Follow me on @phoenixinindia

Hello there!

Like many of you know, I am an illustrator and a designer. I design under the banner of The Phoenix Company (www.thephoenixcompany.in). I make doodles, design graphic tees, ethnic jackets, mugs and other stationery. We also have handmade jewellery and stoles. Our stuff is unique, niche and known to win hearts. We ship across India!

So, if you are looking to get some quirky stuff into your life, then head over to our site!

Also, all you lovely people out there can follow my regular updates on my instagram page – @phoenixinindia 🙂 You can also find the link on my home page.

Here’s a tiny glimpse of the account!

Follow @phoenixinindia on instagram and visit http://www.thephoenixcompany.in for the products 🙂

More updates from me on our products and the stuff we make coming up soon! Until then, spread the word and shop away!

Unsent messages III

Someone had put up a story

About her and a boy

She’d re-shared it

It was a congratulatory post

She was tying the knot soon.

We had a strange bond

Close because of a mutual friend

Distant because of a mutual friend

One of those kinds of friendships.

I wanted to congratulate her

It was a happy occasion

It didn’t require much thought

Just one word would do too.

I typed it out

With my usual exclamations

And happy smileys

But my finger hesitated

I just couldn’t press send.

What if things were still awkward?

What if it appeared fake?

What if it was ignored?

My mind was running a marathon.

Then again, I thought

What if maybe,

Just maybe

Old chapters could’ve been closed

New ones could’ve been written

Stronger friendships could’ve been forged

And the future, rewritten

If only, I had sent

That one unsent message.

Unsent Messages II

I opened Instagram the other day

A friend from high school had posted a story

It beautifully described her mother

It wasn’t a birthday wish

But a painfully poignant ode

A tribute to a parent – gone too soon.

I remember seeing her mother in school

Fit as a fiddle,

Free as a bird

Wearing a wide smile,

Having a good time

I wondered what had suddenly gone wrong.

I thought about writing to my friend

We’d known each other for a few years

We’d been in the same class,

Attended boring tuitions,

Even acted in a play together

But had lost touch after school.

Yet, I typed out a message

Wanting to know how she was.

The words were carefully penned

The sentences expressed concern

The emotions were genuine

But, I never sent it.

My mind went in circles

What if the pain was too raw

What if the message was a trigger

What if I don’t deserve to know

What if she doesn’t remember me

After all, we weren’t even close.

And yet, my mind wanders again

What if maybe

Just maybe

The pain could’ve been healed

The grief could’ve been eased

The nostalgia could’ve been pleasant

If only, I had sent

That one unsent message.

Unsent messages

It was just the other day

When I heard about my friend’s passing,

I was shocked & deeply saddened.

He’d fought a long battle

But victory turned him away.

My heart went out to his wife

I thought about writing to her

I thought about what to write

I fumbled for the right words

I even typed it out

But never sent it.

We were strangers

Who’d never met

Who’d perhaps, never meet

It wouldn’t have made any difference.

But then,

What if maybe,

Just maybe,

Everything would’ve been different

Everything could’ve been different

If I had just sent

That one unsent message.

You’re All Caught Up

I was scrolling through memories on Facebook – posts about a first movie, a school excursion with friends, a ‘jazz-hands’ picture with college mates and a photo from a wedding with a friend I’m not in touch with. I pause at the last picture and once again, think of how everything changed. But soon, I scroll further only to have Facebook tell me, ‘You’re all caught up!’. You’re right Facebook. That’s what I am. Caught up.

Caught up in my thoughts.

Caught up in my work.

Caught up in my art.

Caught up in my imagination.

Caught up in my memories.

But are you really surprised at the last one? I mean, literally everyone is so keen on telling you to remember the past. From ‘On this day’ pictures to ‘From Archives’, there’s someone holding your finger and taking you down memory lane, getting you to scroll further, walk farther and perhaps, lose your way back? We’re busy revisiting our ‘filtered’ lives while trying to filter our memories.

Our successes from our failures

Our quarrels from our patch-ups

Our firsts from our lasts

But it isn’t that simple.

And you know why?

‘Cause memories bring back memories bring back you.

I Baked A Mango Cake & Guess What Happened

Mango cake. Delicious, isn’t it? In this scotching heat, devouring a lovely slice of mango cake is nothing short of heavenly. And that’s why I thought I should whip one up for my sister’s lockdown birthday.

