Destination Unknown May is coming to a close and as the tropical summer gives way to the south westerlies, the hope that the Indian blistering summer would finish or weaken me has not borne out. Amphan blew up bridges, cars, Read more…
To begin with The Archies is seamless storytelling not video clips joined together to make a movie. A lot of what is said is taken from videos on YouTube with nothing much new to see. And that makes a lot Read more…
‘You have a duty to vote in a democracy,’ you are often told and justifiably so. The first time I voted was (minimum age was 21 then) in 1984 after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in her own Read more…
Yesterday I was at an event where snacks and beverages were sold. I bought a cup of masala chai and it was surprisingly delicious. Not brewed till it was bitter, just a touch of sugar, not too hot to burn Read more…
What’s up, folks? Or should I say WhatsApp? I can’t imagine how we lived our lives without this ubiquitous software App on a smartphone. I looked at WhatsApp like what we Indians used to call SMS, to share short messages Read more…
December 26th 2024, was the 25th death anniversary of my dear Amma. This Boxing Day has become doubly sorrowful with the passing of India’s jewel, Dr. Manmohan Singh ji. I was already reminiscing about the most huggable person in my Read more…
Ukraine doesn’t cease to amaze me. It’s a very young democracy, having broken away from the Soviet Union in 1991 along with the other 14 that comprised the erstwhile Soviet bloc. They decided to have their own Constitution and became Read more…
Most Ukrainians are Orthodox Christian of various denominations with a small section of Islamic Tatars and Greek Catholics. Recently, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was recognized as an independent patriarchy, breaking away from Moscow finally. Eastern Europe and Ukraine celebrated Easter Read more…
One thing common between India and Ukraine, is corruption. Any other similarities end there. In India corruption is clearly evident in our poor road systems, poor public offices and their deliveries, poorly maintained hospitals, schools, ports and also anything that Read more…
Every country has its national and historical heroes. But how many such celebrated heroes are poets? Taras Shevchenko, who has written Ukraine’s national song was a writer, painter and thinker. His sculpture and portraits are found all over the country. Read more…
Ukraine doesn’t much care for tourism or tourists. At least not till couple of years ago. But all their cities are so tourist friendly, despite the occasional language handicap. They have introduced visa on arrival this year for several countries, Read more…