Yet Another Point of View

In a quaint old city, deep in the hinterland of the country, a rich merchant once announced a reward of a thousand gold coins for anyone who could spend a whole winter night standing knee deep in the river.   In the same city, lived an old man and his young daughter, Rohini. The old man was poor and burdened with debt – he had nothing more to lose but his life. He decided to try his luck and accepted the merchant’s challenge.   On a cold wintry night, the old man mustered up all his courage and waded into the river. A little off the bank, as the freezing water knocked against his quivering knees, he steadied himself and stood facing the bank. A little crowd gathered and twittered amongst themselves. Most concluded he wouldn't last even until midnight. As the night grew deeper, they grew impatient and drifted away homewards. Eventually, the river bank was empty, even the howling dogs having retreated into warmer corners of the city.  When dawn broke the next morning, the o...

  How Raktabahu’s evil intent was undone and Chilika was born   I love stories with fantastical elements, peppered with larger-than-life characters and dollops of magic realism. On a recent trip to Lake Chilika on the eastern coast of Odisha state, I stumbled upon some quaint legends surrounding the lake, especially its formation. And, like with all stories, I love embellishments. So, here is my ‘decorated’ version. The story goes, there was a roguish pirate king by the name, Raktabahu. Literally, that translates to one who’s arms are drenched with blood. He did have the blood of many on his hands, metaphorically speaking. He had looted , pillaged and killed many in his violent attacks on trading ships sailing the eastern seas. The ships laden with merchandise for foreign shores, with their weather-beaten but honest sadhavas (sailor merchants) would be caught unawares on moonlit nights on the high seas. The moon would be a mute witness to the murders as masked bandits spr...

The first whiff of freedom after a long confinement…smells of wet earth. After almost 3 months, I stepped out of home for my routine walk at the lake. Before this viral pandemic stopped us all in our tracks and made us hunker down in the confines of our homes, I used to be a regular at the jogging track around the Mahadevapura lake.  Well, truth be said, it’s not really a jogging track, just an unpaved, narrow meandering path around the lake. But, it is like a little watering hole in the concrete jungle around us. It draws walkers and joggers of all kinds, shapes and sizes. And, to my delight, they are mostly back in Unlock 1.0! On my first day back, it gave a semblance of normalcy. Like, nothing had changed. Except the ubiquitous masks. There is the lanky old man who prefers to walk in a lungi and t-shirt. The words on his t-shirt are meant to reprimand you if you even think of smirking at his choice of attire.   They say in bold - ‘Old is Gold’. There is the Gen Z you...

This lockdown has influenced us all in unique ways. It made me do some of my favorite kind of writing….fiction.    I wrote a very short romantic thriller (Amazon Kindle e-book) titled The Saviour - Love and Danger in Pandemic Times.   This is my first e-book and I am excited to see how it fares. It’s available for free download on Kindle Unlimited . Pick up the book  here .     What's the book about?   It’s a fast-paced urban story set in today’s pandemic environment. A viral pandemic ravages the world. As death lays waste everything around the protagonists, Jahnavi and 'Doc', love doesn’t stand a chance, especially one that not many speak about. In times of pandemics, nothing acquires greater precedence than the quest for a vaccine. In the race for the vaccine, some sacrifices will have to be made. Whose will it be? And, what will the survivors be left with? Read to find out.  You'll breeze through the book in 30 minutes! That's a quick re...

Yes, I just hit 40. Sounds like I hit a tow truck.  We’ve been socially conditioned to treat it as some dead-end, or worse, a hill top. After this, it’s only downhill. The truth is its one of the most liberating milestones in your life. By 40, you are mostly wiser, professionally established, (hopefully) financially secure and personally surer about what you want in life. You are also still young enough to chase some new dreams, enjoy the fruits of your labors and reinvent yourself, if need be. Running up to my 40th birthday, I started thinking of listing out all that I had learnt in the last decades. All those years had to count for wisdom, if nothing else. Some of the below lessons, I learnt myself. Some were taught to me by others. Some will make me sound profound, others plain stupid. If some sound familiar to you, give me a shout. 1.      If you want something in life, really, really want it, go get it yourself ! If you are sitting around ...

Time Magazine apologized earlier this week to Indian-Americans for publishing an article by Joel Stein that was offensive and derogatory to the community. I agree, the article IS offensive in parts. Its like Mr Stein started out writing a humor column but somewhere midway he gave in to the strands of subconcious racism that he can't deny have woven themselves into his diatribe against the Indian onslaught in his precious New Jersey hometown. Come on, "dotheads"?!! You cant imagine you'll get away with language like that in a magazine like Time. Celebrities get flak for using politically-incorrect terms all the time. Mel Gibson was in trouble for using the 'N' word recently. Public figures are made to apologize for using the 'F' word. So, I am glad Joel Stein was required to tender an apology for using the 'D' word. Not that the apology sounds sincere to me. He says "I truly feel stomach-sick that I hurt so many people." What? He didn...

