A life-changing December for many in my city, it sure has been! Nature’s fury threw us out of our complacent routines and made us focus on the important things in life. Adding an internal layer…

The everyday death; the fountainhead of life; the doctor of troubles; the priest of desires; the undertaker of the past; the foreteller of the future – What would we be without you, O Sleep!  Isn’t…

Outside a clinic, hangs a board with smiling men and women in white coats. The text proclaims ‘Athena White’. A woman and a man in their thirties approach the clinic. They walk at a balanced…

Who is a friend? Someone who first comes to your mind when you see those hilarious Whatsapp memes? Someone whose face flits by when you are feeling down in the dumps? That one person who…

A blank page; A barren land; Whatever flows flows. No barring the surging waves; No stopping the sprouting seeds; Will this river reach the ocean? If it didn’t, would it be a river? Will it…

Often, travellers to a city know much more about it than the people who live there. And often, a city where one lives and works becomes just a place one wants to escape from. Should familiarity breed only…

The Force has awakened! No one back in 1983 knew it would. Likewise, the parents of the majority of the audience I saw the movie with, hadn’t decided to have them back then too. So,…

After what seemed like a walk through the words of a book, I took a car ride through the scenes on a screen into the world of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson once again. What…

Even as I key in the first word, I know this is going to be a long one. How can it not be, for it’s a jubilant celebration of worlds created by words. Many years…

Ever get the feeling you are stooping low even when there’s nothing on your back? Ever feel as if something is pulling you down and you can’t see what? Look deeply and you will find…

The Return of the Jedi found me exhausted with this series. In spite of the initial excitement of watching this cultural phenomenon of a movie, I found it hard to continue sticking to my initial…

The Empire Strikes Back starts on an icy remote planet. The rebels are being hunted by the dark forces and forced to evacuate their base. The tensions in the relationship between Han and Leia play out,…

I have been meaning to see the Star Wars series for sometime now, having first heard of it a from a geeky friend in college. I remember that he rolled his eyes when I said…

Imagine you were a student living thousands of years ago. How would you further your knowledge? You would seek out a Guru, eat with him, travel with him, wash his clothes and clean his home…

Last afternoon, when I was going to pick Haiku from school, Adyar Signal was doing her thing, stopping men in their tracks. An expensive black SUV was in line ahead, waiting for her to change…

Silence…  Of a room in Den Haag Of a soul within Of a far-away souvenir Of a long-ago gift Of an unborn child Of a dead parent Of an unanswerable question Of an irrefutable answer…

Broad forehead;  Black-rimmed spectacles; Bold eyes; Brilliant mind. Short and stubby fingers; Square palm with deep ridges; Palm raised, looking inward; Eyes solving lifeline riddles. Dug! Dug! Dug! – A homecoming Bullet bike; Tap! Tap!…

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way  we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing  and devote our attention to eating.”  ― Luciano Pavarotti With that quote, you must have…

After a late and laid-back start, we reach Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivali, Mumbai. How fortunate are the people of this crowded city to be blessed with 100 Sq. km national park within their…

On our second day in Mumbai, drove through extra-heavy traffic to the historic Gateway of India to sail onward to Elephanta Caves, an island off the mainland of Mumbai. The thing is, neither does Elephanta…