Change and flowSaturday, October 20, 2012,08:32:34 AM
What’s happened to you?” I asked her. “Nothing really,” she responded. “Of course, there’s something wrong,” I insisted. “Oh for goodness sake, what’s your problem?” She was getting irritated by my prying. ....
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Prized above all!Saturday, October 13, 2012,08:19:37 AM
Ah, so there are prizes in the air, you know what I mean. No? I mean the Nobel Prizes. There’s a lot of excitement with winner after winner rejoicing and the losers still waiting beside their telephones helplessly. ....
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Originally lostSaturday, October 06, 2012,08:19:28 AM
I should get an award,” Panditji said with a big grin, sitting there amongst his beautifully laid-out display of bestsellers. “Why is that?” I wanted to know.“Because I make books easily available to people.”....
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Puneri busy beesSaturday, September 29, 2012,08:24:49 AM
Hello there,’ cooed a voice that stopped me dead in my tracks right in the middle of the sidewalk on East Street. Ah, it was my ex-colleague, Jumbo. I hadn’t seen the fellow in a couple of years and was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with such effusiveness considering he had nipped at my....
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Store of memoriesSaturday, September 22, 2012,09:27:01 AM
What are you up to?’ I asked our resident alarmist, ‘looks like you are buying out the entire shop.’ ‘Tomorrow the nation is coming to a halt and who knows how long we will be stuck without supplies,’ came the reply.....
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Sleep it offSaturday, September 15, 2012,08:35:14 AM
Last night, I was rudely shaken out of sleep by the raucous hee-hawing of party animals in the apartment above and from two others on either extremity of our housing colony. It was something like those surround sound experiences with the ....
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A cultured city?Saturday, September 08, 2012,08:15:14 AM
You are lucky to be living in a city like Pune,” chortled my host as we drove from the airport to my destination in South Delhi. “What makes you say that?” I enquired, feeling quite pleased with myself, as if I was being complimented. ....
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Shelf lifeSaturday, September 01, 2012,08:27:59 AM
I’ve always had a passion for bookshops. Not the big, fancy ones with liveried attendants noiselessly gliding around between bookshelves, answering your queries in hushed civilised whispers, smiling knowingly and nodding when they ....
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Salute to securitySaturday, August 25, 2012,07:42:31 AM
What’s the problem?’ I asked when I saw our resident bigmouth all puffed up and grumpy. ‘Just the usual,’ he replied. ‘Everything’s the usual nowadays,’ I said, ‘so what’s this usual that you’re talking about?’....
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Living the fableSaturday, August 18, 2012,08:50:56 AM
Quite some time ago, when there were not so many concrete monstrosities in our locality and we could actually hear the wind when it tousled the branches of the trees and birdsong was the language of the day, I had the extraordinary pleasure of experiencing a living fable.....
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A day to celebrateSaturday, August 11, 2012,09:20:29 AM
Independence Day is around the corner and there are many in the city who see it as a mid-week holiday. “Pity it wasn’t on a Monday or a Friday,” said a colleague of mine. “If it was, then it would be a long weekend and we could do something meaningful with our families,” came the response.....
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Pune plays the GamesSaturday, July 28, 2012,07:42:36 AM
My friend Deepak seems full of energy and ideas today. “Just imagine Pune setting up its own version of The Olympics!” “What on earth do you mean by that?’ I ask. “I mean our own version of the Olympics. Not the usual events but the ....
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Wrong signalsSaturday, July 21, 2012,08:24:18 AM
Akbar Bhamani was in a talkative mood. That was obvious. He waved a hand around, jabbering away about a hundred and one different issues. Engaging and colourful, his meanderings were entrancing. ‘Maybe you should stop waving that ....
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Barking madnessSaturday, July 14, 2012,08:24:25 AM
I don’t like dogs stopping outside my gate,” she growled, striding out of her little garden and stopping before me, eyeballs nearly popping out at me. “We’re not stopping, there is no reason to. We’re just out on a morning walk,” I replied as ....
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Shower powerSaturday, July 07, 2012,08:24:35 AM
When the shower burst over the roof of my office I was sure the tiles were going to give way and the metal below would cave in and split open and let the water from the Pune skies in on to my desk and flood the room and carry me away balancing on my desk like some ship wrecked survivor. ....
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Lessons in educationSaturday, June 30, 2012,08:43:35 AM
I know a child’s mind like the back of my hand,’ she said confidently, ‘that is why I am able to mould the child like clay into a perfect form.’ ‘Are you serious?’ I enquired trying to keep a straight face and not burst out laughing at the pomposity of her claim.....
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Pappu pass hua!Saturday, June 16, 2012,09:07:26 AM
I returned one evening to discover our apartment block draped in innumerable strings of multi coloured twinkling lights. There was music in the air and large groups of people milled around in the open car park area, making it impossible ....
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Scent of a saintSaturday, June 09, 2012,08:47:06 AM
A saint is coming to live in our society,” squeaked Mrs Gill, excitedly wobbling her body in glee. “A saint, did you say?” I asked with exaggerated awe. “Aren’t you all lucky. When did you get this awesome news? What’s his name? And fame?” “He’s Baba Khushboo.” “Khushboo. Hmm, interesting.”....
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Some years ago, when I was a Visiting Professor in the postgraduate department of English in one of Pune’s premier colleges I experienced our city’s multi-cultural spirit. In class, there were students from Mauritius, Sudan, Iran, Korea and seven states of India. ....
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