NihshabdBlog

Tag: Nihshabd journal

  • A Strange Habit of Caring

    A Strange Habit of Caring

    What job would you do for free?

    .

    “What job would you do for free?”

    .

    Anything that lets me make someone’s day a little easier.

    .

    Not in a big, dramatic, “changing lives” way—

    I don’t have that kind of energy daily 😄

    .

    More like…

    fixing something small,

    explaining something quickly,

    or just being there when someone is clearly struggling but pretending they’re fine.

    .

    I don’t even plan it.

    It just… happens.

    .

    I’ll be minding my own work,

    and suddenly I’m involved in someone else’s problem

    like I was personally invited.

    .

    Zero boundaries.

    Full participation.

    .

    And somehow,

    I never regret it.

    .

    Because the return is always the same—

    a lighter face,

    a softer voice,

    that small “oh thank God” kind of smile.

    .

    And I don’t know why,

    but that moment always feels… enough.

    .

    No achievement unlocked.

    No big credit.

    .

    Just a quiet feeling—

    like something went right today.

    .

    So yeah,

    not a specific job…

    .

    just this strange habit

    of not ignoring people

    when I easily could. 😄

    .

    Two hands gently touching in warm candlelight, symbolizing silent care and human connection.
    A quiet kind of care, felt more than spoken.

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved

  • A Life Practiced in Silence

    A Life Practiced in Silence

    What Olympic sports do you enjoy watching the most?

    What Olympic sports do I enjoy watching the most?

    .

    The honest answer is… I don’t really watch sports.

    But I deeply admire the people who do.

    .

    Not just for the medals,

    but for everything that happens before that moment.

    The dedication.

    The quiet hard work.

    The days when no one is watching,

    yet they keep showing up.

    .

    Training without immediate results,

    facing failures,

    and still choosing to try again.

    .

    And then one day,

    they step onto that stage…

    accept the challenge…

    and perform with everything they’ve built in silence.

    .

    I think that’s what stays with me.

    .

    Because in our own lives too,

    we are doing the same in different ways—

    trying, failing, learning… quietly.

    .

    And maybe the real achievement isn’t the moment

    everyone claps for…

    .

    but the version of you

    that didn’t give up

    when there was no one there to notice.

    .

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved

  • Maybe the Community Doesn’t Need Fixing. Maybe I Do.

    Maybe the Community Doesn’t Need Fixing. Maybe I Do.

    How would you improve your community?

    How would I improve my community?

    .

    By doing something slightly uncomfortable.

    .

    I’d stop assuming I’m always right.

    .

    Not a great personality trait to give up, I know.

    But most of our “community issues”

    feel less like real problems…

    and more like a collection of people

    (me included)

    who don’t pause long enough to think,

    “Maybe it’s not just them.”

    .

    I’ve judged people in seconds.

    Misread silences.

    And replied “hmm” to things

    that probably deserved a little more heart.

    .

    Efficient? Yes.

    Helpful? Not really.

    .

    So maybe… I’d start there.

    .

    I’d listen. Properly.

    .

    Not the kind where I nod

    while preparing my next sentence

    but the slightly uncomfortable kind

    where I don’t interrupt,

    don’t fix,

    don’t turn it into my story.

    .

    Just… listen.

    .

    I’d also retire my habit

    of building full personalities for people

    based on one moment.

    .

    Because apparently,

    people are not trailers.

    You don’t get the whole story in 30 seconds.

    .

    And kindness

    I’d stop treating it like a rare personality trait

    and start using it like a default setting.

    .

    No announcements.

    No “look how nice I am” energy.

    .

    Just…

    a softer tone,

    a delayed reaction,

    a message I choose not to send.

    .

    Because sometimes,

    what I don’t say

    improves things more than what I do.

    .

    And when I don’t understand someone

    instead of guessing, decoding, overthinking

    .

    I’d ask.

    .

    Directly. Simply. Humanly.

    .

    Will this fix everything?

    .

    No.

    .

    Someone will still misunderstand.

    I’ll still have off days.

    And someone will definitely still send

    “Good Morning 🌹” at 6 AM.

    .

    But maybe

    someone around me

    will feel less judged.

    .

    One conversation

    will feel a little safer.

    .

    One moment

    will feel… lighter.

    .

    And honestly,

    if my presence can do that

    .

    then maybe I didn’t fix the whole community…

    .

    but I stopped making it harder to live in.

