In the Kamal Haasan starrer Pushpaka Vimana (1987), the story unfolded in the suites, balconies and gardens of a five star hotel. The idea was to pit a few ordinary mundane lives against excessive luxury. The idea of luxury then was limited to carpetted rooms, fluffy beds, marble floors and blinding chandeliers. Over the years however the idea of […]
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Month: November 2013
Junk Alert
In the sixties and seventies, alcohol and tobacco were wrecking havoc on the health of the people, and doctors and policy makers alike were just waking up to the fact that serious health repercussions could result due to these habits/ addictions. It took a long and hard fought battle with the powerful opposing lobby to implement restrictions […]
The Love Beyond..
One morning I walked into a National Park. I could see a small fragile flower behind a rock, shy but curious and trying to peep from her hiding place. I hesitantly went towards her and sat next to her. After quite some time I asked her if she wanted to say something. She collected herself and said […]
Japan On A Plate..
What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? Is there a God? I wouldn’t know. I live for the here and now, by which I don’t mean I plan for the weekend, but that I can only rely on this moment right here. So when I found myself at Edo, (meaning estuary, also […]
While We Sleep
The stale, rancid stench of them lines the sides of the streets, those who think they know us, Trying to keep up with the pace, falling back and losing ground. The city is always alive – buzzing – reeking of them Their odour mixing too easily with the perfume of […]
The Basement
His hands were red. The metallic, coppery smell still hung in the air. It was messy but he still had a lot of time left, with her. He grinned to himself as he headed towards the kitchen and helped himself to a cold beer. A slow, wicked grin spread across his face as he imagined […]
Yauatcha: Tea and An Epiphany
Often the hype surrounding an event/opening is enough to put one off going there. Cue the obligatory society launch party, the hoardings all over town, ‘Bangalore’s first Michelin restaurant’, and other such hyperbole. But Yauatcha really makes you sit up and take notice. It is refreshingly true to the premise that all good restaurants aspire […]
Words..
“Speech is a virtue”, insisted Dan. “Opinions differ” countered Sarah. “If we could not speak, we would not have been here” said Dan. “Exactly” said Sarah “we would not have been where we are now” she said, rather wistfully. They had grown old together and it felt good – these little breaks that they had, […]
Reflection..
The creak of a door hinge registered in her subconscious mind. It was cold, windy. The wind shrieked and howled outside and she felt the cold seeping into her bones. Wrapped in a warm blanket, hot chocolate in hand, she watched the news. “Mob lynchpin breaks out of prison” flashed the headlines. Thoughts flitted to […]
When Heroes Fall
Hard as it is to believe now, Tarun Tejpal was my hero. Not just from his early Tehelka days when he took on the establishment fearlessly and showed us what journalism was all about but from 19 years back when he was the features editor of Financial Express and I was a rookie reporter into […]
Loss of Credibility
I had scoffed at Asaram Bapu’s statement when he said that a sure shot way to prevent rape is to call the would-be-rapist “bhaiyya”. The Khap in Haryana added more flavour by coming out with statements that pointed towards Chinese food as the culprit behind rapes, not men. Mohan Bhagwat went a step further by claiming Western […]
Henry Moore: Sculpting The Void
Stonehenge is a befuddling prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England and is one of the most famous heritage sites in the world with its mysterious ring of standing stones. There is a similar quality to sculptor Henry Spencer Moore’s work. It has a dormant energy, a powerful sweep, an organic quality that is of this world and […]