“Sir, when I put trust in someone, it is actually an investment. We thus create a possibility and an opportunity for someone to become a better version of his original self.” To be fair, it would be absolutely wrong to stereotype 30 million people living in a particular city. Yet, every metropolis appears to have...
Dear Sir, Imagine the joy of listening to your own language from a part of the world that you don’t know. I felt the rush of excitement that comes with making your own happy discovery. I was joyous at listening to a mix of Hindi and Urdu that I had grown up with in Lucknow....
Even “If I were a rich man” as Tevye wished to be, so much was out there to “Take my breath away”. There are some memories which just refuse to fade away. Watching “Fiddler on the Roof” in an open-air theatre at Ghorpuri on a wet Saturday evening is one of them. My course-mate Govila...
Fireworks Behind the Scenes Act I: Scene I ‘Patakha’, a colloquial word for fireworks is a very unusual nickname. Often used in a rather different sense, the Mayor’s trusted secretary had been christened with it since his childhood. When queried about it, he had a rather amusing explanation for it, “I was born on a...
Lipstick, Powder and Paint Whenever you are posted to a new station, you do look forward to making friends and acquaintances amongst the locals. More so if you get any information about any relatives, however distant they may be, it can be a real bonus. So here it was in the good old eighties when...
Distressed Genes The other day I got stuck in Ambience Mall waiting for a friend to join me for lunch. Since our luncheon appointment had got postponed by a couple of hours, I decided to while away my time at the movie theatre. Much against my own wishes, I walked into the ‘Pathaan’ matinee show....
Take it by the Horn Loosing weight they say is more about what you eat and seldom about how much you eat. Nutritionists therefore strictly advise against starving. So through a very carefully designed food chart, they change your dietary habits. The carbs and sugars go out of the window and the fibre comes in...
Beyond the Raybans The Indian Air Force lost two fighter aircraft in a horrific accident a few days back. The accident probably was the result of a mid-air collision although the same needs to be confirmatively established by a Court of Inquiry. The most tragic part was the unfortunate death of a Mirage-2000 pilot who...
High Time As if the French Charlie Hebdo cartoon fiasco two years back was not enough. In April, Far-right Danish politician Paludan’s announcement of a Quran-burning “tour” during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan sparked riots across Sweden. Even this Saturday, he went ahead and burnt a copy of the holy book in front of...
Good Samaritan saves Life: Fined by Motorway Patrol Year of the Lord 2006. The eye-catching news headline graced the front page of an East Yorkshire newspaper in the UK. The incident related to a car crash on a certain motorway in Yorkshire. The crash had been an ugly one as the car had apparently spun...
The Legend of Bankura “And then what happened Papa?” queried Jatin who had come down for the winter break, midway through his MBA program. Well it was not the first time, Jatin was listening to his father Raghav relating to him the story about his ‘birth’day. Yet he never tired listening to it for obvious...
Well Worth the Effort ‘Faith is taking the first step even if you can’t see the staircase’. What happened to the ‘Look before you leap’ stuff? ‘Surrender yourself to whatever is pre-defined for you’. I did that when I got married. ‘Practice Zero judgement, zero complaint and no criticism’. Is anyone announcing a layoff or pay cut...
Shashi Tharoor @ShashiTharoor When you need to enter Parliament in a wheelchair, there’s only one entrance with a ramp, at door 9, a good four minute trip (with the assistance of helpers) to the Lok Sabha. This temporary disability has taught me how poorly equipped we are to support people with disabilities. Dear Mr...
For the Love of God The Bhakti movement was a significant religious movement of medieval India. It sought to bring religious reforms by adopting the method of devotion to achieve salvation. Reaching its zenith between the 15th and 17th century, the movement defined an individualistic loving relationship with a personally defined God. The “love for...
“Princess Diana was never meant to wear the revenge dress.” A sensational news item claimed the revelation while another one mentioned that the same garment had recently been sold for £ 65000. So essentially, a salacious gossip created and sustained over 28 years enabled the sale of a second-hand dress for probably more than 100...
Redemption Court (Inspired by True Events) The sonnet is one of the most famous forms in English poetry. Traditionally, it has fourteen lines which are linked by an intricate rhyme scheme. It is often an expression of some kind of ‘desire or love’. In a similar vein, Advocate Seth’s love for English literature was only...
And then came Akhil… These developers are smart guys indeed! They have been in the business for so long that they know exactly where to stop. What I mean is that when these builders offer you an apartment in a semi-furnished state, they know the precise point after which the Queen of Sheba choices will...
Pigments of Imagination Heartiest Congratulations Rishi Sunak on being appointed the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom! How I wish the headlines, comments and memes had stopped at just that. Instead, they all focused on how a ‘brown’ man had broken the glass ceiling to occupy a haloed seat which apparently not many in the...
