Devika Todi's Blog

Hello Bloggers!

How have you all been?

I have been okay, for the larger part. Trying to deal with the constant humidity of monsoon, ever increasing demands of adult life, uncertainties from all spaces, and the surety of a never ending task list.

Truly surprised how a few years ago, I felt like I understood the ways of life and universe. In a humbling realization, the years pile on and I accept the lack of understanding my human mind can grapple with.

In the middle of what feels like the world falling apart, I like to focus on small things that bring me happiness. Blooming flowers, bird songs, and writing.

The 30 Day Writing Challenge was indeed both, a breeze and a challenge. But I am so glad to see through it! I loved reconnecting with this platform, reading interpretations, and understanding what connected with people. 😊


Here is a list of all the writings!

Day 1-
Same Room | Prompt- A place you’ve never been, but miss deeply
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 2-
Sand Clock | Prompt- Holding on and letting go
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 3-
Dear Lover | Prompt- Writing love letters to forgotten dreams
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 4-
Mirror Reflections | Prompt- A road that never ends
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 5-
From me, to you | Prompt- A conversation with your future self
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 6-
Flight Mode | Prompt- Chasing sunsets across state lines
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 7-
Fading Photographs | Prompt- Fading photographs in dusty albums
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 8-
Old Threads | Prompt- Unraveling threads of old sweaters and old friendships
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 9-
Morning Routine | Prompt- A moment of bravery
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 10-
Stillness | Prompt- The taste of bittersweet endings
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 11-
Absence | Prompt- Lost things: keys, memories, time
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 12-
Sip and Smoke | Prompt- Cigarette smoke and neon lights
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 13-
Structures | Prompt- The scent of morning coffee
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 14-
Overthinking Road | Prompt- The sound of footsteps on empty streets
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 15-
Home for you and me | Prompt- The language of birds at dawn
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 16-
Messy Cake | Prompt- The taste of nostalgia
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 17-
Forever Evolving | Prompt- The space between heartbeats
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 18-
Sunday, Monday | Prompt- When the city sleeps
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 19-
Journey from 17 | Prompt- A letter to your childhood home
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 20-
Strange Strangers | Prompt- Unspoken words to a stranger
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 21-
No Doors | Prompt- Midnight trains and unfulfilled promises
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 22-
God of Rain | Prompt- The silence between thunder and rain
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 23-
No Pause | Prompt- The first snowfall and the last goodbye
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 24-
Bar of Pink Soap | Prompt- Growing roots in unfamiliar places
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 25-
Inevitability | Prompt- When spring kisses winter goodbye
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 26-
Eyes on People | Prompt- What the stars whisper to the restless
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 27-
Strawberry Moon | Prompt- A secret kept under moonlight
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 28-
Ink on Sand | Prompt- When the ocean meets the sky
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 29-
Conveyor Belt | Prompt- Reflections on glassy lakes
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...
Day 30-
Last Day | Prompt- The last leaf of autumn
https://insight07.wordpress.com/2025/...

Tell me, which one you liked best?
What more would you like to read?

~insight07

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Copyright ©Devika Todi. All rights reserved.

There are two needs that constantly tug at me-
The need to escape my reality.
The need to be understood so deeply, that I feel heard and seen like never before.

It is the oscillation between these two that often governs my creative writing, as well the choices I make while consuming content. The older I grow, the more I understand how my choices have reflected on this trend.

I started reading to escape my reality. A quiet girl who never had enough words to speak, but always had enough eyes to observe all the lives around. I took to reading and could not get enough. I preferred reading books based on fantasy, or in countries far from mine. A seed of imagination was born, as I had specific ideas about what a geography looked like, what accents sounded like, the way a character would probably wear their hair.

This even reflected in the genres I read, and the authors I picked. The range included Khaled Hosseini, Nicholas Sparks, Nora Roberts, Cecelia Ahern, Amish, Meg Cabot.

But as I grew older, the need to be understood increased. My reading shifted to Indian authors, books based in my hometown- Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Jhumpa Lahiri, Neel Mukherjee, Amitav Ghosh.

While I was never comfortable reading in Hindi, I also read a few books on mythology- a direct link to the conversations around me. After a while, even though I did not know the meaning of the prayers, I knew all the characters and the stories in them.

Pretty soon, with a loss of access to a physical library, I resorted to the digital world for recommendations.

It has been challenging, but I guess I am getting back to the habit of reading. This time, it is with mixed needs.

What need governs your reading habits?

~insight07 / Devika

I started reading when I was 7 years old. It was something I did under the guidance of my elder sister, who actually got the habit first in my family.

Ever since, I never really stopped. I have had my phases- Enid Blyton phase, Nicholas Sparks phase, Nora Roberts phase, Sidney Sheldon phase, Jhumpa Lahiri phase, Khaled Hosseini phase, and many more.

In the last few years, my choice of books has been erratic. I have picked many short stories, longer novels I read during the initial few months of the pandemic, some award winning works as well.

What phase are you stuck in right now?

~insight07/ Devika

As per Spark Notes on Silas Marner, his character description has been described as- Silas is reclusive and his neighbors in Raveloe regard him with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. He spends all day working at his loom and has never made an effort to get to know any of the villagers. Silas’s physical appearance is odd: he is bent from his work at the loom, has strange and frightening eyes, and generally looks much older than his years. Because Silas has knowledge of medicinal herbs and is subject to occasional cataleptic fits, many of his neighbors speculate that he has otherworldly powers.

Despite his antisocial behavior, however, Silas is at heart a deeply kind and honest person. At no point in the novel does Silas do or say anything remotely malicious and, strangely for a miser, he is not even particularly selfish.

We had Silas Marner as a part of our syllabus in school. It was a good story, nothing struck me as remarkable. But, my friend always said to me that I reminded her of Silas Marner- physically and emotionally. Even years later, she keeps insisting on this.

While I can see some similarities, I am not sure it rings true to me.

Have you ever been compared to a literary character?

~insight07 / Devika

Hello Everyone!

Joining a new community feels odd. Almost like shouting into an abyss. You never know who will be listening, or with whom you will connect.

So here it goes, yet again, an unexperienced entrance into a new zone. Please be kind :)

Feel free to ask me questions about my books, some random opinions you may want, healthy creative discussions, or the mundanity of life!

In between, I will also try to upload my experiences with books and current reads.

Happy to connect!

~insight07 / Devika