During the Peloponnesian War, the strategy adopted by Pericles was to barricade the city of Athens and the route to the port of Piraeus behind walls. The belief was that while the Spartans would ravage the hinterland, the Athenians would win the war from the sea. (Piraeus is today the Shipping capital of the world … Continue reading Diogenes the Cynic
During this era Singapore Airlines, a government company, ran a centerfold advertisement that featured an Asian woman of somewhat vague ethnicity. She could have been Chinese, Indian, or Malay. She stood in a misty, impressionistic setting, looking out at the reader demurely, holding a single water lily. There was no information about the airline’s fare … Continue reading Bananas, Beaches and Bases
Image Source My daughters are ten and seven. In other words, they have just under a decade of their childhood remaining. As a parent, I have so far inculcated no noteworthy skill nor nurtured any particular talent in them. Not that I haven’t tried. The basketball coach lost his job, Bharatnatyam was ‘boring’, the art … Continue reading Helicopter Parenting
In a recent National Interest column, Shekhar Gupta quoted an interesting statistic: “Almost all the million-plus Muslims killed across the Muslim world in the past decade have been killed by fellow Muslims, barring about 5,000 to 7,000 each (if that many) by the Americans and the Russians (acting for the Assad regime in Syria)” Thanks … Continue reading The Sunni-Shia schism of Islam
When something sounds too good to be true, always be suspicious. The incoming revolution in the transport sector heralded by Musk revolutionizing EVs - by making them an object of desire – has been touted as the best thing to have happened to mankind. While the energy to power these vehicles will someday be ‘clean’, … Continue reading The Underbelly of the EV Revolution
I spent the Diwali Sunday at a friend’s place and finished Teju Cole’s Tremor (between the conversations). Cole, who was a sensation in Twitter with his micro fiction - until he decided to quit the platform – in his latest book brings in the familiar and exhausting immigrant analysis of art, culture and history. A … Continue reading Teju Cole on Death and Music
Despite completing four decades on earth, I’m yet to learn a single mantra or a complete prayer. While I'm fascinated with rituals each time I see them, I’ve never felt the need to bow down to them or worry about not giving them adequate ‘respect’. I’m convinced that the hold that religion has over our … Continue reading On Rituals
I spent the Dusshera weekend in Dharamshala. It was only after booking the tickets did I realize that the India-New Zealand World Cup match was also happening there at the same time. With the snow-capped peaks as the backdrop, it is little wonder that the cricket stadium is India’s prettiest. Like a typical tourist, I … Continue reading The Dharamshala Weekend
Why is owning a house such an emotional pull for humans? Why do we derive so much joy from the act (in some cases the mere thought) of designing our living spaces, decorating rooms and pondering about the changes that would be necessary to be initiated in as we age. While a lot of it … Continue reading Buildings aren’t static
A friend of mine spent the previous two years in Penang as part of an international consortium in the business of designing and fabricating semiconductor units. Being an avid sketcher and a photographer, I got to see glimpses of the city through his posts and updates. Though I knew next to nothing about the place … Continue reading Discovering Penang (through books, how else!)
