How is everyone doing? For me, July was a month in motion! I spent two lovely and significant weeks visiting family in India (Chennai), ducking out to Bangkok for three days while there, to show my son Rohan where he was born and lived until he was almost 4. After a week’s respite back in DC where I celebrated my birthday (#45!), I went to Madagascar for a weeklong work trip. I don’t typically log these kinds of miles in such a short time span and must say that I’m in equal measure wiped out and grateful. The experience of homegoing (back to Chennai after 7 years for me, back to the land of his birth for Rohan) was intense and wonderful, and I’m looking forward to some stillness in the month to come to breathe and reflect. Wherever you are, I wish for you what you wish for yourself. Maybe that’s stillness, maybe that’s motion, maybe that’s something in between – to everything there is a season!
Also: If you’re a subscriber to 44 Revolutions, can you do me a favor? Given that this newsletter will be celebrating its first anniversary next month (I can hardly believe it!), I’ve been thinking about how to grow and expand it. More news to come on that front, but in the meanwhile I would love to hear from you via a short survey. Your feedback and thoughts will be super helpful to me in moving forward, so thank you in advance for sharing (and for reading)! Take the survey here.
10 Things to Check Out
While shopping wasn’t my main priority during my time in India, how can one resist in such a place? I’m perpetually in awe of the textiles, jewelry, handicraft and other beauties of my home country. During this trip, I made a few trips to both Fabindia and Chumbak. The former is an evergreen favorite, with locations all over India as well as in Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, the UAE and one location in the U.S. (Dallas) (their online site is great too – though prices may vary). I love their clothes, home decor and textiles, soaps, food products – a true treasure trove! I’d never heard of Chumbak (locations all over India) before, but am now a big fan of their quirky and colorful home and lifestyle items.
While my time in Madagascar was pretty full-on in terms of work, I did have a day and a half at the end to explore. The highlight was visiting the Lemurs Park outside of Antananarivo (the capital). Lemurs, in case you don’t know, may just be the cutest of all mammals (remember King Julien from Madagascar the movie?). They are indigenous and unique to Madagascar but also critically endangered, given the effects of deforestation in the country. Upon getting home, I made a small donation to the Lemur Conservation Network (donating directly to the Lemurs Park doesn’t seem to be possible), and if you’d also like to contribute a little something to the care and preservation of these beautiful and charming animals, please do so!
Do you like cooking Indian food, or would you like to give it a try? One of the most intimidating factors for a lot of people is the plethora of spices used and where to procure them. If you’re lucky enough to live near an Indian/South Asian or other international grocery, this is usually your best source (online is also an option). However, I love Diaspora Spice Co., which sources single origin spices from farms across India and Sri Lanka, paying the farmers six times above the market price (which is a big deal considering the generally exploitative nature of the spice trade). As an aside: I also loved Diaspora’s fabulous founder and CEO Sana Javeri Kadri’s house tour on Cup of Jo.
The rituals and practices of food and eating with my extended family in Chennai reminded me about the interest that I once had in ayurveda, India’s 5000-year old medical system which is focused on a natural and holistic approach to health and wellness. I find ayurveda’s categorization of our individual body constitutions into three doshas quite interesting, as are its broader conceptions of food as preventative medicine, living in harmony with nature and practices such as deep breathing and oil pulling. Here’s an excellent primer on ayurveda (it also has a free self-assessment that you can do to identify your dosha). If you’re interested and want to learn more, it can also be interesting to consult an ayurveda practitioner as well.
As mentioned, July is my birthday month. And this year has really been…something. So in case you missed it, upon making it to 45, I wrote up a little list of 15 lessons that I’ve learned in this adventure called life. I really enjoyed reflecting and writing this list and am thinking that I’ll make it a yearly practice on my birthday. And I’d love to hear – what are some lessons that YOU’VE learned along the course of your life journey?
I recently learned about the concept of cusp horoscopes, referring to those born between two zodiac signs (typically between the 19th-23rd of any given month, though it varies). I’m one of those people – falling in the Cancer-Leo cusp – and when I read my cusp horoscope, I was amazed! I felt seen! If you might fall into similar territory, check it out (because in my view, a cosmic perspective on oneself is never a bad thing 😊).
