The Crow Whisperer Who Sees What We’re Too Busy to Notice I’ve resumed my daily morning walks now that I’m back in Kochi. The familiar streets greet me like an old friend… grumbling a little, but still comforting. It’s the kind of reunion where neither party has changed much: the roads are still cracked, the … Continue reading The Wise Old Fool on the Hill
Category: REMINISCENCES & REFLECTIONS
The Hello That Almost Didn’t Happen (But Thankfully Did)
Familiar Faces, Fading Memories, and a Lot of Gulab Jamuns I’m back in Kochi after a few days in Dubai for my niece’s wedding, and the pictures have started rolling in… filtered, fabulous, and occasionally photobombed. As I swipe through them, I’m reminded of the rare blessing it was: a big-hearted gathering of relatives and … Continue reading The Hello That Almost Didn’t Happen (But Thankfully Did)
Between the Buffet and the Blessings
We Came for the Wedding. We Left Holding On to Each Other. Let’s be honest. Most of us spend our daily lives blissfully unaware that time is tiptoeing past us. Until one day, you find yourself at a wedding in Dubai, wondering when exactly your niece… who once turned a movie theatre into her concert … Continue reading Between the Buffet and the Blessings
Peanuts, Petrol, and the Long Way Home
A nostalgic revisit to my daily desert commute… now with humour, hindsight, and fewer yawns. Ten minutes after landing in Abu Dhabi, I’m back on the road that once defined my weekdays. We’re heading toward Dubai, and I’m not behind the wheel this time… but my brain is already shifting gears, cruising straight into memory … Continue reading Peanuts, Petrol, and the Long Way Home
Tangled in Time
How an Old Knitting Book Became a Thread to My Past I am browsing through a book on knitting. Knitting? Yes, knitting. Now, before you start picturing me with a pair of needles, clickety-clacking away at a sweater, let me assure you… I have never knitted a single stitch in my life. But as I … Continue reading Tangled in Time
The World Is Flat, But the Pavements Are Not
A Pedestrian’s Guide to International Relations… and Tripping Hazards Thomas Friedman wrote a famous book The World Is Flat, arguing that globalization has removed barriers and levelled the playing field. I’d love for him to stroll through Kochi before making such bold claims. Because here, the pavements tell a very different story. Take, for example, … Continue reading The World Is Flat, But the Pavements Are Not
THE THREE MEN I WISH WERE ALIVE TODAY
When Presence Fades, but Influence Endures For years, my approach to blogging was like my approach to fitness… enthusiastic in bursts, inconsistent at best, and largely unnoticed. I’d write whenever inspiration struck, toss a story into the void, and then carry on with life, assuming the internet would do the magical work of bringing readers. … Continue reading THE THREE MEN I WISH WERE ALIVE TODAY
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
WORDSOUPS 