Earlier this month, the virus hit home. After reporting daily Covid-19 infections as part of my job in the news business, I became a number myself. On November 10, as I stared at the lab report with cold feet and sinking heart, the all caps “DETECTED” in the right column read like a pall of […]
We live in politically volatile times, so it was with a certain amount of circumspect glee that I noted a friend’s social media thread being stitched into a battleground. She — an Indian by birth, an American by naturalisation, and a badge-carrying Democrat — had posted a pro-Joe Biden comment, triggering off a war of […]
I believe your choice of accommodation while travelling is part of the entire experience. It needs careful selection and ample deliberation in order to amplify your beach break, jungle escapade or mountain getaway. For example, travelling all the way to Seychelles and staying in the city with a view of the municipality office doesn’t do […]
Diwali is a time of celebration, of merrymaking and of giving thanks. But the dark shadow of 2020 looms over this happy time. We all know that Diwali 2020 will be vastly different from all the other Diwalis we’ve celebrated so far. Afterall, it’s the ‘new normal’. Just like Eid, Durga Puja and Navratri, Diwali […]
When virtuoso thespian Sean Connery passed away on the last day of October in the year that changed our lives, I came across (what I considered were) some rather disturbing headlines in the news media. They seemed to be hinged on the notion that all Connery did was essay the part of James Bond, aka […]
Terror attacks in France have sent shock waves across the world. That young men seething in rage over their “hurt sentiments” can go about beheading people in public places is an unimaginable act in any civilised society. And over what? Some cartoons of Prophet Mohammed? This is not the first time that the self-appointed defenders […]
The internet is not usually a pleasant space. Every time we post an opinion, a political take or God forbid a religious sentiment, we are bombarded with vitriolic hate. People, who hide behind a cloak of anonymity given to them by the internet, don’t think twice before hurling death threats, rape threats and hideous abuses […]
While social media may not necessarily be such a bad thing with its penchant to be on top of news (in my effort to peer into a glass that is half full, I am being generous and discounting the substantial ‘fake’ component), I find the lot of those who inhabit the domain as determined denizens […]
In the 1990s, when I graduated and was contemplating career choices, I had two options I could explore armed with an English Honours degree: advertising and journalism. Both were (allegedly) meant for those with a flair for writing, and I was made to believe I was in possession of that trait. Family members kept repeating: […]
The controversy over an advertisement by Indian jewellery brand Tanishq shows us how broken we are. Tanishq put out an advertisement that promotes religious, cultural harmony and all hell broke loose in the troll republic. How dare Tanishq show anything that promotes love, mutual respect among communities? Boycott calls on twitter followed. Tanishq was branded […]
Spoiler Alert! It started off as a simple, sweet sitcom with a questionable name and a slightly amusing cast. But now it seems to be the show that everyone is binge-watching, one that is creeping into dinner table conversations and one that we can’t get enough of. It has become the first show ever to […]
