To claim that one’s remarks have been ‘taken totally out of context’ is a boiler plate damage mitigation mechanism that is resorted to by public personalities in general and politicians in particular, to cover up any inappropriate statements that may have escaped their mouths. Kerry O’ Keeffe is no exception to the stereotypical norm. From … Continue reading Being Tongue-in-cheek about Mr.Kerry O’Keeffe
Month: December 2018
Belt And Road Initiative: A Chinese World Order – Bruno Macaes
The Belt and Road Initiative (“BRI”) also known as One Belt One Road (“OBOR”) was unraveled to the world for the first time by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September and October 2013 during visits to Astana in Kazakhstan and Jakarta in Indonesia. This mega initiative was thereafter enthusiastically promoted by Premier Li Keqiang during … Continue reading Belt And Road Initiative: A Chinese World Order – Bruno Macaes
Hole in the Soul
(Photo Credit: Joy Pixley) "For a desert to bloom, willpower needs to meet love", the words of Ash reverberated in Venky's ears. This year the summer was particularly harsh. The sun seemed intent on bearing down on anything and everything that moved and shook on Mother Earth. Venky did not mind this much because it … Continue reading Hole in the Soul
The Ash Meltdown
(Photo Credit: Sue Vincent) The brooding clouds in monochrome haphazardly blotted out the blue sky lending a somber veneer to the entire landscape. Even though the sun was bravely trying to dispel the surrounding gloom, it efforts - as encapsulated by the bare branches of the tree behind which the star seemed to be hiding … Continue reading The Ash Meltdown
Don’t Let The Kitten Drive The Car – Akanksha Sharma
A very candid, pleasant and moving book, "Don't Let the Kitten Drive the Car" narrates the travails and triumphs of Simba, an abandoned street cat who is offered refuge and succour, initially by a kind humanitarian called Dhruv and later by the Gupta family. Of special mention is Akriti Gupta a visually impaired young girl … Continue reading Don’t Let The Kitten Drive The Car – Akanksha Sharma
Prediction and Purity
(Photo Credit: Crispina Kemp) At the periphery of the lake was the feeding area. A rectangular patch of land paved over and four nicely decorated lamp posts erected at each corner. This was where Venky and Ash found their ‘Tipsy’. On a cool evening with a welcome breeze caressing their faces, the duo, while sauntering around … Continue reading Prediction and Purity
The Goat Stone
(Photo Credit: Randy Mazie) The intriguing appearance of the intrepid goat induced a degree of curiosity hitherto unknown amongst the locals. At times standing shock still as if deeply analysing the epitaph, while at others delivering exactly three knocks of ascending proportions with its horns, to the tombstone, the antics of the goat was bewildering. … Continue reading The Goat Stone
How India Works: Making Sense of a Complex Corporate Culture – Aarti Kelshikar
The redoubtable Mark Twain once said, ” [India is] the One land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for all the shows of all the rest of the globe combined.” However one should also be careful if not wary of the glimpses … Continue reading How India Works: Making Sense of a Complex Corporate Culture – Aarti Kelshikar
The Man Who Wasn’t There: Investigations into the strange Science of the Self – Anil Ananthaswamy
The concept of ‘Dualism’ is an ancient concept that found a deep entrenchment in the Greek mode of thinking. Plato and Aristotle reasoned that the human mind or soul could not be identified with the physical body. This belief was lent its greatest resonance and boost 2000 years after the time of its proponents when … Continue reading The Man Who Wasn’t There: Investigations into the strange Science of the Self – Anil Ananthaswamy
Idyllic No More
(Photo Credit: Susan Spaulding) The house was bang in the middle of nowhere. This very isolation was its appeal; this very absence of connection its allure. The irritatingly enthusiastic albeit simple broker had tried drawing Venky’s attention to what he claimed was an “idyllic” setting. How could the broker know that idyll was so far … Continue reading Idyllic No More