The layover trilogy series has 3 parts and must be read in this order:The K terminal layoverThe D terminal layoverThe H terminal layover Dejavu? The return from Kodaikanal was different, yet so similar (Oh! The paradox of it all!) The plan was finalised a few hours before I left. The starting point was Kodaikanal and the destination was Vellore. The first leg was in a taxi and the second leg was a train. The journey had a stopover at a place called Dindigul – lets call this the D terminal. We planned it to be a 20 minute wait after I got off the taxi. It should be OK! The ride down the hills was scenic and beautiful. We stopped…

The layover trilogy series has 3 parts and must be read in this order:The K terminal layoverThe D terminal layoverThe H terminal layover At the outset, it was a complicated but simple plan (Oh! The paradox of it all!!). The starting point was Vellore and the destination was Kodaikanal. This route had a junction called Krishnagiri where I had to change buses. There were dozens of buses for the first leg and a handful for the second. I booked a combo that gave me a one hour ‘layover’ at the famous Krishnagiri T Junction terminal. We’ll call this K terminal. My first bus was a little late and after a short interim halt, I reached Krishnagiri at 10.30 PM. My…

Time certainly flies and I can’t believe that in 2020 I’ll be due for my job confirmation as I would have completed 3 years since doing my DM (Neonatology). This will ensure a permanent career in Neonatology  I’ll have to ensure I tick the correct boxes so the confirmation happens easily. So here is a list of things I’ve done or plan to do. If I don’t get this job confirmation I may need to hunt for a new job across oceans and maybe even over a wall. 1. I got my friends to make a movie about me called DM Benji. My childhood friend played ‘me’ and the guys promised to just call it coincidence that it was released…

Today we gazed at the full moon. The moon is just a roundish piece of old rock floating in space, relatively close to the earth. As it lazily revolves around our planet it reflects the light from the much more impressive ball of fire we call the sun. The little bumps and ditches it has on its surface cause the reflected light to showcase it’s presence in various shades of grey, black and white – probably the most boring ‘colors’ you can imagine. But that beauty has inspired everything from nursery rhymes to romantic songs to horror movies. So the next time you feel shapeless, lifeless, dark and lumpy just reflect the light of God and find yourself transformed. Inspire…

You’ll need to know the history of my cajon to understand this wish… and if you don’t, well it’s too long a story to blog.

I looked at my phone today and questioned my existence. I had no Pokemon Go app to explore the world. There were no new friend requests on Facebook. The news was depressing – violence, rape, hatred, disasters and accidents. The internet connection was slow and frustrating. The streaming audio skipped and paused. My friends were last on WhatsApp 8 hours ago – no messages. The filters on Pixlr looked dull and boring now. The battery was down to 20%.As my five year old son threw the ball at me, I ducked and discovered my existence. We ran out of the house together past little lanes to explore the park as we kicked the ball around. Three new kids joined us…

We’ve got a narrow balcony behind our home on the fifth floor. This was my second attempt to grow some plants there – the effort included dropping into a nursery and picking up whatever JJ thought looked good. Pots, some soil, some vermicompost, some accidents and they mostly survived (My previous success rate was 17%). I know one was a rose plant, there were a couple of cacti and the rest were mostly green with one which was a fancy shade of purple.So when a friend dropped in and excitedly said, “Wow you have a desert rose!” She stared at it like it was a pot of gold and said, “This will survive. Water it once a week. Blah blah……

I had to wake up super early this morning to work on a deadline and was rewarded with a beautiful sunrise. Vellore comes across as a dry, crowded, dusty place and moments like these are a precious reminder that beauty is there – you just have to look for it!

In protest against the terrible verdicts recently in the Indian courts relating to drunk driving and rape, I hereby return all the awards I have won in the last few years…… and then I come to the terrible realisation that I don’t really have any awards to return. Guess I’ll just relax and have myself a merry little Christmas and a blessed New Year with friends and family. This is what I penned as my status update on Facebook. Although written in a lighter vein, I hope you understand the deeper layers in my thoughts.While I am deeply confused by recent verdicts in cases in the Indian judiciary with regards to a Hit and Run and a Rape, I really…

The rains have started again in Tamilnadu and Chennai is bracing itself for another round of floods and boats. Some random thoughts that came to my mind:1. The floods show the risk of trying to build an economically attractive city on an infrastructurally weak foundation.2. If only the people stopped throwing garbage down the drains (literally) and the government stopped throwing the tax money down the drain (figuratively) the flood situation would not have been so pathetic.3. As the officials proudly announced school and college leave in view of rains and flood, another basic right of children – education – was taken away. Food supply was threatened and Shelter was compromised already.4. Chennaiites have an amazing sense of humour and…