Life Lately - 20/2025

Tars has gone for board and train in Quadrant K9 Institute. Its a like a school for him. Hemanth and Jagan had been nudging me for a while, I resisted a lot at first, convinced myself that his training was our responsibility alone as parents. What changed my mind was realising our packed days were shrinking his world; if he’s ever to trek and travel with us, he needs space and time to explore on his own, as he has grown to have fear and anxiety for unfamiliar places without us. He’s generally well behaved, he knows what to do, but we left little room for him be alone. It has been really hard and I cried the whole drive back, but this break feels necessary. Seeing him in videos, running around, learning new things, has helped ease the ache. I’m learning too as a parent. Let your child see the world and grow.

He has been boarded with BB and Chooku , so he also has his share of dog discussions and family time. I can’t help but smile wondering what they might be talking about, and if they’re secretly working on an escape plan together to reach home. They are all happy and safe.

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With more time in hands over weekends, I had been pausing to watch movies. I have always enjoyed Thiyagaraja Kumararaja’s films and interviews, so I ended up watching the Modern Love Chennai anthology. I especially loved Ninaivo Oru Paravai. The style is unusual and it feels like a deliberate choice by the director to make it a film you can’t fully grasp in one sitting. With OTT platforms, this kind of storytelling works well, with clues left throughout and different doors opening each time you watch. It also inspired me to take clicks of daily mundane inanimate objects around, frames that I don't quite often visit.

I also purchased Ukulele. I got curious about strings, and I find it fascinating how much of its sound depend on regular tuning; even with my stiff hands, I’m enjoying the strumming and singing along.

On one of the days, I spent a quiet evening on Church Street, my favorite part of the city with much memories. Picked up a few books at Blossoms and have already started Ted Chiang’s Exhalation.

Art has a way to yield pause to busy life. I may get bored if I stay still for a long time but this is a much needed relief.