“Not all those who wander are lost.” (Although many of them are.) – The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien, clarifying addendum by yours truly Given my state of mind, the concert is especially calming. The Musikverein is an assault of golden and ornate, beautiful and crowded, tonic for frayed nerves. In the low buzz […]

That it will never come again,Is what makes life so sweet. – Emily Dickinson When both your sisters get married in the space of two years, it becomes necessary to say something about it. Not because too many things are different now – although some things are – but because it reminds you of the […]

The right to speak, to learn, to educate and unfold all cultural activities in one’s own mother tongue, in addition to other official languages, is also enshrined in many Constitutions of the world…Most linguistic minorities in the world do not enjoy these rights. It is only a few hundreds of the world’s 6000 odd languages […]

मिट्टी जैसे सपने येकित्ता भी पलकों से झाड़ोफिर आ जाते हैं… The one-year mark passed recently. And I thought it was worth it to pause and reflect. More so at least than to do laundry, which is the alternative for the evening. Here are some notes from 2023-24. *Early morning walk. I spent one semester […]

What to do on a Sunday when in charge of a room? (7) It makes me sad when people who should be into cryptic crosswords are not into cryptic crosswords. This is my contribution to spreading the good word.  The rules of cryptics are not that difficult to understand; here’s a good overview: https://s.wsj.net/blogs/html/wsjcrypticguide.pdf. Briefly: the […]

“The collective wisdom of the Indian voter has delivered verdicts, aggregated over an enormously hetereogenous population, that, time and again, have proven to be the most appropriate for that period.” — Prannoy Roy, Dorab R. Sopariwala, The Verdict – Decoding India’s Elections And so the 2024 Lok Sabha elections have wrapped up. Many people have […]

‘Yes, there is joy, fulfilment, and companionship, but the loneliness of the soul in its appalling self-consciousness is horrible and overpowering.’ –The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath Piazza Castello, Torino, a glass of wine; dry white for him. Fading light of day. Silence. Something I think about: each experience of ours makes us a little […]