CURRENT MISSION

The mission is complete. There is nothing to do, nowhere to be :)

ABOUT ME

I'm a writer, filmmaker, musician.. travel is both an inner and outer pursuit for me.

I'm always studying something. Last year was Spanish, this year astrology. Next year perhaps intergalactic alien wars :)

I strongly believe that good food and people maketh the place. Someone recently told me that they don't travel to see the place anymore, but rather for the people. I think I'm getting there :)

PHILOSOPHY

Life happens now, in this moment. The past and future are concepts in man's head. Once you realize you are complete, then this life becomes something to toy with, a play of form. Nothing you do is going to add anything to you, and nothing you do is going to take anything away from you.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Showing people around Chennai.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE
I have helped people put together their itinerary for traveling within India. Meet people for coffee and show them around Chennai.

Interests

Before film-making I was a singer and composer and sang for Indian movies. That was fun for a while, until I participated in a screenwriting workshop. Sometimes I think I'm like that guy from 'Adaptation', who studied tropical fish for 17 years and then gave it all up. I have a tendency to immerse myself fully in one thing for a while and move on to something else, when I get bored. Filmmaking has held my fascination for a while now. Vegetarian cooking is another thing I love - Indian food offers great variety; I'm experimenting with Italian, Mexican and French, sometimes fusion food too :)

• writing
• singing
• theater
• film making
• dining
• cooking
• indian food
• coffee
• vegetarian
• yoga
• meditation
• movies
• traveling
• blogging
• drawing
• music
• guitar
• backpacking
• table tennis
• teaching
• listening to music

Music, Movies, and Books

The Power of Now' and 'A New Earth' by Eckhart Tolle,'The Man who knew Infinity'by Robert Kanigel, 'That thing around your neck' by Chimamanda Adichie', 'freedom from the known' by J.Krishnamurti.

Movies - I don't watch Hollywood trash. Indie films are more my thing. There was a time when I watched a lot of Chinese and Korean flicks. Their revenge dramas are the best.

In the mood for love, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind, The Kite runner, A Beautiful mind, Pi, Okurubito, Before Sunrise & Before Sunset, The Godfather, I Origins

Music - I don't follow any band as such but in general enjoy Indian classical, Bollywood music, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mozart, metal and rock from the 80s.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Sometimes when you're really alive and in the present moment, the leaves on the tree you just walked by seem brighter than they did before, and that to me is more beautiful than traveling miles away to see a world wonder, because internal transformation is priceless and can never be forced to happen. On a more literal note, I acted in a play about epilepsy awareness; it was street theater style and I met people with epilepsy from all walks of life. It was life changing as people with epilepsy are often scared of being extroverted and this gave them a chance to bring out their inner stars.

I recently saw Mount Everest on the flight from Bhutan to Delhi. I stared at it for more than an hour. Wonder. Amazement. Words cannot describe the feeling.

Teach, Learn, Share

I have taught film-making workshops in the past and would love to talk more about writing, film-making and any kind of storytelling in general. Can also teach Hindi, Tamil, Vegetarian cooking, Indian music. Teaching is transformative for the teacher and student, more so for the teacher. It brings out ideas in the teacher's head that she herself didn't know existed, through the process of interacting with the student. Would love to study Japanese, Urdu and Sanskrit one day.

Current obsession is Vedic astrology. Astrology is a science, not a pseudo science. In the medieval ages, Galileo and Kepler were astronomers AND astrologers. Always give something a chance before rejecting it as fake. Don't believe it. Study it or go to someone you trust who has studied it and then decide for yourself.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can show people around/help them with their sight-seeing itinerary..meet them for coffee etc..

Countries I’ve Visited

Bhutan, Canada, England, Mexico, Thailand, Ukraine, United States, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, United States