The Curry Affair

Like any traveller who loves exploring India, Kerala, popularly cited as God’s Own Country, holds a special place when it comes to topping many a traveller’s checklists. But unlike many of my friends and family members who have made a visit to this state, I wasn’t a big fan of covering X cities of Kerala in Y days, at a stretch. From my experience exploring a lot of Indian states, I have to come to solidify the belief that each new city or town in India has a different vibe to it and slow travel is the only way one can do justice to it, at least in my theory. So this fine March, I decided to head to the Queen of Arabian Sea, a.k.a Kochi. Kochi, also known as Cochin, is a vibrant city in the state of Kerala, India. Known for its historical significance, cultural richness, and bustling commercial activities, Kochi is a popular destination for tourists and a significant economic hub. How to Reach Kochi? One can travel to Kochi by train, bus or flight, depending on where one is starting fr...

As a corporate professional, long weekends hold great significance and if you are a traveller, you know you have hit a jackpot. This fine day I was designated the task to short list a place to travel to by my sister, which is easy to reach to, has great stay and food options, is a bit chill and less commercialised, has great weather and is pocket friendly as well. With this in mind, I started scouting for cities in India which could make a great escapade during the Independence Day long weekend. The task might have been effort and time consuming, but this is where my travel aficionado planning comes into picture: while travelling and creating content around it, I always have a handy list of places shortlisted for my next escapade and this time, Puducherry was a quick find and considering the weather there in August, and the checklist my sister gave, we locked the destination almost without a debate. Known for its rich and unique cultural heritage, the Union Territory is a unique blend ...

  October was a tumultuous month: unexpectedly though, because this is usually the time things chill down at work, the festive cheer fills the air and the weather becomes a lot more comforting and inviting.  But life had different plans:) With its usual streak of surprising you with situations you least expect, the month brought upon corporate re-shuffles (which mostly always destabilises things for a while), saddening sunset of friendships you had never imagined taking the course they did, difficult conversations with work peers, a constant demotivated outlook, an out of the blue medical emergency, my refrigerator getting fucked up one fine Monday. Not everything was saddening though: some good family time (a tad bit more than usual), some surprising wins at work, discovering a new park for my morning walks, cooking more often for myself. Cutting short to the theme of this piece: when life stitches together a lot of difficult and tough situations within a narrow span of time,...

  As simple and non-complicated it sounds, places, yes: non-living state of matter ‘places’, have the capability to evoke so many emotions. This other day, I happened to accompany my mom to her college, where she has spent the last 30 years of her life imparting to students, what she knows best: Chemistry Lessons (joking, she is the best at everything:P). The moment our car crossed the humongous, yet very beautifully maintained playground, I had a surprisingly quick flashback to the time me and my sister spent at the very same place 20 years back. The same grass, the same trees, the same walls; albeit the grass a bit greener, the trees a bit taller and the walls more maintained and higher. But that was not the contrast I was more absorbed upon. It was overwhelming to trickle in the realisation of how quickly we grew up ; from worrying about how to sneak in a 10 rupee crispie to buy our favourite notebook and a small bag of chips to share and ultimately fight upon, to now worrying a...

  It is Day Two at the Jaipur Literature Festival. An afternoon, post lunch session is about to commence. The hustle and bustle is slowly settling in, the commotion is giving way to structure, and avid readers and fans are making their way towards their favourite authors’ sessions. I make way to mine, and some formidable planning meant that I could get a decent seat for the session (planning here, read as: carefully crafted festival itinerary, hand-written for each of the four days of the festival I attended, in a dedicated pocket diary, just like old times:P). There are still a few minutes to the start of the session, enough for me to observe that the row in front of me had a well seated group of three young kids. One of the three suddenly pops from her seat, probably to grab something to eat. She is now well gone for five odd minutes, her peers have ‘booked’ her seat, and I suddenly hear a small shriek from one of the festival organisers. She is directing a lady with a young baby...

  Not exactly sure why, but each incoming month of the solar calendar does not echo the same sentiment as October does. “What’s special about October?”, I ask my heart.  Maybe it is the slight chill in the air, which slides by you like a warm morning hug. Maybe it is the cheery chirp of the birds, which doesn’t get drowned by my growling air conditioner. Maybe it is the slightly clearer skies, printed with subtle hues of crimson and orange, and specks of finely drawn foam clouds. Maybe it is the hope of togetherness, fostered by the spark of the Indian festive calendar. Maybe it is the motion of the leaves, the dead ones wilting away, the healthy ones still clinging strong. Maybe it is the flavourful fragrance of fresh desi ghee halwa, peaking in from your neighbour next door’s kitchen. Maybe it is the aroma of the damp jogging track at your neighbourhood park, made damper by the final farewell of the seasonal drizzles. Maybe it is the nostalgic memory of the annual mini-Diwal...

The past week, the world celebrated International Woman’s Day, and if I may say, celebrated with all the pomp and glory, and thanks to media companies, women-oriented brands and gifting enterprises, seemingly made the day even more commercial than each past year. An interjection here, before you think of me as a ‘woman’s day celebration’ phobic, I am all for celebrating days like these, even though the GenZ argument is that you should celebrate women each day and not just one. While that is true, celebrating days like these is an opportunity to spark debates, highlight issues and appreciate the achievements, amidst all the noise around. I translate this logic of mine to celebrating birthdays: however much adulting is tough and life brings on challenges as we grow, it is important to pause amidst the noise and celebrate your one day highlighting your existence, while at the same time, trying to celebrate small wins and moments the rest of the 364 days, it just helps you keep moving. Th...