The Maverick#59: Defying the Usual to Inspire & Connect

A lot of renewed interest and enthusiasm is recently seen in ‘ edible weed walks’ . Following the lockdown people have started using the knowledge they have gathered over the time about what a certain plant is, whether it is edible and how to go about preparing a fancy meal out of it.These guys love experimenting with recipes and get excited over finding new edible plants in the most unexpected of places; in the crevices between pavement stones and broken asphalt, in overgrown street sides, sidewalks, abandoned lots and parks.  Many of these weeds and plants we usually dismiss as having no culinary taste or medicinal value.  A class of new urban foragers however thinks otherwise. For them “the food is already there, it’s just not recognized as one.”   Here’s why;   Feast on sidewalk salads Every morning I find a new class of urban foragers sporting pruning shears and a plastic bag, walk along the sidewalks scouting for plants and weeds that can make them a tast...

If you believe that spending time with your kids and spouse is the key to your happiness, you could be in for a surprise!  People actually experience higher level of wellness being while chilling around with friends than they do when spending time with their family!! It’s shocking but true! For quite a few, happiness does not mean spending time with family and finding relevance in unpleasant tasks like chores or caretaking duties. People admit that they usually feel higher sense of well being once they find themselves surrounded by friends and laze around; rather they do when in comforting nearness of their romantic companion or kids. Strangely, happiness quotient falls sharply being around with romantic partners!! Our brains are wired like this…we prefer to spend more time doing enjoyable activities with friends than with our family members. What more, the bond between friends gets stronger with age and eventually could outweigh the connect with the family. These relationships ‘...

People around me could never gather enough courage to say that they never found anything attractive in me, but somehow I knew. I am no freak and I had no great looks , at least not good enough to be an object of desire. I just couldn’t make heads turn..!! I was the one who desired rather than be the one who was desired. Still, it’s taken some getting used to. “ Don't be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.”   ―   Roy T. Bennett I would be lying if I were to say that I didn’t miss the thrill of being wanted. The subtle pleasure of acquiescence to somebody’s needs, the opportunity to say ‘ yes ’ instead of being asked,   ‘ would you’ ? The other day, a man -friend of a friend, distantly acquainted sat next to me in a local coffee shop. I could never figure out this day why he said what he said a little while later in a low voice leaning across. “ I can never make out, if it’s the academics that make everything desirable ...

Being attractive to other people is not always all about how we look! How many times haven't we seen attraction  fly out  of the window, the moment he or she opens his or her mouth?  Truth is....  the key to everything that fascinates others lies within us. Find out what could make people find you awesome and more attractive... besides your looks!! Sometimes even science can’t convince me. The most important characteristic is also the most basic. If   I were to ask you what quality would you prefer most in a person, wouldn’t it be...kindness? Predictably, this is one positive sentiment that is shared right across the board and perhaps one benevolent choice that could make heads turn in appreciation. This is kind of baffling!!.. because no where would you find advice on how to be ‘nice’ except that we’d all be so much better off simply by being kind rather than spending hours in front of the mirror. And it doesn’t take a lot to reveal this. Being on tim...

You don't love someone for their looks, or their clothes or their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear." -Oscar Wilde,  You could be a good looking person with a fair iota of intellect yet you secretly marvel at the ease with which your BFF earns attention than chasing it. Or you could be in the midst of your admirers and still reel in awe over his or her ability to get the heads turning. But when have you ever been yourself …just what you loved in the first place? There is nothing more unappetizing than that desperate urge that comes with needing the approval of others. We all have felt it at one time or the other. If you constantly try to assure yourself and barge into other’s lives for the sake of being noticed then you are not the standout choice to be reckoned seriously. Attention earned without begging for it is what I call admiration and the one that you get by throwing yourself at others face is no better than a sign of pity. Is it difficult to...