I had seen the recipe well in advance and bought the ingredients (arranged for the mangoes as well!). I’d even bought the cream for the icing to make it extra special. It looked like a simple, doable recipe so I said, ‘How hard could it be? Let’s do this!’

36 days of Type

This year, the theme I chose (albeit after much brainstorming and overthinking) was my childhood dreams. When we were children, there were so many many things that we dreamt of becoming in life. From professions that were made up in our heads to genuine ones we never ended up becoming and a handful that actually got us to where we are today, my series revisits our crazy aspirations. Maybe it’ll remind us of a happy memory, motivate us to pursue them now or just go back to it as a hobby.

3 Things To Shop This Women’s Day — The Phoenix Company

The spirit of Women’s Day lies in supporting and lifting up each other. While we show the women in our lives how much they mean to us every day, we can pamper them a little more on this special day by getting them something thoughtful to remind them how precious they are to us. International […]

via 3 Things To Shop This Women’s Day — The Phoenix Company

The Hospital

Musings and snippets about a rather unexpectedly long hospital visit. They’re short but not always sweet. And they’re published like a Sunday daily – once a week, except for a few special editions in between.

1

I remember listening to a line in a movie that said that the airport is one place where a person can see different emotions at the same time. For some reason, that line stuck on. And it came back to me when I stood in a hospital corridor, outside the Operation Theatre. The OT was on the same floor as the labour ward. In that moment, the hospital mirrored the airport to me. Grief, fear, joy, anxiety and relief seemed to exist all in one place. It’s sometimes hard to believe that all these emotions could change in a split second when the doors of the OT opened. Hopefully, for the better.

***

2

I had just got off the ambulance and was waiting for some of the bags to be shifted to the ward from the Emergency Room (ER) waiting area. There were three rows of seats and not one of them was empty. I decided to stand in a corner. I wondered how many people could be facing an emergency at the same time and end up in the same place. I saw a young man give up his seat for an elderly couple limping towards him. There was another couple that was just coming out of the ER. The man had a white bandage on the side of his neck. His wife insisted he get a haircut. It would make him look and feel better, she said. He didn’t seem too impressed by the thought and was more eager to get back home. I couldn’t agree more. A few minutes there and anybody would want to. Every person there was doing only one of three things – waiting to hear an update, talking to another loved one on the phone or discussing the gravity of the situation with the person next to them. It was fascinating to see how quickly one picks up medical terms when one’s own is affected by a condition. It was a strange place with a vibe that was unsettling.

Until that moment, I knew I wasn’t particularly fond of hospitals, ambulances or emergency rooms. But after that moment, I was sure that the ER is most definitely not a place I’d visit if I was looking for a ray of hope.

***

Father’s day special: Fun notebook for dads!

Here’s a lovely product for Father’s day! Read more and shop away at http://www.tinyurl.com/giftsforpaa 🙂

The Phoenix Company

Fun Notebook For Dads!

This year, let’s spend some quality time with our dads. The Phoenix Company brings to you just the right medium for a quick and easy way to make time in between our hectic routines. A four-part owl doodled notebook with fun activity sheets in between. The book, when opened has a  photo frame on the left and a thank you letter to your dad on the right.

The frame is a perfect way to remind him of your favorite family photo and the letter besides it is an expressive piece portraying all the wonderful things you love about your dad. The book contains 200 unruled pages held together by a wiro-bound. The glossy activity sheets with motivational snippets are sure to inspire your dad to take a little ‘me-time’ and get creative.

There’s a doodled activity sheet after every 25 pages!

1. The ‘Let’s do this’ list 

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Gifts for the secret Superhero

The Phoenix Company

Our dads are our superheroes in disguise. They are always ready to put on their red cape and swoop in to save the day. Whether it’s a bad day at school or work, whether is a small dispute with mom, or whether it is simply an excuse to go on a spontaneous outing, our dads know exactly what to do. They seem to be the silent whisperers of the house, keeping secrets, sharing stories and knowing exactly when we need a pep-talk!

This father’s day, remind all those superheroes how important their role in our life is. Without them, as kids, we would never have learnt to believe in the impossible, never tried to work harder than we do, and never believed that a little magic can be found even in the darkest of times.

The Phoenix Company brings to you two very special mugs for our very special dads.

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