Posts

The Mask

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While I write this piece, I am conscious that I am writing one after a hiatus of one full year. That is, by any blogging standards, a pretty long time. Well, not so much, particularly when the year gone by was marred by one of the biggest challenges imposed on three or more generations of humans living on this planet earth. Unfortunately, as I write again, while certain parts of the world have started to recover from the havoc, others, including India, are facing much bigger crisis due to the COVID-19 virus. I think, in the given times, the topic chosen by me makes more sense than anytime else.   Last year, same time, as India and many other countries imposed strict lockdown and percolated the sensitivity amongst its citizens to wear ‘The Mask’, certain other countries, including the US, particularly at the leadership level, ignored the fact, that this simple piece of clothing could perhaps be the most empowering thing to save many lives. It was painful to see many leading economie
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My realizations from brooming my house!

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Let me start with a candid acknowledgement: before the national lockdown, which happened as a result of COVID-19, I’ve not really been into house cleaning activities, much less brooming my house (as a balancing act, I’ve mostly assumed responsibility for bringing stuff from the market). From an early age I’ve avoided brooming, with an excuse that I’ve some kind of dust allergy. Neither my mother followed by nor my wife really looked for a help from me in this particular department of the household chores. Lately, when our housemaid stopped visiting us, one of the activities which fell in my lap, partly by choice and partly by lack of options, is brooming. Not that I chose it as my first choice, but I went for it since I detested washing utensils more, and mopping was not available (my wife won’t handover me the final house cleaning act of the day). As I got into my newly found ‘pastime’, I’ve started to get some realizations, a few of which are very basic, and a couple of them are
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The Watchmaker

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This is a short story about one of those strangers who gradually turned into an acquaintance and eventually become one of my inspirations. I dedicate this to the one who I had accidentally discovered, when my family and I had shifted from Nerul to Kharghar (both in Navi Mumbai), way back in the year 2008. My relationship with him has only blossomed over a period of time. Until recently, it never occurred to me that he could be the subject of one of my blogs. The reason which prompts me to write about him is already becoming the reason for me to see him less frequently, and this thought is making me a bit sad and emotional. Although I distinctly remember that we shifted to Kharghar, in the rainy month of July 2008, I don’t recollect exactly when I bumped into this stranger. I do recall although that it was not for my own watch, but for getting the cells of my wife’s multiple watches replaced, that forced me to go out on a sleepy afternoon of a rainy weekend, looking for an effi
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A simple and healthy yet exotic tea-time / beer snack

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Those who have been following my blog will be taken by surprise by this one. I have changed gear to present to you a different side of mine, which was until recently unknown both to me and my followers. I never knew that I have had an interest in working in the kitchen. Although for the last few weeks I’ve been preparing my own breakfast (which I’ll present in a separate blog), making an egg omelette a few times in a week and of late preparing ‘kadak’ tea (which I’ll present in a separate blog) for my beautiful wife, as a welcome drink for her, after she’s back from teaching in a school, I didn’t imagine that these excursions would lead to my increased interest in preparing a simple and healthy yet exotic tea-time snack, which I’m proud to present to all of you. I’m hopeful that you all have known or at least heard about ‘Makhana’, also called ‘Foxnut’, the starchy white seeds which are largely found in eastern and southern Asia. Bihar, a state in India, produces 90% of the worl
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