March was full of activities for os.me. We will get to the round up, but I can’t keep calm until I say it out loud — Om Swamiji wrote a bonus post! Did you read it yet? He sprung a pleasant surprise when he wrote about his visit to Benaras and shared a soulful bhajan. Everyone was delighted to get an extra serving from him — Reason 101 to love os.me. Now, what’s stopping you from penning your thoughts? Come on! Write already.

Besides that, he is also meeting us through the month on Zoom and Live sessions. I hope the news has reached you. What, you didn’t hear about it? Reason 102 to get more active on the most exciting, truthful and kindest corner on the internet. All about it here.

As you know, in my last post, we invited our writers to write in celebration of the feminine energy, form and influence in our lives. It was an open call to express to Mother Divine, or mother thine, or to share lived experiences and pen down about the time when a woman left an imprint. Because March is about women. In response, our authors wrote some of the most beautiful posts.

Before I offer you a quick round up of the posts that reverberate the theme, I’ll answer the question: What does the Goddess look like? Actually, I won’t answer it. Who will? Someone who went up the Himalayas, moved the heavens to bring down the Mother Divine for the most remarkable meeting of the Goddess and her terrestrial fragment, will.

I offer you two posts from the One Who Knows + One Potent Meditation + Personal experiences from our writers:

Wisdom from Om Swamiji

Vision of the Goddess: Om Swamiji accomplished the seemingly impossible feat of compelling the Goddess to come down to earth, with his absolute surrender, overwhelming love and a few thousand hours of meditation. Nothing changed on the surface, but nothing remained the same. He came back a realised monk, and gave us all the truth — it is possible to meet God. He is here to show us the path. But if you are someone like me, who is content living that experience vicariously through our beloved Swamiji, read this article. It gave me goosebumps. You don’t want to miss this! He talks about his divine darshan, video included.

The Truth of Four Queens: Om Swamiji narrates the tale of a king who had four queens. Nearing the end of his life, brought about by a fatal insect bite, he decides to test his four queens. Here’s the thing, we are all married to these four queens. Which of the four should we care the most about? Read what he says.

We are all married to these 4 queens. Which of these should we care about the most? Read what Swamiji says tell a friend

Potent Meditation: Before We Meet the Goddess 

Devi Bhagavatam: Five days of Immersive Devi Bhagavatam narration by Om Swami himself. Watch him sing glories of Devi. He explains the esoteric meaning of many stories, offers ways to invoke Mother Goddess, a sadhana befitting of a seeker, and the science of Sri Yantra. Get closer to God.

7 True Experiences

She Must Look A Little Like This: Best-selling author Sadhvi Vrinda Om’s yearning to meet the Goddess is palpable. In this beautiful verse, she draws a sublime vignette of the Goddess with words.

Transgendered: In the seventh grade, Divya Manoharan started developing a moustache and body hair. She was called Ali, a derogatory term for a trans person. That affected her life choices. Today, she writes, ‘Our sex is not a choice. But our gender is.’

A Portrait of My Mother: In this heart-warming post, Akshay Iyer writes about seeing his mother as a person for the first time. It’s a reminder for us to dissociate our own moms from their motherly roles and see them as human beings. Our parents weren’t born as parents, but do we realise that?

Rocky and Rides: A bunch of rowdy looking boys offer to drop her to the examination centre. A desperate Manisha hops on a stranger’s bike. What happens next? Read to know Manisha Nandal Dahiya’s personal experience. She keeps the reader on the edge as she recalls the day. You keep hoping nothing bad happens. Well, her mom’s reaction and mine, too, is a grim reminder that it isn’t safe to be a woman, for every choice could have consequences. But we can’t stop living.

A bunch of rowdy looking boys offer to drop her to the examination centre. A desperate Manisha hops on a stranger’s bike. What happens next? tell a friend

Parenting Hacks: Rajesh Kodukula has a little woman in his life who has made him a better and more aware person. As he raises his daughter, he learns a lot about life. Rajesh offers some very useful parenting hacks.

All the Gold of the World: The first time Siddhika Umesh saw Veena and her husband at a party, she knew the couple had all the riches at their disposal. By the second time she met Veena, things had taken a turn for the worse. The couple now lived in a dilapidated house and hardly had any food to eat. She decides to help the couple. This is the story of sisterhood in tough times.

Money or Freedom: Her schoolfriend Meera is now married into a wealthy family of influential men. She lives in a huge bungalow, with a fleet of expensive cars at the gate, and the frills. Shalini Pandey, who quit her job to tend to her family, experiences a tinge of envy at her friend’s fortune. Until one day, the friend reveals the difficult truth and a secret.    

Until one day, the friend reveals the difficult truth and a secret. tell a friend

Those make it 10 posts. Yet, not enough. There are tales aplenty that have moved, inspired and impacted me and other readers. Upon reading Sadhvi Shraddha Om’s Tandav series, I realised this was the first time I really understood Maa Kali’s war with the demons, and what followed. Many wrote tributes to Mother Divine and their own moms, but Tanvi Sharma dedicated a beautiful poem to Swamiji’s mother. 

The Math Guy wrote about his father’s mother, Baa. The grandmom established the most successful general store in her village, and has many tales for her grandkids. This one is also an ode to the entrepreneurial spirit of women. Subhash Iyer is surrounded by women who illustrate it’s never too late to learn. 

Talking of women in one’s life, don’t forget to read how Sundaram Venkatesh met his wife. Kahani puri filmy hai (complete with songs). He writes about another memorable encounter, this one has a spirit of a woman hanging about it. Yes —a ghost!

Komal makes a case for gender equality and Om-Powerment. Shivani Adalja brings them down from the pedestal. Women are humans, too. She confesses she is flawed, well, so am I. But here’s Hemanya Vashishtha, the perfect one and barely in her teens!

We also have celebrity author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni on Truth Be Told, where she discusses women narratives and female friendships.

To love, light and Maa,
May she love us and accept us as we are!

Until next…