All Is Well That Ends Dry Spell

The drought was over. What other news, I asked. Plenty. The elephant had crashed its way through the fencing around at least four houses, eating all the bananas planted there. No one in the garden was upset. The elephant was lucky.....More

Bhargavi nilayam

Then its back home . At night times home felt more secure somehow!! Because the outside was darker and inside was brighter! During day time it’s the opposite! ...More...

Let us work towards better copra production

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Namma Chennai in Lok Sabha

Interesting people are stepping into General Elections 2009. You may have read about Meera Sanyal. If you haven't, you will get to see her on TV and read about her in your newspaper. Meera has not even filed her nomination but she is dominating some of the Q and A programmes on television...More

Bling

I took this motley crowd out to our Botancial Gardens last week. They’ve never been before so it was a joyous occasion. Their first car ride too...More

Amazing Grace

Newton’s life story is amazing. Son of a ship master, he went out to the sea at the age of 11 with his father. He was forced to join the navy after that and was caught while trying to desert. Later he was exchanged to a slave ship...More

Shopping: a stress buster for women?

One of the popular stereotyped – and possibly sexist — characterisation is that a number of women use shopping as a stress buster. In fact, a survey in Malaysia did indicate that “nearly 75 percent of women in Malaysia believe in retail therapy...More

Are you voting?

For those in Kuwait, you can join Earth Hour 2009, by turning off your lights at 8.30pm Saturday 28 March and sign-up here at earthhour.org. As usual there are skeptics for this one too… some says it maybe just to bring glory to certain organizations and individuals eying the “Global” awards...More

"Slumdog Millionaire" – Such An Enjoyable Movie

While I will not say that the storyline is very innovative (though certainly imaginative), what was really innovative was the presentation style. “Narration through flashback” is nothing new in movies. But usually it is a “continuous flashback”...More

Playing with the Raagas

All said and done, it is important to enjoy good music. Over the years, as I tried to explain the finer notes to my brother, he would say, "Unakku sangeetha nyaanam illatiyum, nanna paatu keka mattum theriyum", I have grown up listening to different kinds of music...More

Cisco’s curious week

HBR has a great article (I love HBR articles that get delivered to my email … small and crisp and full of information) on CISCO’s curious week - and how the giant has been playing around with Disruptive Innovation for quite some time. In a recent workshop I attended, I learnt that this is also called Paradigm Shift...More

Very Sound Rules

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Earth Hour Observed

For the second consecutive year, our apartment complex, Salarpuria Silverwoods, observed the Earth Hour successfully. By 8.30 the Silverwoodians switched off their electrical appliances...More

There Is An Alternative!

If you think of the political scene in our country, over and above despair, the query ITNA (Is There No Alternative) invariably brings up the cliché 'TINA'. Perhaps we can now look forward to an immensely possible alternative...More

Suraj Mal and the 2000 Fountains

The roads were good and our driver was safe, and (thankfully) there are no hair-raising road stories in this account. More camels, several unlicensed, made-up people carriers on a tractor chassis...More

Stop the practice of Animal Sacrifice

Despite awareness due to spread of education, superstition still persists amongst some innocents which are fully exploited by charlatans and unscrupulous poojaris promising unlimited wealth and prosperity will be theirs if they kill animals and propiate gods...More

Bianca Toothpaste Freebies

In the 1960s, we had Binaca Toothpaste. It was a popular brand and most homes had either Colgate or Binaca. But the humble ‘Nanjangud Toothpowder’ was always there… ...More

Bridges and Rivers

The two rivers join to form Tungabhadra. We crossed the river at Mantralaya , but there was hardly any water there.We moved on and the River Krishna stopped us...More

ward no 10, bed no 27

That was perhaps the very instant when I was taught the true meaning of the fox's secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. Yes I realise today, as Manu is fighting for his life, that he was the one who taught me to look with my heart...More

My Heart Beats...

If I rejoice the marriage of my maid Suman and give her a saree then i feel the same joy when my tailor Rashid miya is blessed with a daughter and give her a doll. For me being secular doesnt mean to down grade anybody...More

Free Speech

Do not assume to know what something means unless you truly know, do not take something written in artistic prose to be something other than it is. Mostly, if you do not like it, I remind you of a fundamental right we have...More

Who took the fun out of travelling?

