January 26, 2026
Nearly a decade has passed since I last reacquainted myself with this side of me. So much has happened in this time.
I’ve grown immensely as a professional, but I’ve also grown tired and weary. Peace of mind ranks highest on my list of priorities.
My father had several heart attacks, but he’s thriving, thank goodness.
My mother’s found her footing as a poet and is very active in the city’s poetry circles.
I adopted a cat. He’s 5 now. I can finally understand the hype around being a pet parent – which, mind you, isn’t hype at all. What ties parents of humans and pet parents is that we’re all first timers navigating the responsibilities of keeping a living, breathing, wailing, demanding creature living and breathing. Taking care of Dobby McDobberson as a kitten was one of those experiences I would never like repeated.
I own a house now. Between the chaos of the pandemic and remote work, I managed to create a space I can call entirely my own on this planet. And I’m mighty proud of it.
Three out of my nine cousins got married. Two had babies. I took care of one of those babies from the moment she was born to the day she turned two/three weeks old. It was a mixed-bag experience. One, like Dobby’s kitten days, I would never like repeated. I do love the itty bitty thing a lot, though.
After more than a decade of planning, my cousins and I managed to take a holiday. We had the kids with us, but it was still a great start!
My close friends lost parents. I lost some close friends to silence. Nobody warns you about how difficult this gets as you cross over into your 40s.
I got diagnosed with a bunch of illnesses that I have had to deal with. And I found a partner who’s willing to deal with them alongside me.
I took up several online courses and abandoned them because I didn’t have the energy to get through them, leave alone get through a day.
I tried hard to stay bright-eyed and bushy-tailed through the last decade, but somewhere along the way, I lost myself. Quite irrevocably, I think.
And now I’m trying to find my way back. Because through everything that’s gone down, travel has provided the respite I most needed. I’ve been to the U.S., Portugal, Sri Lanka, Greece, Kulu Manali, Coorg, Belur Halebid, Lucknow, Yelagiri, Mumbai, Baroda, Chennai, Conoor, Kodaikanal, Trivandrum, Kochi, Kovalam, Mysore, Bhubaneshwar, Sikkim, Darjeeling, Hyderabad, Belgaum, Mangalore, Channapatna, Nepal, Sakleshpur…
So many stories. So many moments. So many emotions and experiences. And there are so many more from before that, that I haven’t captured here. Yet.
As I distance myself from things that drain my energy and move towards things that bring me peace, this space is where I see myself returning to, often. Not as a tourist, no; but as someone shaped by experience, stories and the quiet lessons picked up over time.
So much has been forgotten already, so the form my travel stories take may change. But hey, who are we if not ever-changing, evolving, shape-shifting creatures?
That’s who I am now. A shape shifter trying to find a form that’s truly her. Writing again, with words and images that hold space for reflection.
Welcome back to the Adventures of Potli Baba.
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April 26, 2017
I know it’s been a while since I’ve been on the blog and posted about amazing places I’ve seen. I will do it the minute I have some time to breathe and am not travelling.
My time these days is divided between work and home, mostly.
I live and breathe brands, clients, operations, (a healthy amount of) creative direction, brand strategy, presentations to owners of organisations, team reviews, meetings, meetings with clients in different cities…
And when I’m not doing that, I’m mostly so out of time and energy that I’m just sleeping in or vegetating. Friends have come close to disowning me!
It’s not all bad, though. Professionally, I’m in a much stronger place now than I was over two years ago. I have learnt a lot more. I travelled too – a last-minute totally impromptu holiday in Scotland, a planned holiday in Dubai, a couple of trips to Delhi (work), Mysore, Mumbai, Chennai… a whole lot of revelations, moving out of home, having open adult conversations with parents, small biking trips, big holiday plans…
I even managed to squeeze in a certification course in Philosophy and Cognitive Sciences from the University of Edinburgh. I’m also thinking and formulating Plan Bs for the future: answers to many, many ‘what happens if’.
I am fairly active on Instagram, though. It’s much easier to post pictures on-the-go than write about my travel experiences, even though the latter is much more rewarding – I get to interact with all the people who have been following this blog!
I promise I’ll try and work out a model where I can be regular on the blog. Until then, I’ll keep posting updates on what I’m upto!
P.S: This is me, now.
