Écrits sur Maurice 1708-2019

I'm so thrilled and honoured that an excerpt from my book is included in Écrits sur Maurice 1708-2019, an anthology of 105 authors who wrote about Mauritius. The book's aim is to highlight and preserve the rich cultural history of Mauritius and the literary legacy of the island.

Thank you to Barlen Pyamootoo for the conception of this book, and thanks also to his amazing team of editors who worked on this anthology and made it happen.

Unfortunately, I can't be in Mauritius for the launch on November 5th. I hope that friends in Mauritius will be there in great numbers. Looking forward to reading the other authors in the anthology.

C'est un grand honneur pour moi d'être inclus dans Écrits sur Maurice 1708-2019, et d'être parmi les 105 auteurs dont les écrits sur Maurice sont dans cette anthologie. "Ce livre a pour but de mettre en lumière, de faire connaître et d'aider à sauvegarder notre riche et unique patrimoine culturel."

Merci à Barlen Pyamootoo pour avoir conçu ce livre et merci à son équipe d'éditeurs pour leur soutien et collaboration  sur cette anthologie.

Je suis navrée que je ne pourrai pas être à Maurice pour le lancement le 5 novembre. J'espère que les amis à Maurice y seront en grand nombre. J'ai hâte de lire les écrits des autres auteurs dans cette anthologie.

Live Music

I love the magic of live music, the thrill of connecting with

the musicians' creative energy and emotive flow.

I miss dancing to the blissful rhythm,

and forgetting everything else. 

I'm grateful for the few safe venues where musicians can play.

I was thrilled to be at my first backyard concert this summer

at The Canopy Music Theatre run by Josh Piché,

a talented singer and guitarist who welcomes

artists to perform there.

Even though we were all sitting far apart and could not dance,

it was such an amazing treat to be at a live performance

under the cool shade of the canopy of trees.

Sharing the enchantment of live music in this photo montage

Let your heart's rhythm

dance wild and free, chords swirling  

in rapt melody

Keeping safe in nature during Covid

It's frustrating that we have a new wave of Covid from large indoor gatherings 

when there is so much we can do outdoors in summer.

Toronto has so many parks where we can socialize and keep our distance safely.

I was at the Evergreen Brickworks the other day with a very dear friend

and it felt so wonderful to immerse ourselves in nature, and

enjoy the peacefulness of the pond and the greenery.

Let's dress warmly and extend these nature walks in fall and winter 

and do our best to beat that darn virus.

Photos taken at Evergreen Brickworks on Bayview

Nature's offerings

soothing, healing, protect us 

from persistent plague

 

Reflections on layers

It's therapeutic to put my creative energy into photo collages 

when I'm emotionally distracted and can't get the unruly mind to focus on writing.

I enjoy the playfulness of overlaying images and love the serendipitous surprises.

Shapes and colours of underlying images meld and appear through each tier 

to form a coherent and visually pleasing, yet intangible whole

and only the person who creates it sees all the layers.

Similar to the multiple layers of experiences that mould us into who we are.

Past shades and lights are within us and seem intangible to others.

Each of us is the only one who can peel the layers 

to perceive the facets of his or her real self.

Let go of your fears

Look deep into the layers

untangle yourself

Toronto at dawn

Sometimes I wake up early and for a few precious minutes, I'm under the spell of nature

as I watch these breathtaking colours painting their way across the sky.

I love the peaceful lull, the quiet hush before cars and trucks start spilling onto the street 

and Toronto suddenly roars, hisses and clatters into a demented traffic rush.

Dawn in the city

sweeps away the grey slumber

stirs a new day's fire

Summer chaos and blooms

Feeling optimistic despite all the horrible things happening in this world.

No matter how bad things are, human kindness and solidarity

pop up in heartening ways to renew hope.

Expressing the feeling in the photo collage and the haiku below.

Blooms above chaos

pour over pandemic gloom 

scents of summer bliss 

The Power of Kindness

I'm grateful that most of us are doing our share to help Canada reopen

and we're keeping the social distance, wearing masks

and staying home as much as possible.

The long days on our own have been challenging but also an opportunity

to slow down, reflect on our needs, become resourceful,

and be kind to ourselves and to others.

Practicing self-kindness is great way to overcome the negativity of such an awful time.

It's been wonderful to gradually reconnect with good friends 

in backyards, parks, ravines, and with dear ones at home.

Sharing some photos taken on a nature walk.

Kindness of nature

lush, enchanting, mystical

 reflections of love

Rainbow of hope over Toronto

On the day Toronto goes into stage 2 reopening, a rainbow of hope appears on the skyline.

Hope in all colours

hard times softened with rainbows

love and compassion

The true voyage of discovery

The only true voyage of discovery would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes.

Le seul véritable voyage, ce ne serait pas d'aller vers de nouveaux paysages, mais d'avoir d'autres yeux.

This insightful quote of Marcel Proust has so many layers of meaning. 

If we look at nature with new eyes, we can discover art in unexpected places, as in this photo.

On a more profound level, to view from others' eyes not only opens up new perspectives in seeing the world, 

but also enlightens us about others' values, lifestyles, cultures, 

which fosters open-mindedness and acceptance. 

Seeing with other's eyes opens our hearts so we can empathize with others' hardships 

and pain, as well as discover the wonders in each of us. 

It's not easy to possess other eyes, as we all tend to think of our views as best, or we get stuck 

in one way of thinking, but it's a worthwhile endeavour to bring more humanity within us.

Close up of a tree bark spattered with lichens and moss

Abstract art in nature

Spring into summer

A photo collage to celebrate summer's exuberance. 

What a wonderful surprise to enjoy this glorious weather in May.

Much needed cheer from the stress of the pandemic

to give us strength to keep going.

Keep safe everybody.

Spring into summer

Sunshine blasting its brilliance

warms the air with joy