Category Archives: Childhood
My Best Birthday Cake
Describe your perfect birthday cake. #bloganuary I grew up in India in a small town called Dehradun. Birthdays, in those days, did not rate as high as festivals like Holi, Diwali which celebrate the community rather than an individual. Probably special food was made and if possible, family or friends were present to give me …
Review: The House on East Canal Road
“An evocative, well-imagined portrayal of late colonial India through one family’s eyes.” – Kirkus Reviews
Meditation and Me
My handy-dandy phone app tells me it has been two years since I started practicing TM (transcendental meditation) – twenty minutes twice a day. That is the guideline but I achieve it half the time. But still – two years is two years – and two years more than ever before. So – Where am …
Color Me Happy
Pistachio ice cream, Tangerine whip. I read the names of the colors as I hold my mother’s hand by her index finger, tightly, while she chatters on with the man behind the desk of the paint store. What kinds of names are these I think: not green, not orange but pistachio ice cream, tangerine whip! …
I Pledge Allegiance. Twice.
APJ Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India passed away on July 27 2015. August 15 2015, India turned 68 years old.We celebrated independence day and honored APJ: his dedication to science, education and patriotism to India. In these days of deep divisions, I believe, in death Abdul Kalam wanted to send us a strong message. APJ, a Muslim born of …
Ageless in Alien Worlds
…. I, to the world am like a drop of water That in the ocean seeks another drop, ….. William Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors We made it! We made it on time; equipped with low chairs, a picnic basket and adequately chilled wine. The setting sun casts an orange glow over the grassy slope where we …
Memorial Day is for Moms
Matt and Priya were classmates. I met Mrs. Manoukian for the first time when she came to drop Matt off for a birthday party. She rang the doorbell. “Can we stay too?” Matt ran in without pause. I saw Matt’s brother looking up at me. His chubby palm circled mommy’s manicured finger. His look was …
How I Became an Organic Chemist
We were only 20 students, but our science classroom could easily have seated 200. It was on the second floor: a 3 stories high cavernous room, with wide windows that overlooked the school gardens down below. To sit we had benches with tables. Each row was raised a few feet every row so you could …
Neerja Raman 