Dudurudh

Marriage is a major event in one's life especially if one is Indian. That's the reason for the ''Big fat Indian wedding'' being so fat. In almost all of India, this grand celebration lasts many days. Kerala, is a little coastal state in the south of India where that isn't true. The only ''ceremony'' in a Malayali wedding is the groom tying a gold chain with a pendant around the bride's neck and the exchange of garlands and bouquets. The whole process takes roughly 150 seconds. But what the wedding lacks in duration, it more than makes up in grandeur. Malayali weddings, despite being considerably shorter than their north Indian counterparts, aren't any less ''fat''. The first step in planning a wedding, my aunt once told me, is to invite everybody. The first problem you'll face, she continued, is that even after inviting everybody, someone will tell you that you forgot to invite them. So you invite everyone and more...

Marriage is a major event in one's life especially if one is Indian. That's the reason for the ''Big fat Indian wedding'' being so fat. In almost all of India, this grand celebration lasts many days. Kerala, is a little coastal state in the south of India where that isn't true. The only ''ceremony'' in a Malayali wedding is the groom tying a gold chain with a pendant around the bride's neck and the exchange of garlands and bouquets. The whole process takes roughly 150 seconds. But what the wedding lacks in duration, it more than makes up in grandeur. Malayali weddings, despite being considerably shorter than their north Indian counterparts, aren't any less ''fat''. The first step in planning a wedding, my aunt once told me, is to invite everybody. The first problem you'll face, she continued, is that even after inviting everybody, someone will tell you that you forgot to invite them. So you invite everyone and ...

It must've been a couple of months ago. I remember sitting at this desk and looking out of these glass doors in my balcony. As the dusk enveloped the earth, I could see the sky turn a lovely shade of orange through the branches of a mighty silver oak. Two gulmohars flanked his either side and more silver oaks stood majestically beside them. They waved their branches in response to a breeze from afar. The sky looked beautiful in the background with the silhouette of the silver oaks and gulmohars dancing in the foreground and little birds learning to fly, somehow trying to get home. The air was bursting with life. No TV, no display, no HD screen could ever recreate that scene. Humans think they can make anything with technology. Ever tried sitting amongst trees and breathing in the freshness? the sound of nature's orchestra of trees, animals and life playing a beautiful composition of peace and tranquility. No technology can create that. We're not smarter than everything arou...

It must've been a couple of months ago. I remember sitting at this desk and looking out of these glass doors in my balcony. As the dusk enveloped the earth, I could see the sky turn a lovely shade of orange through the branches of a mighty silver oak. Two gulmohars flanked his either side and more silver oaks stood majestically beside them. They waved their branches in response to a breeze from afar. The sky looked beautiful in the background with the silhouette of the silver oaks and gulmohars dancing in the foreground and little birds learning to fly, somehow trying to get home. The air was bursting with life. No TV, no display, no HD screen could ever recreate that scene. Humans think they can make anything with technology. Ever tried sitting amongst trees and breathing in the freshness? the sound of nature's orchestra of trees, animals and life playing a beautiful composition of peace and tranquility. No technology can create that. We're not smarter than everything aro...

Bangalore is a wonderful city to live in. I'm not the first one to say it and won't be the last. But there's always a caveat to that sweeping statement. Bangalore is a wonderful city to live in. BUT the traffic drives me crazy.  Again, I'm not the first one to say it and certainly won't be the last. With a huge  population that is only growing, the traffic situation in Bangalore is only going to get worse. Many months ago, I decided to do a satirical piece on Bangalore's traffic. And so I began observing it closely. And slowly I began to understand that this wasn't an issue you could laugh away. Somewhere in the mad rush to success, development and modernisation, Bangalore's traffic has gone from being accidentally maddening to being deliberately cruel. People have lost the ability to judge right from wrong. There is only one rule on Bangalore's roads- the one that suits you. Jumping signals, drinking and driving, motorcyclists riding on footpaths, s...

Bangalore is a wonderful city to live in. I'm not the first one to say it and won't be the last. But there's always a caveat to that sweeping statement. Bangalore is a wonderful city to live in. BUT the traffic drives me crazy.  Again, I'm not the first one to say it and certainly won't be the last. With a huge  population that is only growing, the traffic situation in Bangalore is only going to get worse. Many months ago, I decided to do a satirical piece on Bangalore's traffic. And so I began observing it closely. And slowly I began to understand that this wasn't an issue you could laugh away. Somewhere in the mad rush to success, development and modernisation, Bangalore's traffic has gone from being accidentally maddening to being deliberately cruel. People have lost the ability to judge right from wrong. There is only one rule on Bangalore's roads- the one that suits you. Jumping signals, drinking and driving, motorcyclists riding on footpaths,...

There are things worth getting upset about. Like the state of the nation. If you're not getting worked up about where this nation is headed, it's time for some introspection. In any case, I'm no one to judge. There are other things worth getting upset about. Like how utterly unconcerned your fellow citizens are about the future of the nation. Bengaluru. Familiar to most as Bangalore, the IT hub of India. Our very own silicon valley. The garden city (or what used to be the garden city). Home to the Royal Challengers Bangalore. In many ways, Bangalore is India in a nutshell. The diversity in it's population in terms of language and religion is a true manifestation of the diversity of India. One can not speak of Bangalore without speaking of two things. Bangalore's weather (Oh the beauty of it!) and Bangalore's traffic(Oh the terror!) . Bangalore is beautiful city with beautiful people. But today, Bangalore deserves none of those accolades. Bangalore deserves a rap...