Hobbies & interests

I am an avid reader. Growing up in a small hamlet in India (Madhubani, Bihar), the world of magic and sci-fi gave me wings of imagination. My absolute favorite books, in no particular order, are Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Dune, Sea of Poppies, and A House for Mr. Biswas. My favorite authors are J.R.R. Tolkien (I know, such a cliché!), V. S. Naipaul, Amitava Kumar, Vikram Seth, and Amitav Ghosh. 

Although I trained in Hindustani Classical music for eight years, you do not want to hear me sing! I am also trained in Yoga (initiated in the Bihar School of Yoga's philosophy). I have been practicing Yoga and meditation regularly for nearly two decades (wow, I am old!). 

I like traveling to new countries and hiking through National Parks in my free time. In the past two years, I have been to 19 National Parks and 6 State Parks in the US, covering 12,000+ miles on the road! In the past 1-year itself, I have also traveled to 4 continents and 5 countries for various conferences and workshops - such is the life of an academic (who said we were nerds or boring!). It sometimes feels like I am living in a dream! 

I grew up in a huge multi-generational family with hordes of relatives. If I miss anything about home - it is the constant din of people chattering and milling around my house (I, too, was shocked to discover this!). I find people soothing - with family and friends, any heartache or difficulty goes away! So I love hanging out with people and goofing around. No surprise, then, that I love entertaining and having people over. I celebrate all festivals (all 365 of them!) and some more - like birthdays and anniversaries of both my family members and friends. I might proclaim you my best friend and even get excited about your dog's birthday just after meeting you only twice - and if that happens, don't be alarmed. That is just who I am. 

As much as I like people, I am not on any social media. I don't have an opinion on it - it is just something I did not grow up with and never felt the need for (except this page!). Maybe this will change in the future, but for now - THIS IS ME <3!