Salaam Bombay
rushikeshgk2The other day I boarded the train at the last minute. Normally in the mornings I take the same train everyday. Missing the train has a ripple downstream effect on…
A midnight rickshaw ride
In this neon lit autorickshaw The wind blows fiercely As we hurtle down the highway. They say rickshaws topple over When they go so fast. It wouldn't be so bad,…
An evening by the sea
Nothing compares sitting by the sea on a hot summer evening. Summers in the city are gruelling but the interplay of differential pressures over sea and land in the evening…
A Black and Yellow Sunset
A setting sun indicates the end of day. Or the beginning of a new chapter. Why does everything have to be in these two shifts? These two shifts signal work…
Inspiration
There is an intense struggle that ensues every morning. The struggle between one self with the other. What can be done. Who will win. The rational, disciplined self has accepted…
Oriole
At the window I stood today Looking at the trees And the traffic below Summer is here I sighed lightly. At that moment An oriole flew; into my sight. Yellow…
DJ Nights
I don't remember going to a DJ night in the recent past. Singing along and even shaking a leg to all the Bollywood hits. It is always fascinating to me…
An Unexpected Delhi Encounter
Rushikesh KulkarniMy relationship with Delhi has always been fraught with uncertainty. As a young boy I dreamt of living in the city, roaming the bylanes and preparing with all my might…
Wonder Why
There are so many reasons why one must not quit. One must persist. Wonder why and where these ideas come from. Some endeavours are best quit as early as possible.…
Traveling Light
You often don’t realise how heavy your backpack is really until you lay it down after carrying it for way too long. A never ending journey of sorts, like a…
Red Eye Warrior
A red eye flight is so aptly named. It actually gives you red eyes. Today when I left for the airport at 3, my eyes were bloodshot. It made me…
Driftwood
Losing myself in this ocean Like floating driftwood A piece of wood which was Once a fallen branch of a Banyan Tree Or a broken hull of a capsized boat…
Looking up
A greater purpose or a lofty mission is often enough to make you go above and beyond. What drives hard work is often that goal. Now that goal may vary.…
A hearth in a corner
In a corner of this cold desolate room There lies a hearth - warm and pleasant stoked with dreams and desires unfulfilled in the time that has flown by throughout…
Andheri Baaton Main
Andheri east is the underbelly of the corporate world. Its lanes and nooks smell of enterprise. It is within these industrial estates and the galas lie small ambitious, gutsy businesses…
wake up
Time to wake up From this slumber And face the harsh Realities of life Face problems beyond The spreadsheets and slide decks Over the figures and charts Away from recommendations…
sore throats and silence
Talk a lot and then your throat starts to hurt. It's a sign that you have been silent for too long. Silence is golden, but too much of it can…
Metro to Work
Until Monday I had never taken the metro to go to work. It was always for non official commutes. But when I was required to be at the infamous Saki…
A day without music
A day without music is terrible. But what happens when you go on for days without listening to music. I know it seems improbable but I didn't realise that I…
Time
They said to me Laziness is your enemy Get rid of it Don’t throw a fit Don't stay in bed Wake up and get ahead Those who hit snooze Always…
Ocean Currents at the Railway Station
The heart is a good indicator of your mind. Is that why they call some matters, the matters of your heart? Mostly they are related to how one feels about…
A Ramadan Special
Food unites us all. Which is why breaking bread together has been a long tradition symbolising bonhomie and respect. But today food can also polarise and divide. Dietary preferences can…
Powering Will
There are a few brands that I like. I am not a big fan of branded stuff. But there are a few standardised SST brands (Sasta - Sundar - Tikau)…
Sepia
Sepia hued streets remind me of the late nights that I spent wandering around the city which used to be my only home. When there was no end of the…
No time no time
Bangalore in bloom is a wonderful sight. But it also makes me nostalgic of the times that they have been. Spring for a Bombay person is an alien concept but…
In Flow
Seeking motivation and inspiration is futile. What one must pursue is the state of flow. When you are so immersed in your task that you forget to eat, sleep and…
Mysteries of Hotel Rooms
Ultimately a hotel room is not a home. It's a temporary arrangement, a modern avatar for the age old inn, a place to keep your bags and rest, until it…
Abracadabra
The wonder of magic tricks is a beautiful thing. Until the secret is revealed. Life is like that. All but a sleight of hand. That one clever hack. That one…
Sakkath Namma Bengaluru
When the news of a loud explosion at Rameshwaram Cafe broke, all of us assumed that it must have been a cylinder blast. But as the story progressed and new…
On a funny note
There's a genre in comedy called cynical comedy. I didn't know that. But then I watched the special by Ricky Gervais on Netflix. Then I realised that being angry with…
Connundrum
Life is a connundrum. That's all life is. An endless maze of choices and conflicts and the ensuing confusion, and the occasional contenment. Life also goes on. It doesn't stop.…