Subash.M | Assistant Professor

Yesterday at the gym, something unexpectedly funny happened, and it completely stayed in my mind. I was doing my regular workout when a new Tamil song started playing on the smart TV. I had no idea which movie it was from, or who acted in it. Still, like anyone would, I just turned my head for a second to see the video. That one simple glance became a whole life lesson for me. A guy next to me, without even missing a rep, casually asked, “Anna, elamai thirumbuthaa?” For a moment, I froze. Elamai thirumbuthaa? Me? I didn’t even look at the heroine properly, I just looked at the screen because something was flashing. But suddenly, my small glance became a sign of “youth returning.” I immediately started wondering inside my mind  Have I really become that old? Do people think I’m out of date now? Is my youth something everyone else has to remind me about? Honestly, that single line hit me more than my workout. But after a few seconds, I started laughing to myself. Why am I even worryi...

Some days, all we really need is a simple smile. But the funny thing is, we keep forgetting to wear it. A smile is supposed to be the cheapest and the brightest ornament we own, yet we choose to hide behind layers of stress, overthinking, and unnecessary seriousness. Yesterday at Sabarimala, I saw thousands of faces each one carrying dreams, prayers, and expectations. Everyone came with a list for Aiyyappan, but the truth is simple he will only give what matches their karma, not their wish list. My brother asked me, “Why are you going so often to Sabarimala? What are you praying for every time?” I laughed and said, “Nothing.” Immediately he replied, “In the name of Aiyyappan, you are visiting Kerala very often!” Let him think so. The reality is much funnier and simpler. I don’t go to submit prayers. I go to talk. Yes, I have small conversations with Aiyyappan not the statue, not the temple priest the Aiyyappan inside my soul. It’s not a miracle. It’s not a spiritual drama. It’s just th...

Some days feel heavier than others, not because of problems, but because of the noise around us. Today my mind chose silence. A kind of solitude that doesn’t feel lonely, but freeing. Sometimes all of us need a small break, yet most of the time we fail to take even a minute for ourselves. Life keeps pulling us in many directions, and we keep running without noticing what we are losing along the way. Last month, I taught a poem its title slips from my memory now but one moment from it stays with me. A tiny sparrow came near the poet, trying to draw his attention. He was busy, too focused on his work. The sparrow, disappointed, flew away. Only after it left did the poet realise what he had missed. He waited for it to return, but it never came. That small scene hit me today. We all have our own commitments, plans, dreams. We chase them believing that one day, with effort and a little mercy from the universe, everything will fall into place. But sometimes, while running behind everything, ...

Today at the gym, a casual conversation turned into a deep discussion about life, good, and bad. People kept asking me what is good and what is bad. I simply said, “There is nothing good or bad, it all depends on how we see it.” Life is not a fixed rulebook it’s a matter of perception. But some couldn’t agree with me. They kept repeating the same question as if they wanted a clear, black-and-white answer. One guy asked, “If a boy abuses a girl, is that good or bad according to your view?” I said, “He will harvest what he does.” Every action has its consequence that’s the law of life. But still, they couldn’t get what I meant. I wasn’t defending wrong actions, I was only saying that labeling everything as good or bad often hides the truth behind human behavior. People do things based on their upbringing, emotions, and mental state. We cannot judge everything through one lens. Then another asked me, “What is life?” I said, “Nothing.” Because life, to me, is not a thing to define it’s som...

Today, my mind is unusually calm yet wildly alive. Sometimes, I sit and ask myself what is life? Everyone has their own answer. Some say it’s a journey, some say it’s a test, some call it a mystery. But for me, it’s something much simpler life is just about being here, right now, in this exact second. I don’t believe in worrying about the future because, honestly, the “future” is just an imaginary concept we keep chasing. It never really arrives. The only thing that’s truly ours is this very moment this breath, this laugh, this heartbeat. I used to stress about what’s next, but now I’ve stopped. My motto is simple if I want to eat, let me eat. If I want to sleep, let me sleep. If I want to sing loudly in the shower like a bathroom rockstar, please, let me! I’ve realized that nothing can stop me from enjoying life except my own overthinking, that silly, dramatic mind that sometimes plays the villain in my peaceful movie. The moment I silence it, everything around me feels light and musi...