Dear Sir, I read ‘The Ravaged Queen’ as soon as I got your notification. This post as opposed to most of your posts was one that had no bright sides to it. Alas a black body doesn’t reflect light. And so seems to be the case with most of the picturesque places in India. I...
The Ravaged Queen Most of us must have come across the childhood tale of two friends, a bee and a worm. One day the bee invited the worm to his garden. “My friend, the worm, spends all his time in dung,” thought the bee. “It would be nice for him to smell some fragrant flowers...
Vanity Fair Normally all fairy tales start with, ‘Once upon a time’ and so shall ours. Once upon a time, there was a very gifted and skilful cricketer who was the toast of the sporting fraternity. Stepping on every ladder of success, he rose to the topmost rankings in no time. Centuries after centuries in...
Turning Two Dear Patrons and Friends, We wish to share the good news with you that Seek Mediation has turned Two today! Exactly two years back, we set about a mission of “Conflict Resolution through Sharing of Perspectives”. To a large extent, we feel that we have been successful in promoting our guiding principles and...
Sweet and Salty Genealogy in the hands of a 10-year old certainly puts you on the defensive at times. As my younger son asked me many years back, “What does ‘to savour’ mean?” To which I replied easily while putting on my overalls, “To taste and relish or enjoy to your heart’s content.” “And then...
A Beautiful Wife. Immense amount of commotion was heard from outside the Mishra household today. Neighbours found that very odd because the Mishras were known to be the most gentle and peaceful family in the Moga neighbourhood. A peep inside and Oh God! The roof was intact but all hell was breaking loose. Jaikishen aka...
The Missing Soul Year of the Lord 2005. Our younger son had just joined a local school during our posting abroad. We were a little amused that one of the compulsory subjects allocated to him was ‘Cooking’, although in retrospection today, it makes absolute sense as a life-skill. During one of the classes, he was...
“Ragged Shots” If you were to search the net for “ragged shots”, you might land up viewing some teenager in torn jeans having vodka shots in a downtown bar. Well, this phrase is far away from such a google-search result and probably unknown to many in the military as well. Lemme then take you back...
‘On Being Heard’ Whenever the opportunity arises, my better half makes it a point to remark on my selective memory. While I very often forget birthdays (including hers which is a criminal act for sure!), anniversaries and shopping lists, I can very vividly recollect some incidents dating back to my adolescent age. Inexplicably, these occurrences...
“Babe di Mehar” (Divine Blessings) Seated in the rear seat of a war-weary, rickety city taxy, I am witnessing the traffic exploits of my Michael Schumacher inspired taxy driver Surinder who has migrated from the Ludhiana race tracks to the Delhi bye lanes in search of greener pastures. Within less than seven minutes of our...
“A Spirited Defence” There is a distinct difference between an ‘inquiry’ and an ‘inquisition’. While an inquiry is associated with a search for truth, the word ‘inquisition’ has its genesis in ancient Roman Catholic tribunals for the discovery and punishment of heresy. In modern understanding, it suggests a long and thorough investigation that involves extensive...
4 Large Rum Early morning 5 AM, on detachment at a flying base somewhere in the South-Western sector. I was driving my official Gypsy towards the operations room. The Met Briefing was planned a bit early today for a 6:30 take off. It was rather dark and cloudy. As there was no flying taking place...
Contempt by Court I remember quite vividly that I was made the Library member for an Officers’ mess exactly four decades back. In my enthusiasm to infuse fresh blood into the academic arteries of a very antiquated and rather limited-collection library, I had gone to Hyderabad to pick up some new books which went beyond...
With Greater Power Leadership is indisputably a challenging and tough task and more so when you are leading large organizations and institutions. Position bestows an element of power on the leader with which he is expected to deliver for the larger good of the ‘led’. For that, the leader has to constantly juggle between many...
Flagging Faith The phrase “Wear your heart on your sleeve” is an English phrase implying showing our intimate and deepest emotions in an open and honest manner. The origins of this phrase dating back to the Middle Ages is probably to the “sleeve” which referred to a piece of armour for covering and protecting the arm. When...
Time to Soar Away Does the name “Clive Branson” ring a bell? I am sure it won’t with a multitude of Indians today. Sent to India just before the Quit India movement, Branson was an ordinary British soldier but an extremely sensitive writer, poet and a painter. His letters published as the Book “British...
A Matter of Choice “It’s been an exceptionally busy day, isn’t it Sister Sufia?”, remarked Dr Ramnathan, as he mopped the sweat off his brows and stretched himself on the crude recliner in his chamber His brief interval of rest was well-deserved indeed. More fondly known to all his staff and patients in the hospital...
