Feb 15, 2018Between the LinesI like drawing. Specifically, I like drawings which are mostly made up of lines, and commonly fall in the categories of sketches, cartoons, schematics or diagrams. As a child, I was handy with a pencil and paper. But I used to find the business of colouring quite messy, whether it…Drawing5 min readDrawing5 min read
Jan 20, 2018Coffee, Chicory and ChicaneryI love coffee. I grew up to its smells and sounds. Based on some first hand but dim childhood memories, and others reinforced by stories told by family elders, I figure my childhood home must have been a house of coffee snobs. Packets of unroasted coffee beans would be purchased…Coffee8 min readCoffee8 min read
Jan 18, 2018The Multi-layered Sound of MusicElectronic Jazz from Jaga Jazzist — Does art imitate life, or does life imitate art? It is a question that has been debated intensely. Perhaps, art needs the constituents of life to be authentic, but life too needs the idealisation of art to aspire to. It is not much different with music. Music is made from…Music5 min readMusic5 min read
Jan 12, 2018My Favourite Five Takes on Take FiveRemarkable as it may seem, it was from Trilok Gurtu, the legendary fusion musician and percussionist, that I first heard about the song “Take Five”. It was the late 90s when as a college student I had gone to Planet M at Powai, to attend a lecture cum demonstration by…Music5 min readMusic5 min read
Dec 23, 2017Walk and Roll in DelhiIt may be sad, but it’s true. Indian cities are not great for walking. This is despite a significant proportion of people getting around on foot — a number estimated to be as high as 22% in 2009, in cities larger than 8 million. Delhi is no exception. So, the…Travel7 min readTravel7 min read
Dec 15, 2017The Reluctant Photographer“Photography is an indulgent hobby!” I remember telling a friend in college. She smiled. Then she turned to her camera, peered into her viewfinder and clicked another picture. Soon, some others from our group caught up with us and we continued onwards in one of our hikes in Maharashtra’s Western…Photography6 min readPhotography6 min read
Dec 7, 2017Memories are in bytes and Mind Palaces are subscriptionsTime is unidirectional or if not, at least we feel it is. This gives rise to memories since we can reconstruct the past but not the future. If memories were merely information, it should be possible, in principle, to digitise and preserve them completely. Indeed, there can be no doubt…Music5 min readMusic5 min read
Nov 16, 2017Memories, Mind Palaces and MusicTime only moves forward. What happened a moment ago, is in the past, and so are your experiences from yesterday, last month or the last decade. This is, of course, obvious. Our understanding of this is reflected nowhere better than in the human desire to travel back in time. Let…Music5 min readMusic5 min read
Nov 7, 2017Mercurial yet everlastingIt is often said that nothing is permanent except change. Pragmatic and profound at the same time, this quote attributed to the Greek philosopher of the late 6th century BCE, Heraclitus, has inspired countless people to accept and confront their realities. Now if there is one thing that embodies constant…Music5 min readMusic5 min read
Oct 29, 2017Short and BittersweetThe musical life of Emily Remler — Who can deny it? From time to time, we all worry whether ours is a life well lived. Almost as proof that this is not an uncommon worry, there is no dearth of advice on how we can make our lives better and more fulfilling. For some, it is by…Music5 min readMusic5 min read
