The Power of the Pause in Creative Processes

For me the power of the pause is the most important part of any activity, whether it is a creative one or a simple thing like planning my Menu for the day.

I have known people who say that “why do you need to plan a menu? You just go and make something. After so many years of running a house, you should be able to do it with your eyes closed!”

Well it’s never been that simple for me. For me any activity is creative activity- whether it’s writing a book or a poem or even a small haiku for an Instagram post, I need to pause, imagine, toy with words, reflect and then put on paper my thoughts.

The white space that is believed to be a negative space is a very vital and positive area of activity. If I were to plan my white space consciously ( I am, let me be honest, a very impromptu creator so I do not actually construct or build a white space consciously) but yes there is a method to my madness and in retrospect I realise that I have unconsciously structured the pause that is the hidden depth of my foundation of any planned or unplanned activity.

When we were students, we were urged to write our answers or essays with a beginning, middle and an end. A simplistic attitude maybe, but that grid has stood true for so many centuries that all those years of training has deeply ingrained my psyche and I follow it in a nonlinear way.

Before I start any project, I need to have that seed in my mind – it could be just a line “The safe door was just that bit open” and this would usually pop into my mind just before I fall asleep. The next day, amidst the busyness of everyday life it would keep popping up and in the moments that intersperse my day I would play around with it. This then is my beginning.

My middle would be that part where my logical brain would argue with my heart; that it is an idiotic sentence. How can you create a story from something as inane as that? The brain would argue! Then my heart would smile that very secretive smile and say “wait and see! Give me some width!” there would be conversations like this yo-yoing within me while on the outside I would be calm and either indulging in another creative outlet (sketching or stitching…) this is the most difficult part. It has sometimes taken me months before I could formulate my thoughts into coherent action. It is filled with self-doubts, uncomfortable clarity, and restlessness. It is here that I need to push at the resistance that engulfs me overwhelmingly.

The end is where the beginning was. I have at this point decluttered myself and have taken positive steps towards planting that seed. It is here that I do a lot of research on my topic. Frame and reframe my story in a million different ways. Here I use myself and others as a sounding board and then question and requestion my intents. If it’s a story it is straightforward, I begin writing each chapter with the whole picture in front of me (again to be honest there have been many a times that I have erased whole chapters or rewritten whole conversations due to my indulgent emotions during this period). If it is a poem, I have questioned the veracity of what I want to portray or a short story where I have changed the passage of time.

This final moment is my incubation period; the time when my story is born with all its limbs intact.

According to me ‘scheduling’ goes against the grain of any creative venture but white space is necessary for clarity of thought and expression. If you were to think of creativity as an impressionist’s painting as opposed to a portrait that photography mimics now, then white space would definitely be an inherent part of the plan to create.

Mind, Body and Soul

Dedication

For

The storm within the self, and the calm that follows.

To the fire the flesh, and the whispering soul – may you find your truce.

For the eternal battlefield where shadows and light

Wrestle – may these lines be your map.

Step into a world where words breathe, emotions flow, and the human experience unfolds in all its raw, beautiful complexity. Mind, Body and Soul is a collection of poetry that delves deep into the essence of who we are—our thoughts, our struggles, our joys, and the quiet moments that define us.
A journey through the heart, mind, and spirit—this collection of poetry explores love, loss, resilience, and the quiet moments that define us. Honest, moving, and deeply human, Mind, Body and Soul invites you to reflect, feel, and discover yourself in every line."

This book was born from conflict — the quiet,
ceaseless struggle between mind, body, and soul.
For as long as I can remember, these three parts of
myself have spoken in different voices, each vying
for attention, balance, and truth. These poems are
my attempt to listen to them all at once.
Within these pages you will not find answers so
much as reflections — echoes of late nights,
internal dialogues, and moments of stillness that
rose after storms. Some pieces are sharp, some
tender, some questioning, but all arise from the
same place: the space where our inner worlds
collide.
I wrote these poems not just for myself but for
anyone who has felt divided or at war with their
own being. If you have ever sensed a quiet tension
between your thoughts, your body, and your spirit,
you may recognize yourself here.
This collection is an invitation to witness that
eternal battle, but also to glimpse the fragile peace
that can emerge from it. My hope is that these
words will help you feel seen, understood, and
perhaps a little less alone.

Mind body and soul

Deceptive Shadows

It’s that time again—I’ve finally completed my fourth novel, Deceptive Shadows, and it is now in the process of being published. Though it took longer than I had anticipated, every moment has been worth the effort.

