Compared to its counterparts in most parts of the world, the middle class in India lives quite comfortably, what with access to cheap domestic help that it has. True, this help is no longer full-time as it was when we were growing up  many years ago. Now it is 90 per

Last week I had another fight with my wife because although we have been married since 1981, neither understands how the other’s brain works. This time we fought over the mali, or gardener. Her view is that as long as our flower pots look ok, it’s all right if he comes

Luck plays the most important role in how much you earn. In 1991 I, along with a handful of other fellows, suddenly found our luck changing. In my case the reversal of fortune was especially startling. I had finished my Masters degree in economics in 1972 and started applying for jobs.

Last month, after a very long time, we got lucky. We travelled to ­Switzerland to see our grandson who was born last year in July. My son is doing research at a university there. But because the Swiss were not issuing any visas we were unable to go. Then suddenly in

A few days ago we had our first guest in 135 days. Just one person. We made sure the three of us — wife, guest and me — sat at the regulation distance from each other. Thankfully our drawing room is just about large enough for that.

The extended lockdown has had one good outcome that no one is talking about: Indians are reading more, reluctantly perhaps but how long can you watch TV and play on your phone? For me the biggest plus has been the discovery of a completely new genre of

Some months ago, some of us who often take trips together decided to go to Munnar in Kerala where the Kanan Devan tea estate is sprawled over thousands of acres. The estate has these far-flung bungalows dotting the hillsides on which live planters breathing clean air and

As we get older, I find that you start to reflect on what has really mattered to you, I mean really… Most people I talked to said parents, children, wife, teachers, books, music, all the usual things. But in my life what has mattered most are my

Having heard so much about New Zealand last July three of us classmates from college and our wives decided to go there. It is very far away, around 12,000 kilometres and takes almost 20 hours to get there with a four-hour-stop at Singapore, which is an experience

Having heard so much about New   Zealand last July three of us classmates from college and our wives decided to go there. It is very far away, around 12,000 kilometres and takes almost 20 hours to get there with a four-hour-stop at Singapore, which is an experience