The Art of Living

Mindfulness – the state of being in the moment, is overrated. Maybe just depends on the ‘mind’ or its ‘state’ or some combination. My friend Srilakshmi has redefined mindfulness to suit her state of mind.

I’ve known Srilakshmi as Cheema since we were 5 years old. We have memories of walking in the woods (sometimes barefoot), taking roads less traversed, eating rare berries, dancing on stage, playing endlessly in the heat and sometimes getting in trouble. 6 years later our lives took different paths, different cities. Then after college – surprise! We both landed our first jobs in the same company, same lab for the next 3 years.

In all the years that we have not been in the same city, we have stayed connected. No, Cheema has stayed connected. We have met in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Atlanta. An incessant networker, the definition of a people person, she has planned the meetings meticulously, always. And journaled her meetings, the people, the places and the events. It always involved photos, lots of food, many outings and laughter.

Her career in the technology industry spanned the US and India. She also founded a non-profit SAWERA, that worked with women rescued from domestic violence. Now retired, she is redefining the art of living in the moments – moments from the past of which she has a rich collection, the now in what she is creating, and for the future that she is collecting. An art historian of a personal kind.

Herself a giver of gifts big and small, no matter who she meets, where or when, her house is a tiny gallery of stories and memories. Every shelf, wall, and table in every room has a story behind it. This saree is from Sudha, that card is from Vidhya, this painting is from a neighbor, that cup was from my cousin, my daughter made this when she was 5, this book Meena gave me, the cross stitch is my mother’s, the list goes on. And these fragments of her connections have made the trip from India to the US, US to India, and back again – all intact.

An agnostic Hindu she likes to call herself. But Cheema has an altar at home, with idols and diyas. The flowers are from my garden. This idol my aunt gave me, that diya is from a dear friend and this was my mom’s favorite. The many pilgrimages and visits to temples she organized were solely to create memories for her cousins, aunts, and mom who were believers. Living in the moment for them.

A true foodie, Cheema loves to cook and will always have a multi cuisine spread for anybody that visits, or she will take it to them. Her newest passion – teaching 5–12-year-olds the art of baking. Kids from the neighborhood get to measure, mix, spin and use the timer. While she is in awe of their ‘wisdom.’ Living in their moments.

Often traveling to people or with people, Cheema’s chronicling is now digital and easy. She just hangs a small bag for her cell phone on her shoulder, even at home. Happy to be married to someone who adds to her moments by meticulously growing fresh produce and fully partnering in her various endeavors, she is living the moments. And I cannot wait to see where her moments take her and how her archives grow.