Every day, at seven in the morning, Murugan walks in to the Chennai Central station and sits on the benches in the platform, waiting for the morning trains to arrive. Once a train pulls into a stop, he rushes near the coaches to see if any passengers require help with the luggage. He haggles with... Continue Reading →

It is said that until the age of 16, the great Indian sage and mystic Ramana Maharishi did not know that Arunachala, the sacred mountain in Thiruvannamalai, was a real place. Having known it as a mystical place right from his childhood, the whole realisation changed him. Two weeks back, we drove down to Thiruvannamalai... Continue Reading →

This was published previously in The Economic Times, Chennai, to mark the Madras Week celebrations Generations of lovers of English literature have grown up reading The Old Curiosity Shop,the Charles Dickens classic, which describes the life of Nell Trent and her grandfather who together run a shop of odds and ends in England. Around 70... Continue Reading →

It is quite interesting to see the past, the present and signs of the oncoming future jostling for space and living amidst a riot of colours, permeating the air with ebullience. Being in Old Delhi gives you exactly that feeling. Glamorised and popularised in the recent past through the likes of Dilli-6, Old Delhi, like... Continue Reading →

This post is dedicated to the sweet little Jhansi ki Rani who was our host during our stay in Jhansi The train slowly pulled up and I pushed my head out of the door to see the name of the station painted in black on the yellow background, the ubiquitous pattern of the Indian Railways.... Continue Reading →

There is nothing spectacular about a journey in a train, one may say. But the fact remains that for a man with an eye for discovery, every journey can turn out to be spectacular. But this is not about the journey from a starting point to a destination. This is about a journey within the... Continue Reading →