Sami the Mindful Scribbler

 Don't procrastinate. Saying this to myself. And everyone out there.. Okay, since I began to write blogs, the moment something touches my heart, or makes me think, smile, or just stare, I would observe and reflect upon it. But at the same time, I try to pen that down as soon as possible. Because I feel like writing is like drinking tea. It should be drunk when it's hot. Once it cools down the taste won't be the same anymore. And so, writing down the thoughts… I remember the moment I feel something; that feeling, that experience, is very fresh. And thoughts flow like a fountain. As Wordsworth says, poetry shouldn't be forced. Here too, it happens very naturally. But when we procrastinate or delay reflecting upon an event, the impact this time is lesser. You try to relive the experience, Taste the same joy Or sorrow, But the depth isn't that much. And at times, we might add something That never happened. Called "artificial" construction. Another example coul...

 One of the things that wondered and amazed me through this journey in my kid’s school is the role of grandparents. Okay, since day one, I have been seeing grandparents dropping their grandkids at the right time. And they pick them up as well. It was so delightful to watch that… Because nowadays, as we say, even two members make a family, and some even call it a joint family. Earlier, a number of members made a family, and joint families came with their own pros and cons.That’s the same with nuclear families too.  In this fast-running world, especially in urban areas, most houses have just 3–4 family members. So, seeing these kids so beautifully accompanied by grandparents did shock me a bit. That too, each and every kid shared such a close, warm and personal bond with their thatha pattis. Amidst their playtime, the moment they spotted their thatha pattis, they would simply leave everything as it is, run towards them, hug them tight, and immediately start sharing all the tiny ...

Yesterday around 9.30 pm, my mother went into the kitchen. I was quite hungry, so I thought I would be given food first. Then she started making dosa — but not for us, for herself.  She prepared 2 dosas and started eating. Which is very human. Very ordinary. That minute, I was shocked . Because somewhere, unconsciously, I had expected her to feed us before herself. Not because she did something wrong — she was hungry, so she ate. But that moment revealed how deeply patriarchal influence and social conditioning step in, right? We are made to believe that women should be selfless. Especially mothers  always put on sacrificial pedestals, expected to feed everyone else before themselves. And, when she lives for herself  , it becomes difficult to accept, though the action which is very human, ordinary, normal for us, especially for men. Being a girl, I know how the patriarchal system works. I've always voiced out against it. At times when my mom follows the pattern, I've advi...

 Ne saptya? Have you eaten?  How many of us know the weightage of this phrase? Many of us take it for granted, but few of us long for it. Today, I was watching a Neeya Naana episode, and the topic of discussion was “individuals who share the happy side of marriage vs individuals who fear marriage.”  In that, a female individual said she lost her parents when she was young. Since then,  she has been navigating life on her own. Though she has siblings, she fears she can't always seek help from them if her married life faces some issues. When the host, Mr. Gobinath, asked, “Don't you ever dream of having a new life filled with happiness?” she said, “Yes, I have. But still, I haven't overcome the trauma, haven't coped with the loss of my parents.” That's when she said this: “No one asked me whether I have eaten or not. When I go shopping, no one is there to choose a dress. I cook when I'm hungry. No one is there to offer something when you want it, or even before yo...

I’ve been sharing some beautiful interactions I’ve had with kids in my last few blogs, and this one is going to be another episode. A child’s innocence and uncorrupted self make them pure and unique from grown-ups. But is it always that softer side? Is it always easy to manage kids? And do children really show only their gentle side? Though they are tiny, they are human beings at the end of the day. They have their own strengths and flaws. At times, they become stubborn to get things done. Their little minds don’t always realise the impact or consequences of their actions. No child is silent and soft all the time. They do naughty things that sometimes amaze us and, at other times, irritate us. But how we deal with it matters. Simply scolding them for their mistakes won’t always make them understand. Sometimes, it might even trigger them further. Patience, along with sensitivity, becomes important. Today, among ten kids, almost seven were extremely active and loud. It became very diffic...

 The next episode takes you all to how a kid amazed me by choosing books and human interaction over devices... The first half hour before beginning the class is quite challenging, as we have to engage the kids with games and memory time. Before we ask them to do something, they already have something in their minds. They would play with their friends, a few would cry thinking about their mummies, and a few would still be in sleepy mode. So today, a boy arrived. He was the first one, so no one was there to play with him. I took him to the class. Before going in, he took a book from the bookshelf — a story and memory book. He literally stood there, looked through each and every page, and gave work to his mind by solving memory trick questions. He wanted me to be his audience, helping him and cheering him on. Eventually, the other kids who came later joined him. Literally, page after page, until I asked them to close it, they weren't ready to. This made me realise that it's about ...

  And today, it's another episode... During break time, every kid opened their boxes with so much excitement. Food and our obsession towards it can never be separated. Even now, when our mother says, "Briyani will be ready when you come home," it brings us excitement and happiness. And kids are no exception. They just wait for break time so that the food they dreamt about since mummy packed it in the morning can finally be tasted. So, with the same energy, they started eating. One among them was eating mango. I told him, "Wow, I too cut mangoes, but forgot to bring them." Suddenly, another kid took an apple from his box and gave it to me. I said, "No, it's okay. You have a small tummy, so you have it." And he said, "Mam, take it because pasikum la... if you don't eat, you'll feel hungry." I was overwhelmed. But what moved me even more, what literally touched me, was when a kid who had just two pieces of biscuits... already, when h...