A week or two, max. And then it's vacation time in Mumbai. The burdensome Board exams wind up and so do the other less-dreaded end-of-year ones in each school and college. Time for kids to throw their books away. My son is planning a bonfire."Wait," I screech," let's see your results first! "Who cares! that's another month or two away. In the meantime, it's time to wipe off the worry lines and ... holiday!. ..More

Malayalees in Pakistan

Due to the deep cultural divides in Malabar after 1921 Mappila revolt and the subsequent partitioning of Pakistan a sizeable number of Malayali Muslims moved to Karachi . . .More. ..

Earth Hour

Earth Hour came and Earth Hour went.
As for us our time was spent
Lounging in the candle glow
Listening to the radio. . .More .. .

Air Deccan Gopi in the fray

Air Deccan Gopi appears to have an enlightened contempt for party candidature. “I don’t want to mortgage my ideas,” he says. Which makes a smart quote, but poor operating strategy. Ideas don’t get you anywhere in politics; cash, caste and community clout matter.. . .More. . .

Elephants of Jaipur

... What fascinated me more were the 30+ elephants; all dressed and colored going round in circles and making other formations! I had never seen so many colorful elephants together before, my childlike wonder surfaced and I stood there immobile. More...

My son's graduation

I was surprised when I received an invite for my sons graduation ceremony! This is the first time I am coming to know of a graduation ceremony for Pre Primary. . .More. . .

And Pretty Maids All.......

My sister Viji would walk me around the lawn, and she would would make a 'doll' for me using a flower and a bud। Can you imagine how thrilled a little girl would be to get a doll which looked like a princess with a flowing gown? More..........

The Carrot Eyewash

How does it feel when one of the great near-gospel truths of your childhood is ripped apart?'Devastated' doesn't even begin to cover it, right? Imagine how I felt when the papers published the secret behind one of the most strongly held beliefs of our childhood ... carrots are great for the eyes.

A 'butterfly' story

On Valentine’s Day she was surprised to find a small packet at her door. In it there was a platinum heart with a tiny diamond engraved. . . . She phoned her husband to find out if he had arranged it. “No”, he said. . .More. . .

Molten days of March

March leaps in with an explosion of colours, and April scorches in close behind. Blazing bright, samba hot.

The eyes of the beholder!

Weddings were another revelation. We found really good looking guys choosing jaw droppingly ugly girls as wives. Many of the brides were plump!! It is a common sight to see female heads shake in bewilderment at wedding receptions :) Another humbling moment as we realized that the status quo amongst us girls was a no go amongst guys! If we had any sense we had better get plump or look like the girls on the podium if we were to be acknowledged as attractive by guys. :p...more

And now, Tipu's throne finial under the hammer

Can't the Queen order the return of all things that were taken away for personal gain from one of her erstwhile colonies? They may have been intended as a victor's mementoes, but they should belong to the state, and remain as historical memorabilia, and not objects of personal greed, vanity or profit. Let them be treated as non-tradable 'common wealth of the Commonwealth'. More...

Pokhran Fort

Traveling around in Rajasthan, one has to be absolutely careful setting your foot lest you damage a protected monument! Almost every 50 to 100 km during our drive we found ourselves at either an ancient temple or a fort or an oasis or a palace! A state with a huge concentration of sight seeing places, it is definitely worth wandering around in a vehicle rather than hopping from city to city by air. More...

What're they up to ?

I was driving by Inorbit mall the other day when I saw this very funny sight. What on earth are they up to? . . .More. . .

Manu's spirit

When Manu spent his first night in his own bed in our foster care after sharing a hot meal with his roommates, I felt I had reached home after a journey that had taken almost a decade. ...More...

Piping hot with a lot of spice

There is a saying that "revenge is a dish best served cold"...... The trouble is, humans do not work that way, our blood does not run cold, and quite frankly I do not want to be a lizard...More...

Mongolian visitor sighted at Tirunelveli

Arun of MNS "saw(and photographed) this female Barheaded Goose ( 2nd March, 2009
5.40 pm), in Koondhakulam (flock of about 120 birds). Contacted the concerned people and found out that -- it had been banded in Darkhad Valley of Northern Mongolia on 17th July 2008 by the Wildlife Conservation Society of Mongolia.... 5000 km journey"

Unexpected guest

Guess who wandered into my aparment the other day? This tiny wisp of life that carries a name bigger than itself, a damselfly!

