Last two weeks I had taken a few masterclasses. I was curious why the promotions were dancing all across my social media and what is in it for me...whether the algorithms claiming 'I need help' actually have a point! Well, following are the observations. 1. Most of them start describing horrible, life-crushing problems that the master of the masterclass has been through two summers back - now he is well manicured, talking from the study of his Las Vegas based mansion, all ailments recovered, deb…

Rich men and stylish women. Check. Lavish club memberships, chilling in five stars and frequent travels abroad. Double check. I loved Javed and had almost started forming arguments in my head to defend Bubbles dating this larger-than-life hunk, so what if he is a smuggler, when winds turned the page and I realised that I was reading a book! Unpredictable characters in a typical Bengali elite super-rich society has its own pull. Their tastes overwhelming and their meanness, worth a billion bucks…

I am told that this post has gone viral. It came to my email id. I think, if it hasn't gone viral, it should as this needs to be read widely. And discussed. Not that I have any false or misplaced understanding of recession, but the story makes a point. More about ethics, attitude and practices, than about recession. *** This is not my composition. Just the copy paste of a forward. I have no idea who has written this. Would like to know and credit the person*** Banwarilal was a samosa seller in…

Those days I was in college. In one of the class tests, friends in the front benches were copying from each other. It was Stats paper. The teacher came suddenly and they got nervous. The paper they wanted to pass dropped on my knees. The teacher immediately snatched my paper, suspecting I was cheating. Insulted to the hilt, I left the room. My HOD found me with red eyes and asked what happened. He was very affectionate. I told him. Later I figured, the teacher thought I had complained against he…

The drums of #Chaturthi are playing allover. It is an amazing feeling, sounds very similar to the dhaak of Durga puja. Come to think of it, Ganesha was a writer. He wrote the Mahabharata with rishi Vyasa as the storyteller. Here are some small snippets on this Maha collaboration - the narrator and the author. I don't do a puja at home, but this is my way of worshipping the deva. Seeking divine blessings - writer to writer. --- The Mahabharata was written by Veda Vyasa, grandfather of the Pandava…

Mumbai 30th April, 2015, Morning A “vacation” planned for the next 10 days. Mumbai to Delhi to Kashmir. Excited? Not sure. Child alert constantly nudging my “cute” brain. Packing done? Yes. Enough warm clothes for baby? Yes. Wait, put in some more! Fine, I’ve taken all I had. But Delhi will be hot! Punch in some soft ones. Done. Baby’s food? Water? Yes, all arranged; these are last moment items to put inside the laptop bag. Set a reminder. Cool! Travel medicines? The father’s responsibility. My …