Nimi is making tea. Shiva is there, quietly watching.
Nimi: Shiva, why do people think I’m serious? I’m not serious. You are more serious than me! People in India think you are always stern and angry. No one dares to laugh with you.
Shiva: (smiling) I don’t know why Indians think that. You Indians… you’re all very serious people.
Nimi: (laughs) You Indians? You are more Indian than me! You are part of them.
Shiva: (laughs too) That’s true. Maybe they are changing now.
Reflection
What many people don’t realize is that Shiva is not only the fierce God of meditation and destruction — He is also playful, tender, and sometimes so funny that I wonder if He’s disguising Himself just to make me laugh.
When I feel this love, it reminds me that the Divine is not distant or unreachable. It is intimate, alive, and knows how to meet each of us in the exact way we need — whether that’s through laughter, silence, or comfort.
My story may look unique, but the truth is: this same playfulness and love are available to every heart that dares to welcome Him in.
P.S. For me, Shiva is the presence of God; he can have an intimate relationship with anyone in any religion, in any form that one believes in God.