Blue Peepal

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 Places of historical importance have always superseded our interest for food and o...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. ...