I was confused between learning the guitar and the tabla, but I’ve finally decided to go with the tabla. I’d love some suggestions:
What’s a good price range for a decent tabla set?
Are there any good shops in Delhi where I can buy one?
Any recommended online or offline places in Delhi to learn?
Is there anything else I should know before starting out with the tabla?
Any sort of advice/suggestions will help me. Thank you 🎀
I'm a very occasional reader, I’ve read only about 17 books in the last five years. Recently, I picked up my first Hindi novel, Gunaho Ka Devta, and I absolutely loved it. After that, I started Crime and Punishment, which I’ve wanted to read for a long time. However, I’m finding it a bit difficult to follow smoothly. I’m not able to visualize the story the way I usually do with other books, and that’s making it hard to stay engaged.
Do you have any advice on how I can improve my reading experience? Should I put this book aside for now and pick up something else to build my flow first?
For context, I’m 20 and gay. I met someone on Reddit in October 2025. We exchanged numbers and started chatting, and it felt really nice. I used to wait all day for his messages. The only issue was that we didn’t talk much—both of us were busy preparing for competitive exams, so it averaged about 10 minutes a day. Our conversations were simple and genuine, just talking about our days. We never sexted or did anything sexual, and we weren’t officially committed, nor had we met in person. Still, we were planning our first date in February 2026.
Things took a turn because of my own actions. I posted on a gay community saying I was looking for someone to sext with, and I ended up doing it a few times with strangers. I always felt guilty afterward, but in the moment, instant gratification took over. Eventually, he found out and ended things with me in March.
I was devastated. I cried a lot because he felt perfect for me, and I was genuinely happy with him. I tried to move on, but I kept going back to our old chats, reading them and smiling. A part of me hoped we might reconcile someday. Then in April, I realized he had blocked me on Telegram too, which made it clear that we might never speak again.
Despite that, I created another Reddit account just to sext with people, partly because he knew my original account and I didn’t want him to find out. But today, I came across a post in the same community where I had met him, and something about it, its tone and content made me feel like it was him. To confirm, I messaged from my fake account. He quickly realized it was me, probably because of the similar patterns in my comments, regarding sext. We ended up talking, and he made it clear there’s zero chance of us getting back together.
The regret I’ve been carrying for the past two months has now intensified. It feels like I’ve lost my only chance to fix things. I don’t know what to do. This regret is affecting my focus, my concentration everything. I can’t seem to move on or forget him. I want to become a better person, but I feel stuck because I can’t let go.
I just needed to get this off my chest. If you’ve read this far, thank you.
Maths really out here humbling me on a spiritual level. At this point, trigonometry has caused me more emotional damage than homophobia ever could 💀. I literally hit my lowest score in maths during boards… and now, three years later, it’s back like a toxic relative 😭
If there’s any maths lover out there, please drop your secrets… or at least your coping mechanisms, because I’m fighting for my life here.
Who would have thought that the shy, scared boy would one day find the courage to come out?
After a long journey filled with ignorance, denial, realization, and finally acceptance, I found my voice. I had always wanted to do this before graduation, which is this July and today, I finally did.
School life was rough for me in terms of friendships and having a support system. The day my 12th boards ended, I lost touch with my entire class. But college changed that I found the most amazing group of friends. Since they were all boys, I was always scared to tell them. I feared losing the only people who truly cared about me and stood by me during my toughest times. They are my pillars. Because of that fear, I kept pushing the idea of coming out aside.
Then, this January, I saw two of my juniors openly being themselves, and they were accepted and loved by everyone in my club. That’s when I started to feel that maybe things could be okay for me too. Still, I told myself I’d wait until after graduation.
But today, something changed.
One of my closest friends and I had an entrance exam at the same center. After the exam, while we were standing on the road looking for an auto, I just said it: “I’m not straight.”
That was it.
He looked at me and said, “Oh wow, good bhai.” Then we talked for a while. He quietly listened and then said, “Bhai, I will always support you, no matter what.” Those words gave me more confidence than anything else ever could.
I still can’t believe I finally came out. It feels almost unreal.
To anyone going through this don’t worry. Things will work out. Take your time. I realized I was gay when I was around 13–14, but it took me 7 years to come out until I was truly ready. There’s no rush. Move at your own pace. And trust me, when you do, it feels incredible.
I still have a lot to say, but maybe some other time. I don’t know how my other friends will react, but I know one thing for sure, I don’t want to hide who I am anymore.
And a special thanks to someone who once meant a lot to me, my ex/friend who gave me the courage and confidence to take this step. If you’re reading this, I’m truly sorry, and I hope we can talk again someday.
Bye, everyone.