This Indian Life column is about relationships– between spouses, siblings, parents, children, family and friends.
Can planting a tree save your marriage?
Yes, that might actually work in a world where phubbing has becoming a relationship killer Using a cellphone in bed is a common point of discord among couples
Are you a texter or a talker?
Generation Older wants its information now. Gen Y merely wants messages it can ignore
Realities of virtual thefts: when your identity gets stolen
We inhabit cyber space with ever-changing norms and rules. How do we keep up?
Mothers and Sons…and the complicated dynamic between them
I loved writing this piece. Cos it is a theme I have seen— played out time and time again.
The Craziness of Vacation planning: HT Brunch
Want peace and harmony within the family? Check out the Abilene Paradox
Summer pleasures: the intoxicating taste of padaneer
Come summer and I think of the time my grandmother and I got drunk together. Our libation was the sap of the palmyra tree and it appeared like clockwork this time of year. Called padaneer in Tamil and neera up North, this sap of the Borassus flabellifer tree tasted of jaggery, coconut, and water. The men who sold it to us insisted that it had “no kick,” but was full of “strength and vitamins.”
Role reversal: you become an adult when your parents becomes the child
When do you become an adult? People have different answers for this. Some say that they become adults when they leave home for college, when they make decisions on their own. Others link it to their first kiss, or more prosaically, their first paycheck. One friend said that she became an adult when her parents died. My parents’ relationship is beyond the realm of words or date nights or flowers on anniversaries. Their bond is primal.
Of Snapchat stalkers and Musical.ly yours
Living our lives on social media may be great for our personal brand, but it also means giving up a bit of our soul
Vanity Phone numbers and what they say about you
What should you do when you can pick the digits of your phone number? Ask the astrologer of course! To get her new SIM card, my mother called up our family astrologer to pick the number accordingly
How to buy a cow…and other stories
The book is about — and owes its existence to — the generosity of spirit and the eloquence of its protagonist.
Indian proverbs
Every old culture has amazing pithy sayings that we have all heard from our grandmothers. How many of us use [...]
This Indian Life: new column for HT Brunch
Every generation thinks of itself as the sandwich generation: caught between parents and children. This generation however is different, I believe. Because of advances in medical science, our parents are living longer. These are some of the things I write about in this new column. What unites today’s India besides a love of spicy food, film songs, cricket and big fat weddings? I would say that many of us are parenting our parents – and an assortment of uncles, aunts, and random elders whose children live beyond our shores. It is equal parts frustration and comedy livened with moments of tenderness that borders on the sublime.