I read a New York Times news story about 120 degrees temperatures in India. And I see my mother, Aai, her face gaunt, her body emaciated. Take me away, she is begging. Take me someplace cool. Take me to a … Continue reading
Aai and Dada in Delhi-1980 (1) Ever since the coronavirus pandemic began, I have been thinking of my mother. If ever there was a person who was ready for an epidemic, it was my mother. She was the FDA … Continue reading
Until recently, American elections used to evoke in me, not angst, but wonder. When Bill Clinton ran for president, I watched The Man from Hope, a documentary about his life, over and over again, feeling inspired by the story of … Continue reading
It is said that we are currently living in the era of ‘Peak TV.’ ‘Peak TV’ as in ‘peak oil’, a concept developed in the 1950’s by industry experts who predicted that the production of petroleum would peak … Continue reading
After spending a month in Catalonia, I returned to California in September even as the referendum took place there. Looking back, I marvel at my naiveté as I set off for a writers’ residency in the high Pyrenees in early … Continue reading
Dear Mr. Modi: I am not your devotee, nor have I followed your career very assiduously. To tell you the truth, I am not even one of your citizens, having long forsaken my Indian passport. But I am writing today … Continue reading
The land is rolling, understated, desert like. Lava fields, volcanic craters, and boiling, sulfurous pools of water abound. But what I notice first is the light. A flat, soothing white light that envelops the land. A light that caresses your … Continue reading
I was browsing the web recently when I realized that someone whose posts I used to see regularly had been flying under the radar lately. Curious, I checked my profile and discovered that indeed, the person was no longer listed … Continue reading
The other day, I got a text from a stranger. He claimed to be a high school classmate who was organizing our first ever reunion. I shrugged the idea off at first. The writer in me was loath to stir … Continue reading
For decades, I have wondered about the Malcolm Gladwell phenomenon. His nonfiction books sell like hot cakes, his appearances fetch enormous fees, and people claim he is a genius. Yet, when I read his books with the eye of a … Continue reading