Body shaming is for the bird-brained

The Siberian Stonechat’s brown, black, and white color palette may not be an instant crowd-pleaser. But we cannot judge birds by their appearances. It makes even less sense than doing that to human beings. You reserve the right to pass on the candidate, who shows up for a job interview looking like Andy Dufrene after...

Whose life or death is it anyway?

We may be ungrateful for what we have because we think we deserve more. In the process, we forget to ask ourselves - who owes us anything at all? When our plans are left to die in the gutter, is there a someone we can hold accountable? If our tireless efforts go south, whose collar...

The screaming guarantees

I first spotted the Coppersmith Barbet on a chilly morning, outside a bird sanctuary in Chennai. I followed its metronome call to a large berry tree. I saw the barbet feasting on wild berries in one of the branches. The long winter shadows had cast a spell over the leaves, and I was unable to...

But first, we need to talk about the floods in Kerala

Kerala is wounded. Its people are suffering. Nearly 400 have been killed due to the recent floods that are ravaging its citizens, as well as its neighbors in Karnataka. The loss of livelihood has been unimaginable. If you live outside of South India, you may not have heard of the crisis. Hell, I live about...

Is bad the new good?

Pop culture trends reflect the nature of our collective mindset. They shed a light on the pulse of the majority or at least a large section of the population. Fanfare to movies and TV shows are often derivative of what makes us tick as human beings. I have noticed off late that it has become...

A stranger’s things: The art of unpacking

Not many of us can survive the impact of not being loved the way we want to be loved. When someone loves us the way they want to, we find fault in it. However sincere they may be, their love comes undone. At times, it feels worse than not being loved at all. It is...

Save your goodbyes because things are about to get weird

It is true that all good things come to an end. They simply must. Otherwise, bad things will happen. And then, we will be running around, as though fire ants were snacking on our brain tissues, wondering where it all went wrong. This blog has been a very important part of my life since 2014....

United we fall

The daily challenges faced by many people in my country do not bother me as much as they used to. Because I let go of the guilt of having had a more privileged upbringing. And I am not skilled enough to fight the system by tweeting about how unfair everything is. What really bothers me is...

Where the words end and the birds begin

When I am not bird-watching, I like to watch people. Strangers, in particular. I am captivated by their nonverbal behavior. Gestures such as shoulder shrugs, head nods, and hand movements are significant parts of human interactions. They are our inner whistle-blowers that leak out top-secret information about our personalities. Tell the world who we really...

Mama said there will be days like this

As a child, I was in awe of the role that my mother played in my life. But I was baffled that she had the final say on everything I did. She could take decisions on my behalf. Order me around to do chores. Create arbitrary rules I had to abide by. Even though it...