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 →
Last evening, Adarsh, my nephew sent a message asking me if I was watching Federer Vs Nadal match, Wimbledon Semi Final. I wrote back 'what's the point?' We know the result anyway. The biggest anguish for Federer fans are his losses to Nadal. He would have probably won half a dozen more grand-slam championships had... Continue Reading →
We all have our favourite who is a better sportsman fights. Gavaskar or Viswanath? Sachin or Dravid? Schumacher or Hamilton? Borg or McEnroe? Sampras or Agassi or for that matter Fedex or Nadal? When we are young, we try to find reasons to justify our favourites in all possible ways. And one such argument put... Continue Reading →
"In our factory, we make lipstick. In our advertising, we sell hope." -Peter Nivio Zarlenga What is the greatest invention of the industrial era? Mr. Lee Kuan Yew or LKY, the father of Modern Singapore Nation State believed it is the Air Conditioner. The reason for his choice was simple. The comfortable life we live,... Continue Reading →
Mohan Ram, my friend, co-conspirator in adventures in school Eye Witness – Movie with Mohan Ram and a colleague now, is convinced that yours truly is the sole reason for all the heatwave and water shortage in Chennai. Residents of most of the big cities in India count the days once the summer starts. People, for... Continue Reading →
From the first train which ran on 16th April 1853 which carried 400 people from Bombay (Bori Bundar to Thane) to carrying 9.2 billion riders in 2018, the Indian Railways has come a long way. Let me not bore you with statistics - enough to say it's one of the largest in the world. Indian... Continue Reading →
The year was 2006. There was a palpable excitement in the MBA classroom of National University of Singapore where I was pursuing a Masters Degree. I asked couple of classmates what the excitement was all about. They said they were going to vote for the first time in the General Election. I was taken aback... Continue Reading →
Devan was a prodigious writer in Tamil. He wrote short stories, novels, novella, reported on World War II. He was a trend setter just like O Henry and Guy de Maupassant. He is best known for his humorous prose just like P G Wodehouse. Indira Parthasarathy a Tamil Story writer and playwright remarked, "Wodehousian characters... Continue Reading →
A typical monsoon day in Mumbai. Heavy rains were lashing the city and suburbs. I was boarding the airline's bus from the terminal to the aircraft. The driver first parked the bus near the aircraft and immediately realised that the passengers would get drenched in the rains for a second before they could get on... Continue Reading →
First let me start with a disclaimer. I am not a big fan of giving or taking gyan (advice). I shun most of the self help books right from chicken soup for your mind or habits of highly effective people and I avoid agony aunt columns like bubonic plague. All the advice I have ever... Continue Reading →
