Comfortably Numb

Feature: The End Of An Era

Far away in a hill town, strong ties help a family continue a legacy of several generations. He was a self-made man, a flinty kind of man, given more to fits of rage than much smiling. But he had foresight, lots of it. Chancing upon large tracts of untouched land in a southern corner of…

Feature: A Matter of Gifting

A matter of gifting When it comes to giving, size does not matter; what matters is affection, a large heart. For years and years now, she had been playing Lady Bountiful but in the nicest sense ever. She was the sibling settled abroad. She had always been equipped with the most generous heart possible but…

Humour: Moving pictures

Moving pictures! Watching a film in a small-town theatre is a larger-than-life experience as Sheila Kumar discovers Denizens of Bangalore, rejoice. Rejoice that when you go to catch the latest Arnie or Keanu-as-Neo hijinks on the big screen, it’s just another evening out. One replete with convivial company, honey-glazed popcorn, a cola if you are…

Travel: Florence, Italy

Tricks of the eye In Florence, what you see may not be what you get. In fact, Florence had pulled a number on me but I’m not complaining. The city lay spread out at my feet, looking more than a trifle dull in the mid-morning haze. I am on Piazzale Michelangelo, atop a hill on…

Travel: To Oxford, Bath and Stratford-upon-Avon

A drive out to Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon and Bath. A driving trip is a great way to see places. You’re in control of the vehicle and pace. You decide what to see, when to see it, when and where to stop. And, when driving in England, almost everything is stacked in your favour: great motorways, clear…

Feature: The Search for Bunter

The Search for Bunter The search began inconspicuously enough. Some years ago, I was at this party in Coonoor and the talk turned to books and further, to the books of our childhood. Someone said, ‘’My favourite books were the Billy Bunter series by Frank Richards,’’ and I heartily agreed. The books were a riot,…

Books: Is India Reading?

The book still rules Harry Potter notwithstanding, it’s been a parade of pretenders: the television, the Net, cineplexes, video games. Has this blitzkrieg killed the love of books in us? Sheila Kumar does a reconnoitre of the situation and brings in a clear verdict. Is India reading? What a no-brainer question, right? Of course India…

Feature: Walking on the clifftop

All in the mind Walking on the ridge of a windswept cliff, you suddenly get to see more of a cliffhanger way of life. It is a bleak day, a blue day…

Humour: The Great Indian ET

The Indian ET The Indian traveler is no longer an arriviste… he has arrived! Sheila Kumar delves into the psyche of this peripatetic tribal. Who is he? He is The Great Indian Traveller, more popularly known by his other name, ET. ET stands for Enthusiastic Tourist. The ET should not be confused with the OIA,…

Humour: The Red Dragon

The Red Dragon It was getting to be dark, we were tired but there were no B & Bs to be had in all of Bath. So we drove on towards Bristol, till we came to this farm…