The Real Fiction

All that we experience, our perceptions – sights & insights – seem like a surreal mix of fact and fantasy. There are no lines dividing anything anywhere & existence rides upon interpretations. This blog will surf, fly, jog, dive, swim, jump & at times even hobble through planes of experiences that will include poetry, protests, design, tales, photo-tales and whatever else is discovered & needs to be shared.
What do I do with my Ravan?

What do I do with my Ravan?

When I asked a philosopher ‘What do I do with my Ravan?’ – the philosopher Spoke familiar words Dripping with familiar ideas Reaching familiar ends He told me to abandon the evil Within and around He also told me to celebrate That day as the world celebrates Dushera. Then I...
Ravana lost as he never had a Samsung Tab

Ravana lost as he never had a Samsung Tab

No, King Dasharatha wasn’t really tech-savvy but he wanted his sons to be well-versed with the tech-arts of the day. He had made sure that they learn all the relevant martial arts, imbibe the pathways prescribed in the religious texts, and be strong in body and mind. He himself was...
Sammy at Jantar Mantar

Sammy at Jantar Mantar

My wife says that she has never seen me behave like the first line of a novel. New. Innovative. Fresh. Charged with meaningfulness. Eager to lead anyone out of any form of tedium into a valley where moments also give out a fragrance and change their colours with the changing...
For God’s sake, it is about the rights of people

For God’s sake, it is about the rights of people

Words, without the support of a sentence, can say a lot sometimes. This is how I would analyse the phenomenon of the Anna Hazare movement against corruption that rocked the Indian parliament in August 2011. This war against corruption had innumerable shades supporting it… individuals, small groups, and larger groups...
Husain joins Durga and Saraswati

Husain joins Durga and Saraswati

Yes, the Picasso of India, the sensual artist M F Husain has decided to go ahead and join his inspirations Durga and Saraswati in the far-away kingdom… and the Bajrang Dal as well as the VHP can do nothing about it. He is going to chill up there with all...
Knock! Knock! ‘Osama here. Open the door…’

Knock! Knock! ‘Osama here. Open the door…’

Knock! Knock! ‘Osama here. Open the door…’ ‘What?’ I thought, ‘Osama Bin Laden?’ I was at that moment reading this tweet by @missletsbuild Julia: “Osama bin dead, Obama bin lying! #osamadead.” I must’ve spoken aloud because the voice from the other side of the door had a ring of urgency...
Words too have an inner voice!

Words too have an inner voice!

Surprised? Well yes, you’d normally mumble before you actually let all your past readings have a rerun in your mind and admit defeat. You need examples. OK. Life is always asking you to take decisions but at the same time listing option after option until your normally clear mind is...
Weaving a Revolution through Blogs, Micro-blogs, & Gandhi

Weaving a Revolution through Blogs, Micro-blogs, & Gandhi

Do you really know what happened in Egypt? Was there a revolution or just a premature revelation of a stressed-out response? Was it the impending fear of a massive blood-bath that made Hosni Mubarak give up? Were blogging and micro-blogging the real heroes? Did Gandhian principles once again rise and...
Inspiring, gruesome, & awesome 127 Hours!

Inspiring, gruesome, & awesome 127 Hours!

Yes, we’re talking of witnessing inspiring, gruesome, and awesome 127 hours. Actually Danny Boyle made it happen in just 94 minutes. This is a movie based on the true adventures of Aron Ralston, a mountain climber… an adventure that is about saving himself from a desolate death in an isolated...
I Went Out Too Far. Review of 'The old man & the sea'

I Went Out Too Far. Review of ‘The old man & the sea’

BOOK REVIEW Title of book: The Old Man And The Sea. Written by: Ernest Hemingway. 347 words. Title of Review : I Went Out Too Far. This story has simple sentences. No difficult words. No harsh judgements. No desperate attempt at trying to sound unique. The old man or Santiago,...
Latest entries
Tech blogging and the cult of copying!

Tech blogging and the cult of copying!

I was telling a friend about the need to find your own expression when it comes to writing when the discussion took a sudden turn towards a rather unexpected aspect though I wouldn’t call it entirely bizarre. ‘You can be comfortable with only your style of writing,’ I said, ‘and this comes only when you...
The squirrels of Kensington Palace

The squirrels of Kensington Palace

Trip: London. May-July 2010.   It was never going to be an ordinary day… a day when we discovered an otherwise invisible bond between humans, birds, and animals! It is difficult to forget a date when you’ve met the friendliest of giant squirrels in the world. So quite expectedly, I too remember the 18th of...
Unconnected and Unrepentant. Review of ‘The Asocial networking.’

Unconnected and Unrepentant. Review of ‘The Asocial networking.’

Frankly, I loved the book immensely because it gave me all the reasons to have a hearty hoot after every few hundred words… and mind you, this book isn’t in the comedy genre at all. It is supposedly a serious treatise on the state of the social networks today. The book claims to take you...
These words must change!

These words must change!

Every chess player knows what is meant by the ‘power of four’… a domination of the four central squares on the chess board means you’ve managed to eke out a benefit that can very well go on to become the reason for your victory. If this can happen in a mere game it can be...
Nine metres deep into the Andaman Sea

Nine metres deep into the Andaman Sea

There are incredible stories, incredible moments, incredible personalities, incredible actions, and even incredible experiences! I remember the first time I boarded an airplane, I was overwhelmed and I had said to myself: ‘This is incredible!’ Flying is no longer ‘incredible’… but I still find the lift-off not just incredible but a super sensual experience. However,...
The lighthouse on North Bay island on a twenty rupee note

The lighthouse on North Bay island on a twenty rupee note

We had taken a local ferry from Chatham Jetty in Port Blair and reached the huge island just across… this was Bamboo Flat. The island seemed like a sleepy village where even shop shutters were opened when the owner saw a customer walking with some resolute intent to buy. Our island visit began in a...
UFO in Kasauli

UFO in Kasauli

Incredible moments come unannounced. Always. Like they did on a fine August day last year as we were getting ready to drive back to Chandigarh. The moments were surreal, and simply out of this world. Those incredible moments came rushing in at us through a large gaping hole in the sky. But wait… we’ll get...
Change tomorrow and stay free!

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...
The magic spell!

The magic spell!

I stood before a shop that sold Cute bottles with some magic spell It’s good. This one. I like. Let’s buy! Was all I heard, until was told: Hold this, don’t break and spill the spell! ‘Fragrance!’ My wife had spied my ‘why’!   ‘Fragrance!’ I said, and then mumbled, ‘Is there in our home...
Bold Body Limericks

Bold Body Limericks

Yes, Bold Body Limericks… and it isn’t bold bawdy limericks. Though some of them may strut around like the road-side romeos do outside any girls college! Just a few of them here in this post… enjoy.   (1) I have two and you have two Both can be fictional and also true No, not silicon...
Angry. Smart. Intelligent. Winner. Understand all four in this post.

Angry. Smart. Intelligent. Winner. Understand all four in this post.

No, I’m not angry with anyone, nor reading this post is going to make you angry. Yes, you’ll certainly be left a bit smarter if you don’t smart at the idea of using those specialised grey cells in your brain that are used to solve crosswords. Yes, this is a crossword indeed and it will...
Notes for a novel – Review of ‘Loser’

Notes for a novel – Review of ‘Loser’

I’ve read all of the 212 pages and this includes the ‘dedication’ as well as the blank ones at the start… and I finished reading the novel (Oops! The notes) in less than half-a-day and also went about completing the normal chores for the day. What is important is that I wasn’t tired or over-stressed...