Underdog story

First published on Kalamwali on 3rd July 2017 It was the summer of 2000 when I first met Sandeep on field. We were called by the senior team for tryouts at the Nehru Stadium. Back then it was the biggest cricketing arena in Pune and the only stadium which hosted international matches. I was nervous … Continue reading Underdog story →

The honeybee & the hole

First published on Kalamwali on 7th April 2017 Youth Hostel Dharamshala is a small run down place, just about adequate to spend the night for backpackers. I was sitting by the big glass window in the small dining room. Across the room in another corner was Jared, the Aussie who shared my dorm-room. He was … Continue reading The honeybee & the hole →

Lost & Found

First published on Facebook on 19th September 2016, re-posted unedited. It was 3 pm as I checked in to the hotel. Heavy clouds were forming in the sky bringing along the gloominess. My travel so far had been satisfactory but the best part of the trip was in danger of being washed out. Weather forecast … Continue reading Lost & Found →

Dum hai to pass kar, nahi to bardast kar!

First published on Facebook on 11th September 2011, re-posted unedited All those who love to drive cars and particularly those who are self declared greats would agree that we take “PANGA” with total strangers for no apparent reason. Some of the conditions are; to dismiss someone with an inferior machine. To deliberately “ungli” someone with … Continue reading Dum hai to pass kar, nahi to bardast kar! →

Addicted to the T

She was angry and afraid of her predicament. She felt that life had served her a raw deal. It was unfair, she deserved better. She was too good to find herself in this position. She spoke about it with her family and her friends. Some of them were sympathetic, they offered her their shoulders to … Continue reading Addicted to the T →

The Maryada Conundrum

Few days back, a video clip went viral on social media, where a European traveling in a plane filmed his co-passenger eating food with her bare hands (without knives and forks) and said that it was gross to do so. As usual, the comments section was quickly filled with opinion about the cultured and acceptable … Continue reading The Maryada Conundrum →

Strip down and step down..!

The joke landed but only just. Part of the crowd laughed a bit and the rest smiled; amused with the clever wordplay but annoyed with the undertone. There was this unmistakable sense of smug superiority underneath the jovial demeanor of the performer. Intellectual racism; is when the speaker assumes and awards oneself a higher moral … Continue reading Strip down and step down..! →

The Social Contract

Select transcript of Mel Gibson’s 1998 interview. The social contract: you can’t get mad; you can’t get mad, you can’t let it get you. You have to make a deal with everyone else and it’s almost unspoken, that you are going to be fucked over at some point, by people, who you may have done … Continue reading The Social Contract →

Oppenheimer, death of a star.

श्रीभगवानुवाच कालोऽस्मि लोकक्षयकृत्प्रवृद्धो लोकान्समाहर्तुमिह प्रवृत्तः । ऋतेऽपि त्वां न भविष्यन्ति सर्वे येऽवस्थिताः प्रत्यनीकेषु योधाः ॥ ११-३२ ॥ Bhagawan said, I have become death and I am inclined to destroy. Whether you chose to kill or not, your enemies shall die. तस्मात्त्वमुत्तिष्ठ यशो लभस्व जित्वा शत्रून्भुङ्क्ष्व राज्यं समृद्धम्‌ । मयैवैते निहताः पूर्वमेव निमित्तमात्रं भव सव्यसाचिन्‌ ॥ … Continue reading Oppenheimer, death of a star. →

Godavari

प्रवाह आणि प्रतिबिंब सवयी, स्थिती आणि स्वास्थ्य असे काही मूलभूत प्रश्न घेऊन ८-१० वर्षांपूर्वी पुण्यातील एका मानसोपचारतज्ज्ञांकडे मी गेलो होतो. दैनंदिन जीवनातील पेच आणि त्यात गुरफटलेल्या सामान्य माणसाला समुपदेशनाची मदत होऊ शकते हे अजून सुद्धा समाजाला तितकंसं मान्य नाही. अर्थात बदल घडतोय आणि आजच्या जगण्यातील अनिश्चितता आणि अस्थिरता लक्षात घेता समुपदेशन हि काळाची गरज होणार … Continue reading Godavari →