Category Archives: Life notes

Happy Lord of the Rings Day

I recently started reading a book entitled The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay. It is historical fiction, immaculately detailed, with three excellent protagonists surrounded by a band of almost as admirable allies navigating a middle-era Spain in which three powerful … Continue reading

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An ambigram in The Hindu

The Hindu has an unusual ad in today’s paper (at least in the Chennai edition, which I get) on the occasion of Republic Day. At the middle is an ambigram that reads “journalism” one way and “democracy” upside down. Below the … Continue reading

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Posting stats — 2024

When I joined The Wire in 2015, the average length of my blog posts increased from around 700 words to around 850 words, and over time to 1,000 words. This wasn’t forced so much as a natural reflection of the … Continue reading

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Posting stats — 2024

When I joined The Wire in 2015, the average length of my blog posts increased from around 700 words to around 850 words, and over time to 1,000 words. This wasn’t forced so much as a natural reflection of the … Continue reading

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New pages for science from The Hindu

The Hindu has a new print product out called ‘Surf & Dive’ (S&D), whose first edition the editor Suresh Nambath and Shashi Tharoor launched at the group’s ‘Lit for Life’ event in Chennai on January 18. We’ve been working on this … Continue reading

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New science pages in The Hindu

The Hindu has a new print product out called ‘Surf & Dive’ (S&D), whose first edition the editor Suresh Nambath and MP Shashi Tharoor launched at the group’s ‘Lit for Life’ event in Chennai on January 18. We’ve been working on … Continue reading

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Rule o flaw — part III

Make sure you’ve read part I and part II. The project of demolishing the building opposite my house has taken a new turn. As part of the deal between me and my neighbours and the contractor, Monday, November 18, was … Continue reading

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Rule o flaw — part II

Make sure you’ve read part I. On November 15, I lodged a complaint of excessive noise with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), whereupon I received an update saying the complaint was pending with the district environment engineer. Later … Continue reading

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Rule o flaw — part I

This building right opposite my apartment was locked in a legal dispute for years. That must have ended a month ago (in October) because since then a bunch of workers have been toiling nine hours a day, six days a … Continue reading

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The frustrating wait for quiet in Chennai

Deepavali is less than a month away — then again it will only be a storm amid a steady drizzle of noises Continue reading

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