A Fault-Finder’s Pilgrimage to the Confessional Booth

Finding Faults, Seeking Forgiveness, and Getting Bit in the Process It’s that time of the year again… the pre-Easter confession. Fifty days of Lent, a spiritual cleanse, and one mandatory session of baring my soul. Except, as I settle into a chair in the queue, waiting for the priests to arrive, I’m grappling with a … Continue reading A Fault-Finder’s Pilgrimage to the Confessional Booth

A Long-Ago Summer in Alwaye

A Season of Stories, Surprises, and Sharpened Pencils Looking back, summer always meant Kottayam… Granny’s hugs, her endless stories, and the comforting rhythm of our ancestral home. But that year, fate had a different plan. My aunt and uncle in Alwaye invited me over, and just like that, my summer took an unexpected detour. Their … Continue reading A Long-Ago Summer in Alwaye

The Day My Daughter Ordered Heavy Machinery

*(Or: How a Teenager Schooled Her Logistics-Obsessed Father)* When your teenage daughter asks for a tipping chassis for her birthday, two things become clear: your work-life balance has gone terribly wrong, and your kid has developed an alarmingly expensive sense of humour. December is a big month in our family. My daughter’s birthday, strategically nestled … Continue reading The Day My Daughter Ordered Heavy Machinery

The Hazards of Junk Journaling

A Cautionary Tale from the Depths of My Bed There comes a time in every man’s life when he must confront his past. For some, it’s through old love letters. For others, it’s through embarrassing photos from the past. For me, it was a deep dive into the abyss beneath my bed… a Pandora’s Box … Continue reading The Hazards of Junk Journaling

The Teacher, the Tea, and the Timeless Connection

A Random Meeting That Taught Me Life’s Connections Run Deep Riding into Memories Life has a knack for surprising you when you least expect it. One moment, you’re out on a mission to escape the monotony of a shop counter, and the next, you’re knee-deep in an emotional reunion with your past, courtesy of a … Continue reading The Teacher, the Tea, and the Timeless Connection

The Gruen Effect Chronicles

How Festive Malls Turn Everyone into a Shopaholic. Imagine stepping into a mall during the festive season, the air rich with cinnamon and pine, twinkling lights twirling overhead like stars on a sugar rush. It’s enchanting. It’s magical. It’s a trap. Welcome to my life, where the “Gruen Effect” isn’t just a phenomenon—it’s a recurring … Continue reading The Gruen Effect Chronicles

The Day Frampton Came Alive in Kerala

How a Two-in-One Player and a Cassette Changed Everything It was the 1980s, a glorious era of bad haircuts, epic road trips, and cassettes as life essentials. My friend and I were cruising through Kerala on one of those broke-but-blissful adventures where every dosa felt like a banquet, and our cassette player was the crown … Continue reading The Day Frampton Came Alive in Kerala

A Life in Full Stride: A Dad’s Odyssey of Defiance and Determination

The Journey of a Man Who Walked His Own Way When I first heard about the longest walkable route in the world, I nearly choked on my coffee. Picture this: a jaw-dropping stretch from Cape Town, South Africa, to Magadan, Russia—a staggering 22,387 kilometres of uninterrupted land. No planes, no ferries, no boats—just you, your trusty … Continue reading A Life in Full Stride: A Dad’s Odyssey of Defiance and Determination

The Teacher Who Taught Without a Classroom

How My First Teacher’s Love Lives On (A Story of Strength, Sacrifice, and Unconditional Love) The first teacher I ever had wasn’t just my best teacher; she was the anchor of my life. She didn’t stand at a blackboard or hand out assignments. Instead, she taught me with a depth of care and love that … Continue reading The Teacher Who Taught Without a Classroom

Vintage Photos and Vanishing Hairlines

The author reflects on family photos, particularly hair genetics from parents, emphasizing how appearance and nostalgia intertwine with personal history and style.

If Only Daddy Had Gotten A Kindle

Self-help to Shelf-help? Oh, if only Daddy had caught onto the Kindle craze! My home would look more like a home and less like the aftermath of a library apocalypse. When my Dad took his final bow, I enthusiastically claimed his entire library, dragging box after box like a book hoarder on a mission. Now, … Continue reading If Only Daddy Had Gotten A Kindle

Out of sight, Out of mind?

Do Birthdays Ever Die? No matter the time of day or season, my own birthday remains etched in my mind. Yet, lurking in the shadows of my memory is another birthday, one that I have shamefully allowed to slip away: my Mummy’s. She departed this world more than five decades ago, long before I could … Continue reading Out of sight, Out of mind?

Awe-Inspiring Maasai Mara Safari

Witnessing the Divine Creativity of the Greatest Artist and the Amygdala's Blessing for Survival Behold the grandeur of the greatest artist of all, as he unleashes a masterpiece upon the world! With exquisite masterstrokes of light and colour, he paints a canvas that is radiant with an intense blaze of colours, a celestial symphony of … Continue reading Awe-Inspiring Maasai Mara Safari

Go Go Goa – The Prequel

Lighter in Goa Beach-hopping. The perfect way to experience the beauty of this coastal paradise. Calangute to Baga was a breeze.  While enjoying cold lemonade, we seek advice from the beach shack owner at Baga. It’s not going to be an easy trek from here to Anjuna, according to him.  It's a much shorter distance … Continue reading Go Go Goa – The Prequel

GO GO GOA

Why Doctors Can Never Retire In Goa It's the summer of 1986. I'm on my way to a village in Goa riding my RD 350 Yamaha. We're looking for a place called Querim. My friend and I are on this bike trip. And we are refreshed after a good night's sleep in our beachside homestay … Continue reading GO GO GOA

NOT ONLY SHAKEN BUT ALSO STIRRED – The Gurno incident

The Global Local Gurno was every bit a tramp who lived happily in a remote village where even google maps may not bother to map. He had never gone beyond a 10-kilometer radius of where he was born. He couldn't read and write but from what I've seen, he believed in the slogan - Think … Continue reading NOT ONLY SHAKEN BUT ALSO STIRRED – The Gurno incident

The Shamelessness Project

Preparing for the New Year A few weeks before the New Year countdown begins, I have just one thing on my mind.  It's one of the first steps I must take to gear up to enter the New Year on a sure footing.   During this time of year, I suddenly become capable of bending my sense of propriety and … Continue reading The Shamelessness Project