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Monsoon Diaries: Messy yet Romantic

It begins with thunder. Not the dramatic, movie kind with windblown hair and a candle fluttering in an old haveli. No. This is the upgraded Gurgaon variety, thunder, followed by one apologetic drizzle, followed by a tsunami of water that turns roads into Venetian canals, minus the gondolas and charm. Naturally, I am prepared. Which…

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Of leftovers and love: My adventures in hosting

In my house, food isn’t just food. It’s the beating heart of the home, the crackling hearth that keeps relationships warm and toasty, and the golden ticket that lures friends and family into our lives. If my kitchen were a stage, food would be the lead actor, the diva, the show-stealer,  shimmering in oil, spiced…

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The tariffs of wrath

As I crawl (read: dramatically stagger) through the emotional rollercoaster that is my Ph.D., John Steinbeck has become less of a thesis subject and more of an honorary roommate, minus the rent but with a lot of existential baggage. He now lives rent-free in my head, takes long brooding walks across my daily thoughts, and…

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The enduring tale of paper

Mrs Basu, the pseudo-environmentalist, had nails sharper than her arguments and a voice that could strip paint off walls. She sat there, perfectly perched in her designer heels, nestled in her animal-printed leggings, clutching a leather handbag worth a small country’s GDP. And then, with the confidence of someone who has just read a half-baked…

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Inequality of income in India: A stark reality

Whilst we crib about the bleak cold winter of Delhi, sitting in our cosy, heated homes, under warm quilts, sipping hot chocolate, many like the 10-month-old Siraj, grandson of my cook, have developed pneumonia because of the severe cold. Their modest “room,” enclosed on four sides with the fifth side a patchwork of plastic sheets,…

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