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I just finished watching Sweet Kaaram Coffee, a web series that brought together the remarkable Lakshmi, Madhoo, and Santhy Balachandran. On the surface, it is a story of three women; grandmother, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, who decide to take an “escape trip.” But it is also much more.
It is a meditation on freedom, frustration, love, silence, and discovery.
How often do we think of an escape trip and never take it?
How often do we love deeply, but fail to express it in ways that truly reach the people who matter?
The show captured those unspoken tensions in relationships; love that is felt but rarely voiced, frustrations that pile up quietly, and the courage it takes to step away, reflect, and reconnect.
Watching Madhoo as Kaveri reminded me of how arranged marriages often carry love that is enduring, but unexpressed. And Lakshmi as Sundari, with her effortless grace, showed how freedom and self-discovery are possible at any age, no matter the weight of history or responsibility.
What touched me most were the moments of micro-coaching and reflection woven into the story.
The quiet conversations that nudged characters to rediscover forgotten passions, to make peace with choices, to see each other with new eyes. It felt like watching life itself, in its gentle coaching form; full of pauses, revelations, and reconciliations.
It also made me reflect on my own family. Perhaps it’s time for the women in my life; my mom, my daughter, my stepdaughter, my granddaughter, my sister, my sister-in-law, my nieces, and the mother of my step-children (my soul-sister) to go on our own escape trips. Not necessarily to travel far, but to pause and explore our relationships, our bonds, and our shared silences.
And not just them. My housekeeper, who has been the soul that holds our family together, and I often talk of one day taking a “ladies only” trip together. She has been with us for so many years, a quiet anchor of care, consistency, and love. Perhaps she and I are most overdue for an escape trip; a journey of gratitude and friendship.
But the invitation of Sweet Kaaram Coffee goes further. While the series centers on women, the essence of an escape trip is not gendered. It is human. We all carry unspoken love, unexpressed gratitude, or unrecognized affection – in families, friendships, and workplaces alike.
And that brings me to another thought: could we design escape trips even in the professional context? Not the typical offsites filled with KPIs and strategy decks, but genuine pauses to reflect, reconnect, and rediscover respect and care for each other. Because workplaces are full of the same silences; where appreciation is felt but unspoken, respect is assumed but rarely expressed, and support is given in ways we don’t always recognize.
Maybe that’s what this series invites us to do. To ask ourselves:
☕ What escape trip have I been postponing; personally or professionally?
☕ What love, respect, or gratitude do I feel but struggle to express?
☕ What love, respect, or support is being shown to me in ways I may not yet recognize?
☕ What might change if we created more spaces; in families, friendships, or organizations, to truly see and celebrate each other?
Some reviews say the series tried to cover too much. Perhaps it did. But for me, in those eight episodes, it offered warmth, soul nourishment, and a mirror to life itself.
✨ Sometimes, watching a story reminds us to start living our own.
SweetKaaramCoffee #EscapeTrip #FamilyBonding #MicroCoaching #WorkplaceCulture #CelebratingLife
