I believe writing is a creative pursuit. When you create, you lose yourself in the process and embrace the moment.

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About my book

ā€˜Ladiesā€™ Tailor is a tale of triumph of the human spirit.ā€™
ā€˜A partition tale of falling apart and coming together.'
ā€˜The women form a more memorable characterization than men in the story.ā€™
ā€˜This book puts the stories I heard as a child into perspective.ā€™

Ladies' Tailor

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My first novel, Ladiesā€™ Tailor, published by Harper Collins India is available now.

Itā€™s not what sets us apart but what brings us together thatā€™s important. How we resist the forces that are intent on separating us is what defines us. How we recover from past transgressions is what carries us forward. Ladiesā€™ Tailor takes a resolute look at stumbling and making amends, at holding close and letting go and at turning back in order to move on.

My Updates

We walk and we walk and we walkā€¦
@aparnathakurdas @neeshavpatel @ritikagarg @jambovin @khushnoor_d @hajelaraj

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We walk and we walk and we walkā€¦ @aparnathakurdas @neeshavpatel @ritikagarg @jambovin @khushnoor_d @hajelaraj

Lots more Japan! Such an amazing trip, thanks to @aparnathakurdas - we are doings bits of everything, eating bites of everything, experiencing the country in a way we would otherwise never šŸ¤—!
@ritikagarg @neeshavpatel @hajelaraj @jambovin

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Lots more Japan! Such an amazing trip, thanks to @aparnathakurdas - we are doings bits of everything, eating bites of everything, experiencing the country in a way we would otherwise never šŸ¤—! @ritikagarg @neeshavpatel @hajelaraj @jambovin

Let the games begin! A short 3.4 km uphill walk today, followed by a trad Japanese dinner and Onsen - donā€™t knock it till you try it. It was amazing ā˜ŗļø.

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Let the games begin! A short 3.4 km uphill walk today, followed by a trad Japanese dinner and Onsen - donā€™t knock it till you try it. It was amazing ā˜ŗļø.

Shinrin Yoku - Forest Bathing. What a concept. Iā€™m adopting it ā™„ļø.

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Shinrin Yoku - Forest Bathing. What a concept. Iā€™m adopting it ā™„ļø.

Japan!! Days 1 and 2 - Kyoto šŸ˜…! Beautiful country ā™„ļø

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Japan!! Days 1 and 2 - Kyoto šŸ˜…! Beautiful country ā™„ļø

This young lady, Priya Kondugale is my maidā€™s daughter. She grew up in a village outside Kolhapur. Her mother,
Suvarna got married at age 12 and delivered Priya at age 14. Prone to philandering, her husband left her soon after the baby was born. The teenaged mother moved back in with her mother, worked in peopleā€™s homes and raised her child the best she could. She put her in an orphanage when she had to come to Pune for work but took her out when the girl was older and able to live with her grandmother and take care of herself.

Priya went to Marathi medium school in Kolhapur but was industrious and hardworking. She came to Pune and switched to English Medium in the 11th. With tuitions and some extra effort, she passed and later graduated with a Bachelors in Commerce.

But Priya had her heart set on law. So she began applying to law colleges, doing all her own research and looking to lawyers in Kolhapur for guidance. She got admission and recently qualified as an Advocate. Sheā€™ll take the bar exam in November and will become a practicing lawyer.

Iā€™m so pleased with and proud of this young lady. She has grown into a responsible, mature adult, capable and focused, making sensible decisions and guiding others when she can. And Iā€™m very proud of her mother who pushed through all sorts of challenges to raise her child the very best way she could.

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This young lady, Priya Kondugale is my maidā€™s daughter. She grew up in a village outside Kolhapur. Her mother, Suvarna got married at age 12 and delivered Priya at age 14. Prone to philandering, her husband left her soon after the baby was born. The teenaged mother moved back in with her mother, worked in peopleā€™s homes and raised her child the best she could. She put her in an orphanage when she had to come to Pune for work but took her out when the girl was older and able to live with her grandmother and take care of herself. Priya went to Marathi medium school in Kolhapur but was industrious and hardworking. She came to Pune and switched to English Medium in the 11th. With tuitions and some extra effort, she passed and later graduated with a Bachelors in Commerce. But Priya had her heart set on law. So she began applying to law colleges, doing all her own research and looking to lawyers in Kolhapur for guidance. She got admission and recently qualified as an Advocate. Sheā€™ll take the bar exam in November and will become a practicing lawyer. Iā€™m so pleased with and proud of this young lady. She has grown into a responsible, mature adult, capable and focused, making sensible decisions and guiding others when she can. And Iā€™m very proud of her mother who pushed through all sorts of challenges to raise her child the very best way she could.

This graphic by glossy_zodiac so accurately describes me that itā€™s frightening. Iā€™ve been an avid reader of Linda Goodmanā€™s Sun Signs and still have a copy buried somewhere but I always thought horoscopes and astrological signs were directional. Itā€™s only now when I have more years behind me than ahead that Iā€™m realising how accurate some of this stuff is.

