watchings of idle hours #9 : lure of mountains

Only three centuries ago, climbing a mountain would have been considered close to lunacy. The idea scarcely existed that wild landscapes might hold any sort of attraction. Peaks were places of peril, not beauty. - Mountain (2017) My fascination for mountains goes back to my child hood days. I was born in a village flanked … Continue reading watchings of idle hours #9 : lure of mountains →

watchings of idle hours #8 : shades of tourism

Dark tourism, dark side of tourism, and the age of selfie tourism What would it be like to visit a museum that displays Nazi era lampshades made of human skin? How does it feel to swim in a lake created as a result of nuclear tests by the Soviets in Kazakhstan? Will your body and … Continue reading watchings of idle hours #8 : shades of tourism →

watchings of idle hours #7 : in convalescence

Tourism in Bhutan, a freak accident, and the flower pots in our balcony Bhutan seems to have woken up to the reality of over-tourism without suffering the wisdom of hindsight. Its policy of charging $250 per day for foreign tourists (excluding Indian, Bangladeshi and Maldivian nationals) is a big put off for the budget adventurers. … Continue reading watchings of idle hours #7 : in convalescence →

the spy who fascinated me

(Three years back I had written this article which was later included in my book 'Jottings of Idle hours'. At the time when I wrote the article, speculations were going on regarding a female version of 007. I am tempted to share the article here again since the speculations are going to be a reality … Continue reading the spy who fascinated me →

watchings of idle hours #6 : recipes for a good life

I am back with the series after a long gap. All the posts of the series can be accessed under the tag #watchingsofidlehours Beautiful Minds vs Toned up Bodies I watched the movie - A Beautiful Mind - on Amazon Prime when 'Student of the Year - 2' had just been released. Student of the … Continue reading watchings of idle hours #6 : recipes for a good life →

watchings of idle hours #5 : midnight dinner and binge watch

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories Knowing that I have a fascination for things Japanese and also a fan of Malgudi Days, my daughter suggested to watch this series on Netflix. I am into the fifth episode and I have not been disappointed. Each episode is an independent short story. However they have one thing in common. … Continue reading watchings of idle hours #5 : midnight dinner and binge watch →

watchings of idle hours #4 : God’s east India abode

India is full of places of pilgrimages. Each state and each district can boast of thousands of places of pilgrimage, each associated with a puranic legend or some form of divinity. After all, according to Hindu belief, even though the ultimate reality is only one, it manifests in 3.3 bn different divine forms. But, the … Continue reading watchings of idle hours #4 : God’s east India abode →

behind the grease paint

Life and death are conjoined twins. Nothing makes us ruminate more on life than the news of death. During those demonetization days if everyone became an economist, on the demise of Sridevi everyone seems to have become a philosopher. This was evident from the first tweet and the first whatsapp message that I came across. … Continue reading behind the grease paint →

Educating India (Part-III): Hear it from Sir Ken Robinson

Education is one of the boring subjects to discuss when you are in a party. Everyone needs it, everyone is concerned about it, but how many are willing to go in for an in depth discussion about it? When it comes to educating our children most of the parents usually go with the wind of … Continue reading Educating India (Part-III): Hear it from Sir Ken Robinson →

dhan ki jai: of justice and fair play

If you are monied and influential enough you go scot-free in spite of committing the most heinous crime. In India, we have got used to these kind of incidents. What is worse is - if, you are poor you may get convicted for someone else's crime. You have to be a strong believer of … Continue reading dhan ki jai: of justice and fair play →