Aha to Ha Ha Moments in My Life

It’s 31st December – officially New year’s eve and I’m here to record the 2021 news highlights. I had called the year 2020 as  Gritty 2020 and hoped that 2021 would be kinder..however as the year winds down still under the shadow of Covid 19 with the new Omicron variant threatening to run amok well into 2022 and beyond.. I’m sitting in a rain battered Chennai recording the highlights of the year that’s just ended.. 7. Over the Top Popularity of OTT : The year 2021 saw the rise and rise of OTT. Cinemas in the metros not able to attract audiences due to covid restrictions. And elsewhere discerning audiences kept away from mainstream cinema for lack of interesting content. Most of them turned to Over The Top platforms that streamed movies 24/7 right into their drawing rooms. Chennai and rest of India woke up to refreshing content of Malayalam cinema and marvelled at the amazing acting talent of actors like Fahad Fazil, Nimisha Vijayan and many more. Jai Bhim a Tamil movie about a tri...

His teeth shined brightly in sharp contrast to his dark skin. Under the fading light of the evening sun, his eyes glinted on spotting a prospective customer.. All of 10 years old, little Majok approached me with confidence and said “My friend, I polish good your shoes” without waiting for my consent he bent down, removed my shoes and handed me with a pair of rubber chappals, as a substitute– wear these he ordered.  I obliged him with a smile and watched him carry my ‘ hush puppies ’ to a well-lit corner in the open ground. I marvelled at his confidence and the way he addressed me as ‘my friend’ - not the condescending ‘sir’.  The evening crowd had started filtering in, tables were quickly set up and the waitresses shuttled and swirled with ease taking and delivering the orders – it’s a busy Saturday evening at Kush hotel. I usually come here for my weekend dinners as my colleagues go back to be with their families..I prefer this place for its’s open spaces and I could watch Al...

Salam Kabul – Part II ..Strangely Familiar Link to Part I:   Salam Kabul - Part I As I made my way hesitatingly towards the red channel wondering why would the customs officer want me to go through the red channel – I’m not even carrying any red label or any other banned items with me. With this thoughts, I neared him, he took a quick look at my baggage tag and showed me to the almost empty exit. Then it dawned on me that he was actually trying to help me a foreigner struggling to make my way through the crowded exit at the green channel... As I came out of the exit gate, a balmy breeze wafted around me enveloping me in a totally unfamiliar coolness. By Chennai standards, anything less than 25 degree celsius is cool and here I’m shivering at 12 degrees celsius, pulling the zipper on my borrowed jacket all the way up to my chin. I pushed my trolley forward, vaguely looking out for a driver with perhaps my misspelt name on a placard, to pick me up  “ Good evening, welcome t...

I dread opening any messages on March 8th. For the moment I switch on my phone, thousands of pink tinted images and texts from women and mostly men deluge all my social media accounts. First, let’s deal with the men who feel terrible, if they have forgotten to send some sweet, sugar coated imagery of women -  more out of fear of being labelled as misogynist rather than any genuine thought. These messages from men who otherwise put down women, body shame her at any given opportunity, ogle and jeer at women of all ages – suddenly turn into ‘holier than thee’ attitude and shoot off messages- I feel angry and ashamed of my fellow men’s behaviour. I’m fed up praying for these men to put into practice what they so eloquently preach only on women’s day. My issue is with the women who too fall into this trap of worshipping and adoring women. Today, my good friend – a strong woman, a single mother who’s confidence and courage under all circumstances I deeply admire. I had even told my daugh...

Salam Kabul ...Part I Boarding the Kam Air flight from Delhi, I was welcomed by rows  and rows of empty seats. As I quietly walked the aisle towards my seat in the front rows, an eerie feeling came over me – perhaps nobody wants to go to Kabul. I quickly pushed any such further thoughts behind, pulled my mask up over my nose and buckled up in my aisle seat.... A flight attendant in full PPE attire and diver’s googles tapped my shoulder and plonked on the tray a small casserole of piping hot Afghani chicken Pulav and a large bottle of strawberry -banana juice before I could say Heineken (oops!) The pulav had more raisins than there are in a Saravana Bhavan rava kesari . Before i could swallow the last morsel of chicken, the pilot announced his intention to land shortly... Quickly whipping out my phone I slid to the window seat (thank God for all the empty seats) to take some customary photos from the plane window. To say that the view was breathtaking is an understatement. Rolling a...