Whisky

A few months ago, while at the local beauty salon and in the course of some polite chitter-chatter, the beautician mentioned to me that she had recently got a puppy. “Oh how nice!”, I said, asking what breed the puppy was and hoping she’d say it was a local desi dog whom she had rescued. …

New Beginnings

There is something very cathartic about the arrival of a new year. A new time frame, a clean slate, renewed hope, fresh promise. It creates an atmosphere very conducive to positive change, of our thoughts, beliefs, desires and behaviour. It’s the perfect time to review our patterns and preconceived notions and push the envelope a …

So Much Darkness, So Much Light

And so the madness begins. Firecrackers of the worst kind -not that there’s a ‘good’ kind anymore-the loud, all-noise-no-spectacle kind. The build up to Diwali has been sadly typical of Delhi hypocrisy- people spend their mornings reading about the ever-alarming state of Delhi’s pollution level, how it is responsible not just for the obvious bronchial …

Kaani’s Story

Diwali may be a night of great festivity for most people, but for those with any health issues and for animal lovers, it’s a pretty grim time. As an asthmatic, for years I have stopped going out in to the terrible Delhi pollution on Diwali. Rather, around  Diwali, since both the pollution and the horrid, …

Sound, Light and Smog

  It’s that time of the year again, the so-called festive season. If only one person’s idea of merriment wasn’t at the cost of another’s health. The Delhi winter is every bit as brutal as its gruelling summer. From the scarcely tolerable 46ºC, temperatures dropped dramatically last week, the day after Dusshera. Soon, just when …

A Nation in Conflict

It’s Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary and the state of the nation is not good. Not with regard to its neighbour and not with regard to itself. On Thursday, the Indian Army conducted attacks specifically targeting terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control with Pakistan. These ‘surgical strikes’, according to the Army, successfully neutralised over …

Remembering Bella

  Two years ago, on this day, I took one of the most difficult decisions of my life. Only it wasn’t to do with my life at all, but with Bella’s. This is her story. I can’t even remember when or how Bella showed up at our beautiful riding club. It was many, many moons …

Saints and Sinners

It’s very seldom that one can speak of saints quite literally. This then, is a rare occasion. On Sunday, 4th September, 2016, amid the cheers of a crowd of several thousands, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was canonised by Pope Francis, in a beautiful ceremony at Vatican City. The Pope spoke of Mother Teresa’s noble and …