Karina Pandya

  Every February, Colaba turns into a vibrant buzz of activity. What once began as a modest arts gathering near the iconic bronze black horse has grown into something far larger, spilling across streets, galleries, and historic institutions. The festival map now extends toward landmarks such as the  David Sassoon Library , transforming familiar neighbourhoods into unexpected stages, exhibition walls, and conversation hubs. For nine days, the city rearranges itself around just creativity. A Festival You Walk Into Music drifts from one lane. A theatre performance unfolds around a traffic island. Children sit cross-legged at workshops while parents hover with cameras and coffee. Somewhere, a poet gathers a quiet crowd. The festival embraces music, theatre, dance, literature, cinema, food, craft, and an enormous range of programming for young audiences. Lakhs of visitors arrive from across Mumbai, many returning year after year with the comforting certainty that art is y...

  No one wakes up on their fortieth birthday with everything figured out, do they? There’s no sudden wisdom download. No magical disappearance of fear or insecurity, is there? It all yet exists. What really changes is your ability to manage them better. There’s no immunity to heartbreak. No special spectacles that suddenly make you choose perfectly in love. But somewhere along the road to forty, something does shift. Your tolerance and maturity change. Anxiety is no longer mistaken for excitement. Curiosity is no longer confused with alignment. What begins to matter is what settles your soul — not what temporarily stimulates it. You start noticing who truly shows up in your life and who doesn’t. Where your energy returns to you and where it quietly drains away. This is when you raise your standards. Not because you’re snobbish. Not because you think you’re above anyone. But because you finally understand what works for you. By now, you’ve seen enough beginnings to know they don’t m...

Cats and ridiculous tales are, in fact, two very serious ideas when it comes to doing their job of entertaining people. Readers want to be charmed and allured by words and scenarios—but how exactly do you do that? Ridiculous tales only work when rules are followed, and these are not your everyday rules. When I was writing the short stories for  Purrfectly Ridiculous Tales , I learned that even absurdity requires boundaries. If a cat could speak, yes, that was fine. If a teacup had opinions—and excellent ones at that—and if gravity simply forgot its job, then it was even better. However, once the nonsense was established, there was no going back. There was no need to apologise or panic that something had gone wrong. These 25 stories shouted at the top of their lungs by treating the impossible as mundane and letting the reader do the job of catching up! Maybe you could call it  selective seriousness  being just as committed to how ridiculous something happens as to what hap...

  Living with dignity means being valued, respected, and accepted for who you are—not defined or limited by a medical condition. For people living with epilepsy, dignity often becomes something they must actively fight for. Epilepsy is not just a medical challenge; it is frequently accompanied by social misunderstanding, fear, and stigma. These societal barriers can deeply affect a person’s confidence, opportunities, and sense of self-worth. This is where the slogan   “Jio Samman Se” – Live with Dignity   becomes profoundly meaningful and necessary. For many individuals with epilepsy, the idea of dignity is challenged every day—at school, in the workplace, within communities, and sometimes even within their own families. Myths and misconceptions surrounding epilepsy often give rise to fear, discrimination, and social exclusion. A lack of awareness can lead people to judge or underestimate those living with the condition, rather than understand and support them.   Jio...

Vietnam isn’t just a destination — it’s a whole mood. The moment you land, life becomes a game of Frogger: dodging scooters, following invisible crossing rules, and rewarding yourself with hot or iced coffee in tiny cafés tucked between chaos. One minute you’re lost in the city, and the next you’re standing on a beach, wondering how life suddenly looks like a postcard. Or maybe you’re cruising through Ha Long Bay, floating past giant limestone dragons rising from emerald waters. From Hanoi’s old-school charm to Da Nang’s breezy calm and Ho Chi Minh City’s nonstop buzz, Vietnam keeps switching personalities — and somehow, they all work. Vietnam isn’t just one place. It’s drama, culture, flavour, noise, beauty, and emotion — all served in a single trip. Hanoi, the capital in the north, felt like history put on sneakers and went for a walk! As Vietnam’s political and cultural heart, it carries the weight of the past while running straight into the present. The Old Quarter was alive: tangl...

Some people speak to release their emotions; others find relief in silence. I have always belonged to the latter. Speaking asks for pauses, filters, and courage. Writing asks only for honesty. From the time I was a shy young girl, writing became my safe space. I didn’t yet have the confidence to say what I felt, but the moment my pen touched paper, I felt a quiet power return to me. It was never just words—it was my soul spilling freely - my private refuge. There were no interruptions, no judgment, no pressure to explain myself. Even emotions that felt too heavy to carry found their way out through language.  Writing turned confusion into clarity. When anxiety or emotional overload made speaking impossible, Paper listened patiently. My thoughts could unfold slowly, truthfully. I learned to organise myself into words, to reflect instead of react. In moments of loneliness and sadness, writing became my companion—the one place where vulnerability felt safe. Over time, solace turned in...

  In the world of Indian indie music, very few artists manage to truly touch a chord in the listener’s heart.  Anuv Jain  is one such rare voice. His deeply personal music resonates with millions across the world, carrying a unique blend of genuineness, harmony, and rhythm. From quiet heartbreaks to expansive melodies, Anuv’s songs feel like pages from a diary—raw, intimate, and emotionally honest. A sleeper hit,  Baarishein  was his first-ever recorded song and went on to cross 200 million streams on Spotify. Interestingly, the first song he ever wrote was  Meri Baaton Mein Tu , penned when he was just 16 years old. Since then, his music has only spiralled upward, steadily drawing in listeners from across the globe. Inspired by real-life experiences, Anuv often takes months to write a song before releasing it, allowing emotions to fully take shape. Despite his undeniable talent, he chose to pursue music professionally only during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dur...