The not-so-secret diary

One of the unmeasurable joys of being in a tropical country is the variety of fruits and vegetables on offer. Long before national governments began to persuade us to have our ' 5 A Day ', both my grandmothers, several aunties, and of course my parents were already on the case. Thailand is indeed a delight for fruit-lovers. As a vegetarian I live by one simple mantra: to try each and every type of fruit, vegetable and edible plant that is available in my geography. Having spent a significant part of my life in India, I reckoned there would be little to surprise me in Southeast Asia. How mistaken I was! Perhaps it was a consequence of growing up in north India. It is entirely possible that the fruit and veg (F&V) that I consider exotic in Thailand has long existed in some parts of the Indian sub-continent.   During my first few months in Bangkok, each visit to the F&V section of a supermarket revealed at least one new thing I had never set my eyes upon before. After exci...

It is a strange feeling indeed to be an Indian (of sorts) in Southeast Asia. Years ago, in smoke-filled pubs of London, it felt perfectly logical to have the Goodness Gracious Me -inspired argument that only one outcome was acceptable: ‘We did it first in India’. Fortunately, the pubs became smoke-free, and I could spend an evening without needing an instant dry-clean for my coat or a deep-cleansing hair wash after each visit. I digress, as usual. This time, as I traverse around Bangkok, I have been filled a growing realisation that indeed, many ideas, beliefs and practices did emerge first in India. Equal is the wonder at how delicately they got assimilated in the local culture and acquired a uniqueness that can only be described in this trite but useful phrase- same same but different . Lest you await the hackneyed confession ‘I truly found myself’ (and there are many ways of finding oneself in Bangkok!), let me assure you there has been no such miraculous moment of discovery for me....

On a cold January morning, by the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India, I ushered in 2024 with my family. Back in Delhi, the smog showed little sign of receding. Through the smoky and dust-hued sky, we occasionally witnessed shards of sunlight, a reminder that our planet's bright star has not abandoned us just yet. Fortunately for me, a new adventure awaited. Before the month was over, I had landed about 3000 km east of India in Thailand. Upon alighting from the plane, my jacket was promptly stuffed at the bottom of the suitcase. Within 24 hours I was hitting the shops to buy t-shirts. Because, as everyone knows, you can never have enough t-shirts in a hot and humid country. Over the last few months I have been serenading my social circle with a Whats App-based photo journal. It is finally time to do the proper thing, which is to pen down my experiences for immortality (or till robots take over the earth). I had been to Bangkok several times before as a tourist. H...

My first international trip in 2022 was a short visit to Singapore. Rather fortuitously, the SG government relaxed entry restrictions just as I was getting itchy feet.  Back in 2007, I had spent a long weekend in SG, enroute to Australia and NZ. On that visit, my friends I and A very kindly took me to the most popular landmarks and districts. I also wandered on my own in this easy-to-navigate city-country. More than a decade later, I decided to explore SG under the expert guidance of native Singaporeans who pointed me to lesser-known nooks and corners. On arrival I captured this aerial view below.  Nope, this is not the invasion scene from Troy. It is, in fact, the approach to Changi airport. These shipping lines move goods between some of the largest ports in the world. It is very likely that the jacket you are wearing or the phone you are using arrived via a transfer at SG. Before writing a post on the fascinating cultural mix in Singapore, I start with food, which...