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Exception, By Another Name: answering some frequently asked questions about my identity
Today the state writes my name with a borrowed pen. Not the pen kept in velvet for lost inheritance certificates, but a pen found in the bottom of a drawer: a little cracked, ink clotted around the nib, the kind you warm with your breath to make it move. They call it citizenship by an…
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London, in the Heat of Memory and Change
The city arrived first as a smell—Hot brick dust and the faint iron taste of the Underground, mingling with the ghost of diesel and rain. The kind of smell that makes you feel you’ve lived here before. London in July and August—it pretends to be gentle with you, lets the sun linger longer on your…
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Aachen, Radhadesh, Dusseldorf for the 44th
For my 44th my only wish was to pray. To thank God for the blessings. To let go and trust the cosmos. It was a sweet little road trip. It’s almost May, and I still carry with me: the smell of incense, the sound of bells, and a sense of calm.
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The Art of Food: Sazanka Throwback
A long overdue post, memories of my 41st birthday, celebrated at the very special Sazanka, Okura. Merely selecting and editing the pictures for this post left me with a warm fuzzy feeling.
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They hand you a box
They hand you a boxFour neat lines joined at supremely perfect right anglesYour body, rounded at the edges, pliable, more flesh than muscleSqueezing yourself into shape you triumph, look you say, I fitSkin compacted into nothingnessCells harnessed to behave One day, unexpectedly you spill outOver the edges, across the linesMass dictating it’s ruleslook they say,…
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Basel Trip, Day Two and Three
If you visit Basel then do take a day to admire the Old Town. Along with the Mittlere Brücke, the Basler Münster (Cathedral) or Minster is probably the most famous landmark in Basel. It is quite like the Dom in Cologne. Its iconic red sandstone walls and twin towers, are easily recognisable in the Basel…
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Basel Trip, Day One
We visited Basel two weeks back (time really flies). We had decided to take the ICE train; from Amsterdam Centraal Station the train ride to Basel was approximately six hours. We spent our time talking about everything under the sun, gazing at the countryside, playing cards, Avocado Smash and Story Cubes. Hours, which we thought would…
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Pictorial Ode to Twente
We spent October break in Twente. Pictures featured here include Oldenzaal, where we stopped for lunch, De Lutte, and Enschede. Our stay was at a hotel in De Lutte called Landgoed de Wilmersberg. It is a quaint and cosy property full of old world charm. They have beautiful pathways to either walk or bike. Bikes…
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Dinner at the Sky Restaurant Pi
We had an unexpectedly delicious dinner at the Sky Restaurant Pi at the Fletcher Hotel. “Unexpectedly” because the decor did not look promising. Additionally, somehow being just off the highway does not spell out – gourmet extravaganza. Even though architecturally it is eye-catching, one does not derive a sense of – “oh this will be…
