Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar's Blog, page 12

Wordless Wednesday: Calling Grandma to See How Old She Was

My team’s latest research project is understanding how gender, age, education and marriage are related for Qatari women. We’re a few weeks into the study which involves survey data, interviews, and focus groups. The initial survey asks respondents to share their age, educational level and marital status. Over and over again, a number of respondents […]

Tune in Live TODAY to Theater in Baghdad @UIIWP #bookw

How about an evening of the theatre in Baghdad? Join us today online on Tuesday, March 11th 5pm-7pm AST as actors at the University of Baghdad link up with the University of Iowa to present Book Wings, a marathon of 6 specially commissioned short plays, in Arabic and English, on the theme of “courage,” including […]

Love Comes Later Joins the Banned Books List

Since I first began contemplating writing a novel about modern love in Qatar (back in 2009) the possibility my book would not be sold in the country where it was set, researched and written lurked in the back of my mind. It didn’t restrain me necessarily, so much as presented an artistic challenge.  Could I […]

Friday Fiction: Doris, the Vagina (Yes, You Read that Right)

Grandma was visiting so I drove to the nail salon post-haste. A month without maintenance and my regime was in a state. I sat down in the chair, regretting in my rush for freedom I forgot that beauty session fundamental: a magazine. Several outdated issues of O magazine were wilting at home. Then I remembered: […]

Wordless (Ash) Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is the moment in the church liturgical calendar when we pause as a community to remember Jesus’ temptation by the devil. Taken into the desert and offered all that the human heart could desire, Jesus said no. He prayed, he fasted, he suffered. Not the stuff of headlines in today’s glitzy, glamorous society, […]

Monday Mindfulness: Your Time, Talent, and Treasure

Regardless of whether or you watch the Oscars, you likely watch a movie every now and then. What Cate Blanchett said in her acceptance speech has been picked up by news outlets around the world. You could see it as two time winner chastising a male dominated industry: “who are still foolishly clinging to the […]

Wordless Wednesday: Are You Man Enough?

A great idea I discovered this week: men of various ages and races, in communities around the world, gathering together to “walk a mile in her shoes.” These men are walking to raise awareness (and money) to fight domestic violence as well as sexual assault against women. I love this idea because violence against women […]

“Are you a princess Mommy?” And Other Questions from a 3 Year old

  The first time my son asked me if I was a princess, I was sitting on the stool in front of my dressing table, putting on makeup. Having grown up in the school of hard knocks, I didn’t hide anything from him.   “No,” I said. “I’m not.”   His wide eyes registered his […]

Monday Mindfulness: My New Meme

I’ve been tossing around the idea of a themed Monday post. Mindfulness is something I’ve been practicing since my second pregnancy; many nights staring at the ceiling at 3 a.m. pushed me into meditation which is closely related. Essentially the two together ask us to focus; bring 100% of our attention into the moment. The […]

Friday Fiction: Difficult Fruit by Lauren K. Alleyne

   Describe your book in one sentence for our readers. Difficult Fruit is about a young woman making her way in the world, and making the world as she makes her way. What’s a random fact about yourself that would surprise your readers. I have a black belt in TaeKwonDo. It’s getting rusty, because I […]