MAADHYAM

People often ask me how I became a content creator, learned to write, and—most importantly—how I found the courage to stand up for myself. The answer is simple: Professor Jerry Pinto. I still remember our first day in class. Forty girls, all slightly nervous, trying to figure out what journalism school had in store. Jerry walked in and said something none of us expected: “You will not call me ‘Sir’. I haven’t been knighted by the Queen of England. I’m not your teacher. Call me Mr. Pinto or Jerry.” We were stunned. Then came a question that truly shook us up: “How many of you can ask your friend to return the money they borrowed, without feeling guilty or awkward?” Only a few of us raised our hands—including me. Then he asked, “How many of you have money saved up that nobody knows about?” Again, just a few hands went up. Mine included. And then… the real shocker. He told each of us to stand up and say, “F@k off.”* You can imagine our expressions. We were frozen. Some giggled...

  When Was the Last Time You Truly Paused? “Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is breathe, reflect, and begin again. " - Sandhya Lal We live in a generation that is constantly moving. The moment we wake up, the world demands our attention. Notifications, deadlines, responsibilities, meetings, social media updates, expectations, emotional pressures — they begin before our mind has even had a chance to rest. Somewhere in this fast-paced lifestyle, we started believing that slowing down is unproductive. We glorify hustle. We celebrate exhaustion. We admire people who are “always busy.” But very few people talk about the emotional cost of never pausing. And that cost is silently showing up everywhere. In rising stress levels. In emotional burnout. In anxiety and irritability. In strained relationships. In mental exhaustion. In the inability to stay present. In the feeling that despite doing everything… we still feel disconnected. Disconnected from joy. Disconnected from pe...