Skip to main content

Photography

 

One quaint window. One sunny afternoon. Somewhere in Port Blair, Andaman Islands.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Of flowering trees and the magic of youth

It’s spring in Bengaluru. The Cherry Blossoms (Tabebuia Rosea trees) lining the roads are in full bloom.   The trees covered with pretty pink flowers look like giant cotton candy. If I choose to ignore the bumper-to-bumper traffic, the street hawkers and the incessant honking, I would say I am in some pink, fluffy fairyland. Or should I say, Barbieland? The roads, too, are covered with pink petals and it feels surreal. Of course, all’s not pink here. There are the Copper Pod trees covered with yellow flowers. So bright and cheery that it almost makes me smile. Then, there are the flaming red flowers of the Gulmohar, infrequently firing up some quaint street corner of my favourite Bengaluru hangout, Koramangala. Yes, spring is glorious in Bengaluru, indeed. And you know what else is glorious? The vivacious laughter and the carefree capers of youth. I teach in a college in the city. Every day, I see young people - teens and newly minted twenty-somethings - walk into my classroom ...

Of thought leadership and Indian Media

 Recently, the Supreme Court came down heavily on Television channels for using ‘hate and all such spicy things’ to increase their ratings especially during their prime-time debates. Terming hate speech a ‘poison’ affecting the social fabric of the country, the Supreme Court asked, “Where is our nation headed to if hate speech is what we are feeding on?” Mainstream channels still hold sway and the role of the anchor becomes critical. Media must have freedom of expression but should know where to draw the line, the apex court added. The Supreme Court’s rap for Indian Television media comes at the heel of several controversial and often polarizing discussions that prime-time debates usually delve upon. These vitriolic debates often reach heated heights when communally or socially inflammatory issues are discussed with an eclectic ‘panel of experts’ who most often out-shout each other. Media traditionally is called as the fourth estate, the fourth pillar of democracy that is the w...

A Journey of Bonhomie

Train journeys have always held a great fascination for me. The rhythmic sound of the moving train is music to my ears. I almost feel warm and snug as the gentle sway of the train lulls me to a state of calm and tranquillity. Of course, I love to stand on the platform and watch the meandering railway tracks beckoning me to places far away. And as a child I used to think that the engine driver had the coolest job in the world as the trains whizzed speedily ahead. I guess, I sometimes feel the same way even now, too! Since the pandemic hit us, my train journeys had been non-existent. And I missed them terribly. However, last week, I got an opportunity to embark on one such journey from Bengaluru to Madurai. And believe me, I couldn’t conceal my excitement. The moment I set foot on the station, I felt right at home as always. The familiar sights and sounds felt warm and inviting. People dragging heavy luggage, children squealing excitedly on seeing an approaching train, hawkers peddling...