“The waning days of our lives are given over to treatments that addle our brains and sap our bodies for a sliver’s chance of benefit” – Atul Gawande. How true. It is sad that most are not able to accept that leaving things as they are, sometimes, is the best…
Live in the present is one oft-heard adage while prepare for a rainy day is yet another. Living in the past, however, is never recommended – in fact, it is mostly dissuaded. Events leading up from last month to today, however, have reinforced in me the fact that many of…
‘Housewife’ is a dirty word. God forbid you utter it to the inevitable “What do you do?” and one either gets a bemused look or an embarrassed shrug of the shoulders accompanied by a turning away to greener, more employed pastures. This happens all the time. A few years ago,…
I regularly give thanks for the good people I know – individuals who go above and beyond what their job description entails; individuals who look at themselves as part of a community that they should aid. They are the ones who make life worth living, no matter what the difficulties.…
I spent the first eight and a half years of my life in large homes. My family then moved, for two and a half years, to a small apartment in Madras, where a minimum of seven shared a single shower, sink and toilet. Then, we moved, once more to spacious…
Many commercially packed items in India come with expiry (or best before) dates these days which many of us look for assiduously. However, for some products, these dates don’t hold water at all. Many dry food (grains, lentils, flours, snacks, spices) packages look inflated – in fact, if you press…
Stopping to think for a moment before passing comment is a real sign of maturity. As is NOT jumping to conclusions or passing judgment. But this is easier said than done. Most of us do it all the time, often without even realising it. As I grow older, I am…
On my walk today, I saw a neatly dressed woman ahead – with a store purchase tag dangling from the back. I should tell her, I thought. Then, I paused. Should I? Would she think I had nothing better to do than look at her? I recollected how I had…
We often hear negative stories of local products and services and of abysmal customer service. However, there are many occasions when things go right. And when they are put right when they do go wrong. Booking train tickets in India is so easy now – just a few clicks on…
As school leaving examinations approach in India, tensions and anxieties run high – not just for the children but also for parents and everyone residing under the same roof. Even if we keep telling ourselves that there is life beyond this examination and regardless of what happens, life goes on…