Dear Sir, I read with much interest as always your latest blog post ‘The Abilene Paradox: A Trial By Fire’. Given that I am very much vested in India (even though I have adopted Canada to be my country and vice versa), and therefore its well-being means my family and friends’ will continue to prosper...
The Abilene Paradox: A Trial by Fire If you were to do a Wiki search on “The Abilene Paradox”, you will get something like this: “When a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that is counter to the preferences of many or all of the individuals in the group. It involves...
VIDEO-2022-05-28-13-12-24 “Ad Nauseam” A major part of my childhood went towards reading Louis L’Amour type Western novels and comics. The adventurous world of cowboys, their steeds, their Smith and Wessons, spurs, silver bullets and romantic interludes fascinated me to no end. Irrespective of the storyline, the revolvers and guns remained the centerpiece of attraction in...
“It Can Be Done” Dear Sir This particular post is dealing with a lot to be unpacked. In the following few paras, I do not attempt unpacking all of it, but a small part of it – and that is the will of the society. Thinking about where to start writing and giving form to...
“Blood Money” Across the Western border, Masooma Begum* is in mourning. Her husband Asif Mian was brutally murdered in a family feud last week. The disagreements and semi-violent pinpricks between the two families had been going on for the last three decades. But it took a long-pending adverse High court judgement to be the last...
“Culpable Homicide” The wailing siren of an ambulance is never a welcome sound. But in this case, the arrival of the ambulance van in record time in Kathputli Nagar, a slum dwelling in West Delhi was indeed a matter of great relief for Shyam’s neighbours. Hats off to the driving skills of the driver that...
“To Fold or Not to Fold” Dear Sir, Greetings to you with my best wishes for your health and happiness. I am responding to the post “Know when to fold ’em”. This is past due and perhaps approaching expiry. I wanted to write in response only when I could give it my all and considered...
Truly Secular: A Worthy Response from Amit Dear Sir, You have touched upon something which I never merely classify as a ‘topic’. Secularism forms the bedrock of the ethos of all progressive countries of the world. It is the life force of a nation that identifies itself with the fabric of its country as...
“Truly Secular” Long before the Mohalla clinics came into vogue, the annual Ramlila played out in almost every alternate street of the capital used to be the most popular mohalla activity half a century back. What a social event it used to be with families from all walks of life, irrespective of caste, creed or...
“The Original Sin” The Original Sin is a part of the Catholic Christian “Doctrine of the Fall” wherein it is believed that when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they fell from a state of perfection and brought evil into a perfect world. The sin per se was disobedience to God when they ate a forbidden...
From Afar (A Beautiful and Sensitive poem by Agnieszka Zbieranska) As the red power unleashes Across fertile lands of green I can’t help but be brought back To the hell and pain once seen You ask me, why is my grief so deep For Ukrainian people Those still fighting proud And those who won’t ever...
“Know when to fold ’em” Ever since I was exposed to reading the classics, the Mahabharata has always been my all-time favourite. Fascinatingly close to life and its frailties, it exposes the best and the worst on offer. Each chapter brings forth a different level or genre of excitement as you are spellbound to this...
“A Quest for Purpose” A very common theme which surfaces in many forums that I interact on is “Purpose” or more often the perceived lack of it. This refrain comes invariably from people who have obviously transcended the bottom two layers of Maslow’s hierarchy. They talk about emptiness and a feeling of hollowness in spite...
Alea iacta est – ‘The dice is cast’ (A worthy response received from friend Amit to our earlier post) Sir, Thank you for penning a ‘from the heart’ post given the geo-political crisis gripping the world now. The question that surfaces from the reading – has anything changed since Tennyson wrote his poem ‘The Charge...
“The Charge of the Light Brigade” Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die. Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. (Alfred Tennyson 1854) As the war clouds grow thicker in Europe with an understandable ripple effect all over the world, the Western media-machinery...
“SAFER SKIES” Dear Mr Chandrasekaran, Greetings! At the very outset, I extend my heartfelt congratulations and compliments to you and the Tata group for boldly venturing towards reclaiming Air India’s lost glory. Undoubtedly, a very challenging task which the entire nation is confident that you will be successful in undertaking. I have personally been following...
“Dumba’s Fault” Every year, Muslims around the world celebrate the festival of sacrifice called Eid al-Adha. Incidentally, this festival is considered even holier than Eid ul-fitr. Marking the end of the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, Eid al-adha, is celebrated to honour Ibrahim’s obedience to God’s command and his willingness to sacrifice...
