“Romance of Postage Stamps” was a book on postage stamps that I read several times in the late seventies and early eighties. I’m not sure how it came into our possession, it might have been a gift from my grandfather or my brother might have bought it. It was...
As a young boy, my imagination was fueled by books such as “Robinson Crusoe”, “The Coral Island” and “The Swiss Family Robinson”. I was consumed by the sense of adventure and mystery that these books evoked. Many a lazy summer afternoon was spent dreaming of navigating the Amazon on...
Fourth grade was an exciting time for me. I changed schools and was now studying in the same school as my older brother. An impressive colonial-era building, with large sprawling fields – I was fairly intimidated and in awe the first few days. It was also the first time...
Religion is a way of life in India. It permeates almost every aspect of daily living but not in an obtrusive or militant fashion. The landscape is dotted with temples, mosques and to a lesser extent gurudwaras and churches reflecting the religious composition of the population. There are grand...
Good authors have the ability to fire up our imagination while great authors have the ability to transport us to the magical world they weave with their words. Children of today’s generation will probably nod their heads and point to J.K. Rowling but for a large group of children...
Long before Facebook, Tumblr and blogs. Long before Netscape Navigator and IE, there were Usenet groups and harried students trying to finish up their theses. I used to frequent alt.culture.karnataka (ACK) and this was my contribution to the “Bangalore: A Nostalgic Perspective” thread. I had posted this in June...
My mother used to tell me that my brother and I never had the kind of fun that she and her siblings had when they were young and that my nephews did not have the kind of fun that my brother and I did. It is true that...
It had been a couple of months since we had moved to Massachusetts. My daughter and I decided to visit the Museum of Science in Boston on a Saturday and so we took the red line in to the city. The directions on the web site said that we...
I had written this in July 2013, barely a month after my mother passed away following complications after a bypass surgery. Eulogies are the norm, but I wish I had shared some of these thoughts with her when she was alive. Fair warning, it is a long read. It...
When it comes to sports, cricket has been always been, my first love. I grew up playing cricket on the streets in Bangalore. Being an English sport, there is a rich lore associated with the game and I would happily curl up on my cousin’s couch on visits to...