Winter, chikkis and picnics in parks

This weekend’s impromptu shopping haul included a lot of edibles. (Okay, they were mostly edibles, saving one moisturizer which I bought on my mother’s recommendation). And among those was a packet of peanut-jaggery chikkis. Nothing fancy, right? Except that these remind me of my childhood picnics and school-potluck lunches. The earliest memory I can recover…

Tea review: AusumTea

I started drinking tea after I moved away from my house. At home, my grandmother would always have a cup of black tea (ironically called Laal Cha in Bengal) with her. And tea at home meant the best leaves from Darjeeling and the ones sent from my maternal uncle’s house in Assam. And then, Bombay…

Recipe : Chicken floss for all days you feel low

Some delicacies just stay with you, no matter how far from the eatery you are. When I went to Singapore last year, one of the most awesomest things I tried was on the day I landed. Vikas took me to a neighbourhood café for breakfast, of which he had already heard about the popular serving…

Travel Diaries: Amritsar

Can you visit the same place twice? I would have answered without batting an eyelid had you asked me this question 5 months ago. But my friend managed to put this doubt in my mind that a small place like Amritsar does not deserve a repeat visit. More than ever now, I wanted to visit…

Meet the face of Amazon Kindle

We spoke to ‘that cute guy’ in ‘that new ad’. Varun Mitra on his acting career and his experience shooting for Amazon Kindle’s maiden media campaign in India. Reading a book often changes   one’s life. But can reading on a Kindle do that to you? For Varun Mitra, it might just happen, for his is the…

Why airports are full of hope

But what about airports? Are you among those who hate it? Because it is almost always far removed from the main city, it has an air of – oh-you-can’t-escape-work-for-a-trip about it, and it is too organized for its own good? Or are you among those who see it as a crisp, clean place, organised to…

Best Football World Cup ads

For a long time in my childhood, I never realised that Football is not the national sport of the country. I thought cricket is what people play on television, while football is what everyone plays. School breaks, rainy days, when young and old people meet – everytime. Football was to the Bengali what Fenny is…

DIY: Touristy gift

After more than a year I went home in February this year. And I couldn’t wait to get there – with mom and the way she would invariably scold me, my dad and how he over-reacts to everything I say or do, and my grandmother who is the silent, strong supporter (who was probably more…

If I should have a daughter

Everyone knows about Sarah Kay. Everyone who knows me knows about her, at least. And I love that lady. I never took an interest in poetry before, but last year after a friend introduced me to Project Voice, I have been listening/ watching/ reading a lot of it. From different corners of the world… A…

An Open Apology to All of My Weight Loss Clients

I don’t usually post things I have read on my blog. For that I use facebook. But then, there are some articles or posts or anythings that needs to be shared. And not just with my friends. With unknown people who might at this moment be searching for related things through a random choice of…

History is sexy

What is it about history that when we study it for marks and grades becomes unbearable and yet when we read it with no clear intention in mind, it comes across as mesmerizing and enchanting? I remember when I was in school I would cancel out chapters because I didn’t want to remember the dates…

Bangalore-Beer-Books and more

My recent trip to Bangalore was more about meeting family and some friends, than about roaming around the city. I am not too fond of city-touring anyway. However, I did find time to visit the three places I wanted to go to. Mainly because my awesome flatmate told me awesome stories about these super-awesome places….