Rain

We are returning home from Mumbai in our car taking the seawoods road. This road runs parallel to the sea and all around one can see the mangroves. There is presently no rain but black clouds like bellowing smoke are gathering in the west. They look menacing. Below these clouds are white clouds full  of rain. We are cruising at high speed as the highway is always clear. Now the clouds are advancing towards us. There is no wind which is quite surprising because the rains in Mumbai are always accompanied by strong gusts of wind. The umbrella does not… Read More »Rain

Slow Food Movement and Navdanya

The world, especially in the cities, is becoming a busy place. The system of joint families exist only now largely in the villages. As more and more people are becoming educated, they migrate towards the cities where their qualification can earn them a good living. As the cities are becoming overcrowded, the cost of living increases and ultimately migrants are not in much better condition than they were at the native places. The life has become so much hectic in the cities that the food for which we all are toiling day and night has taken a back seat in… Read More »Slow Food Movement and Navdanya

Kanoji Angre

There is no doubt about the fact that Shivaji was a great hero. Why I am saying was, he was, he is, and always will remain in the hearts of Indians. Some say he was Hindu king but that is not true. He looked upon his people without any discrimination. But the qualities I admire him for are his bravery, fearlessness and presence of mind. Otherwise, who can even imagine that any person who is in clutches of such a mighty emperor as Aurangzeb at Agra could make his escape good from a place which is thousands of miles away… Read More »Kanoji Angre

Alphonso Mangoes

Comes April and mangoes make their appearance in Mumbai. India boasts of maximum number of cultivars and varieties of this fruit which can easily claim the title of king of fruits. Its juice is full of sweetness and some varieties have the tinge of sour taste. In Maharasthra, Karnataka and Andhra states the mangoes have developed and green raw fruits are hanging from the branches. Mangoes are used in innumerable ways. Raw fruits are sour and are used to make drinks which soaks the heat  from the body nd cools you in the simmering heat. They are used to make… Read More »Alphonso Mangoes

Sense of Ennui

Our colony is very big in comparison to most colonies in Bombay. It is spread over an area which has circumference of about 3 kilometers. There are 1400 flats. Once upon a time this colony was bustling with people. But after the 2005 floods decadence has set in. An exodus ensued and people began to leave the colony and shifting to nearby Kharghar area. As the number of residents dwindled the administration became slack and maintenance suffered greatly. Presently the colony seems to be ghostly place after the dusk. Only about 50% flats may be occupied. Number of security guards… Read More »Sense of Ennui

Rain and Gloom

Excess of everything is bad and nature seems to do all the things in grandest manner. Weather patterns are changing everywhere and abnormal patterns are being observed. Take for example, the rains in Mumbai. They are around for more than 3 months. Now we are well into September but still the rains are pestering. During the last 3 months, it has been playing havoc all around. So much water have poured down from the skies on the earth. Sometimes, it seems impossible. But then nothing is impossible with God. The rain seems to fall with extreme force as if someone… Read More »Rain and Gloom

After the rains

The rains this year has been more than expected and extended well beyond the normal month of September. In the tailing month of September, the heavy rains on every Saturday and Sunday became the regular and most annoying feature. It forced the already fed up people to be confined into their homes without any reason. There was no Sun to be seen and the sunlight which is closely related to the cheerfulness, hope and lifter of the gloom was missing. For present at least the rains seem to have stopped. The changed weather is hot and there is lot of… Read More »After the rains

A whiff of Freshness: Poetry of Irshad Kamil

I am sure many young people may not be knowing his name but be humming the songs written by him. The young writer hails from Malerkotla, Sangrur, Punjab. His name is Irshad Kamil. He has breathed a freshness in the Bollywood film songs. It is just a beginning. I am sure, he shall blaze a trail in this field. Man of many gifts, he has dabbled in various professions like a reporter for newspapers in Chandigarh. He wrote scripts of many serials for television. Some of the films he had written the songs for are Jab We Met, Rockstar, Ajab… Read More »A whiff of Freshness: Poetry of Irshad Kamil

Brine Shrimp aka Sea Monkey

Brine shrimp is an unique animal. It is called Artemia, a class of aquatic crustaceans. First unique trait of brine shrimp is that since the Triassic period, it has changed little externally. This fish possesses the ability to lay eggs which are called cysts which can lie dormant for long periods of time. They are hatched when the conditions in the environment become favorable. These animals are able to avoid cohabitation with most predators like fish by their ability to survive and thrive in highly saline waters. They are found in the enclosed bodies of saline water like Great Salt… Read More »Brine Shrimp aka Sea Monkey

A Visit to Kashid Beach

The coast of India adjoining the Arabian Sea looks on the maps like a moth eaten book page. All along the coast are numerous beaches. The region possess extraordinary physical beauty. There are small hills with very beautiful summits of varied shapes. Some look like a plateau while others like the sharp dagger like cliffs. Around Mumbai there are many good beaches. Farther you go away from the metropolis, the better are beaches. One such beach is Kashid beach which is 110 kilometers away from Panvel, 160 kilometers from Mumbai and 35 kilometers from Alibaug which itself has many beaches… Read More »A Visit to Kashid Beach