Just Like That...

Wednesday Sept. 19. I got up early in the morning and like any other Delhiite got hold of the Delhi Times and started flipping through the pages. Well, before I could even flip through to the second page, my eyes were struck with a beautiful picture of Soha Ali Khan in the front page. That was her look in Deepa Mehta’s upcoming release, ‘Midnights children’. Quite frankly, I was glued to that picture for the next 20 minutes or so. There was something ethereal about the whole look. It was hard to pin down just one particular thing or quality about the pic which made it stand out of the whole lot. I kept looking on and on. And then! Finally rang the bell. Yes. The innocence. The vulnerability. The mystic. The mystery. How could I not see it?   People often claim that the heroines of the yesteryears used to radiate a certain charm, much of it could be attributed to that quality of innocence which they bring to their on-screen personas. May it be Madhubala from ‘Mughal-E-Azam’, N...

‘Actions speak louder than words’ -goes an old saying. Quite literally that is where it belongs- the old times. Today, only those are paid heed who are loud enough to be heard. Barking dogs might seldom bite but they bark hard enough to knock you off the hook! This is yet again borne out of my personal experience. Travelling in Delhi has sort of acquainted me with the local flavour and the local tevar! Hooligans and lafanders of all shapes and sizes (no pun intended) and in all hues and colours. From the cycle-rickshaw walas to the auto walas to the phatphat seva drivers (oh yes! If you’re in Delhi and you haven’t had a taste of this seva, you are missing out on a lot!). There is a very popular saying- Do not walk like you are the king; walk like you don’t care who is the king. These people take it a little too seriously. There isn’t a soul on this (union) territory who isn’t cursing these men. Riders here don’t negotiate, they literal...

It was my first day at school. I am to work there for the next two months and devote 3 hours every Saturday. Nothing much really. All of us volunteers did the maths and figured out that it’s practically a day. We were pretty sure that taking a day out of our lives isn’t really going to be an issue. (For all those who are wondering what I am talking about, well it’s a low income school at Seelampur, where we have been placed by our NGO and we are to work there for the next 2 months, 8 Saturdays that is.) At first, the thought of spending a modest amount of 24 hours sounded nothing. These 2 months will fly by, before we even realise what happened. Teaching in a low income school might be the only problem, for we are not used to being in classrooms without windows, chairs or tables. Space constraint and other physical and infrastructural factors were what we took into consideration. There might not be enough space. The classes might not be airy. The hot and humid weather might just tak...

Nothing can get more random than this post that you’re about to read. And since I couldnt come up with a more appropriate title, its called 'Random'. Keeping up with the ‘non-intellectual’ content that my blog promises, I have ventured into an area ‘just like that’, which is my personal favourite and my life saviour- FOOD SHOWS!!! Yes, you heard that right.  Food shows are an absolute delight to watch. My personal all-time favourite. At least it’s better than watching daily soaps or getting your brains picked by some Halkat Jawani.  Travelling across the globe and transcending all boundaries whatsoever, the maestros of the culinary world are on a constant look-out for the most exotic flavours that are bound to play havoc with your olfactory senses. At least that’s what those chefs/hosts promise. Shot along the lines of a travel show, the shows explore the local cuisine-rustic, exotic, extravagant-sans the pomp and the grandeur of the so-called English etiquett...