Author Archives: msaraf

On Depression, Suicide and the Death of Hope

The death of Sushant Singh Rajput has not hit me hard because I was a huge fan, or even followed his work at all. In truth, I barely followed him or his work.  Yet hit me it has, mainly because he was 34, five years younger than I am, who, it seems, felt like theContinue reading “On Depression, Suicide and the Death of Hope”

‘Senseless Worries’: A Story about Anxiety and the Power of Being Alone

  As a young woman I had all sorts of ambitions of where I would be at 30. Successful, surrounded by people I loved (including, perhaps, one special someone), and generally on an accelerated upward trajectory towards achieving all of my dreams. I was to be wildly successful, because, like all millennials, this was myContinue reading “‘Senseless Worries’: A Story about Anxiety and the Power of Being Alone”

Toxic Adaptability: Why I wrote ‘Spilling Over the Edges’

Almost every woman I know has had at least one relationship where she has willingly allowed herself to be treated poorly for months, or even years. This is not a judgement, rather an observation. Some are lucky enough to escape these relationships, others not so much. As girls growing up, I think many of usContinue reading “Toxic Adaptability: Why I wrote ‘Spilling Over the Edges’”

Changing the Narrative of My Own Story

  I got into a fascinating discussion on Twitter the other day, courtesy of Women’s Web, with Manreet Sodhi Someshwar, speaking about her book The Radiance of a Thousand Suns, which has now made its way onto my TBR. We were speaking about Margaret Atwood, and what made her characters so powerful (I’d been watchingContinue reading “Changing the Narrative of My Own Story”

Thoughts on the Lockdown

We are now on Day 6 of the lockdown.   It has been an interesting week. A mix of good and bad, of optimism and despair, anger and hope. I know a lot of people who have struggled with depression and staying positive. They may be far from their families, they may be struggling withContinue reading “Thoughts on the Lockdown”

Journey of my e-Book Debut (Reblogged)

Of course, I was an early reader and writer. No shit, Sherlock! Though my early attempts were rather laughable, they make for great anecdotes! Get this, at one point, I hand wrote a newspaper about the goings-on of my home and was selling it to my family for 25 paise a story. I think IContinue reading “Journey of my e-Book Debut (Reblogged)”

Book Review: Just Another Day

It’s always nerve-wracking to read a close friend’s writing – and especially so when it is writing that has just been published. Fortunately with Piyusha Vir’s “Just Another Day”, I needn’t have worried at all. This collection of three short stories, Vir’s debut book, is available on Kindle, and did not disappoint.