Comfortably Numb - Sheila Kumar's Storehouse

Feature: Are We Seeing A Commitment Crisis?

Are We Seeing A Commitment Crisis? Time was when our elders (and betters, many would have it) just went with the flow of the tide. They would study hard, marry whom their elders told them to, work hard at being good husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. They never paused to examin e the concept…

Book review: The Gold Of Their Regrets by Ravi Shankar Etteth

A crackling good yarn Subhas Chandra Bose in a guest role, Nazi gold, a sprinkling of murders make for a great thriller. First, the good news. This is a crackling good yarn, a murder mystery that moves at a rapid pace, is peopled with ingenious characters and at its centre, holds a story that in…

Feature: Just Believe It!

Just believe it! If faith can move mountains, belief can turn your life around. We Indians inherently believe in belief. So much so, we are forever telling people around us to believe. But how many of us believe in ourselves? In all we can do? In all the good things of life? The power of…

Travel: Singapore`s Orchard Road

POSTCARD FROM SINGAPORE Shop till you drop A ready reckoner for shopping in Orchard Road IT is a lovely long street, dotted with leafy trees, wooden seats at strategic intervals, street stalls selling sumptuous finger food. Once the site of nutmeg and pepper plantations, now Orchard Road is dominated by the many mega malls,…

Travel: Finding Farhan`s fort in Goa

Finding Farhan’s fort A journey across Goa looking for a fort THE sun is beating down relentlessly on us, a quartet of friends who go back a long way. We are rendezvousing in Goa, it’s a reunion of sorts, and at my behest, we are seeking one particular fort. You know, the one where the…

Feature: Are You A Serial Pleaser?

Are you a serial pleaser? Don’t run yourself ragged trying to please everyone. A serial pleaser is someone who is forever trying to keep everyone in his/her circle happy all the time. An exhausting prospect, but you’d be surprised as to how many of us attempt to do just that, sometimes unconsciously. Of course, it…

Humour: A scaly affair

A scaly affair A snake in the house makes for more drama than expected. “Come quickly,“ the household staff telephoned Anthony, and pleaded. “There’s a python in the backyard eating one of our ducks.“ Sure enough, Anthony, hurrying to the yard, saw a magnificent specimen lying in a stupor, its middle swollen with fowl. Snakes…

Book review: The Iconic Women of India edited by Malvika Singh

Tales of woman power A collection of essays that celebrates the achievements of women of undoubted substance. The title, The Iconic Women of Modern India, does tend to trouble you at first. The women written up, 16 of them in all, are all without argument women who have done and are doing much, but…

Feature: Dhritiman Chaterji, Profiled

On life’s stage CHENNAI CALLING I shifted base from Kolkata to Chennai 16 years ago. I have always liked the atmosphere in Chennai. It still retains an element of quietude and moves at a slower pace compared to other Indian metros. Now, I know enough Tamil to get by. A decade ago, my wife Ammu,…

Travel Books: Go Places, Sitting at Home

It’s in the books! Armchair travel takes on a special charm with the right books. EXPLORE THE WORLD THROUGH TRAVEL BOOKS! Sitting in the cosy confines of your favourite easy chair and going places, seeing sights, meeting all sorts of people, all without having to don camping gear, resort to insect repellents or learn a…