AnythingUnderTheSun

Bordering our community wall is a public ground. Although it is neighbours with an active cemetery, the ground is usually teaming with life. Looking at it from our bedroom window is a regular feature in our daily lives. Even on the days we don’t explicitly gaze down, the constant humming arising from part human, part animal & bird’s activity, gently reminds us of its presence.  It’s been 2 years or less since the panchayat/ municipality has cleared off bushes & debris, planted trees at the perimeter, made a pitch and cut access for four wheelers much to the dismay of nouveau drivers. Ever since, the ground has been a hotspot for gully cricketers. Even in the hottest of the summer days, the ground hosts several cricket matches and a couple running in parallel on holidays. It is a no brainer, the ground is a boon for the neighbourhood, but every time I look down, I wonder : Where are the girls? Right across the ground within the walls of our gated community, you can easily spot g

As we grow older, time just seems to move faster. You get to hear this more and more often; "but hadn't the year just begun!". As a kid, it always seemed absurd to hear an adult say, "I can't believe you've grown up so soon/tall". We've all rolled our eyes on such remarks. Now, I feel the same way about my niece, my friend's kids. They were all so teeny tiny, what felt like maybe just a year or two ago. Don't think any of the kids are having unusual growth spurts, but their two/three years become far more visible to us than maybe the few grays elusively growing at the back of our heads. Life is strange. Just as I am contemplating about time, received a call from my mother informing me of her eldest sister's passing away. This year she has lost one brother-in-law and now a sister. Every death is a suffering for the survivors. But we grieve differently for each one and possibly for different reasons. We cry for our dead, the one who wi

War is neither glamorous or attractive.  T hese words feel empty when time and again you've been slapped on the other Gandhian cheek.  At the risk of sounding jingoistic, had to write these few words. Make love not war is all I hear, Then why do we walk this valley in fear. Give peace a chance they protest, Just as we put their bodies to rest. But War is never the answer they say, As I watch yet another soldier lay. Oh let’s hope there’s no war ahead Pray, ask those surviving the dead. No, not just the soldier’s But also every other’s The ones who lost something to terror. Terror not just in an army camp or an armoured van,  Terror on the streets, terror on the roads,  Terror on the trains, terror on the planes,  Shots in a hotel, blasts in a cafe. Civilians turned to dust, plenty bodies burst. Many homes destroyed, many families ruined. Please go ahead and do explain,  What caused this suffe

It's that time of the year again, time to indulge in some Holi'er than thou preachings. Waterless Holi & Crackerless Diwali. For a very short span of time, my folks were in Jaunpur, a small town near Varanasi. I think in all the places I have ever lived, UP has the worst monsoon season. Rains only a little, just high humidity to remind you of the season you are in. It is also the season of insects of all sorts, and not just your average mosquitoes. Usually during Diwali, it begins to get colder (it is always windy and your workout of the day is achieved by running in and out to light the diyas). But it's not cold enough to kill all those insects. Back to Jaunpur, on the day after Diwali, we are treated to a green carpet on our verandah. The fumes from the mustard oil and the crackers ends the season of insects. I have lived in Bangalore at a time when you could call it a city. Back then although it was a cosmopolitan city, the IT invasion had yet to happen. We used

It is the season of awards. The biggest of them all, the Academy Awards, is right around the corner. Over the past few years some stars have used these functions to lend voices to issues they hold dear. If this year's Golden Globes & Grammy are any indication, we can fairly guess this year's theme. Donald Trump. Specifically Trump bashing. The worst thing about Trump presidency isn't just Trump himself, it's also the never ending news cycle around him. No escaping it. Everyone, literally & figuratively, left, right & centre are milking this cow. His farts are treated nothing less than bomb explosions by the media. When I think of Trump win in 2016 elections, Humpty Dumpty comes to my mind. "All the king's horses & all the king's men, couldn't put Humpty together again." Anyone who was anybody was team Clinton. Almost everyone in Hollywood, except for maybe Clint Eastwood, endorsed Hillary. The might of the celebrity kingdom, in all

Unsolicited Tip for the day: If you want to make a buzzzzzz in SM, write or say something controversial. Make sure there's an existing deep divide over that topic. In no time random people will be abusing you and each other. In pop media, feminists have often been portrayed as men hating women with dorky glasses and probably a stache too. Why not, since men were creating/writing these characters. They must have been like I'm going to make the pretty ones dumb (she has got to be dumb for she has to love dbags) and not so pretty ones as intelligent and men hating creatures. Also add some annoying characteristic like a high pitch voice to the intelligent one. #foreveralonehenceafeminist The feminist brand has been diluted, some on purpose and some accidental, to the extent that there's a negative connotation to it. The league of uber urban feminists are partly responsible for it with their frivolous issues. Free the nipples, glitter unshaved pits, sexual empowerment not