    .

    And these days,

    that itself feels like a pretty good improvement. 🙂

    .

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved

  • We Thought We Were Coping… How We Adapted Without Even Realizing It

    We Thought We Were Coping… How We Adapted Without Even Realizing It

    How have you adapted to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic?

    .

    Covid didn’t just test my patience…

    it quietly turned me into a full-time everything manager 😄

    .

    Suddenly, I wasn’t just “mom” anymore —

    I was a teacher (online classes 📚),

    an IT support system (“Mummaaa, the internet is gone again!”),

    a chef on 24×7 demand (“Can we eat something different today?”),

    and somehow… still expected to function like a normal human.

    .

    And the kids were little.

    So there was no shortcut, no “manage on your own”…

    it was hands-on, all day, every day.

    .

    Mornings began with logins and confusion,

    switching between apps, classes, and tiny voices calling my name.

    Afternoons melted into a loop of meals, snacks, and “just something different.”

    Evenings were half work, half chaos…

    and by night, I didn’t even know what day it was.

    .

    It wasn’t structured.

    It wasn’t perfect.

    It was… real.

    .

    And along with all this… there was also a quiet, constant fear.

    The fear of losing our loved ones.

    The pain of not being able to be there in someone’s hardest moments.

    The distance, the helplessness…

    a kind of ache that words can never fully explain.

    .

    There were moments of complete exhaustion —

    when everything felt like too much.

    Too many roles, too much noise,

    and not a single pause.

    .

    But somewhere in between all this…

    something beautiful started happening.

    .

    We stopped trying to do everything “right”…

    and started doing everything together.

    .

    Classes had background interruptions,

    the kitchen had experiments (and a few disasters 🤭),

    routine had no fixed shape…

    but the house slowly filled with something warmer than perfection —

    belonging.

    .

    We didn’t sit and say “let’s cope.”

    We just… showed up for each other.

    .

    Helped where we could,

    adjusted where we had to,

    laughed when things went wrong,

    and figured it out — one messy day at a time.

    .

    And slowly, without even realizing…

    this is how we adapted.

    .

    Not by controlling everything,

    but by holding on to each other.

    .

    And maybe that’s the real twist

    we thought we were just managing a difficult phase…

    .

    but actually,

    we were building a kind of togetherness

    that normal life never gives you time for.

    .

    Because coping isn’t about having everything under control.

    It’s about how you stand with your people when nothing is.

    .

    In my case, there was no perfect system,

    no perfect balance…

    just a lot of shared effort, small joys, and silent understanding.

    .

    And when I look back now…

    it doesn’t feel like just a hard time.

    .

    It feels like a phase where life was loud, messy, unpredictable…

    but also full of togetherness.

    .

    And somehow, in the middle of all that chaos…

    we didn’t just get through it

    .

    we grew through it,

    together 🙂

    .

    A young child mimicking work-from-home life, standing with a laptop and headphones during the Covid lockdown, reflecting how children observed and adapted to new routines at home.
    He wasn’t just playing… he was copying Papa learning work-from-home, his own way.

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd. All rights reserved.

    (This image and poem are original creations.)

  • Stillness Beyond the Mist

    Stillness Beyond the Mist

    .

    बादलों की नरम चादर पर

    टिकी है नज़र कहीं दूर…

    जहाँ धुंध के पार,

    शांत, स्थिर, अडिग—

    हिमालय खड़ा है भरपूर।

    .

    ये बादल आते-जाते हैं,

    रूप बदलते, बिखर जाते हैं…

    पर वो पर्वत—

    ना डोलता, ना थकता,

    बस अपनी जगह ठहर जाता है।

    .

    जैसे जीवन के ये छोटे शोर,

    उलझनें, भावनाओं के घने घेर…

    और भीतर कहीं

    एक हिमालय भी है—

    अडिग, शांत, गंभीर।

    .

    ऊपर से सब धुंधला-सा लगता है,

    पर सत्य कहीं खोता नहीं…

    जो स्थिर है अपने अस्तित्व में,

    वो कभी ओझल होता नहीं।

    .

    बादलों के पार से झांकता,

    एक मौन सा विश्वास—

    कि चाहे जितनी धुंध हो,

    अडिग रहना ही है ख़ास।

    .

    On a soft blanket of clouds,

    my gaze drifts far away…

    Beyond the mist,

    calm, steady, unwavering

    the Himalayas quietly stay.

