Year: 2010

  • The Verdict

    The verdict which went to 12,000 pages essentially split the area into three parts, one for the Hindus, one for the Muslims and one for another group essentially Hindu as well.Both sides stated their intention to appeal to the Supreme Court ..so more legal proceedings on their way. The important point perhaps is that this…

  • Ayodhya

    Today is a crucial day in India for reasons unconnected to the Commonwealth Games. On 6th December 1992 the Babri Masjid Mosque was demolished in UP.The history in a nutshell is that in 1528 Mir Baqi under Babar built the Mosque which the Hindus claim is the birthplace of Lord Ram in Ayodhya.Since then this particular site has…

  • The human cost of the Games

    I am going to be a sport and wish the Games all the best and the athletes a memorable stay in India. No one can doubt the fascination that this country holds in terms of history, culture, and sheer volume. It is on this that I want to dwell briefly today. Filth or no filth…

  • Mouldy Moments

    So in view of the monsoon’s strength this year I am thinking of renaming this blog Mouldy Moments in honour of the little creepy fungus that is having a field day in my closets at the moment.Other happy cousins are these weird looking mushrooms I came across on one of my walks. Fungal funworld.

  • Homai Vyarawalla

    I am always enchanted by old people who did so many wonderful things in their lives.Two of my dearest friends in Geneva are 94 and 93 respectively and they are the liveliest and most engaging women I have met for a long time. Homai Vyarawalla is 97 in December and while I have not had…

  • Happy as a Pig in …

    Ok this made my day and for that moment I forgot about hardship and everything that goes with it. I have a thing for these animals and this one captured what pure happiness is all about. Have you heard the expression happy as a pig in ….

  • The UN hardship and poverty

    In a recent post I expressed some outrage at the fact that the UN equated living in Delhi to living in Geneva.There are reasons for this anomaly which are likely to be political and financial and which might be corrected in the not too distant future and at least for that due process can be…

  • My Vegetable seller

    He is young and bright and he has a stall just off the road on the way home.Now that the rains have come in such abundance you can see the gains on his stall.  What is lovely is that there is so much on offer that I often buy far more than I need but they look…

  • An uncomfortable reality

    Everyone I talk to is affected or close to someone who is down with Denghue, typhoid or virulent viral infections. EVERYONE.A friend reported that when she went into hospital she was put on a hospital trolley as there were no beds available.These illnesses, while mostly not life threatening, make people extremely ill and put them out of action…

  • Dazzling dragons- damsels, flutters and spray cans

    Over the weekend in the Jim Corbett National reserve where I was staying I can quote from their brochure, with awe, that there are 37 types of dragonflies in the area. A dragonfly belongs to the Odonata family, characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to…