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 …

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 …

   No taareef for Trump’s tariffs

This tariff business has got the whole world in a twist. The President of the United States of America, Donald Trump vowed to impose reciprocal tariffs on countries which enjoy an advantageous tariff equation against the United States. That appears to include every single country on God’s green land including little-known islands where only penguins …

      IPL. Still crazy after all these years.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is upon us. Once more with feeling. This is the 18th edition of this obscenely cash-rich tournament and no one seems to be tiring of it. It is another matter altogether that many cricket followers, particularly those of an older generation, swear blind that they will never watch another IPL …

Leaves that are green turn to brown

I was twenty-one years when I wrote this song / I’m twenty-two now but I won’t be for long / Time hurries on / And the leaves that are green turn to brown. Simon & Garfunkel. Not finding anything earth-shattering to write about this week (if truth be told, it happens to me every week), …

News channels move over, the Podcasters are here.

I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I have all but stopped watching the news bulletins on television, along with their noisy debates. As I am channel-agnostic, my disenchantment with the news as purveyed cuts across all television channels. There are two reasons for this cynical observation. The obvious one is the abysmal quality …