Looking Inwards #12
reading, acceptance, blogging and Hyderabad, the ruthless world, Indian democracy, Ukraine invasion, Licorice Pizza, and Pondicherry greens.
Hi there!
Thank you for joining me.
I hope you are doing well and that your week has been peaceful.
Pichavaram Mangroves near Pondicherry
The past few months my reading time suffered due to traveling. Even though we travel slow, I had to find guesthouses frequently and the new destinations or neighborhoods had things to see or birds to watch. Even if I stay put for months to write, the list of things I want to write is ever-increasing. And, of course, life doesn’t stop because one has to read. So I wasn’t able to read as much I wanted to.
But now with two libraries in vicinity, my carton of books, the unlimited supply on Kindle, and the vast network of information on the internet has engulfed me completely. I've been reading a lot. And when I return to voracious reading after any amount of time, I gulp everything that comes in front.
So it wasn’t only the Village by the Sea and Half of a Yellow Sun along with the other books and articles I shared with you in the last week’s newsletter.
My Chrome history shows I have browsed through and read about red rice (and also shifted to them), got interested in vulture sanctuaries and Kodava community in Karnataka, wondered why there aren’t more movies on Kashmir while The biased Kashmir Flies rules it all, pored through the Economist, The New Yorker and BBC for the Ukraine invasion, almost broke my head over why masks are still in the Indian government’s fashion statement even though all other curbs are lifted (article is on Telangana state but true for all of India), glanced at the Swan Song by Anton Chekhov, agonized over BJP’s win in India’s biggest state election of India, re-read bloggers’ editing tips, drooled over African Jollof rice and Tamil Nadu greens’, got amazed by how one country’s war is an export deal for another, and was shocked when I saw I had Googled Kingfisher breeding.
The span of ideas, circumstances, and things that interest and come to an individual is vast. At first glance this potpourri of readings look chaotic. But when observed at a closer look we see everything is interconnected.
So much above is related to my interest in this world, its people, and animal life, cooking with local ingredients, eating, world politics, current situation of the humans, logical living (or the lack of it), blogging, reading, writing, and art.
Have you ever gone through your Chrome history (or wherever you read) at the end of the week? I promise you you will be amazed by the things you browsed through.
Chaotic or not, we humans are complex. A plethora of emotions and thoughts engulf us at all times. And the best we can do is sit back, reflect, and understand who we really are. If not always, sometimes.
Maybe we can manoeuvre our lives better if we are ready to accept not only our faults, forgetfulness, and forlornness but also our mischief, manipulation, and melancholy.
So here I’m reminding myself to take it day by day, with awareness, thicker skin, and more confidence (as my 2022 resolutions) while reading a lot.
On the note of acceptance,
For this week’s letter,
Some of my writing,
quotes I love,
things to read,
things to watch,
and
travel tips.
Past Articles I’ve Just Renewed
New to Blogging? My 11 Hands-On Tips for Bloggers (Updated 2022)
Collected from the initial two years of blogging, these 11 hands-on tips for bloggers remain by best secrets to blogging even after four and a half years.
Click to read the full blogging guide. Or Pocket for later.
Delicious Places to Visit in Hyderabad in 3 Days [2022]
In 2018, I had to travel to Hyderabad (Telangana, India) twice to get my US visa. Back then I decided against writing a Hyderabad blog.
I didn’t want to write down places to visit in Hyderabad because the city seemed orthodox to my independent taste. Men ogled women freely while their wives roamed around the city fully clad. Hoards of men crowded the corner shops and streets while the women were nowhere to be seen. I even saw an old Muslim man pointing to me and later telling his son my clothes (a pink short-sleeved top and three-fourth jeans) weren’t decent. Though every corner of this Nawabi town was fragrant with delicacies, we had a hard time finding vegetarian food in Hyderabad.
Then I decided against my intuition of not writing about Hyderabad.
As I returned from my Hyderabad, I realized Hyderabad is so much more than the conservative society rallying its heritage streets. Hyderabad is rich with archaic domes, stone-carved mosques, vast lawns, ancient tombs, pigeons, flaky pastries, and robust fort walls. Ginger tea and ageless historic buildings can be found at every corner of Hyderabad. No doubt it is a beautiful town.
This is narrative guide to Hyderabad. Get to know the history of Hyderabad but also where to escape from the heat, where to eat, and other insider tips are included.
Read the full memoir here or Pocket for later.
Quotes I Love
“We must laugh in the face of our helplessness against the forces of nature — or go insane.” — Charlie Chaplin
“This is a ruthless world and one must be ruthless to cope with it.” — Charlie Chaplin
“Less is more.” — Yours Truly
What I’ve Been Reading
I’ve been reading short stories, books, articles, and so much more. I can’t possibly list all what I have read in the past week so I’m putting down the things I found most relevant and worthwhile.
Starting with the most important,
About the Ukrain invasion by Russia,
The Economist has been pretty accurate and quick in updating about what’s happening in Ukraine after it was invaded by Russia in February.
Some of the recent pieces that shed light on how poorly planned Russia is and what are Ukrainians doing in the face of war are
Cappuccinos and Kalashnikovs: war comes to Lviv by Wendell Steavenson — Western Ukraine felt like a safe haven. Now the conflict is edging closer.
