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Naan fiction Archive
The story of my life
What is a blog without a space for some gossip, joys and frustrations of one’s life? It is not that tit-bits from my life are of interest to you or that it matters. Writing in a blog is like singing in a bathroom – it is a place for self-expression. It is written for the sake of writing, with no expectation that anyone will read it. Like bathroom singing, at best it amuses those who happen to hear it and at worst it annoys. I recognise that you, my reader, have reached this place in your journey to somewhere else and while you are here, I hope to amuse more than annoy.
P.s. You must be wondering why this is called “naan fiction”. Naan in Tamil means Me or I; welcome to the story of my life.
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It’s a…
Posted on January 30, 2013 |I have been wondering for a while how I would announce to you the gender of the child once we got to know it. If it’s a girl, I’ll change my website to a pink theme and have balloons floating around was my first thought. I did not have an idea what I’d do with a boy. The thought lasted just a few seconds before I embarrassed myself with putting the child-to-be in gendered containers. I myself had been fond of pink for a long time. I remember a shopping trip during my primary school days when I demanded pink... -
The start of a long journey
Posted on November 22, 2012 |Joy, fear, pride, panic, love, relief and a range of other nouns could have explained my emotions when I heard the news from Dr. K. To be honest, my dominant reaction was ‘eh, ok’. After all, it’s not a new release of an iPad or some other cool gadget on which you start getting excited nine months in advance, right? We were merely dealing with an organism that was then just a set of twenty or so cells, dividing itself like bacteria and fighting its way to a temporary shelter. Not something to be excited about so much in advance.... -
Two bizarre gates
Posted on August 9, 2012 |I am sorry to disappoint you in case you came here for some gossip on our friends, Bill & Melinda. This article is about two bizarre structures, one in Delhi and one in Los Angeles. The front gate of the Delhi School of Economics is massive and ornate, and it is supported by pillars that hold the massive gate on either side. It is said that the two pillars are called truth and knowledge. What is special about these gates is that they have never been opened, and people have been forced to use the rear entrance to access the... -
Two tips for expressing love to your wife
Posted on August 9, 2012 |On using academic training to express love... -
Hawa mein bath: Stories from the Indian airspace
Posted on August 9, 2011 |The woman sitting next to me was travelling on air for the first time. She grew up in a small town and there was not much discussion about air travel among her friends. I did my share to make her feel comfortable. We did a round on how to buckle the seat belt, how to turn on the light, how to turn off the air vents and whether she should hold her three month old tight through the flight. After we reached the altitude she asked, “Chal rahi hai kya” (is it going?). I heard it as “Jal rahi hai... -
The meaning of ‘getting married’
Posted on May 13, 2011 |Will it be a church wedding, Hindu wedding or both, asked a friend. Neither. Oh?!…Will you tie a Thali? No. Will you exchange rings? No. Oh!? …Will there be ceremonial music at least? No. Then what do you mean by getting married? That was my friend’s reaction when I told him that I will get married in Madras in July. He got me thinking about the meaning of ‘getting married’, to be distinguished from less interesting topic – the meaning of marriage. I guess all of us will agree that ‘getting married’ deals with a transformation in the state of... -
Dogs of Delhi University
Posted on April 29, 2011 |Pandit Ji’s tea stall was the first to open in Delhi University and he was greeted by six of us waiting for him impatiently. I think that my five canine companions were brothers and sisters; I do not know their ancestry, but I get a clear idea from the choice of expletives that were used when they had sex in front of his shop. But for such brief encounters, there was a symbiotic relationship between them and the shop. The university with its adjoining forest cover invited joggers, walkers, laughers and feeders every morning. A brisk middle-aged man stopped by... -
We are a pair-o’-docs
Posted on March 23, 2011 |Thinking of similarities and differences on the verge of getting married... -
Needs, priorities, habits
Posted on February 8, 2011 |I returned home with my body pulling me in two directions. It felt like there was a layer of glue in my throat pulling the layers of my throat together; I had never felt that parched. My bladder on the other hand felt like the Mettur dam after a heavy monsoon shower: ready to burst any minute unless the floodgates are opened. Do I go left to the kitchen to quench my thirst, or do I first go right to the restroom? I paused for a moment to consider the dilemma and decided to check my e-mail instead. Checking e-mail... -
The twain shall meet
Posted on January 6, 2011 |There is never a moment of dullness when the opposites meet “I hid the camera, is there anything else that I should hide?” The preparation for Vipul’s visit started with this. Vipul and Dr. K and polar opposites in two ways. Vipul’s cardinal philosophy is: if I see a button, I press it. Inevitably, he has a history of ipods, laptops and other devices crashing with his interventions. The highlight of this trip being the crash of the ticketing machine at the railway station; he could simply not resist playing with while he waited to be picked up. Dr. K...
