Blue Peepal

Breaking away from the city life and work for a weekend that can truly reconstitute you, is like believing in a fable. When I selected this river-side home-like retreat to spend a weekend with family and friends, the expectations remained grounded. The offerings did not include an orderly “hotel” room, or polished attendants and the food was supposed to be hygienic, ample and  home-like.   The friend who advised me on taking this experience listed fishing, natural surroundings, basic accommodation, and no mobile connectivity as the package. The idea of fishing seemed to resonate in my mind. When I shared with my elder son of 5.5 years, he almost slept, ate and breathed on the idea. He imagined the experience, before experiencing it! The enthusiasm just grew as we proceeded towards the day we would embark. Nothing else now mattered except the fact that I and he could do something, we had never tried. On the appointed day, as I drove towards the place leaving t...

A journey to Gandhi's life in Sabarmati Ashram We had boarded an early morning train from Mumbai for a family vacation at one of the resorts in Gir Forest. The itinerary involved a stopover at Ahmedabad, affording upto 8 hours in this famed city. Checking with fellow travelers on important sight-seeing options, the list threw the usual – malls with their ensemble of shopping, movies and food courts, certain temples, and water-park. These generic list and the options did not somehow inspire uniqueness to the experience. At Ahmedabad railway station, my wife visited a Gujarat Tourism office and picked up a brochure. The attendant’s recommendation on possible options was the same list, we had disfavored. Facing his inadequacy at providing an exciting option, he threw his hands and uttered – “You may check Sabarmati Ashram”. My wife’s eyes lit up. She shared the idea and I shared her enthusiasm. Places of historical importance have always superseded our interest for food and o...

The upside to India's currency depreciation   With the Indian rupee falling beyond 60 per US Dollar breaching many a psychological barriers in its course, there is enough negative sentiment and market scare. The numerical equivalence with India's retirement age gives an eerie hanging-up-the-boots feeling to our fiscal and monetary policies.   If this is the only way sense can prevail, then let’s grudgingly head towards to it. At least some cheer that this economic quagmire will correct.   What ails our currency also ails our psyche, in quite broad terms. I will not shift the blame squarely on the government, lest this article becomes another outburst on Government’s - policies, reneging on policies and absence of favorable policies. A blame game never ends decisively with a solution. So what makes me optimistic when the currency is at its cheerless 60s! “Pushed to the corner” syndrome The nostalgia of 1991 seems to have returned. ...