Matt Broke and Steve Schott had no idea how that Sunday evening would unfold when I got them to drive with me to my temple town of Vaikom in Kerala. Dressed in white kurtas and pajamas they looked ready for a cultural adventure. Matt’s Buddhist leanings, and Steve’s unending curiosity to know the world’s cultures … Continue reading “Theeyattu”

i-Sapiens That's going to be the next species. From Homo Sapiens, humans will evolve into a new species called "i-Sapiens". i-Sapien will look like this: But, i must say this shape may change, owing to a combination of Darwinian principles (‘On the Origin of Species' is a good reading!), a genetic drift or all of … Continue reading i-Sapiens

Aasif suddenly stopped the car. A black, Mahindra Scorpio. It was dark, late into the night, and a pot-holed country road. He took a tissue and wiped his face. I realised he was fighting back his tears. ‘Aasif, are you ok’, I asked. ‘Yes sir’, he said, and what followed was a quiet drive up … Continue reading Aasif, the Bhats, and the quietness of a drive

It was just another business lunch on a Friday, at the McCormick & Schmick’s in Bellevue, Seattle. Half way into the lunch, some left for another meeting. Those of us remained agreed for a shot of single malt. After all, it was a Friday afternoon. (And I am going to talk about Gandhi!) I wanted … Continue reading Gandhi, India, and an American girl

Today is Onam (‘n’ as in ‘money’). Kerala’s festival. Kerala (‘keralam’ locally), is the southernmost state of India, on the south-western tip on the ‘Malabar Coast’ of the Indian sub-continent. With a lush green terrain, full of coconut trees, paddy fields, backwaters and a number of rivers flowing west towards the Arabian Sea, the geography … Continue reading Happy Onam!