I’ve been taking a series of breaks from the internet and social media in general while I’m trying to gather my thoughts and ascertain how I am really feeling. I’ve been trying to be more present and observe the world around me with more clarity and precision. My local council has installed pedestrianisation zones inContinue reading “impetus.”
marble.
In Jordan Peele’s 2019 psychological thriller ‘US’, Adelaide Thomas stumbles upon a dilapidated hall of mirrors and encounters her doppelgänger hidden away in the shadows. Familiar on the face of it, staring back at her reflection whilst recognising that there is something slightly amiss is an unsettling feeling because it is not the monster thatContinue reading “marble.”
bear the cross.
As four-time Olympic champion, Mo Farah, crossed the line at his final London Marathon, he was visibly emotional at the prospect of finally hanging up his trainers after an illustrious career. He has dominated long-distance running like no other British athlete, having overcome a difficult upbringing in which he was illegally trafficked into the U.K.Continue reading “bear the cross.”
three paths.
A yearly highlight for me is tuning into XXL Magazine’s Freshman Cypher, which shines a spotlight on those billed to be hip hop’s rising stars. I remember watching the 2016 XXL cypher and being in awe of the new crop of genre-bending artists who have since gone on to become household names: Denzel Curry, LilContinue reading “three paths.”
presence.
jaded.
In between bouts of seasonal flus that have felt more potent than in winters gone by, I gained a greater appreciation for existing with the privilege of relatively full health. The preservation and function of our mind and body is a central pillar of our lives that is too often dismissed as the Ulysses pactContinue reading “jaded.”
the light.
‘I wonder how many miles I’ve fallen by this time? I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth’ ponders Alice as she hurtles down the rabbit hole. Lewis Carroll describes her descent into Wonderland in three words of humbling staccato: Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end? ThisContinue reading “the light.”
alex.
I was quite intimidated trying to introduce myself to the older students when I attended that first training on the Rubber Crumb but, to my surprise and relief, this blonde lad with an Arsenal top came up to me and asked what my name was. You had this disarming grin that put me at easeContinue reading “alex.”
regina.
The passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II after 70 years on the throne has created a deep emotional rift within British society and the international community as a whole. It has felt like living in two distinct countries since the official announcement was made, moving between a place of impending political, economic, and socialContinue reading “regina.”
the highs and the lows.
Having put my head down for a year to get the best out of the second chance that I had fashioned, we went on the trip of a lifetime to celebrate. The route through South-East Asia was well-documented and trampled by Western tourists such as ourselves, but it didn’t seem to have lost its wondrousContinue reading “the highs and the lows.”
stand with ukraine.
Like most people who had heard rumblings of Russian discontent towards the final stages of 2021, I could not have envisaged the humanitarian tragedy that has since unfolded in the early months of 2022. A new year should have brought with it optimism, possibility, and hope, but it has instead brought with it scenes moreContinue reading “stand with ukraine.”
covid crisis point.
Having evaded contracting the virulent driver of the pandemic for the past 18 months, I finally succumbed to COVID-19. The text message from the NHS informing me that my PCR came back positive was hardly a shocking revelation; with the new Omicron variant spreading through London like wildfire, it seemed like every man and hisContinue reading “covid crisis point.”
blue-eyed soul
In September 1978, Bobby Caldwell dropped his most famous and commercially successful single, ‘What You Won’t Do For Love’, a sensual, groovy R&B classic that has stood the test of time. I’ve been recently listening to his eponymous record and, much like many listeners both today and at the time the single was released, IContinue reading “blue-eyed soul”
jail tonight.
DONDA is here. After a number of delayed release dates and the typical circus theatrics that seem to accompany Kanye West at every step in recent times, the ecclesiastical, immersive project that he promised landed on streaming sites, honouring his late, great mother. Don’t get me wrong. The album is serially disjointed and has aContinue reading “jail tonight.”
orellana’s vision.
Francisco de Orellana was a Spanish explorer and conquistador, best known for traversing the entire length of the Amazon River against all odds in the 1540s. On arrival to this distant, mystical land, he saw the impossible before his eyes. Advanced civilisations within the Amazon, sprawling with millions of people and technologies previously unseen byContinue reading “orellana’s vision.”
eton mess & meritocracy.
In a time where we are starting to revisit and critically evaluate age-old narratives that have permeated the value system of our society, there are some ideas that just seem harder to shake off than others. ‘God is dead and we have killed him’ proclaimed Nietzche in the 1880s, with the literary works sprouting outContinue reading “eton mess & meritocracy.”
embracing the absurd.
There has been a considerable drought in my writing, searching for what is wrong with it all, the reason for which has been a combination of busy schedules, shifting priorities and, above all, contentment. After being stuck on transmit and in fifth gear for much of the last two months, I wanted to experience beingContinue reading “embracing the absurd.”
the juice ain’t worth the squeeze.
It takes a considerable degree of unlearning and unplugging to identify that satisfying our deepest cravings can create a cycle of repetitive harm. The scarcity of sugar in the natural world of our hunter-gatherer ancestors planted an evolutionary seed in their brains, leading them, and us in the modern day, to seek out and salivateContinue reading “the juice ain’t worth the squeeze.”
the great puzzle.
Turning a year older has, while losing its superficial fanfare, allowed me to set aside time to realign myself. Goals and aspirations are relatively easy to establish and can be acted on during the routine of working life, but self-reflection tends to be that heavy fog you never quite want to peer through. I’ve foundContinue reading “the great puzzle.”
martyrdom.
When your back is against the wall, whether you surrender or not is dependant on how you perceive the wall itself. The more resilient of us will feel that we have reached the end of our tether or the natural denouement to whatever path we were travelling on. Not all of our wildest dreams andContinue reading “martyrdom.”
ASH CHANDRAHARAN 