Spare me the Schemes, Main Course Will Do

(Published in Zeitgeist, The New Indian Express, dated 26th July, 2008) It was one of those unfortunate times when one member of the party h...

When an Unstoppable Force Meets an Immovable Object...Whom is the Joke On?

"Ha ha ha ahoo ahoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo" Something is very wrong when a joker laughs. Jokers were not meant to laugh. They were me...

South of the Vindhyas, East of the Ganga

We don't exist. Sometimes it hits you when people in a newsroom ask you whether you can understand "Kannadiga" - and shrug whe...

My Blueberry Nightmare

It all began innocently enough. Having an off-day after a while, the morning of which I rather pathetically spent in office, I forced myself...

Beeti Na Beetai Raina: Forgotten Stars, Unforgettable Songs

Recently, Mad Momma came up with an uncharacteristic post on songs that became massive hits despite non-entity actors and/or flop movies. Ne...

The Superstar of Many Faces

(Published in Matinee, The New Indian Express, dated 13th July, 2008) "Ammaavum neeye, Appaavum neeye…" The deep-set, sad eyes, th...

It's Payback Time, and I'm Here to Collect

(Published in Zeitgeist, The New Indian Express, on 12th July, 2008) Instinct tells me the man who came up with the adage "Neither a le...

Return of the Prodigal: 20 Questions on Bollywood

It has been a really long time since I wrote a proper Bollywood post. Did take a few short singles but they were hardly anywhere near a dec...

A business associate just came to wish me goodbye since she is leaving her job. Her future plans include "taking a break, travelling to...

Pappu-lar Culture!

Which is the most common Hindi first name? Vijay? Rahul? Akash? Rohit? Siddharth? Which is most common for girls? Pooja? Neha? Divya? And wh...