While rummaging through our pantry the other day, I came across a bag of Pistachios. It was a 3 lb bag from Costco and we had consumed about half its contents. The presence of the bag had obviously been forgotten and it was lying hidden behind some boxes. The contents had turned rancid and I threw the bag in the…
They made their appearance in India in the mid-to-late seventies. The next step in the evolution of music players – the cassette decks. They ranged from the compact mono players and “two-in-ones” to the larger cassette decks that came with graphic equalizers and powerful speakers. They were middle and upper-class status symbols, usually occupying a prominent place in the house.…
The phrase “Street Singer” evokes nostalgia for lovers of old Hindi music. And by old, I mean really old, for this is the name of the 1938 movie starring the singer-actor K.L. Saigal. It contains gems such as “Babul Mora”, “Jeevan Been Madhur Na Baje” and “Lachhami Murat Daras Dikhaye”. Yes, I admit, I listen to Hindi songs from the…
Each year, as my school’s annual sports day rolled around, I would get excited. I really had no reason to. While I played cricket and soccer in my neighborhood, I would never qualify for any of the athletic events. I loved sports though. I followed the Olympics (past and present) and Asian games closely. Jesse Owens, Al Oerter, Jim Thorpe,…
My brother crept up to the Vishnu bomb, paused for a moment, lit the fuse with an incense stick and ran back to where I was standing. There was a chill in the air. The sun was yet to rise and the street lamp cast our shadows on the street. The bomb exploded with a flash and as the sound…
If you asked me to name my favorite Hindi song, I would be hard-pressed to give you an answer. I’ve been listening to Hindi songs as far as I can remember. If you asked me my favorite English song, I would say “Jamaican Farewell” by Harry Belafonte. The word favorite is subjective. How does a song become one’s favorite? In…
I can’t remember much of what I learned in high school but bits of trivia that I read at that age are still fresh in my mind. Its useful for the odd dinner conversation but nothing more. However, it helped me out during my school days. My only claim to fame as a schoolboy was that I was a member…
I signed up for a mindfulness course earlier this year with my town’s community ed program. It was taught by an ex-Buddhist monk. I had read up a little on the theory by Thich Nhat Hanh and Henepola Gunaratna. I figured I would benefit from some practical advice. The class while it lasted was informative and helpful and I continued…
The Captain’s voice crackled over as the mild din in the aircraft subsided. I settled back in my seat and heaved a sigh of relief. My search for the holy grail had commenced without any major problems. The goodbyes still echoed in my mind and the images from the past few months swam before my eyes, myriad images in the…
The word “memoirs” conjures up the image of a celebrity sharing personal anecdotes and stories that make for interesting reading. I am neither a celebrity nor do I have any interesting anecdotes. Yes, dear reader, if you stumbled across this blog….this is a blog about nothing! But, if you did grow up in India in the seventies and eighties, or…