Kaikobad

  Do you regularly receive any parcels by courier ?   If so, you will agree with what I am going to say, more if you are an avid reader like me, who orders books from many websites and waits eagerly for them to be delivered, but the courier company does not know about my eagerness or simply does not care. There are many courier companies vying for our attention, but sadly most fail to make their mark. Gone are the days when the courier used to reach us the very next day. Only Amazon today delivers the day that it promises. Every courier company today worth its salt has a tracking mechanism where we put the AWB tracking number on the site and see where your parcel is at the present. That itself is an ordeal in itself, a stress giver… ☹ Many a times the book site enthusiastically and proudly gives me an AWB, but the courier site says that the number does not exist. This is because they have not entered the number in their system yet. And then after a day of two finally, you...

  September 25, 2020 is a very sad day for me, the day when one of my favourite singers S P Balasubramaniam passed away. I have grown up with his Hindi songs in my school and college days and always marvelled at the soft and melodious manner he rendered every song; his singing has always been flawless. SPB made his mark in the Hindi film music in the eighties, the time when a legend like Kishore Kumar was ruling the music charts, Amit Kumar was singing good songs, and newcomers like Shabbir Kumar and Mohd Aziz had just stepped into the Hindi music scene. SPB has a very riveting voice which is like no other singer, absolutely distinctive, unique and identifiable. I got hooked to his voice from the time I heard the songs of Ek Duje Ke Liye, Ek Hi Bhool and Yeh To Kamal Ho Gaya. He gave a smooth sensuality to his duet with Asha Bhosle “O Milan” from Tohfa which stands out among the other tracks by Kishore Kumar. Likewise in Saagar, his songs for Kamal Hassan are as spectacular and m...

While working from home, I usually make afternoon tea around 5.30 pm. Today I got delayed due to urgent office work and I couldn’t get up from my work seat till after 6 pm. While making my tea, my thoughts were lingering on the work that I have to complete today and some urgent work to be done in the next two days, some deadlines, some calls to be made etc. Many other personal thoughts were simultaneously crossing my mind. On my kitchen window-sill, there were some sparrows who had gathered and were eating the left-over rice I had put out in the afternoon. They were chirping away merrily, absolutely thrilled about the food laid out. It set me thinking…We keep worrying about things like office work, personal problems, an uncertain future, sometimes irrelevant things too. These sparrows have their own issues in life which are far more important and difficult than the issues we humans face. They have to search for food and water daily and all the time, and if they don’t get it, they h...

Ranjit Lal is a famous Indian author known for his books for children and young adults. He has his own website and has written around thirty-five books and articles. A few years ago, I had read his book “The Battle for Number 19”. That was a story of eight schoolgirls who are on a historical tour of Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and Delhi, get into trouble when they drive into Delhi on the day Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Their Sikh driver is dragged out and killed by a mob in front of them. The girls flee, seeking refuge in the first suitable house they can find. A beautiful empty house, stuffed with frightening masks and medieval weapons. Unfortunately it was a house that had been marked by the mobs, since it belonged to a Sikh. The book explains how the girls deal with the mob that tries to break in the house again and again. The book was a terrifying experience and really well written with nail-biting suspense. From that day, I did keep this author in mind for his other books. On...

The spirit of Mumbai and the kindness all around ! We invariably see everyone proud of the spirit of Mumbai, in natural calamities and the way people are always ready to help when any flood, fire, bomb blasts or natural calamity strikes ! They take it upon themselves to help in any way they can. Throughout any crisis, the true spirit of Mumbai comes alive as everyone comes together to save the city and offer help to those stranded or in trouble. But the general kindness of Mumbai is visible in our day-to-day interactions with our people in Mumbai. I have listed a few of them below :       In trains, when a seat falls vacant, people do rush to catch it, but I have experienced people stepping back, waving and smiling at me and telling me to sit down. Invariably when I am travelling in an auto or cab, I do talk to the driver to while away the time. Except for a few, most reciprocate and discuss their problems, their thinking on issues etc. There is a smal...

The Little Kitten Late last night, I heard a tiny 'meow, meow' outside my door. I put on the outside light and opened the door to find a little black kitten on the steps staring steadfastly and unblinkingly into my eyes. Beautiful light eyes, a little nervous, a little scared.... I wondered how it had come up three floors. I approached it softly calling it to me, but it raced up the steps further to the fourth floor. Every time I moved towards it, it jumped a step upwards with its tiny legs.  I put a few pieces of soft bread in front of it, but it ran further up away from it. I left it alone with the hope that it will eat the bread when it is alone. Around 1 am, it started meowing loudly, the little thing was scared due to its loneliness, I guess. I put on the light, opened the door several times and went up and down the steps to search for it...but it was nowhere to be seen, it seemed to be hiding in a little corner somewhere. When I put off the light, imm...