Bondhu - a community

05/03/2025

May: A Season for Awakening
Have you noticed the daffodils, magnolias and forsythia? What else is blooming in your hood? Let May be your invitation to reconnect—not only with nature, but with yourself. Whether you're wandering through a lush forest or sitting quietly in a city park, the restorative power of the natural world is all around you.

Use Your Senses Intentionally
While walking outdoors, put your phone away and do a five-senses scan:
• What do you see? (shadows, light patterns, insect movement)
• What do you hear? (birds, breeze, distant chatter)
• What do you smell? (fresh soil, blossoms, rain)
• What do you feel? (bark, leaves, warm sun)
• What do you taste? (if safe, maybe a fresh herb from your windowsill garden)

04/25/2025

As Earth Month ends in a few days, let's look at ways we can adopt in our daily lives to live in an eco-friendly way. No need to make any major changes, or go out and join marches and protests. If each of us can adopt these easy measures at home, we will make a difference.

- Use your high-water-consuming appliances like washing machines only when you have a full load.
- Similarly, use dishwasher only when you have enough to fill it.
- Try going out for a daily walk in the fresh air.
- Adopt the practice of 'Luften' (a German concept which means 'to ventilate'). This simply means airing out your rooms. Letting in fresh air helps in reducing staleness.
- Carpool when possible, or use public transit if you can.
- Use vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice for making your own cleaning solutions. They do work wonders.
- Put off lights when you're not using the room.

All of these are doable, easy to remember, and eco-friendly. Hope you're going to try to follow along.

04/19/2025

Exploring the theme of mindfulness further - many times we just hear it as a buzzword. What does it really mean to be mindful? Psychologists tell us that it is composed of two key factors - awareness and acceptance. Let's try and understand the concept first.

Awareness is being in the present moment, not thinking about the past and the future. It means being fully present when you are performing something even as simple as enjoying a coffee with a friend. Instead of focusing on past grievances, enjoy the moment.

Acceptance is about recognizing your motivations, actions and emotions. Not judging yourself, just accepting.

It's a very difficult thing to do. But with training the mind, I think it can be done. So here's to learning or re-learning this vital skillset. Take care, friends!

04/11/2025

Are you aware of your stress levels? Do you recognize that you may be stressed, and are therefore behaving in certain ways?
The topic of this post is stress awareness, and how to manage it. But what is stress really?

According to medical professionals, stress is the physical/mental response related to any external cause. It may be a one-time affair, or develop slowly over a period of time.

Anxiety is your body's response to stress. Even when the stressful situation has been resolved, it may so happen that you still feel anxiety. When stress or anxiety begins to impact your daily life, it's time to seek help from qualified professionals, and learn how to manage it.

You can try keeping a journal to record your thoughts and observations.

Try meditation or deep breathing (there are many apps for this).

Exercise regularly, eat meals on time, and build a routine.

Sleep.

Identify negative behaviours and thoughts.

Seek out friends.

04/05/2025

Traveling is often associated with adventure, excitement, and relaxation. But did you know that it can also have a profound impact on your overall wellness? From reducing stress and anxiety to improving mental clarity and physical health, traveling can be a powerful tool for boosting well-being.
Read about the travels of Bondhu member and authorMoushumi Chakrabarty and find inspiration.
Even reading this travel diary is stress buster.💗

If we hadn’t come across a small sign at the side of the paved road, we’d probably have just gone on driving into the desert.

04/04/2025

April is Stress Awareness and Earth month. Now’s a good time to think about what this means, and how to incorporate this concept in our lives.

Here are some ideas:
Try focusing on your breath for at least a few minutes every morning if you find it hard to meditate
Take a walk, climb stairs instead of using the elevator
Laugh over a joke with a friend
There is a way to combine a gratitude-filled approach towards Earth and the gift of life. In this, we immerse our consciousness in Nature.
Let’s borrow from the wisdom of the Japanese practice of Forest-bathing.

Shinrin-Yoku is a time-honoured practice of immersing ourselves in Nature. It promotes a healthy sense of calm and freedom from stress as we gaze at the magnificence of trees, water, rocks, mountains and other natural forms. The restorative properties of Nature help in rejuvenation, a fact underlined in traditional Japanese wellbeing annals.

Now, you may not live close to a forest. The point is to go out into Nature. It could be your neighbourhood park. Benefits include a reduction in cortisol (stress-producing hormone), and increased physical exercise which, in turn produces upward shifts in mood, regulates blood pressure and increases energy. Notice the way fresh air feels and smells. Notice the birds. Notice the skyward thrust of tree branches.

03/15/2025

Hello অসাধারণ বন্ধরা
আমরা ফিরে এসেছি Neighbourhood Coffee Meetup নিয়ে! 🌿☕
আমাদের সাথে যোগ দিন— মহিলা, , empty-nester, retired or senior মহিলা,সবাই চলে আসুন. নতুন বন্ধুদের সাথে দেখা হবে | এক কাপ চা কফির সঙ্গে চমৎকার আড্ডা| আমরা আপনাদের সাথে দেখা করার জন্য অধীর আগ্রহে অপেক্ষা করছি! 💖☕✨
Sunday March 29, TIm Horton's Square One

01/15/2025

Our tribe at Bondhu is growing, and we've been doing some thinking about the direction and purpose of our group. We are welcoming women who are 45+, who are experiencing an 'empty-nest' syndrome (when children become adults, and live their own lives), or those women who would simply like to meet occasionally to make friends, exchange views and engage in discussions.

You can be from any corner of India. We're building this community because we believe there is a dearth of visibility for women in this age group, almost a kind of invisibility. Our hope is that with Bondhu's updated mandate, we will be able to address that gap.

Please feel free to join if you haven't joined yet, or pass our information on to friends who would be a fit. We are meeting on 26 January at 12 pm at the Square One Tim Hortons (ground floor). You are welcome to swing by (drop us an IM).
See you there for some coffee and chat!

10/22/2024

With cooler temperatures on the way, it’s time to get ready for Halloween. Even if we no longer have small children at home, October reminds us that we’d better stock up on candy for the cute trick-or-treaters!

Halloween, or something very like it, is celebrated in different ways in many cultures. In Mexico, it’s the time to remember and honour the departed. In Ireland and Scotland, it marks the beginning of winter.

In West Bengal, ‘Bhoot Chaturdashi’ falls on the night before Diwali. It is believed that the veil between the living and the dead lifts during this time. The souls of our departed family members return to earth, and so we must light 14 ‘diyas’ or lamps. We honour 14 generations of our ancestors by eating ‘chowddho shaak’ – a stir fry of 14 different greens.

Do you have any spooky memories of this night?