Teaching kids was different. It wasn't about literary theory, critics, and complicated terms. It was just a story about the fox and the stork. But guess what? The preparation was equally time-consuming and required sincerity. Because it requires: reducing speed, learning and unlearning, adapting simplicity over sophistication, focusing on delivery rather than content, becoming one among them, and making them listen. The whole experience felt different. It's not only about what is told, but also about how it's told. Because just narrating a story directly doesn't really create an impact. How it's told, and through what medium it is told, is important to attain a positive reception from the kids. To achieve that, we made a spinning story box, which I named the "Tale-O-Matic Theatre." Basically, we took a rectangular-shaped box, put holes in the top and bottom with proper measurements, and inserted sticks. Then, we arranged the story printouts in order and ro...

I would like to take you all into this journey of interacting with kids. Maybe I'll write these experiences as episodes… because each day with them feels like a new chapter. Today, I saw something that felt truly overwhelming. As I was teaching a story, I was emphasizing the importance of being kind, fair, and having a sharing nature in our hearts. After the story session got over, we had a questionnaire session. One of the kids answered a question and got a gift from the principal ma'am. The next question was about the moral of the story. When I asked it, the boy who had already received the gift tried to answer, but his friend was the first one to respond. And his answer was correct as well. But ma'am wasn't there to witness it, and that little boy kept a sad face because he felt he had gone unnoticed and missed out on the gift. It's not unusual to expect a gift when you're a child. Even we adults still wait for it sometimes. Having noticed this, the boy who i...

Media plays a major role in our lives. Talking about our Tamil society, it has been playing a major role for a long time. From cinema to serials and ads, it’s a part of our lives. They influence us in both positive and negative ways. Like everything else, this too depends on how each individual perceives it and takes what he or she wants out of it. To talk particularly about serials,  oh my God — they almost shape and control most people’s lives. I’ve seen women getting easily influenced by them, without analysing the misrepresentations and the problematic ideas these serials have been portraying.  And it’s not only about women; even men make themselves believe this is reality. Women should always be dressed up, wear full makeup, take a head bath every morning, do all the house chores, take care of the kids, and wait eagerly for their husbands again, all dressed up. Yes, we could argue that serials, at times, portray reality. Yes, that’s true. But rather than offering solution...

 While writing every exam, at the end you take something with you — a learning, a lesson. Through retrospection, from the mistakes you made, eventually through reflection, we get to correct them. We get to at least work on them. That very step itself should be appreciated. Despite the result, that step is important. One such mistake I made during this semester is time management. For the last few years, I’ve been managing my time well during exams. Somehow, I would complete all the questions, and I even had time to check my answers. That’s a boon. But this semester, I didn’t have much time. I even noticed how each exam literally followed the same pattern. In the last 20 minutes, I would still have one 20-mark question and one 8-mark question left. Again, it’s not about one exam, but almost all of them. Maybe there was just a 5-minute difference. So, in the first four exams, despite having less time, I managed to complete them with last-minute planning. Yes, I’m proud of it because ...

 Have we ever even been taught that we can choose professions related to creativity? Everyone is raised to become a doctor, engineer, — but not someone in media, not a writer, not an artist. Though things are changing now, creative fields are still looked down upon. Even in 2026, we still hear things like: "Why did you choose arts " And when they earn well they say  “You have done only a Master’s in Arts, yet you got a job paying 50k, while engineering graduates are not getting jobs.” Instead of appreciating the change, instead of understanding the importance of these professions too, people still question them. Why is creativity still seen as less valuable than conventional careers? Why are passion, expression, storytelling, art, and media still treated like secondary choices, when they too shape society, culture, and people’s thinking? Not every meaningful profession comes with a lab coat or an engineering degree.

While I was preparing for my Gender and Literature paper, I was referring to a YouTube video for one of the texts. The text I was looking for was Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai. The very text itself is about how gender-biased society is, and how this discrimination is not just confined to one culture or one nation alone. So, I was watching an animated video-story version of this novel. What disturbed me was how the cartoon of the main character was displayed. Okay, Uma is the protagonist. She is an oppressed middle-aged woman in a typical gender-discriminated family. She is described as not especially pretty according to society; her personality isn't considered impressive, and neither is her appearance according to society’s standards. In that video, Uma was shown as a very lean and dark-skinned woman. I just don't understand why. She is never described as a dark-skinned woman. First, this is a culturally stereotypical misrepresentation. Just because one is Indian and belong...

Few days back, when I went to a park, I saw a lot of kids playing so happily. Since it was evening, the crowd was dominated by kids only... I saw a kid who was picking a paper, tearing it, and putting it all over the pathway... When I saw this, I asked him not to do that... I asked him, "Tell me, what you are doing is right or wrong?" He was thinking for some time and smiled... Again I asked him. This time, he was thinking more deeply and came up with an answer... He said, "It's wrong." Then he himself picked up the trash papers and put them in the dustbin... That isn't a surprise for me. What surprised me was, there were a few more dried leaves, papers, and toffee covers. He picked all of them up and threw them in the dustbin... He literally cleaned the whole space. Seeing him, other kids also joined him and cleaned the floor... It was very overwhelming to see. Also, I realised how bringing up kids by teaching them good habits and manners works, and how muc...