Dry Days and Fakkar Baba

Garden people have this habit of consoling themselves with saying that the next Puja on the Indian calendar will bring rain. So everyone starts off with cheerful assertions about how it will rain....More

On road to Suchindram

And there is noise, competing for diversity and attention with the traffic, from honking buses, blaring car horns, tinkling bicycle bells, hoarse rickshaw air horns, teashop, temple and mosque music, yelling vendors, barking dogs, mooing oxen and people shouting across the din to hear each other.. . .More. . .

Tree tales from Guindy National Park

March 15th, 2009 7:30 am, and a dozen of us awaited another walk through GNP with Bhanu.of MNS. No, not the Children's Park or the Snake Park, but the actual GNP, as we call it. Lung of the city, arguably the largest urban sanctuary in Asia.

My favourite was this flowering Siris tree - looks like a white-flowered rain tree does it not? Albizia lebbeck, if you want to read up about it. Its got these pods that rattle in the wind, reportedly - we didn't hear them - it was not windy!

Read more.

Prime Family Time!

After the Television was switched on, the family ignored us till 10:30 p.m. So engrossed were they in the programmes. The whole family consisting of a Dad, Mom, Son and Daughter in law, Daughter and Son in Law and kids just sat glued to the T.V oblivious of their guests...more

Ah Life!

I've been hitting a rough creative patch lately, thanks to the economic and political situation and the fact that my pants are getting tighter. They are not supposed to do that. They are supposed to see their owner diligently sweat it out in the gym...More

Flowers from my Friend

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Newspapers in the US are closing down

Recession has hit everyone: individuals and industries. The media which has been tracking the slowdown; reporting and analysing the havoc that has befallen the social and economic landscape, itself has become a victim...More

Of Cuisine, Climate and Ketchup

I suppose cuisines develop and stabilize due to several factors. It could be said that recipes were originally created with grains and vegetables that were locally available...More

Lok Sabha elections - be aware

Is a politician also a social entrepreneur?
This is a question I put to students and faculty of social work and a few heads of NGOs at a workshop that the Social Work Department of Stella Maris College conducted last weekend...More

The Time has to Come

Last week was my 'miracle week'. So many good things happened, some problems hanging over me for months got resolved out of the blue...More

The Mughal Gardens

The Mughal gardens at India's Presidential residence are open to the public for a few weeks in Feb-March every year. We were able to log a visit on Sunday, just a couple of days before Gate No 35 is closed..More

A Sense of Moss

Here, where dryness follows rain,
Dryness till it storms again;
Here, where tempest, storm and flood
Leave cracked earth but little mud;...More

English Vegetables

The potato is considered an everyday item today, but in my childhood days, it was considered a rare delicacy. A feast with potato ... More

I am grateful to Bollywood

So why am I grateful to Bollywood? Because it is only by watching Bollywood movies that I have got to know a lot about my community (the Bengali community) that I myself was unaware of...More

Blah, Blah, Blah....

As I made up my mind to write a blog post today, I was wondering about the writable topics that I have on hand. I have nothing to write about movies, since I have always thought that movie reviews are cliched...More

A Tale of two Extortions

Immediately I sensed what was in store if I joined this parish because just before I relocated from my former place of residence, the vicar there had imposed a hefty donation on me for building the parish hall...More

Holi on Big Picture !

Alkabai

I didn't pay much attention to her at the time, but now when I think about her, the mental picture that comes up in my mind is that of a beautiful, tall woman, impeccably dressed in a clean saree, neatly combed hair...More

John Leyden, the poet

John Leyden, a Scott, was born to this world in 1775 at Denholm, some 50 miles south of Edinburgh to a shepherd family. From his early childhood, he was a voracious reader. As he started schooling, his reading continued, much beyond his years and one anecdote stands apart...More

Menal Temple

While on our way to Kota from Chittorgarh, we took a small detour to Menal to see the 11th century Mahanaleshvara temple. It is popularly known as the mini-Khajuraho temple...More

