Gathering – an introduction

Welcome to the third edition of Coonoor & Co, an independent online magazine about slow, sensorial and sustainable living.

This edition, “Gathering”, is inspired by a time of year which is about the bringing together of people, memories, traditions, reflections, gifts, food, stories and so much more. Celebration or contemplation, gratifying spaces to visit, reflective actions that provide us deeper meanings hidden among thoughts and things that are otherwise scattered –– these are the multitude of emotions embraced as we read through.

Our contributors for this edition are Deepika Arwind, Pranoy Biswas, Rupali Goel, Ayush Kejriwal, Jenny Pinto, Raghavendra Rao, Ramya Reddy, Toshi Singh, Madhura Srinivas, Shruti Tharayil, Qutbuddin Travadi and Sharmila Vaidyanthan.

To explore this month’s theme in its myriad interpretations, we cast our gaze upon the mountains that inspire us to transform our lived experiences into lyrical prose, as Jenny has, in her expression of gathering in her beloved Nilgiris. We visit the Eastern Ghats and beyond, where Shruti sweeps us into rich rituals of foraging while offering insights about gathering food from one’s own backyard. We lose ourselves within Raghu’s tender memories of his grandma’s moonlit terrace, and the family gathering over her food. We trace the arc of Madhura’s extraordinary life of fortitude and her battles against intergenerational trauma and rare health conditions – all through which she unfailingly continues to gather courage to tend and mend. Then, the deep wisdom of Deepika’s powerful manifesto speaks about emerging from a pandemic-precipitated loss of the very soul of a theatre practitioner’s world to new gatherings of audiences. There are much-needed contemplations from Ayush about intentional and responsible gifting in a world suffering from over-consumption. We warm ourselves in the irreplaceable comfort of a beloved plate of the South: rasam, rice and urulai roast, cooked in Sharmila’s cozy kitchen, as she reminds us of just how wonderfully the humble and mostly-underrated potato, brings people together.

Thank you so much for being a part of our community and for reading. The stories from this issue are accessible on our site. If you wish to receive our stories and updates as a bi-monthly compilation, do subscribe to our newsletter. We look forward to your continued support of our work.

Much love,

Team Coonoor & Co

Founder: Ramya Reddy / Co-Founder: Raghavendra Rao / Editor: Sharanya Manivannan