Omicron! Just as covid-19 was making a partial exit, Omicron – a Covid 19 variant made a painful entry and is out to haunt us!!! Two years ago, the world was in the stranglehold of the Covid-19 virus and it wreaked havoc across the globe. After such a long time, you’d think that we had

A New Year Or A Year Anew?? Another year is drawing to a close- a year that was filled with panic and trauma and a year that sadly saw many succumb to the deadly Covid-19 virus. Life across the globe is not the same anymore for a new way of ‘masked living and social distancing’

Silence Speaks Volumes Have you ever sat alone and watched the sunrise and the sunset? Have you watched the twinkling stars at night amidst the quiet, inky darkness around you? If you have, you’ll fathom the magic of silence.  Filled with boundless energy, it transcends all barriers filling the heart and spirit with something too

Learning is fun but tough There was a time when I looked on coders with awe – let me hasten to add that I still do. Coding- I always believed- was beyond my comprehension. However, after having dabbed at it a couple of times and having my fingers burnt, I decided that I could still

The brainy smartphone Smartphones are ubiquitous and clicking pictures at the drop of a pin is the accepted norm. You can view the sunset at ‘Sunset Cliffs’, watch the swiftly moving glaciers of Alaska or listen to the roar of the Niagara falls from your living room. It doesn’t matter if you are thousands of

It’s right on the tip of your tongue and yet you can’t remember the name of your friend you met yesterday afternoon. However, you remember, effortlessly, the boisterous party at which you first met him. It can be very frustrating- don’t blame yourself too much. Blame it on your hippocampus and its inability to fire

Poets and Poetry Every one of us is a poet at heart for poetry is an echo of the music inside us- be it the music of sadness, the music of torment, or the music of happiness. It surfaces like the molten lava from a volcano or bursts forth as suddenly as spring flowers on

A battle Royale is being waged between Art and Science- a battle that will see no end and have no winner. Art has been around in some form or the other much further back than you can even visualise. The point here is that human beings have always wanted to unleash their creativity and express

The corridors of Asia reverberate with the clink of cups and saucers as the ‘contagious tea-drinking culture’ pervades West Asia, extending to regions of the Middle-East. And today, that’s where our tea-drinking journey will take us. So let’s go! Azerbaijan “Çay nədir, say nədir” that’s what Azerbaijanis say whenever they talk about tea. That translates

Tea-drinking culture is as old as the hills. It dates a long way back- more than 5000 years. Like aging wine, tea has caught the fancy of cultures across the world. It has evolved from being a medicinal drink to a beverage that ‘tempts, lures, and attracts’. Black or green, white or yellow, there is

Tea Drinking- A long journey If ‘Tea drinking’ is an art, then ‘Tea brewing’ is a science-non-pareil. That’s why books accompanied by a ‘cuppa tea’ is music to my ears. Perhaps that’s what prompted C. S. Lewis to say “You can never get a cup of tea large enough and a book long enough to

Tea Drinking Across Traditions and Cultures Tea drinking is as old as the hills. It began a long time ago. Legend has it that tea itself was an accident- a dried tea leaf fell from the tea plant into the Emperor Shen Nong’s cup and the infusion tasted so wonderful that boiling tea leaves in

There’s a hush on the horizon- an uneasy one. The culprit this time is Novel Coronavirus or COVID 19- a deadly virus that has struck terror in the hearts of governments across the world and in the hearts of the common man. A sense of Deja-vu prevails for we’ve been there before– once when the

Ah! The infinite joys of a cup of tea! A triple hurrah for Camellia Sinensis– the plant that gives tea lovers across the world that elixir of ecstasy- “Tea- the cups that cheer but not inebriate”. William Cowper couldn’t have coined that better- for there’s something about tea that soothes the fevered brow and comforts

Before I rattle away a list of must read books for you in 2019, let me tell you a very short story. The year was 1997. The setting- a school classroom filled with Grade-2 students watching as a teacher taught them math. Every pair of eyes was on the teacher. Except for one kid. That was

In the depth of winter, I finally learned there was in me, an invincible summer! Despite half of India being out of the Tropic of Cancer, it depicts a largely tropical climate. This makes Indian Summers as invincible yet appealing as ever… Indian Summers Indian summers– the words open out with a romantic invitation to experience

Resolution Re-Do resolution /rɛzəˈluːʃ(ə)n/ a firm decision to do or not to do something the quality of being determined or resolute The word, ‘Resolution’ has a sort of ‘compulsory’ tone to it. How about we read it a little different then? Let’s look at ‘Resolution’ as ‘Re-solution’. There! Sounds like we are half way through

International Human Rights Day is commemorated on December 10th, each year.  Both, individuals as well as various groups of individuals observe December 10th as an important day. The year 2018 will mark the 70th year of observance of Human Rights Day. A “right”, according to the Oxford dictionary means, legal or moral entitlement. There exist

World AIDS Day, launched on December 1, 1988, is an effort to raise awareness about  AIDS and condole the millions that died of the disease. Although there have been tremendous efforts to combat HIV/AIDS worldwide, HIV still remains a veritable health challenge. People across the world battle HIV every day. Many succumb to it and

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”- Augustine of Hippo. This saying is very true, as I believe that traveling is the best way to learn. Learn about people, cultures, places, history… and food! In our fast-paced lives, travel gives us the opportunity to get away, and

The Vagaries of a Love Marriage! My mother used to always say that ‘someone somewhere is made for each one of us’. All we need to do is find that perfect partner. Sometimes we find our perfect partner at college, office or even at a friend’s wedding. Once we find the person, love blossoms and

A List of Must Read Books for You!  The best way to de-stress, for me, on those ‘not-so-good-days’, is to simply curl up with a good book. I feel that reading transports you to a different world, away from your daily humdrum and stress. Reading books, which had seen a decline in the past, has

Blood Sugar is a Silent Killer  Being a ‘sweet’ person is no more a good thing if that sweetness is going to affect your wellbeing! The quantity of glucose present in the blood determines the blood sugar or the blood glucose levels. If blood sugar levels are higher than required, transfer of sugar from the

Going Herbal May Not Be The Answer To All Ills! Have you ever wondered why your pasta or salad lacks the zing that so often is an integral part of that dish? You’ve hit the nail on the head! It lacks flavor boosters- those insignificant looking herbs that make an ordinary dish- taste exotic. Fresh