Sometimes love is just this. I have gone through about 2 years now of seeing the greatest love of my life, my mother, in pain. Relentless, unremitting pain. I have seen someone who makes me laugh with her curiosity, who taught me to see the world, to embrace the world with wide-eyed wonder, under house […]
My mother turns 80 today. One of the blessings of this pandemic is that it has brought us closer to what really matters in life. For most of the last decade, I have been living away from my parents – with someone or by myself. Work initiated the move. And then, independence necessitated it further. […]
I am a reluctant writer. And an even more reluctant sharer of what I write. I am the sort of person who will write a novel in a frenzy in 30 days, and then delay sending a pitch to a publisher for 300 days. Also, I am a shy person, and I really can’t believe […]
I was reminded of Dr. Seuss’ classic book today. “There are more than 1,000 books here,” my exhausted Dad said, pointing to the three cartons of books awaiting transport that jam up the staircase in our house. I grinned, waiting to unpack my beloved books and sort them out. “Look at these albums that were […]
The entrance to the St. Joseph’s college auditorium in Bangalore’s upscale Shantinagar was packed with vehicles. I had parked my car further down the road and I just waded in through the throng of visitors. Friendly volunteers guided me to the auditorium in front of which chair were set up. Kids were milling around. Adults […]
Many years ago, back in 2002, I got my first dog, Bambi. She was a senior dog, almost seven or eight years old, and given away by my English professor in college. I didn’t know what I was thinking when I agreed to adopt Bambi. I don’t think I thought much. I didn’t have any […]
I read the wonderful Bangalore Blue last month by Steven Carvalho. I was so delighted by the nostalgia it evoked that I have been recommending this to anyone I know who loves Bangalore. First, it was my sister. And then, I gave it to my Dad. My father doesn’t read anything apart from a newspaper. […]
Many years ago, on this day, I came home from school to find a crowd in front of my house. As I got out of my friend’s Ambassador car, my stomach churned. Surely, this gathering could not be a friendly family get-together. It wasn’t. As I was about to open the gate, my sister’s sister-in-law […]
Last evening, it rained heavily in Bangalore. The rain cast sweeping hues of melancholy on my car’s windshield until I stopped and got out of the car, embracing its sweep. Melancholy can serve a twin purpose – it can push you to the darkest corners of your soul, or it can also sweep the darkest […]