Before every exam, every test, every student already carries a question with them, one which stirs a mortal dread in their hearts — what if today’s test contains a question from outside of the syllabus? We aren’t taught to tackle such questions that fall out of the pattern of examining. We aren’t taught to tackle questions which do not align with propriety.…
When Deepak, with his characteristic inquisitiveness, asked me about the things I've learned in my life, it got me thinking. As I looked back and hard at the 62 years that I've lived, it felt as if everything that happened was pre-ordained and that I was just a participant all along, thrown in with various factors, people and circumstances which…
‘Every season in the hills has an essence of its own, one as beautiful as the other', I remember our porter saying, as he hauled our luggage off the sidewalk of Gangtok's tidy Mall Road. Monsoon was slowly descending upon the land of Sikkim, making its way up from the South. Our arrival was veiled in a haze of white,…
Pale pinks. Polaroids. Dancing. The whiff of earth when it rains. The scent of old musty books. The fresh-out-of-bath scent of a baby. Good good conversations. Best of friends. Seeing them after months. Travelling. Looking out the aeroplane window. Stretch of beach sand under the feet. Sea breeze. Walking barefoot on moist grass. Coming back home. Sleeping just a little longer. Michael…
How many times while reading the newspaper or flipping through news channels on the television have you thought to yourself, “I wish there was something more positive to cheer up my day” or “How depressing are all these headlines”? I am sure each one of us has, at one point or the other, experienced that emotion. Media today is filled…
Strange things begin to happen to us in our late 20s. Some of us know where our careers are headed. A lot of our peers disappear into the abyss of marriage, never to be heard from again. Some, apparently lucky ones, have it worked out on both those fronts. And then there is the group that I identify with; those…
I started writing at the age of six and, since then, all I've ever wanted to be was a writer. I found a home in words and poetry, a kind of music that touches the deepest corners of my darkest parts, a touch that set ablaze all of me. Writing became my passion. I knew it was my calling. But…
"So, what is your life lesson Sid?” asked Deepak, in his trademark tone filled with curiosity, energy and positivity. This was just the second time I was meeting Deepak Ramola, Founder of Project FUEL. Our first interaction was during an event that I'd organized for AIESEC Mumbai, where he was the host. I remember communicating a few last minute changes…
