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Podcast: Papad -- The Circle That Completes A Square Meal
While exploring the colourful past of papads and the role they played in Indian history, Vikram Doctor spoke to author Saaz Aggarwal who in her book Sindh: Stories From A Vanished Homeland talks about...
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Should You File Income Tax Return For FY2015-16?
Many of us are not confident about whether we should file an income tax return. Is filing tax returns an open invitation to income tax officers for more scrutiny? What happens if I do not e-file? I...
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Are You Following These Safety Precautions While Shopping Online?
Nothing can beat the convenience of online shopping, but even if you're far removed from the madding crowd, it doesn't mean that there are no wily eyes on you, waiting for a chance to relieve you of...
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50 Online Learning Tools That Will Keep The Kids Sharp All Summer
Let's face it: the days seem to stretch pretty endlessly when there are school vacations. As parents, we often struggle to find ways to engage our kids effectively and safely. Some of them subject them...
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I Am The Grandma In The Summers
I just couldn't wait to be a grandma! And I didn't want to wait for my own kids to reproduce before having the honour. But let me backtrack a bit first. As a child, summers meant a lot of running...
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The Best Getaway Of Them All...
Every generation laments the present and glorifies the past. I am well aware of falling into that trap, and don't believe in subjecting my children to the things-used-to-be-better-in-my-time lecture....
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No Camps, No Routine, No Plans... And I'm Paying For It
It is the 15th day of the kid's summer vacations. Not that I am counting. I am lying in bed, eyes shut. I take a deep breath and try to meditate. Breathe in. Breathe out. Stay in the present, I tell...
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We Aced Toddler Road Travel These Holidays. Here's How
Mango trees lined the boundary wall of the resort we had booked for the night halt. They were short trees, laden with green unripe fruit. My three-year-old son looked at them in wonder. He cupped his...
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Day One Of 65, And I'm Already Sweating
I've been struggling with sleep for the past few nights. It arrives as expected -- like Santa Claus on Christmas -- but then it leaves quite unexpectedly, leaving me wide awake at around 3 or 4 in the...
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No Personality Development For My Boys This Summer, Thanks For Asking
"Mumma, please, just a little while longer?" An earnest face peered over the book I was reading. "Fine. Just a little while, okay?" That probably meant that I'd hear the mad shrieks and songs for at...
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Our Amazing Annual Kid Exchange Programme
Summer holidays typically last two months, but in our household, they span over four months. This trend has been around even before my kids got to school age. So what's the deal? When my elder girl...
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Why You Should Give Your Children The Gift Of Boredom
Recently, we took our six year old to a birthday party where the entertainment consisted of the local wildlife conservation officer. Instead of the usual high-octane high jinks, we saw the officer...
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The Magical Time When I Sparred With Muhammad Ali In A Mumbai Hotel Lobby
Christmas Eve, 1990. It is a cold, wintry night and I am at the Holiday Inn, Bombay, knocking on the door to a suite, my heart in my mouth. At this hour, I ought to have been in church. Or at some...
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Modi's US Visit Could Play A Pivotal Role In Shaping The World's Climate Future
When US President Barack Obama hosts Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a working lunch on 7 June at the White House, climate change and the ways the two nations can step up efforts to mitigate its worst...
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Just Another Sexual Harassment Story
The problem with a young woman, according to the HR chief, is that she is a young woman. His giant corporation does not have many young women, or for that matter, many women in senior positions. A...
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India Wins Hearts In Afghanistan With The 'Friendship Dam'
Taking their "development partnership" to the next level, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani inaugurated the Salma Dam during an impressive ceremony in western...
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Congrats, This Is What You Achieve When You Hit Your Child
Spanking one's child is considered a god-given right in most Asian cultures. Many parents here don't think twice before slapping, pinching, or taking out the much feared "daddy's belt" to "discipline"...
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From Roofs To Wells: How Rain Harvesting Can Boost Water Security
Kerala is a land of paradoxes, where rainfall exceeds 3 metres a year and yet there is a drought every summer. Thrissur district in the central part of Kerala has hills on the east and the Arabian Sea...
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The Hopeful Heart Of George Loveless
Of late -- this afternoon, actually -- I have been thinking about an inadvertent trade unionist named George Loveless. It is possible this had something to do with the fact that I found myself at the...
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Life, Death And Faith In Banaras
"Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together." -- Mark Twain Banaras, or Varanasi, is probably one of the most...
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