of Martha Graham? I am quoting it again because dancing and surviving as a dancer is not just as fancy as we write beautiful quotes on our wall and go back and have pop corn. It takes passion to show up every day in the empty studios for practice.. It takes perseverance to not to quit when nothing seems working.. It takes determination to push yourself when nobody does it ! It takes lot of courage to choose sweat and sore feet over partying and being lazy ! It takes immense love towards dance to rehearse the same movement again and again to make it look effortless and beautiful.. To be a dancer is to be your own friend, philosopher, guide, motivator. This interview series is my humble attempt to interview all such wonderful dancers, teachers and choreographers who inspired me in this journey. In that way, I can show my gratitude t...

March 6th, 2018 5:08PM Starbucks, Jersey City. I was sick with cold, cough and fever yet I wanted to kick myself out of my bedroom, go out and feel the fresh air and come back. So I packed my books and went to a nearby Starbucks to sit and read and reflect upon my life. I randomly opened Mind Valley's interview with Robin Sharma for some motivation and got stuck at one single point: "A bad day for the ego is a great day for the soul". And he says that it is the starting point for all the learning and growth. I was overwhelmingly happy as I was in the exact situation. For someone who has been comfortable doing one single dance style for 14 years, being a beginner in the modern dance class is extremely tough (Just beginner level for my PhD). It tones down my ego every single class and reemphasizes to let go of my Ego to Grow.  When you are good at something, your ego knows it. When you try learning a new skill, your ego will have a great struggle in accepting the ...

March 6th, 2018 Jersey City.  I was watching Gundamma Katha, an all time classic Telugu movie for 100th time. This time, it was not the same enjoyment I used to have every time I watched the movie. This time, it was weird filled with bafflement and amusement. I am amused to observe that the same film which has a song empowering women "Lechindi ! Nidra Lechindi Mahila Lokam !" has a dialogue by the son to father saying "You say Yes! I shall set the girl right and make her fall at your feet Father ! " The dialogue which sounded very casual all these days irked me for a minute. If this dialogue is put in the present day cinema, it would have faced a big protest. I couldn't have appreciate it too.  Then I realized, it is neither the fault of the film nor the dialogue is offensive. It is just the idea of good and ideal wife/ daughter-in-law changed from the previous generation to this generation. (I know I will be judged for overthinking :P ) ********* ...

Watch this section for the results of the simplest projects I take up in my life to connect with the Universe, to be simple, peaceful, clutter free and happy. What are those tiny projects in store for me this year? Here is my bucket-list. "Be happy because not everything is good, but because you can see the good in everything" 1. A day without electronic gadgets. 2. A day on mouth rest. (No talking) 3. A week on spiritual retreat. 4. A week of de-cluttering unnecessary objects, toxic people  and toxic thoughts. 5. A month without complaining. 6. A month of minimization - of expenses, products etc. 7. A Dancing holiday - Only Dance, nothing else. 8. Book reading marathon - A month of book reading. 9. A month of Anger management. 10. A holiday dedicated to family. And the list goes on.. That's all for now.. Stay tuned for the results.. :p :)