Miseries of Being an Owl

It all started with an excited email from one of the MNS members sharing a photo of the owl at Nanmangalam, and how there were two new chicks. Oh wow, I thought, thats so good, to know they are progressing nicely in our very own reserve forest...More

My friendship with 'Coin Krishnappa'

Waiting in his living room, admiring the beautifully framed old paintings all over the walls, I was imagining he would bring it in a box, or some bag. But no, he came out of another room with the clinking sound...More

Ten things that define Delhi - (1)

Raisina Hill and it's surrounds are the most visible symbol of sovereign India. When someone says "The Indian Government", I'm guessing many of us see visions of Rajpath, Janpath, North Block, South Block, Parliament House, and so on. I don't know about you, but this is an image that evokes mixed reactions in me...More

Images of India--A Drying Yard in a Coffee Estate

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Open to Change

A few days back, Paul Graham found a basic quality of good startup founders: Be relentlessly resourceful. Really, a beautiful definition. Think about it, one of the most important qualities required in starting up is the will to accept change and adapt to it in every possible way...More

My Little Miracle Maker

In the last 24 hours my life seems to have changed for ever. Does holding the child of your own child catapult you into another realm of life...More

Weekly Update

Then there is these words.......Behenji and Diva..but i really dont know what that means...Is anybody wearing our own Indian attire becomes behenji, then for the foreigners salwar kameej clad women must be the modern woman?...More

Butterfly Morning in Mollem

If it wasn’t for the frog that I was chasing across the stream with my camera we might never have discovered the tiny sandbank hidden from view by trees...More

Group 'Wah'...

Group 'Wah'. What's that?



More...

Domestic violence

I wonder what the seminar speakers would have done, had they been a witness to the scene in this picture. Domestic violence here, involving an old man and a couple, is being played out in a roadside slum close to a rail crossing at Srirangam, Tiruchi. . .More. ..

'English' Vegetables

The potato is considered an everyday item today, but in my childhood days, it was considered a rare delicacy. A feast with potato ... More

A Breather in Kolkata

One little whiff of urban life is good for our lungs. It refreshed us before I returned to my station on the verandah and the husband to... More

The Magic of 'Pata Chitra'...

The art form that was followed is from the school of 'Pata Chitra'. 'Pata' in Sanskrit means piece of cloth and 'Chitra' means painting or picture. This art form is defined by its use of rich colors made out of vegetables and mineral extracts, its portrayal of pure and simple themes, depicting a combination of folk and classical elements and is not limited to religious themes.



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The Coppersmith in the garden

The reverberating "tuk-tuk-tuk..." echoing from every corner of my garden sounds like a hundred smiths busy at work.
Smiths? More like a Coppersmith, or Crimson-breasted Barbet, to be precise.

Udaipur City Palace at Night

The Sound and Light of the Udaipur City Palace is one stupendous show one shouldn’t miss if one is sightseeing there in the city. The history of Mewars, stories of courage under duress, sacrifices and more...

Holy Bath in Tirumala

The madari, as the keeper of monkeys is known, had put Ramu to work along the narrow path that led on to Papavinasanam, one of the sacred places that pilgrims while on their pilgrimage to the Venkateswara temple at Tirumala...More...

Happy Holi Wishes...

Enjoy this season with colors of life, colors of joy, colors of happiness, colors of friendship, colors of love and all other colors you want to paint in your life. Of course with lots of mithai, thandai and thoda sa bhang. The air reverberates with Rang Barsee. More...

The Man From The Slum

This piece in Newsweek touched me deeply. I want to share it with you all. It tells us without any fuss or frills the true story of someone who once lived in a slum. More...

Gateway to Angkor Wat

No One's Safe?

It wasn't an intruder, but someone had blocked Mohan's path into the bungalow. That's why he'd sounded the horn. He needed help, not for himself, but for the poor creature that was making its way across his path in some pain. More....

Summer is on...

there is a sudden change around.
winter is all gone,
leaves crackling in front of my door step.