So, if you are about as old as I am, you know that there are many red flags in that Virgo brain up there. STRESSā€¦twice, HIGH STANDARDS, WANTING TO SAVE EVERYONE, ISOLATING WHEN SAD, OVERANALYSINGā€¦these are not just Virgo traits, they are also triggers for some major physical disorders. Autoimmune diseases, migraines, IBS, back pain, to name just a few. Interestingly, I have suffered from everything I have listed above - ulcerative colitis (hospitalised 6 times with blood transfusions each time), severe migraines, a herniated disc, and ongoing gut issues.

I can safely attribute each and every one of these health issues to my tightly wound, intolerant, impatient, and overthinking mind.

I am a work in progress but I have consciously and consistently tried to move away from the more toxic Virgo traits, trying to stick to the fun ones such as ONLINE SHOPPING, HOME DECOR AND BRUTAL HONESTY.

On a slightly serious note, I have paid attention to elements of my personality that I know were making me sick. I have dialled them down, unwound and let go. The sooner we can do that the better our future health.

Open
This graphic by glossy_zodiac so accurately describes me that itā€™s frightening. Iā€™ve been an avid reader of Linda Goodmanā€™s Sun Signs and still have a copy buried somewhere but I always thought horoscopes and astrological signs were directional. Itā€™s only now when I have more years behind me than ahead that Iā€™m realising how accurate some of this stuff is. So, if you are about as old as I am, you know that there are many red flags in that Virgo brain up there. STRESSā€¦twice, HIGH STANDARDS, WANTING TO SAVE EVERYONE, ISOLATING WHEN SAD, OVERANALYSINGā€¦these are not just Virgo traits, they are also triggers for some major physical disorders. Autoimmune diseases, migraines, IBS, back pain, to name just a few. Interestingly, I have suffered from everything I have listed above - ulcerative colitis (hospitalised 6 times with blood transfusions each time), severe migraines, a herniated disc, and ongoing gut issues. I can safely attribute each and every one of these health issues to my tightly wound, intolerant, impatient, and overthinking mind. I am a work in progress but I have consciously and consistently tried to move away from the more toxic Virgo traits, trying to stick to the fun ones such as ONLINE SHOPPING, HOME DECOR AND BRUTAL HONESTY. On a slightly serious note, I have paid attention to elements of my personality that I know were making me sick. I have dialled them down, unwound and let go. The sooner we can do that the better our future health.

In my first book, Ladiesā€™ Tailor, I talk about Baba Farid, that Noor, one of my characters, is a believer in the Sufi saint and is very keen to go to Ajodhan. In his book, Walking with Nanak, Haroon Khalid talks at length about conversations between Nanak and the 12th descendent of Baba Farid, Sheik Ibrahim. They talk about Baba Faridā€™s writing and its simplicity, not unlike the writings of Nanak himself.

When I decided to write about Baba Farid, it was based on a random sighting of the saintā€™s name. I knew nothing about him but I learned a little, just enough to give a flavour of what the man meant to people and why my characters made the pilgrimage to Ajodhan, later renamed Pakpattan.

Now, having read Khalidā€™s wonderful book, I have a much better understanding of the man and his work. Interesting how things keep moving in circles.

The poems of Baba Farid are in the Guru Granth Sahib thanks to this interaction between Guru Nanak and Sheikh Ibrahim. Baba Faridā€™s poetry was preserved in written form for the first time through this medium.

P.S. Iā€™m reading Khalidā€™s book in preparation for a new project but I highly recommend it to everyone. It is superbly written, with an on-the-ground perspective, backed by wonderful stories and a very fair analysis of the literature from that time.
@harunkhalid84

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In my first book, Ladiesā€™ Tailor, I talk about Baba Farid, that Noor, one of my characters, is a believer in the Sufi saint and is very keen to go to Ajodhan. In his book, Walking with Nanak, Haroon Khalid talks at length about conversations between Nanak and the 12th descendent of Baba Farid, Sheik Ibrahim. They talk about Baba Faridā€™s writing and its simplicity, not unlike the writings of Nanak himself. When I decided to write about Baba Farid, it was based on a random sighting of the saintā€™s name. I knew nothing about him but I learned a little, just enough to give a flavour of what the man meant to people and why my characters made the pilgrimage to Ajodhan, later renamed Pakpattan. Now, having read Khalidā€™s wonderful book, I have a much better understanding of the man and his work. Interesting how things keep moving in circles. The poems of Baba Farid are in the Guru Granth Sahib thanks to this interaction between Guru Nanak and Sheikh Ibrahim. Baba Faridā€™s poetry was preserved in written form for the first time through this medium. P.S. Iā€™m reading Khalidā€™s book in preparation for a new project but I highly recommend it to everyone. It is superbly written, with an on-the-ground perspective, backed by wonderful stories and a very fair analysis of the literature from that time. @harunkhalid84

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