Intriguing Life Experiences
The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently underway in Chandigarh has turned my neighborhood into a bustling hub of verification and documentation. Seeing the enumerators going about with their job reminds me of the heartwarming story of a remarkable government school teacher.
When the pandemic engulfed the world, a peculiar madness gripped the West. Millions of Westerners frantically bought toilet rolls. For all of us from the East, the scramble for tissue paper and the sight of their empty shelves in supermarkets was baffling. We simply could not comprehend the urgency to stack paper rolls, but then, tissues are something Westerners cannot do without. Their loos are water-less. No rinsing, no washing, they must clean their bottoms with toilet paper after doing their business. Continue reading “‘Water-less or water-loo: No longer a matter of personal preference”
“For husband and shoes, one should look for comfort rather than style.” It’s a sharp one-liner from legendary actress Sharmila Tagore that I still remember, even though I read it decades ago. It was published in the now-defunct ‘The Illustrated Weekly of India’, a highly popular magazine during my growing-up days. Back then, as a dreamy-eyed teenager, I was charmed by the tall, dark and handsome heroes of Mills and Boon novels, even though they were arrogant, rude and often cold and distant. Smitten as I was by these heroes, I found her statement absurd and her advice rather strange.
Continue reading “The Stiletto and the Spouse: Choosing comfort over style”
As a part of my daily routine, I set out for my evening walk in the neighborhood park, barely five minutes from my home. My journey to the park is more of an ‘obstacle walk’ that keeps me mentally agile as I navigate the constant flow of traffic and encroachments on the way. Continue reading “The vanishing pavement and pedestrian’s plight “
Growing up in the 1960s and 70s was different from childhood today, especially for those of us in middle-class families who lived a hand-to-mouth existence. Unlike the present-day kids who have a dizzying variety of footwear – school shoes, formal shoes and sneakers, our world of shoes was far simpler. We had just one kind: school shoes – a single pair of black leather and another of white canvas, called ‘PT shoes’ in those days. At home, the ubiquitous footwear was rubber chappals, colloquially called ‘kenchi’, a stark contrast to the array of slippers and flip-flops children wear today.
