Pox, puri, and Amma

Mother (Goddess). Pox. Puffed rice (puri). Neem. Intentional infection. A little gender bending. Coconut water. Buttermilk. Chilled rice. How are these connected with latitude?

Around March/April each year, my mother would tell me to buy: a coconut, two seers (“sare”u…

Indira, bindi, and beef

Indira, bindi, and beef

“Banana Republic.” ‘Indian’ vs. Indú. Christopher Columbus. Language mishaps. Indira Gandhi, bindi, and beef. Geography. And me, in the middle of all this.

Narayan, Wodehouse, Divakar, and The Good Doctor

A little riverside village. Largely unknown. Childhood stomping grounds. Sri Narayan’s “Malgudi” stories. Italian food. Curd rice, chitraanna, chappati. All connected through geography. This is my story today.

Geographies and memories

The river Kaveri. Its sandy banks and small fish. Green paddy fields, 6:30am sunlight, gentle breezes, steam engines, and railway sidings. High-ceilinged houses and the comforting aroma of grandmother’s cooking. These are in the distant past. But I can go there and experience all of…