The not-so-secret diary

After a long hiatus, I decided to catch up with some cultural and social events in London. It was not my explicit intention to mix the bizarre and the bohemian, but that's the only way to describe how my week turned out. I started out on a Sunday of jazz music joining a group of serious jazz enthusiasts. To me jazz has mostly been something that plays in the background, or perhaps adds character to a lazy afternoon spent reading a book. So it was fortunate that the event was in fact 'The history of jazz music' and I got up to speed with the names of popular artists and change in style from 1930s, 40s, 50s.... right up to 2010. And I discovered that I was happy to be stuck in the 1930s where it seemed a lot more fun and played to the foxtrot and other interesting dance styles. Invigorated by this finding, I decided to attend a proper concert mid-week where a prominent jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp was joined by the rather-talented jazz-pianist Joachim Kühn . It was ...

Recently I read an article that said: More than half of the college students surveyed indicated that if an employer banned access to networks like Facebook at work, "they would either not accept a job offer from them or would join and find a way to circumvent." ... One in four college students, according to the report, said issues like these--while likely baffling to older generations--would represent key factors in their decision to accept a job offer. (!!!) The full article can be found  here  . Well, I do admit that I would be very surprised if I didn't receive at least some kind of a laptop or a blackberry at work, mainly because these are essential tools required for me to operate effectively in my profession. Having recently joined a firm that doesn't allow access to Yahoo/ Gmail/ Hotmail and social networking sites from the office, I noticed within the first week I had built up a massive backlog of unopened/ unattended personal emails...

I am in Delhi for Diwali and to say bye-bye to IIT Campus, the leafy academic campus once at the edges of 'New Delhi' now swallowed by the the behemoth that is the National Capital Region of Delhi today. It is the residential campus where my parents have lived for over three decades, travelling and working all over, kids in tow, but always coming back to the campus we knew as home. We love the place to bits along with the dogs, cats, mice, ants, peacocks, owls, cockroaches, spiders, wasps, mosquitoes, lizards and the occasional snake that have also made the place their home. As my sister says its a bit like being in the Australian Outback, once you block out the noise of the whizzing Delhi Airport-bound planes that is. So I'm no stranger to the creatures that appear out of nowhere and disappear as suddenly. Like the mouse that found a friend's rucksack so tasty that it chewed the plastic strap right through the night. O...

Less than an year ago, the newspapers in India were awash with panic that approval for Phase III of the Delhi Metro may be delayed, and this in turn could delay the whole project. This is because the 'tower-cranes' essential for construction were in high demand world over, and Delhi would be fighting not just other Indian cities but other countries (presumably neighbour China!) to be able to book this expensive contruction equipment- something that needs to be done many months (years?) in advance. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when the project and the funding structure was approved and more recently some further extensions outlined for this phase. However, this worldwide scramble for cranes could be avoided if, and only if, they were not being used in fun fairs !!! The dudes below seem to be having a great time ;-) Yes- this 'ride' truly was star attraction in the Easter fun fair in Berlin in April, 2011. As for the crane owner- that's what I call An I...

Nearly two years ago, in early 2009,  I joined a group of friends for a walk in the New Forest (near Southampton) in UK. It was a sunny, spring day and after a fantastic breakfast a group of 12  boot-clad 'nature enthusiasts' , one brave 6-year old and one baby (piggy-backing!) proceeded for a short walk, aiming to reach a local pub in time for a hearty lunch. Five hours later we found ourselves in a swampy field trying desperately to get a signal on the one i-phone that we had in the group.The phone's map said we were in the middle of 'nowhere' and but our group of several experienced town planners, transport planners and geographers refused to believe it and pored over one big soggy map.  A few false starts later we grudgingly acknowledged that the phone might be right and made a beeline for the country road we saw in the distance! We made it to the pub eventually and the food tasted better tha...

It wasn't an Iron Mask or a Venetian Mask or even a 'Prince William' mask, (the last type I believe come out only once a generation in the UK). Rather it was a black rubber mask with little metal studs on the side. Looked a little bit like something you would wear in the event of a chemical attack. It was worn by a muscular, tattooed, shaved-head (or bald bloke) sitting in the tube. It was impossible not to stare at him. Much to my satisfaction, I saw that there were several people like me who pretended to scan the adverts above him and then surreptitiously glanced at him before forcing their eyes to move to the next ad panel. A few thoughts flashed in my head over the course of the 3 tube stops on the Northern Line that i shared with the Masked Man. Is there a new type of  flu that can only be prevented by wearing black rubber masks which look like they will choke you if the flu doesn't get to you first? Or maybe it i...

Not just 'The Nose' but 'My Nose'. Or even "My Nose! Its more important than that train you are trying to leap into, even as the doors are sliding shut in front of us!". That's what I wanted to yell at the guy who dashed out of the walkway at Notting Hill Gate station last week, used the wrong entry point, which was actually the exit point for everyone getting off the Central Line, and in the process nearly smashed my little nose. So there it was, I escaped my  Surpanakha moment by just a few micro-seconds and without even being guilty of recklessly flirting with two warrior brothers and would-be-gods. Had I been walking a little faster, had I not been weighed down by my grocery bag, or had my nose been a few millimeters longer, the outcome my friends, could have been different. So I cursed some more inwardly, got onto the escalator and sarcastically hoped that his 'appointment' was worth it. By the time I reached the top of the escal...

I have thought for some time that I am in serious danger of becoming a news junkie. But just recently I made some mental links and concluded that, in fact, there are  3 main developments occurring right now and everything suddenly makes sense. Or reduces the nonsense. Or .... well... at least brings us a step closer to making sense. In no particular order of priority, they are: Technology or The cyber-age Democracy and revolutions The rise of new superpowers (and some others in the making) On their own, each of them on their own could potentially change some parts of our future world, but acting together they are sure to change our world forever. Strangely enough these three developments are linked to each in the equivalent of the six-degrees separation for trending world events.                             ...

Grains: Rice, Wheat, Corn etc. Grains are mentioned as an absolute must to build up strength and energy. In fact most of us, till at least a generation ago were happily digesting complex grains/ wheat. But modern farming methods have left us with varieties of wheat that have too much gluten and so we see gluten allergies. Rice (specially Basmati Rice, probably as it was the native variety) has been given a prominent position in Ayurveda. It is considered easy to digest by all constitution types, and mixed with various other food types/ herbs has important curing properties. Corn is not native to India and lately there is some evidence, via old temple sculptures and texts that maize (and other South American food types) probably arrived in India in pre-Columbus times. I would imagine that the new foodtypes were classified as per the ancient principles. Modern Vaidyas recommend quinoa, corn, brown rice, cous-cous, bulgur wheat and many other grain varieties based on your par...

So my first Ayurveda blog was all about me being a self-appointed guinea pig. In this one I'll summarize how Ayurveda  treats various food types. Its worth noting that since this 'ancient food science/ life science' was developed over 5000 years ago in a tropical part of the world, many of its recommendations are geared towards the food and lifestyle associated with that region. Still the Indian sub-continent is huge and the variety of seasons it covers from the chilly winters in the northern mountains, to the extreme heat of its western deserts and the temperate climate on its coastlines means that the principles could well be applicable to many geographies. Here is what I have gleaned so far in my ongoing quest to understanding the principles behind the many rules of food preparation and consumption: 1) Best times to eat All individuals have different digestion levels and strengths. In general the body's digestion is strongest between 10 AM and 2...