Karina Pandya

For many people, reading has always been an activity of joy and pursuing a hobby – entertaining oneself – devouring books of one author after another. An intellectually stimulating activity that is often inspiring and relaxing has quickly become a difficult task. Stories, ideas and knowledge of all sorts interest me, but reading itself is often difficult for me. Words flow very easily in my mind and on paper, but when it comes back to reading what I wrote, it feels heavy.  Sentences that once seemed effortless suddenly appear dense and exhausting. Paragraphs blur together. My mind wanders somewhere else long before my eyes reach the end of the page. Sometimes the experience of just reading can be overwhelming and frustrating.  Recently, I bought two books –  Happiness  by Danielle Steel and  A Quiver Full of Arrows  by Jeffrey Archer. I began reading both these books, knowing how restless my mind was; how easily it would slip away. As I ...

  Growing up always felt like we were moving toward a destination. From the time we were young, we attached timelines to our dreams —   by 20 this will happen, by 30 that will fall into place.   We believed life would “arrive” at some specific milestone. But now, as I turn 40, I realize something different. This isn’t about arriving at a destination. It isn’t about reaching a place. It’s about arriving at myself. Turning 40 feels less like crossing a finish line and more like stepping into clarity — a maturity of understanding who I am, what I stand for, and where I am intentionally choosing to go. They say 40 is a landmark year, and yes, I believe that wholeheartedly. Not because of the number alone, but because of the years behind it — the two decades of experience, mistakes, lessons, risks, reinventions, quiet growth, and resilience that have shaped me. This is not an ending. This is a beginning — the beginning of my most intentional decade yet. The 40s are not heavy, ...

  Recently, on 19th February 2026 — exactly one week before I turn forty — I had the opportunity to share my journey and insights about pursuing a career in writing with undergraduate literature students at the prestigious IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The topic was deeply personal to me:  The Realities of Building a Career in Writing. Scheduled for a one-hour afternoon session, I arrived prepared with carefully designed PowerPoint presentations, thoughtfully drafted handouts, and a sincere intention to ensure the students left  with something meaningful. I didn’t want it to be just another lecture. I wanted it to be a conversation that lingered on in their minds. That was meaningful. As I entered the room, I was greeted by around thirty bright, eager faces,  young minds filled with curiosity, ambition, and perhaps a little uncertainty. Their energy was infectious. In that moment, I knew this wasn’t about impressing them. It was about being honest w...

It’s easy to fall in love. What’s hard is finding someone who will truly catch you. We grow up hearing that love is destiny, that it arrives unexpectedly, that we cannot control it, that we are at its mercy. And in many ways, that’s true. We cannot decide to fall in love on command, nor can we force someone to love us back. There is no fixed formula, no guaranteed recipe. But there is one love we cannot escape: the love we have for ourselves. For years, we have been told that finding true love means finding another person. Yet what if the most important love has been present all along? What if true love begins the moment we decide to love ourselves properly? By midlife — around 40 for many — this realisation becomes urgent. Healing past wounds, breaking repeated patterns, and recognising what is toxic for our system is no longer optional. It is necessary. We can no longer afford to ignore red flags, suppress our emotions, or tolerate dynamics that diminish us. The right relationship wi...

Music that feels soulful, intimate, and deeply heartfelt is almost synonymous with  Anuv Jain . Currently on his most ambitious 23-city global journey, the  Dastakhat India Tour   (2026–2027) , he is travelling across cities such as New Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Indore, Jaipur, and Bengaluru. The tour began in January 2026 and celebrates everything listeners love about his music — simplicity, vulnerability, and truth. The  Dastakhat World Tour  (2026–2027) will include  international cities across Australia, North America, the UK, Europe and the Middle East. One of the most loved indie-pop artists today, Anuv’s sound is built on gentle acoustic textures of guitar and ukulele. His songs explore love, heartbreak, longing, and self-discovery — themes so personal yet so universally relatable. He captures raw feelings and turns them into journeys that resonate with millions. On none other than Valentine’s Day, fan...

Every one of us faces incidents that shake our world—job loss, rejection, financial pressure, drops in confidence, or the end of a friendship or relationship. Yet what can feel most threatened is something that takes years to build: our dignity. Self-dignity is how you treat yourself when the world isn't clapping. It is the ability to see that you still have worth in your own eyes, even when circumstances try to convince you otherwise. It is the recognition that you deserve respect, that you are more than your current problem, and that your value does not disappear because you are struggling. Dignity is calm, steady, and often private. You do not need an audience to be worthy of respect. When hard times come, they often bring criticism, comparison, ridicule, mistakes, and slower progress. In such moments, you may begin to doubt your worth. But none of us was designed to be perfect. Self-dignity is how you treat yourself when nobody is applauding. It is the quiet decision to remain ...

It’s two weeks before I turn forty, and I woke before the sun’s rays lit the surrounding world. Something in me was restless, not in the usual way. My soul was awakening, and I could feel it. I made my tea and sat on my bed, swallowing all the emotions that had been moving through my heart and soul from the night before into this new morning. Forty. In fourteen days, I would turn forty. The number felt heavy when I heard it, like a suitcase packed for someone else. Inside were old birthdays, long-lost loves and friends, and the jobs I had performed over the past twenty years. Where was I now, and what was the future holding? So many doors had closed softly while others had slammed shut. I had imagined turning forty very differently. I thought it was the age when you were finished, when old age began to settle in. But now I felt the opposite. It felt like a beginning, a reawakening, when I finally started to understand things about myself and about life. I was free from robotic conditio...