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The agarbatti
Scenes from my childhood.… I’m sitting cross-legged in my grandmother’s puja room. Her gods sit enthroned, their faces aglow in the light of the brass oil lamp. Chants mingle with the sound of the conch shell and the tinkle of the brass bell. Offerings of fresh fruit, sweets, coconuts, betel leaves, fresh flowers are laid…
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Murphy’s law
For the favoured few who have been untouched by Murphy’s law, I shall start by stating it. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong (and at the worst possible time). And never is the law enforced with greater certainty than when you have guests at home. Your car will have an inexplicable breakdown, the…
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Flowers of war
It’s that time of the year again. The gulmohur(Delonix regia) blooms, and our sidewalk transforms into a crimson battlefield with the fallen flowers of war. Elsewhere in the world, real wars continue. Mercifully, we have left behind the days of close combat that drenched the battlefield with the blood of soldiers. Warfare is now fought…
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🗣️ 👆 🤝 😃🌹🎉 | Say it with Emojis
Never before in the history of the world have we tossed our hearts around so freely and indiscriminately. To family, friends, frenemies, school and college mates (whom we barely spoke to in college), even virtual strangers. Nor have we ever distributed roses, clinked champagne flutes, or bestowed smiles with such abandon. All in the full…
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Shades of blue
Christmas season has ended and Blue Christmas has played many times over as part of the season’s playlist. Its not a particular favourite of mine. On the other hand, we all have our favourite shades of blue—for it is the world’s most popular colour and occurs in 71% of all national flags. We are inhabitants…
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Tracking every step
The first step is the hardest, they say. It takes a human infant a whole year to quit its quadruped days and attempt that first tottering step under the adoring gaze of its parents. There is no respite thereafter. Life becomes a series of steps and missteps, with a watchful, (and not always adoring) eye…
