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
Telefunken and Van Morrison
Telefunken and Van Morrison Growing up as a teenager in a small Indian town in the early 70s, the only medium for transmitted entertainment was the radio. TV had not yet reached my town in those days and cable television
An Armenian Christmas Story
An Armenian Christmas Story (involving three non-Armenians!) Earlier this year, when I was in Yerevan for a book signing event, I happened to connect with John B- through the ubiquitous Facebook, after seeing some interesting posts of his on Armenia.
A Taste of the Bangalore Literary Scene
In the matter of letters, yesterday was a red-letter day, for me here in Bangalore. First, I got to meet Pradeep Bahirwani, the author of The Youngest Daughter, a book set in the Khasi Hills, a place where I have
Calling All Poets of the North-East of India!
Calling All Poets of the North-East of India! Are you a poet from the Indian States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, or Tripura? If you are, and if you write poems in English (or, if there
In Praise of Creativity – SUMMERSALT
Meeting former colleagues, especially the like-minded, is always a pleasure. In the second week of my vacation here at the hill-station of Shillong in North-East India, I was delighted when Mr. Kit Shangpliang, a colleague from a decade and a
Voluntourism With A Difference – Combine Altruism and Adventure
Looking for an opportunity to combine a vacation with some good deeds? Here’s a project that combines altruism and adventure – and, as an added bonus, there’s a tax discount in it as well! I am looking for volunteers to
Coming Home Again to Shillong*
From under the warm, clumpy quilt, I’m awoken before dawn’s first blush, By birds’ twittering; thunder growling; The wind wailing through the pine trees; And flashes of lightning over the hill top. But, under it all, the stillness and serenity
Finding Common Ground
I have often been asked (by would-be readers, of course) what my books are about. At the same time, those who have read my books have told me that none of my books are the same – that they are