Thoughts at twilight

Posts

The creative case of an IT minister

December 08, 2011

(An open letter to Mr Kapil Sibal) Dear Mr Sibal, Subject: Screening of content on social networking sites I have been thinking of writing to you ever since I read that article in the newspaper about your proposal of screening ALL content that is posted on social networking sites. But other things have kept me tied up. I was too busy networking online. I hope you will kindly forgive me for the delay. You may have been busy too. There are a lot many things that the government has to bother about. I hope this letter catches the attention of your trained eye after you have dealt with the worries of running a country. I have also been wondering all this while if you have ever tried to find your long-lost childhood friends on a social networking site... or tried to network with/subscribe/follow the lesser-accessible mortals. Mr Sibal, we netizens actually take pride in poking fun at our friends through random updates. And since we are not celebrities/netas/stars, the media does not turn

Your tree...

March 03, 2010

I am still not sure if the tree that you planted is a Rudraksha or not – since I have been told that it is mostly found in the cold Himalayan terrain and is difficult to grow in a desert state. Not that it matters anyway. It must be nearly four years old — and I have forgotten its planting date, since I never knew that it would remain as a memoir — and has started bearing fruit. The flowers it bore for the first two years after you left it here were few, when your memories were very strong. The tree blossomed in all its greenery. While I took little notice of its growth, your images were still very fresh in my mind. I could see the back of your palm and the nerves lining it, your feet, then small and shriveled with age and illness, your hair and stooping back. I clearly remembered the way you spoke too. I had my complaints against you but nobody would listen. At the same time, I used to look at the tree and wonder if it is going to survive the onslaught of the changing seasons. It d

Diwali ka mausam kuchh aisa hota hai...

October 17, 2009

जब भागता हुआ सा दिन पकड़ नहीं आता है, उँगलियों के बीच से खिसक जाता है, गुलमोहर की छाँव में आँख-मिचोली खेलते हुए शाम रोज़ थोडा और जल्दी आ जाती है जब हवा कुछ नर्म सी होने लगे और कुनकुनी धुप ओढ़ लो तो सुहाती है तब सुबह अलसाई सी उठती है और रात खिंचती ही चली जाती है कभी खिड़कियों की धूल झाड़ते हुए, नए कपड़े पहन इतराती है. बाजारों में रौनक अचानक बढ़ने लगती है और रोशनी पूरे शहर को नहलाती है रात के दो बजे भी अगर निकल पड़ो कोई फूल, कोई मिठाई पुराने शहर में कहीं मिल ही जाती है ...कभी कभार ही तो ऐसा होता है जब हजारों दीये जलता हैं, दिवाली आती है

Cutting Chai?

July 03, 2009

I t was a sweaty June afternoon in Jaipur, I was cooking chapatis and hating it as much as any other woman would - given the heat coupled with the fumes from the kitchen. The mobile rang and I could not resist taking a look at the number. It was my friend from Mumbai and I suddenly felt guilty about not meeting her before returning from my two-week trip to the city. 'Emm... it was the hectic training schedule. I told you, didn't I? Ah... you would know how offices are, and how maddening is working for a small-city person in such a big, bad city like Mumbai.' I had nearly thought out my lines by the time I answered. But she wasn't really into it. 'Do you know what cutting chai means?' 'Yes, why!' (Cutting chai from Mumbai to Jaipur, why on earth?) 'Does your mom know?' 'I don't know...' (It was like people asking you, does your mom know you drink?) 'How many people in Jaipur would know?' 'I am sure, quite a few.' (And i

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