My first computer was a Macintosh. I spent 14 hours glued to it the first time it arrived at home in 1996. With its easy to use interface (goodbye DOS) and a little wonder called the mouse, I remember thinking…
Author: Shakti
Exchanging iPods
On her recent trip to India, my sister gave me her iPod Nano. This Nano was special. It was gifted to me by a friend (a long time ago). I filled it up with my favourite music back then, to…
Zipping past
“India has more than 6,80,000 villages.” The text book announced. He ran his wrinkled finger along each letter making up each word that made up each sentence. He read it out loudly to himself. If he didn’t understand something, he’d…
Why I enjoyed Salman Khan’s Bodyguard (read the post before you judge me!)
At 9.20pm, the lane leading to the G7 theatre complex is packed. Not a single car moves, the parking lot at the theatre is overflowing. People walk past us dressed in shiny, new clothes. Some ladies in the adjacent car…
Being a published fiction writer!
I still remember my first byline. Fresh out of the first year of my mass media course, I eagerly sought an internship at the Bombay Times – a newspaper supplement I diligently read every morning for stories about my city,…
A taste of the Italian Riviera
Cinque Terre literally means ‘Five Lands’. The five villages —Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore— are a part of Liguria province that is home to the Italian Riviera. “The villages are not very far from each other. You…
Invoking Anna Hazare at a parking slot
April was all about Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement. We, the people, who had been looking comfortably the other way as corruption gripped our nation, were suddenly aware of the power of unity. There was hope. However, as much as Mumbai…
The sceptic and the spiritual guru
If you’ve met any ardent followers of the ‘Art of Living’, chances are that they’ve strongly recommended the course to you. Most followers swear by the courses, and I’m often told that doing the course would make me a happier…
A healthy burger is not an oxymoron at Gostana
Gostana is a warm little place that nestles right next to an Italian restaurant. As soon as you enter, retro tunes serenade you and the brightly lit, spotless counter where burgers are being decorated makes you salivate. We pick a…
Special: Shining some light for the blind
India’s print media is among the largest in the world. More than 25 per cent of the world’s blind population is in India. Yet, India’s 12 million visually impaired people do not have a daily newspaper dedicated to them. In…