Identity is everything in India. Every month or so, some agency or the other will demand copies of identity cards and address proof in triplicate, along with 5 passport photos where at least 20% of your forehead is visible. I recently switched from a pre-paid mobile connection to a post-paid one. I got a call ...

On the second day of the school term, Siddharth Biswas caught eight flies, killed them and peeled off their wings. He then opened my pencil-box and scattered their dismembered bodies, taking care to heap the wings around my new eraser. I discovered the deed soon after lunch, and promptly burst into tears. It wasn’t a ...

I was saddened to hear about the death of Shakuntala Devi, the maths genius, earlier this week. Her feats were many but what astounded me was the fact that she multiplied two 13-digit numbers in 28 seconds. That would be the amount of time it would take me to read out a 13-digit number. (And ...

That December, Madras had one of its harshest winters. Some days, the weather dropped down to as low as 27 degrees celsius. Schools shut down, offices decided to open late, and the earmuff sellers at T.Nagar were all but sold out. Women all over the city switched their allegiances from talcum powder to moisturiser, some ...

“Lady, are you looking for my shop? Because I think I am looking for you”, said the man outside the sweet shop in Istanbul as he snipped off a piece of Turkish Delight and offered it to me. For the uninitiated, Turkish Delight is like a more user-friendly and colourful version of our halwa. Like ...

A number of important innovations have been reported recently, setting the tone for a resplendent 2013. To start with, two students from Surathkal have come up with the idea of manufacturing notebooks that carry ads. That’s right. Because there isn’t enough advertising in this country. I wonder if they will extend their idea to exam ...

Many years ago, I worked in a charming little software company. Like every other software company in India, we had American clients, good salaries, and an appalling sense of fashion. We also seemed to have a lot of trouble understanding the concept of time. Most mornings would pass in a haze of interminable meetings, tea-breaks, ...

[This is the unedited version of my column published 11 Nov 2012 in the Asian Age & Deccan Chronicle] Pre-Diwali spring cleaning was in full swing at home, when my dad handed me a stack of spotless cotton dhotis. “For donation”, he said, “Nowadays, I am preferring to wear these 3/4th pants at home. Very ...

[Note: This is the unedited version of my column published 14 Oct 2012 in the Asian Age & Deccan Chronicle] A few months ago, the husband and I got to travel to Australia’s beautiful but remote Kimberley region. We were huddled around a campfire with Australia’s finest (which is to say, retirees with lots of ...

[Note: This is the unedited version of my column published 15 Sept, 2012 in The Deccan Chronicle & Asian Age newspapers] Not a day goes by without someone being offended by something that was said or done. What exactly is going on? Is the number of offensive people on the rise? I put the blame ...