It’s appraisals season and I’ve been thinking about careers. Not mine specifically. Just careers in general. Because I’ve been sitting with the people who report to me (who are mostly very young), asking them what they want from their professional lives, and it made me wonder. What would I have said if anyone had ever asked me that question? Read more

The last couple of months I’ve been watching a lot more TV than I ever have in my whole life. This is not TV that’s airing on TV here. It’s TV acquired from dubious sources and it makes me incredibly happy. Almost as happy as good books do. Read more

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself explaining to a friend how I buy books.

An explanation was required since I was talking about titles and authors he had never heard of, that I hadn’t heard of either before I bought the books. So how did I hear about these books in the first place, and what made me buy them, he asked. Read more

A few days ago, I posted a very annoyed status message on my Facebook page: I hate commercial breaks. They should be banned. Or else an ad should only air once every two hours by law, I said.

To which I got this response: So would you pay for content? Read more

I read four books last week that I absolutely adored.

The first was The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken by Tarquin Hall, the latest in the series featuring Vish Puri, India’s most private detective. Read more

It’s mid-September and rather than saying bye to the monsoon, it looks like we’re saying hello. June, July and August when it should have POURED were mostly dry. September, when it should be mostly dry, has so far been mostly wet. Read more

‘India Independent: British Rule Ends’ was the banner headline on page 1 of the Hindustan Times on Friday, August 15, 1947. Read more

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine posted a status message about a tree in front of her home that was chopped down to make way for yet another building. A whole ecosystem gone, she mourned. Where will all the creatures that lived there go? Read more

Recently a pal posted pictures of gorgeous birds he photographed while on holiday in Uttarakhand. Read more

As a journalist, there are two kinds of contacts I need (personal contacts are a whole different thing). The first is people I’m likely to tap often for information and insights because of their expertise in the subjects I follow, and these are my lifeline. Read more