During time that I have to myself, there are few things that I enjoy more than solo dining at the warm bar of a new or much-loved restaurant. I know there are many of you who feel the same, while the idea might seem really intimidating to others. I loved this piece by Vox on the pleasures of (and tips for) solo dining, which just might give you the boost you need if you’re reticent.
I logged in a lot of reading this month, given all the time spent in airplanes and airports. As always, I had my trusty Kindle with me. E-reading has been my preferred form of reading for the last several years, and while I totally understand that it’s not everyone’s jam, I find it to be practical and accessible. Particularly because I usually borrow e-books for my Kindle through the DC Public Library. In case you didn’t know, it’s possible to do this through most public library systems in the U.S. (and perhaps elsewhere too?): here’s a primer on how.
I made it just in the nick of time this month to see the movie that everyone’s talking about – Barbie! As many people have observed, it’s entertaining satire that actually seems to be hitting quite hard, laying bare as it does the beauty and burden of being a woman (in the words of my friend Daniela) and the ways in which the patriarchy hurts as all. I thought that this take from The Guardian summed up the main takeaways pretty well.
I loved the time that I spent in Madagascar and brought home several goodies. Among them were vanilla beans, Madagascar being the world’s #1 producer of vanilla (known as Lavanila in Malagasy). One of the things that I’m going to make with my stash is homemade vanilla extract, using this recipe from Bon Appetit which seems fabulous and super-easy!
What I Read
This month, I really enjoyed Love Marriage by Monica Ali, a British writer of Bangladeshi heritage whose earlier novel Brick Lane was shortlisted for a Booker Prize. Having read both, I actually preferred Love Marriage, which is about the relationship between two young doctors living in London, one from an immigrant Indian Muslim family and the other of upper-class English pedigree, and the many cultural and generational clashes that ensue. It’s a lovely story about the complexities of parent-child relationships and family histories, addiction, mental health and being true to ourselves. Eloquent yet easy to read.
What I Watched
Flying to and from Madagascar on Air France, I got to catch up on some French movies. I really liked Les femmes du square (2022), a story of an undocumented Ivorian woman in Paris, her struggle for survival and justice for the many women in her situation (often working as nannies). It was smart, funny and touching, reminding us that the world would truly not function as it does without nannies, caregivers and domestic helpers. I also rewatched La Haine, a classic from 1995 that follows the 24-hour journey of three young men in the housing projects outside of Paris, in the wake of violent clashes with the police. As the ill of police brutality continues unabated in the world, this powerful film continues to resonate. While I’m not sure where you can access Les femmes du square (outside of an AF flight), La Haine is available for rental (with English subtitles) on Prime.
What I Listened To
At our workshop in Madagascar, on the last day someone cued up an Afrobeats instrumental playlist during one of the breaks. And now this is my new favorite genre of music for the workday, as it gets me hyped and still allows me to focus. Check out this playlist by Spotify and see how you like it!
What I Cooked
During my time in Chennai, I had sambar every day. Sambar is a staple in Tamil Nadu and other parts of south India. It’s a hearty lentil-based stew, spiced with tamarind, red chilies, curry leaves and mustard seeds. One summer when I was home from college, my mom dictated her version of the recipe, which I carefully jotted down in a notebook that I still refer to whenever I make it. You can get the ingredients in an Indian or other international grocery (or online), and the veggies you use are up to you/the season. This is the taste and smell of the lovely time that I spent in Chennai this month, where we had sambhar with idli and dosa for breakfast, mixed with rice for lunch, sometimes along with a lighter dinner as well – it’s that good! You can check out the recipe on my now-defunct food blog (which still lives online 😊): Mom’s Sambar
And a poem to sign off…
HOME REVOLUTION A good origin story Might be a lot more. Maybe a root, And from that springs A bud, Which grows and stretches, Falters and unfurls, Again and again, Maybe even multiplies… And if you’re lucky perhaps, Delivers you softly To the here and the now. Maybe home is there, all along. Quietly bearing witness, Because it has always been, And will always be. Why didn’t I realize before that This too is a revolution? - Ramya Vivekanandan, July 30, 2023
Thank you for reading and for being here! Please feel free to leave a comment, let me know what has inspired YOU this month or share this newsletter with anyone who you think would enjoy it. See you at the end of August!