Saying thank you
I looked at my Dad’s face. He looked crest-fallen. As he caught me looking at him, he quietly muttered, “Thank you bhi nahi bola.” (She didn’t even say thank you). It was familiar sight for me. My…
Technical fault
As I reached the departure gate, my eyes fell on the display board. Five out of the seven flights scheduled for that evening were either cancelled or delayed. Jet Airways, of course, had cancelled its flights. But…
The serene Po Lin Monastery in Hong Kong
We first caught sight of the Po Lin Monastery between the misty clouds from the Ngong Ping cable car. And then again we spotted it from the top of the peak when we climbed up to see…
Cable car ride to the Tian Tan Buddha
Hong Kong is otherwise a great place to be awed by its skyscrapers and to experience some retail therapy. But if like me, you are not particularly enamoured by high-rises and prefer green spaces, a day trip…
The locked door
We were in Hong Kong. On a two day trip. We were travelling with another couple who had kids. We had booked an apartment through AirBnB. It was a risk we were taking as this particular one…
The world mourns for Notre-Dame de Paris
Last night, not just Parisians, but people world over were distraught to see the Notre-Dame aflame. Fire engulfed the structure and horrified onlookers gasped as they saw the iconic Gothic spire collapse. The world mourned as fire…
Shaam-e-Sarhad: A day at a border village in the Rann
In January this year, we were in Gujarat to be part of the Rann Utsav. The festival held in the Rann of Kutch from November to February each year attracts several tourists. We were to spend an…
Pride in being competent
That morning, we were examiners at a postgraduate examination. I hardly knew any of my other co-examiners. It was my first encounter with all three of them. ‘Encounter’ is a word I use deliberately. For what followed…
The fuel called failure
Despite the decades that have disappeared since, I remember every little detail in great clarity. The kasavu saree I wore. The colour combination used in my PowerPoint slides. The strange shape of the podium. The huge timer…
Them versus us
The year was 2002. I was a naive small town girl on her first solo trip to the big bad world of metropolises. Mumbai. The sight of people stuffed like sardines into local trains— pushed in and…
