The Potion
When we were little, my brother and I dreaded falling ill. Not because of the fever that gave us chills or the cough that made our ribs hurt or a million visits to the bathroom that left us dehydrated. … Read the rest
Gandhi’s Children
An image of my parents -in-law that’s never ceased to inspire me – a picture of Sharad Pandya who was part of Kakasaheb Kalelkar[note]Kakasaheb Kalelkar was a Mahrathi litterateur and an ardent follower of Mahatma Gandhi[/note]’s group and … Read the rest
Memory and Difficult Emotions: Notes of an Oral Historian
I first met Professor Pabitra Kumar Maitra on 2 April 2003. I had just started my interviews with Obaid Siddiqi, the scientist who founded the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS). But his institution had a longer history as Siddiqi … Read the rest
Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba-vignettes from Yemen II
Bilqis
Here’s a, sadly blurry, picture of a painting that hung in my hotel room in San’a. Now, this may seem like an odd choice for a conservative Islamic country, but not if you know that subject of the painting. … Read the rest
Caravanserai – vignettes from Yemen
Tower of Peace
Trying to organize my generally messy life, I was working my way through some old boxes and came across this flyer from the hotel where I stayed in Sana’a, Yemen. I suspect I initially came across the … Read the rest
Memories of the Matriarch
When I look back on my earliest memories of childhood, I always see my all-white sari clad, completely unadorned, hair pulled back into a severe knot if not covered in a crisp ghungat[note]Veil[/note], ivory-like-parchment skinned grandmother as … Read the rest
India, Torn (II) : A witness to history in the making
Continued from part I ……
Dad had been hearing about partition for quite some time. Finally it came to be.
On 14 August, 1947, just before noon, all of us are gathered on the first floor balcony. The long, narrow … Read the rest
India, Torn (I): Haunting Memories
KARACHI
I am a Sindhi. I was born in Karachi in 1938, and lived there till end-September, 1947 when we shifted to Delhi.
I am a Mathematician by inheritance, by hammerings on my head, rather than by inclination or talent! … Read the rest
My Nima-A portrait in White
Whenever I think of my Grandma, the first thing that comes to mind is how beautiful she was -slim, without an ounce of fat. Her long hair touched her knees. She had no time to look after herself. Her whole … Read the rest