Travel Idea
‘Will to preserve heritage,’ he read on the menu-card, and then added, ‘an interesting name for a cocktail.’ A nod in the affirmative and he was soon ready to join the group with a glass in his hands. The conversation seemed to be floating on a sea of terms that sounded as intriguing as a...
From rollicking to rolling and back
There are two kinds of people that I know of. The first sort asks everyone: ‘How do you spend your weekend?’ and goes around bumbling into a web of plans that others have made and I call him one who is brain-dead. This person usually asks his friends, relatives, distant relatives, and sometimes even strangers...
Seen them all, he said. Really, I asked?
Between seeing and seeing again lies an entire universe of change. Changes happen faster than one blinks an eye. What this means is that one visit is never going to be enough. Not ten. Not even a hundred visits. There will always be some new addition or some perceptive insight that wasn’t there in past...
Reviews are not for the creator
I consider God to be the master creator. He is a writer, poet, illustrator, caricaturist, doodler, inventor, explorer, scientist, and someone who is forever pushing in surprising products. Like, for instance, a few days back the newspapers were talking about strange species in the deepest part of the oceans and some of them were yet...
Freedom to disagree isn’t dead in India
Many may not be aware but there was a time when the Coffee House on the top floor of Mohan Singh Place on Baba Khadak Singh Marg near Connaught Place in New Delhi was the place where one could overhear a wide range of revolutionary and radical ideas. There were known and unknown writers, struggling...
It’s not that simple to be simple, says Chetan Bhagat
I saw him from a distance and waved. He smiled and waved back. No airs. No snooty looks thrown at anyone. Chetan Bhagat loves to retain his easy and communicative personality… and I guess this is exactly how he has shaped his writing through the years. As we walked around the poolside area in Hyatt...
Lost on Twitter
Judgements are swift Lynchings merciless Ganging-up a norm Pellets and stones everywhere Appeals buried under Rushing words and more words Designed to serve Notions Not convictions. Lines of control blur As logic and illogical interests Prick each other On a battlefield that doesn’t even know If it exists. Friendships dissolve In nano seconds Enemies emerge...
Design your dreams
‘Hug style. Without it, you’re nobody,’ said this voice inside my head. Well, you know how some people have long conversations in their mind… I had one a few days back and that was when it occurred to me that a smartphone is more than just a tool for communication. In this world of instant...
I will forget you too
1. You stepped away like a blink That happens between what remains and what disappears, Like the curtain of haze in the cortex Of an alzheimer-soaked mind, Like an unread page in a thriller. You assumed I will forget you too… I am determination and I’m here to kill your misconceptions. 2. I am a...
Who says bankers are boring?
Who says bankers are boring? This book has the heart of a novel and the mind of an information treasure trove… Tamal Bandhyopadhyay ‘tells the exciting tale of how HDFC Bank has transformed itself, especially in the past few years with its digital journey,’ writes Nandan Nilekani in his forward to `HDFC Bank 2.0: From...
You turn and a realization dawns
Most of the time eyes think They see and only then you think But thoughts can paint Whatever they want And eyes just believe and reflect. The face isn’t a canvas But a mixing plate Where colours are the bosses Strutting around imperiously Effectively concealing Their uncertainties. Everything, including twitches Blinks, jerks, and impassive facades...
Article 370 – is it political pluck or incompetent tomfoolery?
There is an old joke where a tourist’s car got stuck in a muddy patch and raising acceleration didn’t help. A local on a bullock cart was passing by and helped him in exchange for a certain favour. This seemingly helpful local told the politician that he assisted many such people who regularly got stuck...