    .

    These clouds come and go,

    shifting forms, fading apart…

    But the mountains

    they neither tremble nor tire,

    they simply stand from the start.

    .

    Like the noise of everyday life,

    the tangles, the emotional haze…

    And somewhere within us too,

    there lives a Himalaya

    silent, strong in its ways.

    .

    From above, it all seems blurred,

    yet truth is never truly gone…

    What stands firm in its being

    can never be withdrawn.

    .

    Peeking through the drifting clouds,

    a quiet kind of grace

    no matter how thick the fog,

    steadiness finds its place.

    .

    View from an airplane above soft white clouds with the distant Himalayas visible through mist, featuring the title “Stillness Beyond the Mist” and the word “Nihshabd” on a calm blue sky background.
    Somewhere between takeoff and landing… the Himalayas found me ☁️✨

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved

  • Mornings with My Boys: A Little Noise, A Lot of Love ☕✨

    Mornings with My Boys: A Little Noise, A Lot of Love ☕✨

    What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?

    The First Hour (Mom of Two Boys Edition)

    .

    My morning doesn’t bloom… it explodes,

    With flying pillows and imaginary swords.

    Before my eyes fully open wide,

    I’m already referee in a WWE fight.

    .

    “Mommm!” echoes like a sacred chant,

    And peace and silence? Clearly they can’t.

    One wants this, the other wants that,

    And somehow… I’m the lost-and-found and the combat.

    .

    No lunchbox battles, no tiffin race,

    (Thank God for school taking that space 🙏)

    But still the chaos finds its way

    Because boys will turn calm into a full display.

    .

    The kettle hums its sleepy song,

    While I keep the whole house moving along.

    Water bottles, uniforms, missing things,

    And patience hanging by the thinnest strings.

    .

    Somewhere between “Hurry up, you’re late!”

    And “No, you can’t renegotiate fate,”

    I pause for a second, close my eyes

    And send a prayer softly to the skies.

    .

    “Krishna… take over, I’ve done my bit,

    Because honestly… I’m barely holding it.”

    .

    Then comes my favorite, gentle pause

    Coffee with him, without a cause. ☕

    No grand talks, no dramatic scene,

    Just tired smiles in the in-between.

    .

    A little sarcasm, a shared glance,

    A quiet, everyday kind of romance.

    Laughing at chaos like seasoned pros,

    Because this is the life we somehow chose.

    .

    The first hour? It’s a roller ride

    Messy outside, but magic inside.

    Loud, emotional, funny, true…

    A little bit of me, a lot of them…

    And a quiet faith that pulls me through. ✨

    .

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

  • Not What You Do… What You Ignore Makes You Different

    Not What You Do… What You Ignore Makes You Different

    Which aspects do you think makes a person unique?

    I think what makes a person unique is… what they choose to ignore.

    .

    Not what they love.

    Not what they achieve.

    .

    But the things they see… understand…

    and still go,

    “yeah… not worth my energy.”

    .

    Because let’s be honest

    Some people react to everything.

    Tone, timing, punctuation, the way you said “okay.”

    .

    And some people?

    They read, understand, overthink a little…

    and then just close the chat like,

    “I choose peace… and snacks.”

    .

    You’ll notice

    Some people can’t ignore a single message

    like it’s their moral responsibility to reply.

    .

    And some…

    will see the notification,

    process it emotionally, mentally, spiritually…

    and still decide:

    “I’ll get back to this in another lifetime.”

    .

    And no, ignoring doesn’t mean they don’t care.

    Sometimes it just means

    they’ve unlocked a level where

    not every situation deserves a reaction,

    not every thought deserves a speech,

    and not every “hmm” needs a paragraph reply.

    .

    Meanwhile

    Some of us will notice everything,

    overthink everything,

    create 3 alternate scenarios…

    .

    and still reply:

    “haha makes sense” 👍

    .

    Growth? Maybe.

    Confusion? Also yes.

    .

    That’s uniqueness.

    .

    Not what affects you

    but what doesn’t anymore.

    .

    Not what you say

    but what you consciously decide

    not to turn into a whole episode.

    .

    And honestly? 😏

    .

    Some people aren’t unique because of what they go through…

    they’re unique because of what they refuse to entertain.

    .

    A thoughtful person sitting by a window, quietly looking outside, with the text “Not What You Do… What You Ignore Makes You Different” and “Nihshabd” displayed on the image, reflecting introspection and calm silence.
    What you ignore defines you.