And, as if that justifies everything. As if it justifies that 12-year old Rouvan Rawla was repeatedly rebuked, harrassed, humiliated and finally caned by Principal Sunirmal Chakravarthi of Le Martinere school in Kolkata. He was caned so hard that the cane snapped in two. Worse, it broke the spirit of the boy so badly that he hung himself in his room four days later. In response to the protests and outcry, the Principal has now "apologized". He said, ""I have to admit that when I caned this boy, I made a mistake and am willing to face consequences of that. But to link the caning of this boy to his death 4-5 days later is stretching it." Really?!! Is it really such a stretch to understand the connection between a 12-year-old's fragile, impressionable psyche and the emotional trauma caused by physical and public humiliation? Hmmm, doesnt sound like rocket science to me. And the Principal is supposed to be the expert of children's education, personality de...

There's this guy who decided to focus on a bright twinkle in a dark sky. Everyday. For a thousand weekdays. I stumbled upon an online write-up in The Huffington Post on Neil Pasricha's book The Book of Awesome . He had started it as a website 1000 Awesome Things back in 2008. In each post, he writes about "one simple, universal little joy" like "snow days, bakery air, or cashiers opening up new lanes at the grocery store, the smell of rain on a hot sidewalk, and waking up and realizing it's Saturday." Most of the posts are bang-on and just about everybody, from every part of the world, could relate to them. He also peppers the post with personal vignettes and that makes them all the more endearing. They are well-written and that's probably the reason why the book works. "Awesome!" is not usually my chosen exclaimation of sheer delight, but were I to use it, what would be my top 10 instances? Its actually tough to shortlist ten, leave alone...

How does one say "India should be more generous" and also say "I can't change anti-India sentiments", both in the same breath? Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina's statement, in a most I-am-helpless-what-can-I-do manner, puzzles me. She also implied that the anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh has been festering since the 1950s. The soundbite is here . Lunch-hour conversation over Sheikh Hasina's stuttered remark brought India's relations with our other (dare I say, angrier) neighbor to the table. Someone mentioned the recently launched The Times of India initiative Aman ki Aasha . Its hogwash, he said. The anti-India sentiment in Pakistan is so deeply embedded that its not going to change for several generations to come. So, let me get this right. Because you believe that your neighbor hates you from the core of his being, you are never going to do anything about the situation. Never take any initiative, never try to understand, never make overtures or for...

If Telangana can, we will too . So says Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha (for a separate Bundelkhand) and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (for Gorkhaland). Following soon will be Saurashtra, Vidharbha, and even a Mithilanchal. Why, even Coorg region in Karnataka wants to become a state! India is sure going to see a number of high-profile fasts-unto-death on the evening news in the coming days.

President Pratibha Patil was addressing the press conference after her history-making sortie in the Sukhoi-30MKI. Without meaning any disrespect, I must say she looked real cute in that G-suit and cap. Like with her usual outfit of saree (draped over her head) and full-sleeve blouse, the suit was buttoned up to her throat. I do feel it makes her look rather uptight, though. Anyway, what she said was interesting. Forget the "it was an interesting and unique experience..." blah blah. Commenting on women in combat roles, she said that "decision was left to the experts". Given that this 74-year-old woman had just made a half-hour sortie in an Indian Air Force Fighter Jet (a combat aircraft), I wondered who was the 'expert' who had certified her eligible and why weren’t those experts allowing other women into combat roles. I believe, the IAF currently has 784 women officers working in different branches, but at present they are barred from the fighter stream. I ...

The Twilight Saga: New Moon is releasing. I am not a tween (haven’t been for ages now) yet am super-excited. Seems that’s the trend because, according to Slate , tweens’ moms are the biggest fan base lapping up the Twilight series . (I am not the mom of a tween either, but you know, technically old enough.) And according to USA Today , one in every 7 books sold in the United States in Q1 2009 was one of the four Twilight books. Anyway, I stumbled upon Stephenie Meyer’s saga when the first movie- Twilight - released last November. Incidentally, I had broken my leg and was laid up in bed, hence I had plenty of time to wallow unhealthily in loads of Internet browsing, realms of chick-lit and hours of mediocre movies and TV shows. The online media was abuzz with the Edward-Bella romance and the air was rent with the shrieks and sighs of teenage girls. I caught the Twilight flick online - a grainy version prone to buffering. Contrary to all the hype, I was left puzzled. What the heck were ...

