Change tomorrow and stay free!
I wanna be The voice of change! Hmmm… what is change? What changes? What can be changed? I wanna be The voice of change! Governments change Times change People change Change changes! I wanna be The voice of change! I change channels I change course I change my mind. I wanna be The voice of...
Surprise. Surprise. Surprise. – a winner’s mantra!
Winning isn’t just a feeling. Winning is a benefit. Winning means more. Winning gets you more. Winning leads you on to win more. Winning is a synonym for MORE! Just look at any of the winners anywhere… in politics, in sports, in the arts, in theatre, in films, in writing, in your class, your college,...
Sun-glasses and the eternal seeker within me
‘Why do I want to buy shades?’ – is the question I was once very prone to ask myself. But this was before my encounter with the sunglasses salesman in a large store in a large mall in Delhi. My wife and I were at the shades counter there and I was looking wistfully at...
Utsav sells his first idea
This happened in the mid-nineties when I was in York, UK. My wife was there working for her DPhil as a Commonwealth Scholar and I was there with her for a few months to help her settle down and, of course, see as much of that country as possible. We had Pushkin, our son, with...
Who says kids don’t jam it? Get real!
Jam. Jam it! Jamming!! No, these aren’t curse words but they do mean something different to different people at different stages. A fruity preserve that goes on toast Or another word for DO Or be with people to play music Say JAM and that’s what you do! To relax or just chill out Or forcibly...
The tallest building in Lahore
When I was small I loved to hear Unending tales on every night Spell-bound by words I had no fear And thought I was another knight! Gardens where chocolates grew on trees Friendship with aliens from the stars Sailors who went across the seas These stories made a mark not scars. And one of them...
The Goan fisherman who caught just starfish
Trip: Goa. November 2011. Goa, where the beaches take you inwards into a strange world of thoughtfulness while asking you to remain outside of yourself and soak in all the world has to offer! They fill you with an intoxication that goes beyond what a mere bottle can capture and offer. The beaches there...
The hyperfocal distance in a friendship
Trip: Seoul. December 2011. It is easy to imagine that a friendly relationship between a professional photographer and one who intends to be interested in this art would begin somewhat like this… ‘Nice camera there…’ ‘Well, it is an SLR with a 18-300 lens kit.’ ‘Oh! I have one that I just point and...
Fariners love my banana leaf grill
Trip: Port Blair and Havelock. February 2012. I’m not a cook I know nothing of masalas But my tongue knows When they’re mixed well For it just blurts out the truth For all to hear. And if you’re far away Unable to hear The tongue, it just Nags me until I write All that...
An eco-warrior on the trek route in Havelock Island
Trip: Port Blair and Havelock. February 2012. Our stay in Havelock had been nothing short of heaven so far. We were almost three govt-ferry hours away from Port Blair and had already completed our introductory scuba dive. We had bicycled our way to Kaala Pathar, a beach on the East face of the island, explored...
Venkat Rao from Bumflaat
Trip: Port Blair and Havelock. February 2012. As my wife and I were getting down from the local bus at the Chatham Jetty in Port Blair, I asked a girl standing right next to me, ‘The bus doesn’t go any further?’ The girl smiled and replied, ‘It turns back and goes the same way it...
A grilling conversation with a fiery intent
‘Hi there… can we talk?’ I looked around and was taken aback to find a fiery grilled chicken piece waving frantically at me. ‘You?’ I asked with incredulity clearly infiltrating my voice, posture, and even expression. This was surely one of those hard-to-believe moments that I had, as yet, only read in novels. A conversation,...