    .

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved

  • Call It By My Name

    Call It By My Name

    If you could have something named after you, what would it be?

    If something were named after me,

    it wouldn’t be a place or a thing…

    .

    It would be something mysterious—

    something people would call by my name,

    without really knowing what it means…

    .

    A feeling you can’t quite put into words,

    yet somehow… it stays with you.

    .

    A little calm, a little chaos,

    a little love… and a little unnecessary overthinking 😄

    .

    Something soft, like a familiar fragrance you can’t place,

    warm, like a hug you didn’t know you needed,

    and filled with a quiet kind of love you don’t have to explain.

    .

    Honest… sometimes beautifully, sometimes a little too much.

    .

    A little charm, a little magic,

    a little ‘what is wrong with me’ kind of bevkoof energy 🤭

    .

    And somehow…

    something you keep coming back to,

    even when you don’t fully understand why.

    .

    Maybe not perfect,

    just a little mysterious…

    but impossible not to love 🤍✨

    .

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved

  • Chaos, Love & Unlimited Laughter

    Chaos, Love & Unlimited Laughter

    What makes you laugh?

    .

    “What makes me laugh?

    .

    Oh, where do I start…

    .

    My kids’ nonsense logic that somehow defeats all my ‘grown-up wisdom’.

    Ludo games that turn into mini Mahabharat at home.

    Friends who roast me like it’s their full-time job.

    And my husband… who thinks he’s the calm, sensible one,

    but ends up giving me the most reasons to smile—without even realising it 😄

    .

    I laugh at silly jokes, terrible puns, and those random moments that make no sense but feel like magic.

    .

    Sometimes, it’s not even funny…

    but it’s ours — and that’s enough to laugh till it hurts.

    .

    I think I don’t just laugh at things…

    I laugh with people I love.

    .

    And honestly, that’s my kind of happiness 🤍✨”

    .

    Message to all women 🤍

    .

    We are the ones who turn houses into homes,

    who fill ordinary days with warmth and laughter.

    .

    Not everything deserves a place in your heart—

    let the small things go,

    and hold on to the joy that’s already waiting for you.

    .

    Live freely, laugh openly,

    and keep your home—and your heart—full of light ✨💛

    .

    A joyful family playing Ludo together, laughing and teasing, capturing warmth, love, and everyday happiness at home.
    Where chaos feels like love and laughter feels like home 💛

    .

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved

  • When “Being Big” Was the Only Plan

    When “Being Big” Was the Only Plan

    When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

    When I was five,

    I didn’t want to be something…

    I wanted to be everything

    (with zero effort, obviously).

    .

    Doctor

    because I owned a plastic stethoscope

    and confidence levels higher than actual doctors.

    .

    Teacher

    just to say,

    “Silence!”

    to people who weren’t even talking.

    .

    Pilot

    because I thought waving hands

    could control air traffic.

    (Still think that sometimes in traffic jams.)

    .

    And sometimes…

    I just wanted to be my mother.

    .

    Wearing her saree,

    standing in front of the mirror,

    fixing pleats that never stayed,

    pretending I had somewhere important to go.

    .

    No job title.

    No big dream.

    .

    Just… her.

    .

    Then came the real ambition

    to be “older.”

    Not successful.

    Not happy.

    Just… older.

    .

    Because older people

    had no homework,

    no bedtime,

    and unlimited authority

    to say “because I said so.”

    .

    Scam of the century, honestly.

    .

    I also wanted to be rich

    so I could buy

    all the chocolates in the world…

    and still cry over the wrong toy.

    .

    Priorities were clear.

    Logic was not required.

    .

    Funny thing is

    nobody asked,

    “What will you actually become?”

    .

    Because at five,

    dreams didn’t need backup plans,

    or Excel sheets,

    or self-doubt.

    .

    They just needed

    a random Tuesday afternoon

    and a little imagination.

    .

    Now people ask me that question

    with deadlines in their eyes.

    .

    “What do you want to be?”

    .

    And I almost say

    five again.

    .

    Because back then,

    I wasn’t confused…

    .

    I was just

    limitless without pressure.

    .

    Now I’m focused…

    .

    …on pretending I know

    what I’m doing.

    .

    —Rajeshwari 🧿💕

    © Nihshabd by Rajeshwari. All Rights Reserved