Sheila Kumar - Comfortably Numb

Comfortably Numb

Sheila Kumar's Storehouse

Feature: Tribute to a beloved dog

A pet can be an entertainer and sometimes it can also teach us life’s valuable lessons. We had a Golden Retriever called Boss for seven years — a stunner with his sandy coat, brilliant black eyes and handsome muzzle. However, it was his good humoured demeanour that set him apart from other dogs. Boss didn’t…

Feature: Strengthen Your Bond

Better your bond Getting a romantic relationship to last needs some effort. Here are some tips. Let’s face it. Falling in love is all too easy. Staying in love, however, isn’t. Like all other relationships, a romantic relationship too is vulnerable to the pulls and pressures of day-to-day life. However, if both partners are clear…

Feature: The Art of Anger Management

Let off steam but in controlled doses Anger management is vital for good health. Aggression and shouting are emotions that are always denigrated, never rewarded. `Shrieking like fishwives’, `squabbling like monkeys’, `fighting like demons’… these adages that describe the release of anger make it clear that anger is a negative emotion. Actually, anger is a…

Feature: Madras, the Different City

Rocking to a different beat Chennai city is different from all the other metros. This is its strength and it is high time that the difference is celebrated. It could be an apocryphal story but it isn`t. Two young men were `timepassing` in Spencer Plaza on Anna Salai…

Travel: Kanha, Madhya Pradesh

In search of Sher Khan Kanha National Park is where you can come face-to-face with a tiger, if you have the patience. In search of a tiger We are bowling over a horrendous road when I decide to put on record my indemnity bond. “Er,” I say, “I hope you girls know that not…

Travel: Kerala Kalamandalam

Distant drums Sheila Kumar visits the Santiniketan of the South, the Kerala Kalamandalam in Cheruthuruthy As we drive into the green hamlet of Cheruthuruthy, the first sound that wafts over the air, over the rippling waters of the river Bharatapuzha, is the rhythmic pulse of the chenda drums. A sound ubiquitous to all major temple festivals in…

Travel: Paris: Mogan, Montmartre, Madhu and Montparnasse

Madhu, Mogan and Montparnasse Sheila Kumar gets a rather unusual perspective on Paris, The City of Lights. Mogan Sue, Madhu and me meet Mogan-from- Tiruchirapally) one autumn evening in the foyer of our hotel, the Hotel Montmartrois in Paris. After Mogan spooks us with a slew of warnings about “being careful,” he insists…

Feature: Terrors of the Dark

At night the mind takes stock of all that one has or has not done, and fears and worries creep in. It’s obviously a throwback to the days of our ancestors.When it became dark, they built robust fires to warm themselves, as also to keep wild animals at bay. These fires, I am certain, kept their…

Travel: Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh

Once a Gond kingdom, there’s more to Jabalpur than the world-famous Marble Rocks. One of Jabalpur’s claims to fame is that it dates back to the upper Jurassic period. The other famous aspect of this town in Madhya Pradesh is the Marble Rocks, located at Bedaghat, about 23 km away. At Beraghat, the deep green…

Humour: Pillar to post

Sometimes, even awkward situations can take a funny turn, if turned the right way. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing them at the O’Hare airport in Chicago. They were her former husband, his new wife and their newly-born son. Not that she was in Chicago on pleasure; she was there to hand over her daughter…