Taking Care .....

Among all the animal babies, it is said that the human babies are most vulnerable, helpless and dependent on their parents for a longer duration. They place their complete trust in their parents, so, shouldn't the parents also live up to that trust? 

The Wait (Fiction)

The Wait

Restless, he got up and walked to the window. It had started drizzling. The parched ground was thirstily drinking up the droplets. A cool breeze brought in the aroma of the wet soil. Throwing his head back he inhaled the earthy smell -- she should have been here.

Vijaya Dashami

Vijaya Dashami And The Tradition Of Exchanging 'Gold'

Vijaya Dashami - the one festival that is celebrated all over India. Each region of India has different ways of celebrating it, different customs and traditions to follow.

There is a particular custom which is observed by the people of Manarashtra - exchanging leaves of a specific tree, which the Maharashtrians call as 'Aptyachi pane' or leaves of Apta tree. The botanical name of the tree being - Bauhinia hookerii. But these leaves are not exchanged as mere leaves but as a token of Gold.  

Sarbojanin Durga Puja

Sarbojanin Durga Puja

A mini-Kolkata in our humble neighbourhood.

Our area doesn't boast of any overwhelming Bengali population. So it is a bit surprising yet very nice that a few years ago Kallol Kali Mandir was built here. A very neat and nice place of worship.

Bang Bang

Bang bang......

Once again it is that time of the year when doors go Bang!
No..... it is no anger season. It is just rainy season.....and the season for the wooden doors to get jammed.
Science enters in all its curled up yoga postures to explain this phenomenon as - imbibition. Look, even the dictionary refuses to accept this word and shows up with red underline.  probably doesn't know that it indeed is a phenomenon ..... something to do with -  'living or dead plant cells absorbing water with surface attraction'!  

Colour Coded .... Navrang!

Colour Coded ..... Navrang!

It is Navratri - nine nights of Garba - Dandiya Ras. And also nine days of Mahalakshmi festival. Each region has a special way of celebrating this festival. Kolkata is famous for its Durga Puja.

Mumbai also has a unique, a very distinct way of celebrating this festival of the Goddess..... Mumbai Navrang. The nine colours of the nine days.

World Animal Day

World Animal Day 

So it is World Animal Day today. What is the point in glorifying the animals for one day when, for the rest of the 364 days we treat them inhumanly, cruelly. Something  strange -- humans treat animals inhumanly, but the animals don't behave 'inhumanly'. Here, one shouldn't point fingers at the attacks by the wild animals, there isn't any pre-planned motive behind the attacks; it is only instinct, sheer basic instinct - food and hunger. What can they do when their food, their habitat is taken over - without a provision of an alternative.