I began to think about my generation, referred to as Generation X after a recent visit to the hospital with my mother where we nursed her back to good health after a brief illness. As grateful as we are for modern medicine and longevity, somewhere inside me I mourned the Continue Reading

There used to be a tiny shore at Marine Drive, cut off from the rest of the famous Chowpatty Beach by a short stretch of land. It was accessible via a series of jagged stone steps. We used to go there as children to collect sea-shells, away from the crowds Continue Reading

Of late, travelling has become a necessity. When I was little, it was a luxury. Holidays were taken a couple of years apart, usually involved uncomfortable train or bus journeys and were planned after we had grown enough to save memories. Back then, the window between childhood and adulthood was Continue Reading

On a bureau in our homes, we display photographs of moments we consider important. Birthdays, graduation day, weddings and holidays. We tend to shape our lives around these milestones. As a society we have decided that happiness lies in crossing a series of milestones. Education, job, marriage and kids. Even Continue Reading

We used to have a puja and havan every year. The practice, as most people are aware, dates back to the Vedic era. A pandit rattles off chants in Sanskrit while the participants are expected to repeat a couple of words every now and then. At intermittent intervals saturated fats Continue Reading

Much like Wagner’s’ Tristan and Isolde, life, like a piece of classical music, builds slowly. We can never really anticipate the crescendo it will reach when it begins. I never thought I would write books. For a couple of years I wrote poetry and scribbled my musings until the idea Continue Reading

A person stuck in time makes everyone uncomfortable, be it former glory or past tragedy. Although the past is very dear to us, we seldom remember it with accuracy. Somehow, we are able to manipulate it to suit our sense of melodrama. Hence, it’s not surprising that we feel nostalgic Continue Reading

We no longer know what it’s like to be silent. In fact, we’re afraid of it. We often fall asleep in front of a television set and wake up when someone switches it off.  We like the cacophony of voices, beeps and music. There’s too much information out there and Continue Reading

I’ve never understood why women respond with, “No, I’m a housewife,” when they are asked if they work. Only a housewife knows that ‘not working’ means doing everything that no one else wants to do. The tasks entail buying vegetables, planning meals, sorting piles of laundry, cleaning the home, stocking Continue Reading

We have grown used to feeling stressed. It’s a habit. We stress when our phone freezes, when traffic increases, when a flight is delayed. We know that life will return to routine after a temporary disruption but yet we complain. In fact, we are so used to feeling stressed that Continue Reading