Even at the ripe old age of 75 amongst the many things I don’t understand is the idea of brands. Until the 1960s a brand simply meant the maker of the product. Atlas Cycles. Sunlight Soap. Usha Sewing Machine. And so on. These were just names of products, nothing more. Then in the 1970s a
Last December, as part of our annual cleanup of various things in the house, usually not my thing though, I was instructed by my wife to give away a few of my books because they were now piling up on the floor. How many, I asked. Start with the memoirs, she said. I know why,
Most people drink slowly and read quickly. I am the opposite. I savour the writing and gulp the toddy. As the saying goes, it’s all a matter of taste. And, of course, the two should be done independently, preferably drink in the afternoon and read at night. What else is old age and retirement for?
In early 1976 I got my first job. It was in a publishing house. I was appointed as what is now called a commissioning editor. My remit was economics and management. One important part of the job was to find authors who could write textbooks for undergraduates. This involved visiting universities all over India. It
May we celebrate the 100th article for Wordsworld — strange but true! — with one of my all-time favourite authors?
Read about them in two books that introduce us to persons swept behind personas of history textbooks. Living, loving, breathing,
Integrity and objectivity appear to be deserting the media, but there is hope yet. Some fifty years ago, an Indian
Some scary portraits from real life, a request to bookstores, and looking forward to a new year of great books.
Be part of an extraordinary, immersive experience of living in harmony with nature, and observe the consequences of mindless development.
As many as 0.5–1 per cent of middle-aged men wake up in the middle of the night with agonising pain in the big toe, ankle, knee, elbow or wrist. The affected joint may be swollen, warm and red. This often causes bewilderment, as there is no fever and no preceding
Chest pain is frightening, especially if it occurs on the left side. After all, everyone (even children) knows that is where the heart is situated. This fear is reinforced, especially in middle-aged and older people, by graphic images, seen in the media, of people receiving bad news, clutching their chest,
Above normal temperatures and heatwaves are predicted. You could play an active role in mitigation efforts. There are too many warnings that summer is going to hit us badly this year. The magazine Down to Earth reports that IMD’s (India Meteorological Department) seasonal outlook for March-April-May has warned that the
Let me appraise you on what’s in store for you and the colony, office space, or society you live in, from April this year. Now, don’t get me wrong. I will not indulge in any crystal ball gazing and make some alarming predictions. In fact, I will only be familiarising
Only if citizens play their part can we ensure healthier AQI levels. Diwali is over months ago and, yet several cities in the country are suffering from acute air pollution. What does that mean? That air pollution is not a passing festival phenomenon as people used to think and dismiss
