Tony Askew, my super boss at BetzDearborn had an acerbic wit. Although he was British, he lived most of his life in America, and I guess, this was the reason, his humour was not the understated kind one normally sees with British people. He spent few years in India and we were fortunate to learn... Continue Reading →
One year into an undergraduate program, in the early eighties, JK decided that he had enough of college, and, he would be better off working full time and continue education through a distant learning program. He was in Bombay spending his summer vacation when this lightening wisdom struck him. He spoke to my aunt, (The... Continue Reading →
I started this blog sometime during second week of June, titled, 'Fair & Lovely?' and and after couple of attempts, discarded it. This was about the fair skin obsession in India. A week later the Company which produces the cream, also dropped the word 'Fair' from the product. Good example(s) of 'cancel culture.' End of... Continue Reading →
"Hold on! Hold on!" I am shouting at the conductor, running behind the bus, that was just pulling out of Victoria Memorial, Calcutta. The driver applies the brake and bus screeches to a halt, and I hop in. "Where to?" "London." I sit next to a window and watch as the city passes by. Soon... Continue Reading →
The great travel writer Bill Bryson and I have something in common. We both sat at the edge of Bosporus, once in our lives, and pondered about travelling further. He was looking towards east and yours truly towards west. Will come to that in a bit. There are places, temples and monuments which take your... Continue Reading →
This story from Thi Janakiraman is from collection of Thi Jaa's Short Stories. Thi Janakiraman had this unique ability. In few short sentences, he would bring a character to life and some of these characters stay in memory forever. He is undoubtedly the master of Modern Tamil Short Stories. Read on..... ஆயா - தி ஜானகிராமன்... Continue Reading →
Amalraj, my erstwhile colleague and a good friend now, is probably reason for this effort. Well, not exactly Amalraj, but his father. He is one of the people who has inspired me. When I read this story after many years, Amalraj's father immediately sprang to my mind. Amalraj's father was a fruit seller. When Amalraj... Continue Reading →
We all have our problems, struggles, challenges, and disappointments since last three months. But our disappointments would pale in comparison if we compare them with the disappointment of two journalists of Biased Broadcasting Corporation or BBC. Let me explain. The BBC is filled with articles from the initial days of COVID onset on 'how many... Continue Reading →
Dr. Panchapakesan Ramachandran was the most amazing doctor I have met. Doctors in general speak less (including Dr. Mohan Ram, my close friend) and seniors in the profession speak even less. Dr. Ramachandran was an exception. He made everyone comfortable with his kind words spoken with compassion. Apollo Hospitals Chennai pioneered Heart Surgeries in India... Continue Reading →
Advaita Vedanta (/ədˈvaɪtə vɛˈdɑːntə/; Sanskrit: अद्वैत वेदान्त, IAST: Advaita Vedānta, literally, "not-duality") is a school of Hindu philosophy, and originally known as Puruṣavāda is a classic system of spiritual realization in Indian tradition. The term Advaita refers to its idea that the true self, Atman, is the same as the highest metaphysical reality of the universe, Brahman. Wikipedia சூசைம்மாவும் அத்வைதமும் - இந்திரா பார்த்தசாரதி Annamma looked at her watch. 5.15. Mathew must... Continue Reading →
I have translated couple of short stories of Indira Parthasarathy. 'Distance' figures in most of the top short stories lists. Jeyamohan writes about the author, 'Delhi is Indira Parthasarathy's playground. He looks it as a machine with two large spare parts. One, it is about the people who wield unlimited power, the bureaucrats and the... Continue Reading →
