“Motherhood means attachment. And today, as I sit at my desk, I tell myself each day, to love and let be; to appreciate but not advise; to converse as equals- listen more, not judge and coerce and pile my expectations onto their lives. Easy? Nah.Â
 What are my expectations?”Â
She’s one of those old souls whose entry in our home is opening my heart to welcoming bounty and wellness. That’s who Kanika, my masseuse is.
Do all names feel the same? Absolutely not. When we read a name on a piece of paper, we are already imagining a person, building a character around it, and judging the man or woman before we set eyes on them, are we not? I know I inevitably do it, and am constantly surprised at how accurate the image turns out, or for that matter, how utterly wrong I was. A name’s not just a name.
At first, the question I asked myself, can sound therapy heal? Am I not already overburdened by sounds that abound? What would expedite the healing of an open wound( many wounds in fact) ? Who isn’t wounded, and if you aren’t, I salute you; you’ve not needed wounds inflicted by life- by family, by friends, by lovers, and by any human that has entered your sphere, and to whom you have opened your heart. You are blessed, because it simply signifies that you are at a stage where you’ve learnt what there was to learn and are in a safe and sound place.
This infamous Lockdown made me KILL this Cactus. I managed to destroy and bury this overwhelming desire to regulate everything concerning my palate. I did it! And it freed me at so many levels.
Murakami’s construct leaves all of his stories open to a myriad interpretations, and that’s the beauty of his narrative.
He manages to etch distinct characters in each of his tales with remarkable dexterity and the Murakami mind observes quietly, much like the Lamprey, who live off life itself. I was agog by the sheer brilliance of an imagination that defies coherence yet draws you in, makes you believe.
Majumdar writes with great sensitivity- delving deep into the young lad’s mind, drawing from both the light and the dark that exist in tandem within. Ori senses the resentment his mother’s stage life provokes in others around him, the family and neighbours.