This story is about how people do business. There is customer service and there is customer delight. And there is the yawning gap between the two. Since I toy around with all that market-speak for most of my professional work hours, I have a passable understanding of it. But it was enlightening to see them in action, in the space of a single evening. Okay, the story starts with me hurrying around Bangalore East with a largish pair of butterfly wings …yes, you read right, butterfly wings….in my hands. Don’t ask me for the backstory; suffice it to say, it’s got something to do with a kiddies fancy dress competition and my daughter wanting to be Mariposa, that Ms-Goody-Two-Shoes fairy from Barbie Land. The wings were diaphanous, purple-colored and liberally sprinkled with glitter. Where did I get them? To my utter, incredulous wonder, there is a whole shop near Ulsoor Police Station solely devoted to fancy dress costumes for kids. And he had a rack full of wings to choose from. When I pic...

Shashi Tharoor got a rap for twittering. Literally and figuratively. Apparently, he was responding to a specific query on his Twitter page - 'would you travel cattle class on your next trip to Kerala?' And the suave, articulate (but obviously uninformed in the ways of politically-correct, neta speak) Junior Foreign Minister tweeted - "Absolutely. In cattle class out of solidarity with our holy cows." I laughed out loud on seeing that reply. But, Tharoor's political bosses dont share the mirth. They reprimanded him . And that's his second reprimand in a week. I am not offended by Tharoor's tweet and I realize it was his dig at the holier-than-thou politicians who asked him to get out of the luxury hotel and move into Kerala House. I am just surprised that man like Tharoor didn't use a better choice of words. He is a minister, very recently in the spotlight for his very un'austere' lifestyle. The last thing he should be doing is taking potshots i...

A FWD landed in my inbox this morning. The subject line said FWD: YSR Crash . I had a fair idea of what it would contain even before I opened it. The images attached were graphic and disturbingly clear. The hi-res pictures had obviously been taken by the news photographers who had access to the crash site of YSR Reddy's chopper on Rudrakonda hill. The broken, bloated and burnt bodies were clearly visible strewn amidst the wreckage. You could make out the pilot from the stripes on his uniform. I didnt venture to guess which one of the bodies was the Chief Minister's. Thankfully, the creator of this FWD (good Lord, how morbid!) had not identified YSR in his/her 'comments' (Yes, the pics were captioned!!). Having scrolled down once, I hit Delete. Soon afterwards, a colleague of mine, who was also marked on the FWD, sent a Reply All. Her point was that its quite reprehensible the way we are making a spectacle of someone's gruesome death. Please dont forward this mail a...

Reality TV embarrasses me. Like, turn-beetroot-red, feel-prickles-behind-my-neck, search-frantically-for-someplace-to-hide, wish-the-ground-would-swallow-me-up embarrassed. And, then I take a deep breath, get a hold and ask myself why the hell am I embarrased? I am not the one publicly washing my dirty laundry in a 'moment of truth' or eating grasshoppers to score points in a makeshift 'jungle'. I am just watching TV in the privacy of my bedroom. No matter, I stay just as embarrassed at the antics of some of my fellow homosapiens in the glare of a TV camera. Lunch hour conversation has, of late, been liberally peppered with one 'Rakhi ka Swayamvar'. To check out what everyone has been tittering about and also partly, to offset the accusations that I am being too high-brow or pseudo, I forced myself to watch last Monday's episode. And, ended up reeling with a little nausea. Whoever is the show’s scriptwriter, he/she is the Queen of Tacky! Half-way through I w...

Overheard in the ladies restroom this morning. From the far end of the mirror, I remained a mute eavesdropper to this conversation. Lady 1 - "Tch..Tch..I feel soooo sad for Michael Jackson, yaar." She heaved a huge sigh, plonked her handbag on the counter and turned to face her audience. Her face was a genuine mask of anguish. Lady 2 - "Oh yes, yaa..I too...he died, no." I guess, sometimes, grief is best expressed by stating the obvious. Lady 1 - (tone dipping) "When he died no, his body ...was only skeleton." Lady 2 - "Really?" Lady 1 - "Yeah..only bones..like, no food only in his stomach..." Lady 2 - "oh God!" Now, she is seriously shocked. From the corner of my eye, I can see her hairbrush paralyzed in midair. Lady 1 - "He was bald. And, his skin was whittte!" The 'white' had chilling emphasis. Lady 2 - "But he was Black, no?" She actually used the racially derogatory (and politically incorrect) ...

Michael Jackson was my introduction to western music. To say the truth, back then, I didnt understand a word of what he sang. But it was like a window to a whole different world than the one we lived in. So, while the parents raved and ranted about the polluting effects of western culture and the 'noise' that was called pop music, we sneaked in bits of Beat It and Black or White . A thin, hyper-energetic, amazing singer with that unbelievable crotch-hugging dance step - it was all too fascinating. The TV news channels have been running the news of Jackson's demise almost without a break since early morning today. Everyone is 'celebrating' the passing of an icon. Well, not everyone. There are some pretty scathing commentaries out there too. At lunch, watching the MJ news reports loop endlessly, a colleague commented that it wont be long before all the muck on Jackson would be raked up too. The star's unnerving obsession with plastic surgeries, the child abuse ch...