Naperville Diary

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi (1922-2011), the Bharat Ratna vocalist of the Kirana gharana, ran away at 11 to find his guru. A tribute to his life and music.

Diwali is October 26th — here are three easy, no-fail sweets to make at home: Sandesh, Kesar Shrikhand, and Coconut Ladoo.

A poem by Shlok Sharma, then a fifth-grader in Naperville, on the mistakes he made — from punching Justin Bieber to falling into a tributary. Childhood humor.

Hit a fitness plateau? Progressive overload, cross-training, and real recovery — not more of the same — are what restart progress and redefine exercise.

An archive of our September 2011 Naperville Diary Chicago events listing for October–November. Only one entry survives in full; the rest was lost to migration.

An honest essay on stepping back from work to raise kids: the joy, the lost identity, the judgment from both sides — and why every mother is a working mother.

Gottman's 'Four Horsemen' — contempt, criticism, defensiveness, stonewalling — predict divorce. Why marriages fail, and what actually prevents it.

CrossFit inspires devotion and fierce skepticism in equal measure. Guest contributor Nick Perri examines the method, the results, and the injury question.

A Miami-Dade teacher was dismissed after his past in adult entertainment surfaced. Where does a legal past end and fitness to teach begin?

Guest contributor Rajeev on why modern life still needs the ancient Indian institution of the guru — someone who has walked the path before you.

How a Naperville car dealership became an unlikely social hub for the area's South Asian community — and what it says about how luxury really sells.

A poem by fifth-grader Shlok Sharma of Naperville — kung-fu dogs, heroes, and a monkey that sings. Kids' writing from the Thoughtful India archive.

Naperville's Simply Vedic hosted a singing talent hunt celebrating Indian classical music — giving young diaspora performers a stage and a community.

Meghana Athreye on the lifelong human search for God — and why every borrowed description, however beautiful, falls short of the thing itself.

Five Star Tennis in Plainfield runs a summer camp for junior players of all levels — our find of the week for Naperville-area tennis families.

Arup Raha's monthly Bollywood column: the new wave of debutant directors, plus Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Delhi Belly, Ready — and a music quiz.

This week's local find: Bobbie Lee's Scrap & Craft Workshop in Chicago's western suburbs — small, hands-on craft classes for kids ages 7 to 12.

The 'twilight years' aren't all decline. What aging research actually says about happiness, emotional steadiness, and the quiet upsides of getting older.

Naperville's 2011 Festival of Colors brought Holi to Chicago's western suburbs — giving diaspora kids the one thing explanations can't: the real thing.

An overview of Pranic Healing, the energy-healing system formalized by Master Choa Kok Sui — a 20th-century synthesis of ancient energetic traditions.