A saga of old tin roofs
As I write, hail-stones are rattling on the old tin roof of Ivy Cottage. The roof and the old stone walls have been through hundreds of hail-storms, snow-storms, monsoon downpours, gale-force winds,...
View ArticleChoice is yours!
The first time I heard the term 'vegan', I thought I had misheard. Surely that person must have said 'vegetarian' and I must have misinterpreted it. Then the term was explained to me. My jaw dropped....
View ArticleA tour of changes
With global warming soaring, the time for a green turn has hopefully come. To meet visitors growing ecological concerns, tourism operators are peddling green vacations, socially responsible holidays...
View ArticleWhen One Became Two
1947 July 31 There is a wedding in the family of young Satjit Singh and he has arrived at his paternal village Kharpal in Narowal district on the banks of River Ravi in Punjab. His cousin is the groom...
View ArticleFastest feline first
Have you recovered from the cheetah attack?" - this is a question I often face these days. I wish it was the cheetah. But unfortunately, in the minds of most of us, the leopard is confused with the...
View ArticleThe stars are calling...
By 2020, the average Indian will be just 29 years old, making India the worlds youngest country. Over 64% of Indias population will be in the working age group, while the population of western...
View ArticleIt's high time!
While travelling across India is quite a high by itself, in all our forays, we love trying out the local tipple whenever its been offered to us. Be it feni or urak in Goa, bhang during Holi, apong in...
View ArticleThe plum X'mas treats!
Winter¦ holidays ¦ birth of the Christ child ¦ presents ¦ Yes, Christmas is here again! However, there can be no festivity without the inevitable Christmas...
View ArticleLook, one last time...
Pidi, newly appointed Congress president Rahul Gandhis pet, has emerged as the most adorable character of the year for infusing some much-needed humour into an otherwise drab political dialogue steeped...
View ArticleTokens of thanks
Makara Sankranti. January 14 morning. Thick curd lay settled in the clay pot, its mouth covered with a sal leaf. A big bowl of soaked poha (flattened rice). Gleaming sesame laddoos. A mound of jaggery....
View ArticleField of dreams
What is the importance of the Indian constitution? It is true that all constitutions are products of their own histories and the specific circumstances of the societies in which they were germinated....
View ArticleA holiday to remember
Looking back across the years, I seem to have spent a large part of my boyhood on trains - the small train taking me up to Simla and my boarding school; the overnight train to Dehradun, to my mothers...
View ArticleThe writing's on the wall
In India, a man standing near a wall means only two things. Hes either sticking a poster (despite the Stick No Bills sign) or creating public nuisance. But elsewhere, the idea of spraying on a gritty...
View ArticleWithout fail
Once upon a time, there was a boy who failed a primary school test twice. He followed it up by failing his middle school test thrice, and his college entrance exam twice. He scored 1 out of 120 points...
View ArticleI'll have what she's having...
A woman does not need to criticise, change or feel ashamed of any part of her body, and should easily be fashionable without being a victim," declares the iconic diva of the fashion industry, Ritu...
View ArticleFrom the ramps to the roads
I remember my first fashion faux pas like it was yesterday. I was working at the countrys leading womens magazine. I went up to the editor and asked if I could do a slightly different fashion piece....
View ArticleWalk on the wild side
As the convoy of elephants trundled their way through the dew-laden grasslands in Kaziranga National Park, I came across a pair of one-horned rhinos gently grazing in the elephant grass. This was my...
View ArticleHolding up the whole sky
All this dividing of earthlings into two primary genders has perforce thrown up the term woman. Even inanimate objects are masculine or feminine. Which at first glance may appear more egalitarian than...
View ArticleYou should have been there...
The other day, one of my female students was whining to me: "Maam, being a girl is so hard nowadays. You people must have had it easy growing up." Shocked to my core, I stared at her as I thought back...
View ArticleCut the clutter
Weighed down by the trappings of modern life, a cross-section of the society is embarking on a journey back to the basics by uncluttering not just their physical environment, but also their body, mind...
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