Agia Napa, Cyprus For EP In dawn’s waxing light, I saunter, A lone beachcomber, searching For smooth shingles and pebbles, At the water’s very edge, The odd wave lapping my feet. The brushed, virgin sand, Yet untrodden by throngs; The
The Smiles of Strangers
In recent months, on several occasions, complete strangers (of both sexes and of varying ages) have, out of the blue, smiled kindly at me, for no apparent reason. And some even initiated conversations, that turned out to be pleasant, if
How Long Must a Person Live to Make a Difference in this World?
This morning, while walking to the center of town in Shillong, (Khasi Hills, Meghalaya State, India), I chanced upon a statue I had not noticed before. (Not that there are many statues in this town, unlike Russia, Armenia, or other
There Are No Coincidences
My apartment is a goodish walk from the parking lot. So, I wasn’t too happy when I discovered after reaching home that I had forgotten my phone in the car. But I decided to make use of the opportunity to
Keys In the Snow
These past few days, the polar vortex brought the coldest temperatures in a generation to parts of the US and Canada. I’m now having second thoughts about spending a winter in Siberia. After a snowfall, I usually take along a
বিদায় ৰঞ্জিত ককাইদেউ … [Goodbye, Ranjit, elder brother …]
Once upon a time, it was the telegram that brought urgent news, good or bad, to family and friends in distant places. Now, a variety of instant messaging services have replaced the telegram that was once transmitted by a Morse
Nikol for the Nobel!
Eleven years ago, on the 9th May 2007, before a group protesting the jailing of a political prisoner, the impassioned speaker told the assembled crowd, “Victory is not achieved at once. Victory is achieved step by step.” The speaker was
70s’ Music – the Elixir of Life
One of the things that struck me soon after arriving in the US, was how Americans were constantly getting rid of things. No, this was not just the inevitable downsizing after retirement, but, more likely, making room for newer possessions.
The Guru and the Gun
There was a time I envied American children at school. The freedom of dress and opinion; The yellow school bus at the doorstep; The gym and sports and, most of all, The swanky halls of learning. We were regimented in
The Passing of Friends in the Digital Age
Around twenty-five years ago, after the death of a Swedish friend, I received a surprise package containing two notebooks from the executors of his estate. On deciphering the pages, painstakingly written in longhand, the books turned out to be the