The sense of safety is ebbing. On Friday at dawn there were Russian airstrikes on airports in the western Ukrainian towns of Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk, each of them a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Lviv. Later that morning an air-raid siren sounded while we were in a café; the waitress asked politely if we would like to move away from the windows. On Sunday Russian missiles hit an army base housing foreign volunteers just 50km away. More than 40 people there are reported to have been killed.
Many Ukrainians are running to Lviv only to further cross into Poland. The piece tells what happens in the interim.
Fighters with Ukraine’s foreign legion are being asked to sign indefinite contracts. Some have refused — Is volunteering to fight another country’s war a viable option?
“To me it’s deceiving,” Priday said. “They’re selling you a dream – You can help the Ukrainian people! – but then they’re throwing you into the worst place possible in a war zone.” Priday refused to sign and said he was immediately asked to leave the barracks. He was still able to convince nearly 20 aspiring volunteers not to sign the contract, he claims.
The battle for Irpin: Russian troops close in on the capital — Millions of Ukrainians fleeing their homes grabbing only the most essential.
And by BBC,
War in Ukraine: Uni to uniform - Ukraine's new teenage army recruits — Can you imagine straight out of university to fighting on the war front with less than a week’s training, borrowed uniforms, and yoga mats? Well, it’s happening in Ukraine.
The BBC’s War in Ukraine page has been informative and updated.
I’m also following the defense reporter Illia Ponomarenko (one amongst many) who are reporting the war from Ukraine.
The Print is also doing a great repertoire on the invasion and I’m watching Shekhar Gupta’s Cut the Clutter videos closely.
About India and our flagging democracy,
How the app Truecaller built a billion dollar data empire in India — A weeks-long investigation by The Caravan shows the Swedish company has used India’s lack of a comprehensive legal framework surrounding data protection to advance its business.
True Software appears to be sourcing personal data both from Truecaller users’ contact lists and, in some circumstances, their social media pages (including name, telephone number, email address and, where available, demographic information and additional contact information). This information is then made publicly available via reverse search on the Truecaller website and mobile app … There is no indication that True Software is making non-users aware that their data are being processed in the Truecaller app or website search, unless those individuals actively engage with the website or download the app. It is entirely possible that individuals do not have any knowledge of this use of their data at all. This means that they are being denied their rights under Directive and that their privacy is being infringed.
Do you know all your contacts get saved to Truecaller without seeking the permission to do so from those individuals? So not only your best friend’s contact (sometimes social media pages and other information) but also your grandmother’s, father’s, and ex’s number gets listed on Truecaller. There is much more though. Please read this article.
I’ve a lot to share about how the movie Kashmir Flies is a perfect example of Modi’s mass media marketing (his social media warriors are Prashasak Samiti). The movie is made to bend everyone’s opinion against the state Muslims while emphasizing Hindus are in danger (yet again).
If you think these mass propagandas don’t work, think again, please. Someone very close to me argues with me, “didn’t those Mughal rulers first destroyed our temples?” This is a new narrative that has risen in the past few years and is becoming more and more powerful.
Do you not see the danger of this argument?
but this week I only want to share the review of The Kashmir Flies by the Hindu.
This is what the reviewer Anuj Kumar worries about (and I too)
One fears, in the name of street justice, the clippings of the film will soon end up in social media to fuel further hate against one community.
I don’t have the heart to share more from this week’s readings. Stay tuned for the next one because I want to list the books I’ve read on Kashmir and those provide more facts than prejudices.
What I’ve Been Watching/Listening
I saw a live act of the Swann’s Way by Anton Chekhov here in Auroville recently. But either the play (I haven’t read it) or the act lacked in the quality that makes one bite their fingers while watching the theatre. I also watched the Oscar-nominee movie Licorice Pizza and loved how love, desire, and chaos inside us is so beautifully laid on the screen. I recommend the movie.
And for all my Wanderlusters!
I’ve done and seen so much in the last few weeks. Boating in maybe a more than 2000-years-old mangrove forest, eating claypot fish curry rice here in Tamil Nadu, cycling in fishing villages, visiting Pondicherry’s Sunday local market, and buying and cooking local Tamil greens whose names I reiterate many times during the day are only some of the things I’ve done and seen.
Sharing a few pictures from the last week’s adventure below.
Apart from being maskless, everything else is allowed in India. And maybe in the rest of the world, too. I will still refrain from international travel for a bit longer until everything stabilizes. And India has much to see for my curious heart and mind.
But yes, I do get tired of Indian rules and lack of democracy (at times). One can’t speak, be, dress, or walk the way she wants. More on that later.
What about you? How do you feel where you are now?
Relearning simple things about life by studying the life of a tree
an old Tamil lady selling greens, banana flowers, and jackfruits in the market. I bought some greens from her and asked her if I could click her too. She was so happy looking at her pictures.
Coconuts and coconuts. In Pondicherry, most items have one entire street reserved for them.
pots and demons.
more greens, bananas, and coconuts.
i made samosas for holi. the most color I played with was turmeric.
the painting of a woman cooking fish curry in the traditional clay pots.
Found this gem in a restaurant today.
ragi dosa. Yum, yum.
the good ones trying to save the world from the bad ones. Who succeeds?
Thank you for reading.
I hope your upcoming week is an exciting one. Take good care of yourselves :)
Let me know what you think about this newsletter. Just press reply.
Yours,
Priyanka
Some housekeeping… This email may end up up in the Promotions tab of your inbox. If you don’t find the newsletter during the week, go to your Promotion tab and move this email to your Primary inbox. Looking Inwards letter will be in your inbox every week from then on.