SoulScript by Niharika

“Didi, the phenyl you bought this time smells so good. Better than last time!” My maid said it with the kind of delight we usually reserve for grand surprises. Her eyes sparkled, her smile was genuine, the kind that comes from the heart, not habit. For a moment, I was silent. That moment lingered. I had never noticed such a small thing. To her, that fragrance was enough to brighten her morning. To me, it was a quiet reminder that joy doesn’t always come wrapped in celebration. Sometimes it hides in the corners of daily life, waiting for someone simple enough to notice it. Common people, I’ve realized, have uncommon hearts. They find happiness in the tiniest of things, the aroma of fresh floor cleaner, the first sip of hot chai, a well-done rangoli, or a cool breeze after a day’s work. They expect little, and maybe that’s why they receive so much more from life. In their world, gratitude replaces ambition, and peace walks hand in hand with simplicity. I often feel suffocated amidst thes...

I want to tell you a story — not of one person, but of many voices, many homes, many centuries meeting our modern world. A girl grew up in a joint family in a village. During her monthly cycle, she was told not to enter the kitchen, not to touch the puja room, not to fetch water from the well. The older women would assure her, “This is for your rest.” They said, “You will lose energy; you must protect yourself.” In those days, cooking, fetching water, cleaning were heavy, daily burdens. To step away from them was a kindness, they said. And perhaps in those times, when wood had to be fetched, firewood carried, grinding, cleaning — yes, stepping back meant real rest, and often a chance for men to help more. One theory was that the woman's immunity during that period was low so temple visits were avoided to prevent infection in overcrowding. But as decades passed, the joint family shrank. Water came by taps. Cooking became easier, gas stoves replaced hearths. Yet many of those old ...

 He created flowers to bloom, you pluck them and offer them back to him assuming that this act will make him happy. We cannot please him by offering something which he gave us, truth be told, all are his creations. So give the needy. Activate that fragment of the supreme which resides in all of us, he has made us capable and powerful. Think again. Charity is the highest worship, meditation is the highest prayer and humanity is the greatest religion. Just my thoughts.