I am three and a half at the time of  Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in Delhi. Blurry images linger. Daddy and his friend, Mr. Diwan Chand, visit the cremation site. I tag along. It’s a few days later but the crowds are jostling each other. Daddy’s friend is carrying flowers and I watch him drape a ...

Daddy occasionally takes longer trips away from home, lasting a few days. Rohtak, a small town close to Delhi, offered a unique experience. A village Headman extends an exclusive invitation as part of the trip. The only transportation option to that remote location is an unreliable private bus service, far from Rohtak. The old farmer ...

Some mornings I wake up to a parade of memories—whiffs and tastes of childhood emerge from a dream and linger on vividly and wistfully. Moments ago, not quite awake, I savor the rich, warm buffalo milk in the kitchen of my early years. Then, in a flash, I am back in Mummy’s kitchen of long ...

There is a strained quietness about the house. Mummy is terribly upset! Rita abandoned her Graduate Program at the University of Delhi after one semester and has returned to Bangalore. Too homesick! However, at Ravi’s encouragement, she has been applying to Canadian Universities. Her rationale is Ravi and Amita will be there, so I won’t ...

All packed in the car for a visit to a family friend. I have come along for the ride—no school today.   Tenth-grade finals are looming, but the teenage me feels a little overwhelmed and needs a break. Even though I am stuck in the middle, wedged between Mrs. Bajaj and Mummy, I am enjoying the ...