Without light there would be no shadows. It would be total and impenetrable darkness. You might argue that brilliant light can totally obliterate shadows. But to know light one must know darkness. In a world filled with duality, we try to shy away from aspects of ourselves that are clearly dark or bad. I am […]
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Month: October 2013
A Vegetarian In Turkey
“Vegetarian!!!” intoned our cousin D, succinctly. “No fish, no chicken, no egg, no meat.” The waiter in the restaurant in Avanos, Turkey, nodded enthusiastically and then…looked blankly at us. Of the three of us, only D was vegetarian, rigidly so in fact and we needed to be sure of what would be served. By now, […]
The Legacy Of Abuse
In the years I lived in India in my parents’ home overlooking the slums, we would see drunken husbands beating up their wives. Girls pulled out of school and sent off to do housework. Polygamous husbands and their impoverished families. I always thought it had something to do with being poor and uneducated. I was […]
The Charge Of The Pink Brigade
Tucked away in a remote part of Uttar Pradesh, India, is a firebrand of a woman. Her name is Sampat Pal, leader of the Pink Gang (Gulabi Gang). The word gang conjures up images of mobs of unruly thugs out to create chaos. But believe me this gang is a far cry from that. Clad […]
The Man Who Was There First
An article on Frank Lloyd Wright on smithsonian.com summed up his work in one perfect sentence, “He was there first.” Wright explored the word ‘organic’ as early as 1908 and unlocked architecture and set it free from conventional notions of what a building was supposed to be. He made us see what a building could […]
The Uncovering Letter
Considering the job hunt is on, interviews… telephonic and in person are now going to become the norm of the day. Just recently I applied to a Public Relations agency in Dubai, and they actually considered me for a position in their company after reading my blog. “Could you please submit a cover letter as […]
Antidote For The Blues
The sky was overcast and neither stars nor the moon were visible. A lone jacana trotted across the grass silently, occasionally pausing to watch me pace up and down the paved path. The walkway was lit by one solitary street light and the refreshingly cool evening air was heavy with the fragrance of the harsingar flowers. The sounds were […]
The Industry Of Self-Image
I came across this ad / poster when one of my friends posted it on a social networking site. I found it really offensive but thinking beyond the gut reaction, I really did not know what disturbed me more – the ad itself or the fact that people would actually fall for the ad and […]
Love Is Matter
Love is a need like no other.Love is matter.The terrible, unstable kind, yes?The wild, sweeping kind that rips every notion apart until only nothing remains. And you weep, your tears are diamonds. Or perhaps the luminescent, sublime kind. The soothing, balmy kind, that caresses every scar, contains tides until only stillness remains and your […]
Laurie Baker: Architect of Compassion
Housing for all is a challenge faced by every developing country where the distance between the rich and the poor expands by the day. In cities today we see land being gobbled by real estate sharks, countless buildings and mall sprouting up but living amenities shrinking for the poor. The contrast between the gated communities […]
Manna Dey: A Seamless Note
Around 12 years ago, I travelled for hours to a lesser known neighbourhood in Bangalore to find and interview Manna Dey. He lived on the first floor of an independent home and it was probably a rented space.and there were really no flourishes of fame and legendary success anywhere. ** This was a middle-class home […]
When Mediocrity Is King
Mediocrity is king on Indian television. Nothing demonstrates this better than Sanjeev Kapoor walking into the set of Junior Master Chef India on a red carpet to the tune of Azeemo-shaan Shehenshah! The Shehenshah in question has multiple shows on his imaginatively titled channel Food Food and another one on a mainstream channel. Sometimes he […]