I watched Anoop Menon’s Padma with interest because of the effervescent Surabhi but also because of the story.

Our desire to fit in makes a joke of us many a time. The desire for validation, to be told, ‘you are ok’, even by random strangers, makes most of us behave in the most nonsensical manner.

Andrew my cat, preens to catch our attention, sits right in between my daughter and myself when we are watching a film, sips water when we grab a cup of coffee and so on, we all, just like Andrew, the handsome cat, want to belong.

Life though, ruthlessly throws us into situations which again and again bring to fore our anxieties, our inner most fears, mocking our sham of confidence, tearing apart the mask, and we shudder, with a feeling of being an ‘imposter’ in most circumstances.

Perhaps to truly belong, one has to go back to one’s roots, learn to be self accepting and self embracing, because if without the validation of the image in the mirror, what magic can outsiders do?

So, just be you! Always, anyways, unapologetically you!!!

Padma being padma, just that is life in the true sense.