Posters on our walls

It has stood me well for, these posters and handbills influenced the design and strategy of our own community newspapers and media. Much of local, outdoor advertising has been dictated by the technology available at the neighbourhood printing presses...More

Thumpa--A Vanishing Beauty

Thumpa used to grow wild all over the place. Even children knew it had medicinal value. The most common usage was in case of any skin problems. If you touch a poisonous weed or plant and there are itching and/or skin eruptions, take a few thumpa leaves...More

Mommy will they make me Poet Laureate? - 1

We'll be having elections this spring
There'll be rigging and booth capturing
And loonies and crackpots
And Nepots and despots...More

Plight of women — cities as bad as villages

On women’s day, like every such day, we have celebrations of achievements as well as laments of subjugation. Success stories are more in cities. But strikingly, even in cities, even amongst the educated and the cultured, many women are feeling insecure...More

Jai Ho

Anyway, we finally got around to seeing the film “Slumdog Millionaire”. Whatever other feelings it may evoke, it will not bore you. It may appear like any other Hindi movies sans the songs which these days assaults one’s senses...More

In my Neighbourhood

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Agony of a Driver

The unlucky driver fell into the pothole and broke the axel of the car (click on the picture to view the full impact). The 15 year lifetime road tax collected at the time of registration of the new car is used to pay the exorbitant salaries of the Government employees...More

Tulip Mania

This story starts with one of the many versions of the famous Persian legend of the handsome stone cutter named Farhad who was stricken with love for the princess of the land, named Shirin...More

The sole mate

They say the first two things a girl notices about a guy are his eyes and his shoes!! When such importance is given to shoes, we guys can't afford to give it a miss, can we?...More

Rolls Royce

It is not everyday that one gets to see a Rolls Royce! So, when I saw one at the Vintage Car collection displayed in Udaipur museum, I photographed it...more

Helping the domestic help

If each of us (any member of the household including elders and teenagers) can spare a couple of half-hours a week to help (at least the willing) domestic help, methinks we are doing our mite to help our nation's womenfolk...More

My Coach and a revisit to his Home

Such an occasion presented itself a couple of years back in Pune. Our cricket team was playing in a certain ground, which was close to the house of our coach, ‘Nana’ Joshi where I had visited in 1985...More

Lover's Leap!

Oh the romance of it! I could weep
When I see this gorgeous Lover's Leap!
Weep with joy that such emotion
Such desire and such devotion...More

Faces of Chennai

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Start a company

Recessions are good for startups. Everything is cheap. Real estate prices come down, so office space is cheap. Good employees are available for affordable salaries...More

Gandhi for Sale

A pair of glasses, a pocket watch, a bowl and wooden slippers went under the hammer...More

Citizen Musharraf talks peace

Citizen Musharraf evidently had problem convincing a sceptical audience. But then, he noted, anyone from India facing a comparable audiance in Pakistan would face the same music...More...

A debt, unpaid since 1964

In response to an earlier post my friend Kashmira suggested I turn this blog into a series on life's notable little incidents. Another young friend Tanay wanted to know what overseas travel was like in the 60s. . . .More. ..

Alkabai

She was very efficient in her work, and soft spoken and caring in manner. The very picture of a happy, content person.

This picture got tainted the fateful day when her husband knocked on our door. More

Mallya brings ‘Gandhi’ home

I, for one, wondered what the mahatma would have made of the Mallya deal. We have some Gandhiwadhis hailing Mr Mallya for bringing our ‘heritage’ back to India. Never mind, if Gandhi’s things were paid for with a liquor baron’s money. ..More...

On Gandhiji's tangible / intangible legacy

Let's all get down to the sensibility of simplicity, peace and non-violence. I am beginning to think it will be possible in a media-less (at least less media) world! For, after all the hullabaloo, this may give the right picture - Gandhi memorabilia “automatically come under the ownership of Navjivan Trust” In that case of course, it's been much ado about nothing! More...

The great Indian culture!

The events that unfolded in Mangalore last month was a plug coming off a pus filled wound festering in our society. A wound filled with the pus of resentment, anger and injured macho pride at women’s liberation and emancipation. More...

Journalism: Last resort of a flunky

Poor academic record - low second division in BA (Hons.) and a high third in MA - had something to do with my becoming a journalist, if only because it effectively ruled out most other job avenues. In the early sixties there weren't many options for the likes of me...More...

