PERSPECTIVE

Semester ends n we r back to binge watching! Heeramandi may hv taken over ur screens, but there's more to binge on Netflix. Released this yr, ERIC is dark n thought provoking. On the outset, merely a kidnapping case- it's more of a psychological thriller. The 6-ep miniseries, starring Benedict Cumberbatch makes you ponder - one way or another.  1985 - New York, background:  an AIDS epidemic, underage sex rackets n a growing homeless population.  Vincent , (Cumberbatch) is a brilliant yet troubled puppeteer, is facing pressure at work and needs to come up with a new puppet to keep his show going. Edgar , his son has his father's gift and comes up with ERIC , a new character. Vincent however is dismissive of his son's ideas. An alcoholic, abusive to his wife n scares his son. His marriage is crumbling. In the midst of all these troubles, Edgar disappears and Vincent's world falls apart. He discovers Edgar's work and comes up with ERIC himself. Although he's lo...

A SNAKE TO REMEMBER🐍 On the second floor of our ancient apartment building, lived ancient Mrs (Dr) M. The 80-year-old lived alone, with occasional visits from her children. She wasn't actually alone – she had plenty of visitors throughout the day, including the milkman, neighbours to other pensioner friends who dropped by. With mischievous beady eyes and a sweet tongue – totally grandma material. Then her son suggested she keep paying guests – college girls. The experiment worked initially; Mrs M was seemingly adjustable. But soon, it just became a revolving door for those girls. Most didn’t last a week! The problem? Her flat. Packed with stuff. Old trunks, furniture, books – and even curtains. The rooms looked like dull sad museums. No place to move around. What everyone called garbage, she called memories. She wouldn’t get rid of it. Hence, no one stayed – better breathe on the street than suffocate in that dump. Along came girl no. 11 . 11 was cheerful and outgoing. She often r...

W riting this after a 7-month hiatus! I started this blog with through-the-roof energy and let it slide, like any master procrastinator . I told my friends I was outta ideas - while partly true, it was just the usual  dilly-daller in me that kept me from typing.  Struggled to pick a topic first, and then I actually looked around. There they were, peeps of all sorts. Observing people has always been a thing. Run a quick scan - you might be able to peek at the algorithm within.  What's seeable? 👁 Body language, appearance, behaviour, dressing - anything that makes us human. Look 👀 By now, you may have classified me as " judgy "... but judging involves forming a (usually harsh) opinion. The judgers among us hv all day - shit talking about anyone who's not with them...what's ironic is when they call others judgmental. Some are also champions at  side-eyeing . Observation ain't opinionated - it's simple facts. Get an observation right, the feelin' is sat...

F inished the last paper with a sigh of relief, left the exam hall. FY done. Vacation plans discussed. Celebrated with friends. And now was the time for an eternal slumber (barring the one during the entire semester) ….and yet I woke up the next morning with palpitations ------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------apparently, I was unable to recollect hydrophobic amino acids . Also failed my Biochem exam in a dream. The morning went fine tho – recharged my social battery with friends. But the afternoon was spent worrying about a non-existent exam the next day. Friends also had similar symptoms.  😰😨😮 Yeah, this was exaggerated . But you get the point. You feel exams haven’t ended, when in fact they have. End sems clearly take their toll on you…especially when they stretch for a month. (YES. A freakin’ whole month!) For bioengineering folks like me...for whom practical exams matter just as much as theory (50-50), equal atten...

The title sounds like a debate topic-IK. But, recently I am thinking about it more. The other day, I found myself in an unlikely conversation about 'construction projects in Pune' with few friends. The key takeaway- It has no end...and that's true. With the ever-increasing population, buildings are bound to replace trees soon. Any suburb to me represents a giant concrete tentacle the city has thrown out in the last decade or so. This recent development came with the rise of gated communities and townships. So-called stand-alone houses are being redeveloped into taller buildings. The skyline's ever increasing...   The city, which always has had too few green spaces is losing the little it has left! Are the infra projects solely to blame? Let’s look at the elephant in the room-ARAI tekdi. 3 infra projects, one of which involves a huge tunnel through the hill, have been vehemently opposed by environmentalists for decades. The area is a popular outdoors spot for man...