Cutting Three Cakes in One Month
Happy birthday and anniversary vibes in the month of June
Dear Reader,
Warm greetings from India!
Thank you, thank you for subscribing to Svara's Newsletter!
June began on a hectic note.....and I cut two birthday cakes!
Happy memories from bygone birthday celebrations warm me up like toasted bread. You can read more about it here.
And yes, I also cut a wedding anniversary cake - three cakes in just one month - phew!
But it's these special moments that bring a silver lining in these troubled times.
Life is precious.
I am grateful to my loving son Jyotiraditya for the ‘surprise’ element to the special occasions we observed as a family - my birthday and my wedding anniversary.
My teen took out so much time for us, arranging cakes and red roses.
From Sydney, my thoughtful nephew Vihaan and my sweet munchkin niece Aishani send their wishes over the phone.
Their sweet voices reminded me of the distance of continents between us.
Yet all these tiny voices that reached out made our moments truly special.
Nothing is constant. But the pandemic has shown us a mirror into our own lives.
A gentle reminder to feel grateful for the blessings that we usually take for granted.
The air we breathe.
The sea-deep love of our parents, our family and children.
The books that keep us company and give us comfort.
It's been a long, long time since I felt so much excitement on my birthday. This time, it truly felt special. I feel so grateful to have been flooded with loving birthday messages, wishes, calls and gifts from friends from all spheres of life.
And in other news, my nephew Vihaan had his guitar performance with the school orchestra and I feel so proud of him.
My adorable munchkin niece Aishani sends me her kisses over video calls and I just can't get enough of it.
Since last week, I have been glued to watching Lupin on Netflix and just can't get over the series. You know, the French music they play at the end - I simply love it and I listen to it at the end of the day to unwind and relax.
In case you are in the mood to kill time watching a desi gangster drama, check out Dhanush starrer Jagame Thanthiram on Netflix though it isn't my preferred movie pick. Just being honest, don't take it in any other way.
Chess and Vishwanathan Anand had grabbed the spotlight last week, which is one reason to read this: What it's like to grow up in one of the chess capitals of the world.
Before signing off this newsletter, check out few more interesting reads that caught my curiosity this week:
12 shocking things I learned by working as a butler at the Plaza Hotel
Must read books from Sri Lanka
100 Essential Books by Iranian Writers (Fiction)
Read more books, stay safe and take care till we catch up next week.
One last thing, if poems are your go-to-zone, get a free book of poems by Sunil Bhandari. You can check out his writing here first and though I do not know him personally, I must say that I found the writing very original and gripping.
Feel like writing to me or sharing feedback with me about this weekly newsletter?
Just drop me a mail at swapnazanand@gmail.com and I’d be happy to hear from you!