While my brother felt dizzy, my grandparents quickly rushed to us and my grandfather tied a rope tightly on my brother’s thighs. He said if the snake was poisonous, the rope would check the spread of the poison, above the knees. Meanwhile, to my bigger shock, he took a lantern and rushed right to the…

He rose early and cleaned the house and performed a two hour puja, before going to the temple for his daily services as a priest. He returned late afternoon, rested for some time after talking to my granny for an hour or so. Then he watered the trees in our compound and performed his night…

As the ten foot snake graciously slithered on the coconut orchard, my heart skipped a beat. But oddly, I kept looking at him (or her, I don’t know) trying to figure out if it was a poisonous Krate or an Indian Cobra or simply a venom less water snake. Not that I knew the signs…

During another journey, I met Vasudev, a coast guard officer. I wondered how his job was different from that of a naval officer. “Sailors and navy ships can decide to not sail during storms or rough weather. But we have to be on the sea, especially during bad weather, for our job is to scout…

“Oh that would be dishonest, isn’t it?” he humbly protested. “I am simply an attendant, a private employee who takes care of the bed sheets, blankets, quilt and pillows for the passengers. I have no right to take their water bottles.” I got more curious. I asked him his name; about his salary, family and…

Modern education is not synonymous with human culture or healthy value systems. I have heard of a highly educated MBA grad from the prestigious IIM and an engineer from the IIT, commit suicide. He is one of the 360 Indians who end their lives daily. Every four minutes a man or woman kills themselves in…

It didn’t take me long to understand what had caused this transformation. During Aki’s earlier stay in Mumbai, he had no idea what it meant to inhale fresh morning air or watch the beautiful sunshine. But when he went to an idyllic setting, he walked to his office and back home daily, amidst verdant meadows,…

“You have given me a wonderful opportunity to serve such a nice person like yourself. As for me, I am content living in this village for the last seventy years of my life. My sons take care of my needs. I need to express gratitude and give back to God and His children. Will you…

“For it is in giving that we receive.” –    Saint Francis of Assisi (One of the most revered Christian preachers, from 12th century Italy) At a small temple in the interiors of Bengal, I sat on the mud floor and softly chanted on my prayer beads. It was my day of solitude and reflection. The…