As an avid reader, I believe that everyone shares a love for books. It’s this belief that fuels my desire to contribute to the vast literary universe—adding another voice, another story, and perhaps, enhancing its ever-growing décor.

Writing is more than a creative outlet for me; it is a form of transcendence. Each time I write, I am transported to a world entirely of my own making. It is a world where I am omnipotent, where characters take shape under my guidance, and where their destinies unfold as I choose. With every word, I build a universe that is mine to control, yet one I constantly discover.

I delight in the delicate balance of revelation and concealment—offering readers tantalizing glimpses of my characters while carefully unveiling their truths over time. It is this slow unwrapping that I believe keeps the reader’s curiosity and engagement alive.

This parallel world of fiction, constructed with my thoughts and beliefs, brings me immense joy. It lifts me beyond the mundane into realms of adventure, excitement, and mystery—my favourite emotional spaces. Inspired by the Navarasas, the nine emotions of classical Indian aesthetics, I strive to infuse my work with as many of them as possible, enriching the tapestry of my storytelling.

Deceptive Shadows is a gripping tale of suspense that delves into the darkest corners of the human psyche and the enduring mysteries of life and death.

….For the love of a book

It’s been a hectic month so far! Lots have been happening…. I had been sitting on my third book for the last (which I must say has been topsy turvy!) year. I don’t want to go into details but safe to say that I have not stayed at home for a month at a stretch. Either I have been traveling to other cities or the hospital!

Well, I decided enough is enough and proceeded with my publisher to publish the book. “Weave Some More” my latest novel, has literally woven webs of confusion, distractions, and plenty of new learnings.

I learned how important it was to advertise the book, I also learned that I need to join like-minded groups, and also to keep my ear to the ground to hear the rumblings about the book.

Though I have used Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to let the world know about the birth of my books, I have not used it methodically (So my publisher says). So I put myself into their expert hands to do the serious work and continued my amateur bumbling on Social Media!

I was soon flooded with a lot of requests from many groups who wanted to follow me or talk about my book or my writing process. It was flattering, to say the least, but it was a lot of work, nevertheless. One more pleasant surprise was how many of them wrote their own interpretations of the book and posted them on different platforms. I am grateful.

Facebook was filled with congratulatory messages from many of my friends and relatives. But I wonder how many of them did read the book. The best compliment a writer ever gets is when he realizes that his book has been read and critiqued (even if it is a bad one!) I am extremely grateful to the handful who made it a point to message me with their thoughts or wrote reviews on various platforms.

I do realize that in this day of the internet and video world, very few have the interest or the inclination to actually read a three-hundred-page book. Being a book lover I do not understand this trend, but then each to his own.

A book is like a living creature. Every time you read it, it throws out new ideas, nuances, and visions. A couple of people argue that what do we need with them? After all the internet is teeming with ideas and entertainment; why go through the pain of reading, exploring, and using your “noodle” to wallow in the pleasure of reading, processing, and creating your own world?

I have no arguments for or against the above theories. Only a book lover can really ‘feel’ the pleasure that seeps through him when he uses a writer’s words to create and travel through a world. The underlined word is ‘create’. It is true that the writer has created a world with his words but your vision of it is your own creation and thus you own it.

Whoever has the time to read this, please do answer the question, “which other entertainment path allows you to create and find fulfillment and gives you ownership of your reactions and emotions?

Weave Some More

A small tantalizing introduction to my latest book….

Weave Some More

My New release……….

Covering

Lockdown Screen Time

Beyond the trillion Zoom conferences that dot my COVID-19 lockdown, I have another lot of activities that keep me so busy that I have fallen ill twice in the past sixty days!

The first week without the maid was fun. (I love cleaning) With ample help from a house-bound husband and daughter who took care of the heavy duty cleaning, I scrubbed corners, cleaned cupboard tops and used all the ‘You tube’ cleaning hacks possible.

The next week made me traverse the insides of each cupboard, the bookshelves (with lots of nostalgic swamping when I looked at my twenty year old self’s notations on the margins) and bathroom cleaning.

The third week of course laid me low for three days (Every bone and sinew aching). I was warned by the whole family (specially the doctor via video chat) that I cannot and should not overexert myself. I nodded with pitiful affirmatives and resumed my duties slowly.

The week that followed the lockdown under the lockdown made me sit on my comfortable chair watching Netflix and Prime Video. All the games that I had downloaded on the I-Pad were begging me to indulge them, so my screen time increased from four hours to six hours (lots of admonishment from the lord and master!) then I had to indulge in my voyeurism- all the social media scrolling!

