a memoir of etchings and wanderings
This used to be one of my favourite songs during graduation. I think I was around 18 then. We had a college band. They were pretty good. They also let me sing sometimes. I also performed on stage. ‘Fix You’ by Coldplay. Wearing a saree. Yes. I should upload that video sometime. *** So, autumn is here. It is probably my second favourite season … Continue reading “When September Ends.” →
Out of the hundreds of songs that we hear over the course of our days, some we groove to, others we add to the ‘Favourites’; some we forget about, others which stay with us; some remind us of a person or a memory, others which are genuinely random. Once, in a while – there is that one song – one voice – one line – that just leave you stunned. I … Continue reading “Language of the Gods…” →
The luxuries of the opulent make for an abundant discussion. What can one not do with wallets bursting with currency. As I spend the first half of a very early Thursday morning at a plush golf course in uptown Muscat, this only become clearer. In recent times, golf has become one of the most exclusive, for-the-rich-only sports. It probably already was, in the West, but the trend has gradually travelled … Continue reading “Tee Time” →
There was a boy. He was everything any girl could dream of. He would do just anything to see her smile. He always had a handkerchief to lend and a shoulder to cry on. He went out of his way – too many times. He would treat her mother as his own. He loved her voice. He would make cards and write letters to her. He knew exactly what could … Continue reading “#TrueStory” →
Why does it never rain when we really want it to Why does hatred exist Why can’t we buy happiness at the local grocery Why is money so bloody important Why doesn’t blueberry cheesecake flow free from taps Why is kindness mistaken for weakness Why cannot everyone own a boat and go sailing Why do we look to others for fulfilment Why … Continue reading “Why Not?” →
There used to be a time when I plugged in music to keep out the noise. All the voices, talk and neighbouring paraphernalia. Now I do the same to block the silence. The deafening quiet. They say change is inevitable and for the better.
I’m thinking of the snow-capped Austrian Alps. I’m thinking of the Danube. I’m humming songs from the Sound of Music. I’m picturing the baroque years. I can almost hear Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in the background. I can smell the delicious coffee and sachertortes, coupled with fluent German chatter. I’m slowing down. *** I’m humming Billy Joel; he sings to me… Don’t you know that only fools are satisfied. Dream on … Continue reading “Vienna waits for you.” →
You know that feeling when there’s so much you want to do but there seems to be strings tying you down? That terrible ache when you see the world doing things that you’ve dreamt of? That sinking thought which enters your head sometimes and whispers – “Maybe it’ll never happen for you.”? That disappointment you feel when you’ve planned an entire trip and then have to erase … Continue reading “World, Hold On…” →
It stuns me to think of the sheer genius of some people. Everything they touch seem to turn to gold. One such man was Satyajit Ray. Writer, film-maker, illustrator, educator, critic – he was probably what marked the pinnacle of the Bengali genius and intellect. I have had the good fortune of being exposed to his works since I was a child. Nonsense limericks by his grandfather Upendrakishore … Continue reading “ফেলুদা” →