RAJI WRITES

On September 17, 2021, one of the sweetest people I have ever known went into cardiac arrest in the ICU at Thangam hospital in Palakkad,...

Many years ago, I had a conversation with a colleague about life, dreams, and the choices we make. Early on in our career, or in life, we...

Dear Reader, I have not written to you or posted anything since January of this year. How the months have flown by! I last posted a book...

Loneliness is like a cold hand resting on your heart. It can tighten your chest, and make you desperate with longing for company and...

The COVID-19 pandemic took its place in our lives at the beginning of 2020, and changed life as we know it. Silicon Valley Reads picks a...

What a magnificent bird is the pelican. This limerick by Dixon Lanier Merritt captures the wonder of the bird. A wonderful bird is the...

Once upon a time, I had a dear friend named Maggie. She taught herself calligraphy, sitting at a drafting table and painstakingly writing...

Sometimes, the universe is kind. In a time of anxiety, even terror that you might lose those you love, it gives you back people you lost....

In cold months, I wear The sweaters, caps and scarves you knitted, Feeling your love In their warm embrace. I picked the yarn, We picked...

“And one day, like a miracle, he’ll be gone.” This was my favorite yard sign during the months leading up to the 2020 presidential...

I have an image of two women. One walks down a path with strong, bold strides, taking in everything around her. There seems to be no...

Agni, the Hindu god of fire, once came in disguise and approached Krishna and Arjuna as they were resting near the Khandava forest. Once...

“Women – Making It Happen. Celebrating 100 years of women’s achievements.” This was the 2020 theme for Silicon Valley Reads, in honor of...

The COVID-19 crisis has dealt a staggering blow to the performing arts. Theaters have had to close. As have concert halls, including...

On May 25, 2020, a teenaged girl filmed a crime on her cellphone. The murder of George Floyd. The video recorded by 17-year-old Darnella...

The world as we know it has changed. We are suddenly in the midst of a pandemic. Covid-19. Four syllables that have thrown our world into...

I had been looking forward to a book event planned for March 31 at Kepler’s bookstore in Menlo Park. Author Alka Joshi was to speak about...

In this America, Miles Davis, Trumpeter, composer, jazz innovator, While standing outside a jazz club in New York where he was performing...

The world itself seems to have turned into a farce. When I fire up my computer and click on my web browser, the news blurbs seem more...

The Marcus Shelby Quartet performed a special concert called “Black History Life!” at the California Jazz Conservatory on Addison Street...