Sangeetha Kamath

You won't know what you've missed out on, if you haven't already picked up this Wonder of a book.  I won't even go to the extent of saying that it's a page turner. On the contrary, this story makes your heart so full and eyes brim over, you can't help but to not buy some time for yourself until you're ready to pick it up again.  It has the effect of churning your emotions to a fine powder and at the same time stay intact in the recesses of your heart. But try as you might, you cannot…will not abandon it halfway or stash it away, unforgotten and unread. No!  *** August,-- Auggie as he's fondly called by his family, is a fifth grade middle schooler struggling to find his place in a new prep school after being homeschooled in his initial years for the way he looks, attributed to a gene mutation. Going through umpteen correction surgeries from babyhood to present day, Auggie still doesn't fit the aesthetic norms set by society. Although the kid is intell

As the last breath of autumn fades away, the days stretch into Mid October, bringing along with it grey,foggy noons and cold,misty dawns.  Without missing a beat, I push myself to walk more briskly in the garden this week, while simultaneously at it with my physiotherapy which I have slightly upgraded to a milder version of pilates I used to do before my life decided to hover on the edge of an abyss. It's now almost two months—two days short into my ASD open heart surgery, Dear Diary. Days have melded into weeks and then into months. Juggling through a topsy turvy maze I hadn't even in my wackiest dreams hoped to encounter this uncharted route life had smacked me in the face! Just when I thought that every throbbing pain was here to stay, I never realized that in the meantime, every cell in my body was working extremely hard to recover itself and give me back my lost vigour. Survival instinct, the will to carry on for my family especially my Babylou nudged me to do my best. Al

  The seasons have changed three times over along with the skyscapes, Dear Diary. It's already October, my favourite month of the year. From champagne colored fluffed clouds of April and the laden, dense overcast monsoon skies from June to September, I now longingly gaze at a spotless cerulean sky as I rigorously practice my physiotherapy exercises and a dedicated 30 min walk in our garden dreaming about my second home in faraway Singapore which is enveloped in the same powder blue blanket. Battling with the blazing summers of my mind, the auburning autumns of my heart and the frigid winters of my soul, I hold space for every sacred transition as a renewed me emerges slowly, steadily and yes…painfully. A metamorphosis in the true sense. Wishing upon a frosted star when the night unfolds as an indigo rose, I tether on the brink of delirious dreams, struggling to fall asleep, yet,not daring to toss and turn as my body is still relearning to balance my weight as I lean sideways with s

  I finally muster the energy, the grit and the emotional embrace to write about it. When life socked the daylights out of me in ways that I never imagined, I looked on the upside of it as a divine intervention and a another miracle to add to my list in this year 2024 which went down the memory highway full throttle ahead. July 7, Dear Diary is a day which left a distinct mark. A day when my father had a coronary follow up and I not only went along, but also had a check up done for myself. This was a couple of days after my visit to Sai Mandir where Sai Baba guided me to go for a cardiogram. A strong inner voice, authoritative yet kind, a heightened intuition, call it what I may, rang in a manner that couldn't be ignored. That said and done, I had a consultation with my father's doc who did my ECG and ECHO. Minutes flew by in deafening silence when he finally finished the tests and to my horror bluntly revealed that I have an ASD. A 38mm hole in my heart. I was advised to go f

  I was excited for my first international trip!  Finally I was deemed worthy of this assignment. But I could sense the inside gossip that I was chosen because the best candidate backed out. My resolve didn't sway, instead it swelled by notches when my boss handed me a bulky package and escorted me to his chartered flight. The pilot sneered at me and the cabin crew smirked to see a greenhorn assigned for this role. Everyone was trying their best to exclude me from a clique!  But the ambience inside canceled their condescending behaviour. Leather couches, spaced out recliners…the regalia was out of this world! There was one other passenger besides me. The snooty vibes didn't stop. I was left out of all conversations. As the aircraft soared, I played out my next move, sipping on the best quality wine. The knots in my stomach started to relax.  “We're about to make our descent…” a voice announced. Beads of perspiration trickled as I reached for my package.  Moving swiftly, a

  I was excited for my first international trip.  But the cab I booked turned out to be a jalopy sputtering and halting at intervals.  Finally! Upon arriving at the port, the majestic sight of the Star Cruiseliner held me in awe! Craning my neck to capture it for my Instagram, I stumbled backwards and my knees came crashing on the ground, bruising them badly! A steward, slightly resembling DiCaprio rushed towards me with a wheelchair. But a sense of foreboding took over me instead…was this ship destined to be a Titanic? Suddenly, a strong wind blew away his wig, revealing his bald pate. ‘DiCaprio’ looked like Shakaal ! I exhaled in relief! But my happiness was short-lived! I had booked myself on the Star Pisces, but due to a glitch, I was rescheduled on the Superstar Aquarius! A rival at my workplace was an Aquarian! Arggggh! Cursing my luck, I hobbled into my cabin to be greeted by chilled champagne, warm breakfast platter, also a Hermes scarf as an apology for the goof-up. While s