Many moons ago, when my parents were based in the Far East, my father would subscribe to the local English newspaper, as it might have been The Straits Times in Singapore or The New Straits Times in Malaya, as it then was. We happened to live in both these countries over a seven-year period during …
Author Archives: sureshsubrahmanyan
You don’t mess with Kaa
Somewhere on the outskirts of the city of Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, a man died of snake bite, if the headline in one of the inside pages of my newspaper is anything to go by. This is not exactly news of earth-shattering importance in a hot and humid country like ours, where the genus serpentes …
Lunch is what makes the world go round
Many moons ago, circa 1967 probably, I was glued to my transistor radio listening intently to a BBC World Service programme called My Music, a witty and amusing quiz show in which some very erudite and musically inclined speakers were asked questions on various genres and aspects of music. In one particular episode, one of …
Standing down on stand-ups
Stand-up comedy is a very hard thing on the spirit. There are people who transcend it, but in its essence, it’s soul destroying. It tends to turn people into control freaks. Film director Mike Nichols. At the outset, let me make it abundantly clear that I have nothing against stand-up comics. They are probably fine …
Handsome is as handsome does
Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor, he of the silver tongue, is very much in the news these days for all kinds of reasons. Mostly positive, unless you belong to his Congress Party who at best, are being ambivalent about him and at worst, are deeply suspicious about their star parliamentarian from Kerala and are keeping …
(M)ad Men on our smart phones
People want to be told what to do so badly that they’ll listen to anyone. Don Draper from the American television serial, Mad Men. It will come as no surprise to you, dear reader, that the advertising and marketing loonies who inhabit the internet space on our smart phones and elsewhere, most gallingly and annoyingly …
Wrong numbers and cross connections
Raise your hand those of you who have never received a crank call on their mobile phones or, come to that, their landline phones. Any takers? Nope, I do not see a single hand going up and neither did I expect to see one. Those amongst you below the age of consent who are not …
War Games
We didn’t start the fire / No, we didn’t light it / But we tried to fight it. Billy Joel. In case you have not noticed, there’s a serious combat in progress on our borders. Only we cannot actually call it a war unless certain provisions of the Geneva Conventions are met. As I am …
Paperback Writer
Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book? / It took me years to write, will you take a look? The Beatles. Indian writers and writers of Indian origin, and they are not necessarily the same thing, are ruling the roost in the publishing world. Salman Rushdie doesn’t count, any more than does V.S. …
An Inspector Calls
Good morning, Inspector. I was not expecting a visit from you. Not at two in the morning. Is there anything wrong? Can I help you in any way with your inquiries? Yes, I was sleeping. I believe it is normal for decent people to be fast asleep at this time of night. Or rather, this …
Suresh's Corner 