This June, after the horrible dowry death case of Vaishnavi Hagawane in Pune, I wrote of the dowry system not as a relic of tradition, but as a living wound …..festering beneath the surface of domesticity, masked by rituals and respectability. Today, that wound has bled into public consciousness once again. In Greater Noida, on…
The rain wasn’t falling; it was a solid, shuddering wall of water. For three days, it had bludgeoned Mumbai, turning streets into raging, brown rivers. For Arvind, the test was simple: find dry land. The pavement he, his wife Priya, and their two-year-old son Chotu called home was gone, submerged. Their cardboard shelter was a…
I’m not one for religiosity, nor do I seek to promote any faith. But epics like the Mahabharata, Bhagwat Purana etc. speak to something deeper than belief ….. they speak to the human condition. On this Janmashtami, here’s a reflection on Krishna ….. not as a deity, but as a quiet presence in our everyday…
Seventy-nine years free. The flag flies. Pride swells. We breathe sovereign air, speak unchained minds. Yet beneath the anthem’s echo, a deeper tremor: shame. Our freedom is scarred by self-inflicted wounds. Look…….. • Women, revered as goddesses in myth, stalked as prey in streets. • Animals, embodiments of grace, met with casual, crushing cruelty. •…
From August to December, the river became a calendar. Raksha Bandhan arrived with the first bell of the ‘Riverschool’ boat. Neela, the teacher, tied rakhis made of river reeds on every child’s wrist. “This boat will protect you,” she whispered. Chotu, the boy with eyes like monsoon clouds, didn’t speak. But he held his wrist…
Dayasagar didn’t go looking for heroes; he looked for ghosts. He saw them everywhere, in the quiet corners of the world, in the eyes of people who were present in body but absent in spirit. They were the men who sat on park benches in the middle of a sun-drenched afternoon, staring at nothing, a…
The rain hammered Ramprasad’s black and yellow taxi like bullets on metal. Through the windshield wipers’ frantic dance, he could barely make out the neon chaos of Mumbai’s streets. It was past midnight, and he was desperately hunting for one last fare. His daughter Priya’s surgery was scheduled for following morning – ₹85,000 that he…
The recent tragedy that shook Pune—a young woman, overwhelmed by despair, choosing to end her life rather than endure the relentless torment rooted in dowry—has once again pulled back the curtain on a brutal truth that many would rather ignore. Behind the glossy façades of modern India, beneath the veneer of progress and prosperity, lies…
In a recent consulting assignment, I found myself working with a company brimming with talented, dedicated professionals—brilliant minds committed to excellence. The challenge, however, was not merely in the task at hand but in managing the diverse approaches and mindsets within the team. On one side, there were individuals with an ultra-aggressive stance, driven by…
At 65, I confront a truth as ancient as the stars—the agonizing absence of my parents, a void that echoes through every fibre of my being. My father departed in April 2021 and my mother followed three years later, each departure leaving an indelible mark on my soul. Society offers comfort to the young navigating…
