A pencil extender from my childhood set this post off.

A genuine, spontaneous smile can brighten up the day for the paper boy; the woman who collects garbage every morning; the man who serves you at the tea stall in the bus stop…..Even if they are feeling grumpy and they don’t smile back, it would make them feel good. Go on try it. It is FREE!

I think that when we look at something as the best thing that could have happened even when it is not, we actually try and find something good in it.

Though I had lived in cities with some beautiful rivers, it wasn’t till I set my eyes on the Ganga that I fell in love with a river for the first time in my life.

Ever wondered how The Iron Man of India was as a schoolboy? A birth Anniversary tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who was born on 31 October 1875.

If I feel left out of ‘shares’ and forwards by friends and family, because I don’t use a smartphone, it is more than offset by my relief at not riding the tiger.

All it needs to brighten up an aged, lined face is a smile and a crown of grey/silver.

….the things we shared, but most of all the love, as children, as adults. It makes me smile, even if my eyes mist over….

Don’t you fast during Navaratras? my maid asked me. ‘No, we make a feast for the goddess and eat it,’ I replied, much to her disgust.

Writing a biography is not easy. It gets tougher when it is about the childhood of eminent personalities. But it is most challenging when the target audience is children.

A friendly neighbourhood is like a warm joint family, where everyone looks out for and supports each other. Alas, these are fast becoming endangered, thanks to insular apartments with little need for interaction among the neighbours.

Giving is even more meaningful, when the recipient becomes a productive member of the society.

As compared to the earlier caste system which was determined by birth, the present one is defined by material wealth and social status.