Journalism for the young people

Does your newspaper change things in the neighbourhood?
I am asked this question at discussions on small and local media.
I tell people that we are agents of change...More

Kerala Architecture: Another Parayil Heritage Home

Ayanat Parayil ‘ettukettu’ at Thycattussarry, about 3kms from Olavipe, is one of the oldest and largest among the Parayil heritage homes. Because of the length of the building, inner compound walls and the trees around, no photographer has been able to capture it in one picture...More

Whither Pakistan?

The one big myth that was shattered by the gun shots at Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore yesterday was that terrorists will never attack a game that is a passion in the subcontinent; that doing it will only harm their cause...More

Sshh! Exams are here!

My husband asked a young couple whom he met in a shop, 'How's life? Where are you, we don’t see you at all these days!' To which both husband and wife pulled long faces, looking almost like cartoon characters in their mock dismay...More

Human Blood

I am the same inside James Brown, a Roman Catholic American
I am the same inside a Buddhist Chinese, named Miao Chan.
I am the same inside a Muslim Arab named Amir Muhammad
And I am again the same inside a Hindu Indian named Akash Chand...More

Congress Kadalekai

My earliest exposure to the congress kadalekai dates back to the mid-nineties, when my father used to get the famous Congress buns, from the famous VV Puram bakery (aka VB Bakery) in Bangalore south...More

A Letter to Uncle Pai

There was a day when I bought my first Tinkle. You became my hero then. I just wanted to tell you that you ranked better than Hrithick Roshan on my “favorite people” list, and I was such a devoted fan of yours!...More

Truth is stranger than Fiction

Owing to the excitement of becoming a father for the first time, he got so crazy that he went to the goldsmith to make a spoon with the date of birth of the baby engraved on it...More

Remembering a great teacher

Dr.Ananthakrishnan was a teacher in the mould of a Rishi. He was thorough in his knowledge of the subject he taught and had no confusion whatsoever...More

Tiffin carriers make it to America

If you’re not content with smooshing all your food into a mini-cooler or a brown bag, behold the stackable, food-separating, shiny awesomeness of a tiffin carrier lunchbox...More

Happy Birthday

It is amazing that I have met people matching my wavelength who call me Maasi (aunty), Didi (elder sister), friend and those that I myself call Didi and Uncle. And yet, I can totally "relate" to everyone...More

Peacocks in Indian Architecture

Peacocks for its majestic and graceful looks have always been object of fancy for the artisans of various trades. The birds are beautifully portrayed in paintings, well that is common...More

This is Tolerance

There was one clumsy man comfortably sitting cross-legged on the broken luggage shelf right above me. He bought a ‘chota tea’ from a vendor who supplied in an environment-unfriendly plastic cup...More

Azure!

'Morning has broken' were ever there words
More perfectly chosen when speaking of birds!
This one I noticed so wildly rejoicing,
Thrilling to threads of its marvelous voicing!...More

Chennai--Moments and Monuments

Our photo-walk continues as we walk past the Churches -Wesley and St Andrew's Kirk.It gets hotter, but we pause by capturing a few moments and monuments on the lens...More

Life in times of Recession...

My heart goes out to those who have got pink slips and those living with the fear of losing their jobs. I understand the despair of those who gambled on the stock markets and lost. I feel the pain of those unable to pay...More

Soulful, Slow and Melodious

This is a very musical tag where the tagged is supposed to write 10 favourite songs--soulful,slow and melodious, in each of the languages they know or any two given by them....More

Crafting : Oh my gourd-ness !

What happens when you have planted more veggies than you know what to do with, and then idle Net browsing hits you with a walloping idea ? Look at the photo above and you've found the answer.

It’s just not cricket

Does anyone, any longer, know who these masked guys with backpacks are; and what they want by the killings. We no longer have terrorist PRs calling a news agency after an event, owning responsibility for the attack; and following it up with a letter/audio tape listing their demands. . .More...

Seeing is believing - hot springs of Manali

Hot water springs of Manali - When I first heard about them, I thought - no, I can't believe it till I see it. In several spots in and around Manali in Himachal Pradesh, there are hot water springs notably at and near the temple for Sage Vasisht, and at Manikaran that is located about 70 km from Manali. More

Merchants of Death

Police found used syringes, needles, medical waste from scrap dealers. In essence, these doctors are merchants of death. Why doesn’t our Health Minister initiate action and prosecute those doctors and give them a lifer?...More...