I have great respect for those who get their blood tested regularly. These are brave people. Me, I get mine tested only once a year and have nightmares even about that. For example, last night I dreamt thieves broke in and held me up at gunpoint. I feared they would…

Whether you are a believer or an agnostic, the parables of Jesus in the New Testament contain food for thought. They especially contain insight and direction for those trying to lead lives of conscience and compassion in societies that, not unlike the Roman empire of Jesus’ day, encourage neither. A…

There is now an adult version of the game “Thumb War” that many of us played as kids. In case you missed out on this profoundly stupid and orthopedically risky activity, here’s how you played it — you clasped your opponent’s hand but you both left your thumbs free. You…

I am what they call a compliant traveller. In other words, I comply. If I’ve been given a window seat in a plane, I sit by the window. If I’ve been given an aisle seat I sit by the aisle. I put my luggage away neatly and try not to…

When I walk onto a plane nowadays, I look scornfully at those in Business Class even as they disdainfully avoid my gaze. (These are domestic flights I’m talking about.) The thought in my head is, “You paid Rs. 18,000 for a two hour flight from Delhi to Calcutta?? Dimaag kharaab…

A cult is commonly defined as ‘a group or movement held together by a shared commitment to a charismatic leader or ideology. It has a belief system that has the answers to all of life’s questions and offers a special solution to be gained only by following the leader’s rules.’…

I am a teacher. I have been teaching high school students for the past 25 years. Perhaps it is because I work so much with young people that I feel responsible for their future, and deeply concerned about the country they are growing up in. Perhaps for that reason too…

(Spoiler Alert — This movie is so bad, there’s nothing left to spoil, so chill.) I just watched Ram Madvani’s Dhamaka. According to the New York Times (Yes, you read that right. NYT, no less) this movie is a “must-watch”! Dhamaka means “blast”. What I really want to know is…

The HOn’ble Minister for Roads, Navigation, Potholes, Lorries, Engines, Automobiles, Scooters and Elevated Corridors, (or ’HORNPLEASE’ as his department called him when he was not around), sat on the floor of his balcony, high above the street, doing his morning yoga. (After all, if the President of the United States…