Kudos to Reetika Khanna and Dr. Nalini Saligram
It is always with pleasure that I read Reetika Khanna’s writings. I liked her book Kismetwali and Other Stories. She echoed the feelings of the less privileged. I liked her Khabar article about going on a long road trip with her son and dropping him off at college. This time (“The Illness that Never Arrives,” September issue) she has penned a spotlight article about Dr. Nalini Saligram and Arogya World. While I have a deep respect and admiration for the work that Dr. Nalini has taken upon herself, I also loved the penmanship of Reetika Khanna. It is not easy to explain the work and the cause that Dr. Nalini is bravely taking upon her shoulders. Prevention of diabetes is a huge battle, especially in the Indian community. Only somebody who can sincerely understand the person and the subject can shine a spotlight. Always, Reetika’s articles have empathy, deep understanding, and a mature interpretation. We are lucky to have a profoundly caring journalist. These days, social media and other media are doing a job that lacks empathy.
Thank you, Khabar, for providing facts and articles that promote reflection. I look forward to more such articles from Khabar and from Reetika Khanna.
Vijayalakshmi Rampur
by email
A memoir inspired by trip to Mount Kailash
I’m reaching out because I’m an Atlanta-based global transformation executive, and this year I completed a deeply personal pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. That journey became SHIVOHAM: A Journey to Mount Kailash, a short spiritual memoir about fear, faith, surrender, resilience, human kindness, and what happens when an outer pilgrimage becomes an inner one.
The journey came after a major health challenge, and I arrived at Kailash carrying more questions than answers. What I found there was not simply a sacred mountain but a series of experiences and people that changed the way I think about uncertainty, control, leadership, and the sacred in everyday life.
As an Indian American, this journey also became a deeply personal reconnection with faith, culture, and the spiritual traditions I grew up around. I originally began writing the book for friends and family. But while I was finishing it, devastating floods affected communities connected to places and people who had become part of our pilgrimage. That gave the book a larger purpose. The book is being released on October 7.
A majority of my net royalties from SHIVOHAM will support Nepal flood relief and rebuilding efforts. The book title comes from a Sanskrit expression often translated as “I am Shiva.” In this memoir, it points not to ego, but to the recognition of a deeper divine presence within us and around us.
Vinita Shrivastav
Senior VP, ManpowerGroup Atlanta