A REPUBLIC DAY SMILE Returning home in my staff car, after having presided over the Republic Day activities of my formation, I was in a kind of reflective mood. Well, this was my fortieth year in uniform and the day had not been any different from the previous versions. The flag hoisting, the parade, the...
Zero to Hero Bloody Moth****ers! Bas**rds! Why can’t they hear me? MV’s voice came booming through the RT. All of us in the ATC Tower including me suddenly awakened to the fact that a solo student pilot was in some kind of trouble and letting his frustration out on the radio. I was the Duty...
Games People Play by Horax (Casper) (A bit of jest from an archival war-chest) I remember my two-year stint with the Army with an extreme amount of nostalgia. Apart from the many superlative friendships struck for a lifetime, what has fondly stayed with me are the unforgettable memories of the numerous War Games I attended...
“The Shawl and Mundri” “Can you please get Mataji’s Shawl and Mundri (Ring) now?” asked the family priest Radheshyam towards the end of the elaborate wedding ceremony he was conducting for the Kapoor household. As if this was the cue people were waiting for, almost the entire family came closer to the mandap so as...
The Last Laugh Adam and Eve are I guess passé. A parallel story however exists about God trying to make a perfect living being. After having exhausted all permutations and combinations towards creating such a creature, he finally hit upon the right formula. And that is how God conceived the idea of a ‘human being’, the perfect...
Of Bananas and Hunger Pangs In today’s polarized world, we are split in dozens of affinities and kinships. However, I have always thought that the simplest distinction lies between two elementary categories. They are: Those who have to worry where their next meal is going to come from and the other lot who have no...
Factory Reset “That will be your last drink Arvind” stated Jaya as a matter of fact, as she finished laying out the dinner on the table. Arvind detested this daily reminder, the tone being a fine mix of a reprimand, an increased level of ‘given-up’ and an element of concern. The story was not new...
She Only Can! The ‘end time’ or the ‘dooms day’ scenario is a future described in most of the religions that world events will reach a climax one day. A great number of defence officers, both serving and retired however have already reached that conclusion with the Supreme Court ruling in favour of girls joining...
‘A Decision to Divert’ I woke up early in the morning as is my wont and opened my laptop to soak in my daily dose of Google news before the rest of the family woke up. ‘I am sorry, I am tired’ NEET aspirant dies by suicide in Madurai. Screamed the morning headlines: Jyothi is...
‘The Perfect Match’ “There was this guy who went to the marriage bureau to find a girl as a life partner. The bureau was housed in a ten-storey building. As he entered the foyer on the ground floor, there was a notice on a prominent door, “If you want a beautiful wife, please climb to...
Memento Mori Although I am not at all politically inclined, like most of us, I would like to believe that I understand politics a fair bit However, the happenings a few days back outside the precincts of the Delhi airport left me a bit baffled and fairly entertained. The occurrence was actually quite mundane and...
A (S)troll in the Park Although I am not a great church goer, I have a confession to make. In my four decades of uniformed service, there was not a single class, lecture or conference in which I did not sleep for some time or at least catch a wink…and all that without feeling guilty...
“No Lesser” One of the most age-old philosophical questions that has been posed is: Why do bad things happen to good people? Undeniably, this question is loaded with subjectivity and would not stand technical scrutiny at all. What can be defined as good and bad itself is a debatable starting point. The answers surely have...
Fuzed Bulb: No way! Came across this WhatsApp forward a few days ago, which I am sure many of us might have also come across: A Senior Executive retired and shifted from his palatial official quarters to the Housing Society, where he owned a flat. He considered himself big and never talked to anyone. Even...
A Glass Half Full Every Independence day like today, my inbox gets flooded with dozens of congratulatory messages. These messages are more often than not, ‘forwards’ emerging from the efforts of some digital artist and propagated across social media by the press of a single button at the bottom of a WhatsApp broadcast list. So,...
CELEBRATION BY AFFILIATION “Stellar performance by the Indian Men’s Hockey team at #TokyoOlympics to beat Great Britain by 3-1 & entering Olympic top 4 after 41 years. Happy to note that all 3 goals were scored by Punjab players Dilpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh & Hardik Singh. Congratulations…go for Gold!,” tweeted the Punjab CM. The tweet...
Enough is Enough The other day my good friend Suresh asked me a simple question, “ How much money is enough?” He himself being a very wise man knew the answer perfectly well that money is probably never enough. He just wanted to read my thoughts on the subject, that’s all. I guess, the question...
A False Smile “Bro, I have had enough!” Ramesh declared emphatically to his buddy Ronnie, “It is just impossible for us to stay together.” Ronnie put down his drink at the bar table and looked up quizzically at Ramesh, aka Ramsy for all his friends. “Ronnie, to be honest, actually it is the other way...