Facebook was of course filled with birthdays and anniversaries and the many stories which can be understood only by the one who posts them! It also had the occasional Instagram posts.

I prefer looking at the Instagram posts on its own app, so off I go, clicking on the link and moving to another world. Here I am offered a number of culinary delights. The world and his wife have taken to cooking the most delicious dishes on the face of the earth and posting them on Instagram. Even the videos posted are no longer dominated by Nature’s beauty, we see the most delicious samosas, casserole, cakes, puddings, rasgollas…. I really cannot tabulate all of them here! New channels have come up from wanna-be cooks and all the housewives who have husbands wielding the video camera! Sadly, the cooking channels that I follow have been relegated to the backseat. It is so much better to see the normal kitchen in the background rather than the uber-efficient ones of the celebrities.

Though not a great cook, I have been feeding my family for over thirty years, so I jumped onto the bandwagon and made my share of rasmalais, jelabis and even pedas. The usual panipuris, rava dosas, idlis and poha were put in attractive dishes, photos were taken with the right amount of lighting but after the deluge of foodography I decided wisely against putting up my pretty pictures.

But the cutest deluge has come from new mommies! I noticed a certain age group of my erstwhile students were turning into new mothers. Lots of cutie quotes (specially as Mother’s Day has just gone by), cuddly babies and adorable new grannies fought for space on my app. The ones without babies put up their doggie instas and successfully captured my attention.

Next of course is Twitter. What then are the birds doing these days? Well, we have the usual political bashers, the fight between the pros and antis. Then of course the statistics of Coronavirus- how many infected, how many dead, which countries and in India which states. Possibility of economic suicide versus own suicide! “My country is worse than yours”, “My leader is worse than yours” and the best are the NRIs who live in their comfortable lives saying how wonderful India is notwithstanding the miserable level to which the poor have gone to! Here too, I do not dare to offer my own views in the fear of being arrested (One young man was thrown into jail for daring to criticize the All Mighty one (and I do not mean God))

I am not a member of TikTok so I cannot post my dancing videos (I can hear all of you sighing with relief). The news channels say the same thing and I was getting tired of being in front of a screen for almost all my waking hours. So what do I do next?

Feeling as strong as Hercules, I tossed caution to the winds and was back to all my naughty and secretive escapades, namely ‘cleaning spree’. The family members were busy doing their own things, so I got away unnoticed! My stove started sparkling, the kitchen counters were spick and span, all the stuff from the supermarket were put in their rightful places rather than lying about like abandoned puppies and the washer and drier sparkled with happiness with all the love and care I lavished on them.

It was not surprising that on a day when I chose to cook three whole meals, clean four bathrooms, and do the laundry, that my more than half a century old body collapsed, and I was back in bed!

Older and wiser, now I have decided not to trust my adrenalin spiked brain and do my work in moderation.

So two months of lockdown, two collapses, a million food videos, and a trying-to-be-sensible, old but young at heart person is looking forward to a COVID less world where she can do what she loves the most – Travel!

Que sera sera what will be will be…

Dare Me & Other Stories

Four friends, reunited after a decade, set out on a road trip near Jaipur. As they reminisced about the past, they find themselves accosted by a young shepherd boy and his mother in the middle of a desolate forest with an elusive lake on the horizon. The next twelve hours wreak havoc; with old love resurfacing while questioning the ‘justice’ served a decade ago.

Angela lived a quiet life in a Swiss convent until a rich benefactor, Herr Abraham, took her under his wings. While she found peace in ‘conversing’ with her late mother, Angela’s life changes at an alarming pace when a nun is found murdered.

An amnesic man found on the streets of New York is revealed to be a wealthy banker from New Orleans. As he tries to piece his life together, a missing puzzle is waiting to be discovered that links his car accident to the lack thereof his injuries.

Many family members experience the same dream. Is there an unfulfilled desire from the unknown, seeking to manifest itself in the real world?

In her collection of fifteen stories, Benita Patnaik leads you into a seemingly benign world; but soon, before long – the layers of normalcy peel away within mere seconds. Revenge, jealousy, greed laced with hatred and desire push each character to live their lives in a cycle of never ending existence. The greyness of the paranormal world leaves you cold with fear; prompting you to draw parallels of its surrealistic nature in your own life.

Hereafter, you would think twice before you ignore the stranger at the bus stop; the wedding anniversary gift sitting on your mantelpiece; a pigeon perched on your ledge every single day; the recurring dreams which have no meaning …today.