Respect the belly

I do not know if it is just an Indian thing but, we as a country tend to respect the paunch. It signifies prosperity and influence in our culture. Prosperity because only someone with a belly can afford diabetes and blood pressure medications. And influence because only someone with influence can flaunt a potbelly without people mocking him.

Small town patriarchs usually indulge in this belly display competition of sorts when they come out of their monarchies, with their sando banyans folded up, rubbing their bellies and yawning. By doing so, they display to the world that they have attained that stage in life where they are not afraid of the fashion police. Not that the fashion police would dare even to think about detaining them anyway.

A shopkeeper with a loose shirt and a fragile frame has to try really hard here to please customers. Customers are unimpressed with the shopkeeper's inability to overfeed himself. On the other hand, a shopkeeper with a potbelly can sit indifferently and yet, people would flock to his shop. They would offer him money as he looks the other way. He would notice eventually and turn his attention to them in slow motion while scratching his cheeks. People would patiently bear through the whole procedure just so that they have the privilege of him replying to their innocuous questions.

I hate pigeons

There is not much that can done about pigeons. Once they decide that they want to be a part of your life, you can fight it, you can put up a resistance but eventally, the pigeon wins. The pigeon always wins and it is not even like they woo you or something. They are those lovers who'd continue courting you until you get tired and say 'yes'. A pigeon is relentless and has an air of 'I don't know what I am doing wrong' about itself.

Tea, Coffee, Toffee

I had never understood West's fascination with coffee. I was always more of a tea-person myself. Tea is anyway India's national beverage. There are no coffee stalls at roadside even though it is far easier to prepare coffee (I did not say good coffee) instantly. The coffee culture, as they call it, is more widespread in USA. The image of a working class American, walking the street, newspaper in hand and coffee in another is the stereotype we have all come to recognize.

Writers and Money.

Writing as a profession is an easy thing. All you need is a laptop, a charger, your fingers and a will to never earn money. Premchand died in poverty, many other authors followed suit but, then there are the rockstars of the lit world who release novels like blockbuster movies.

For Dr Pankaj Narang

#DrPankajLynched

Saddening to see the story. The dentist was murdered for nothing. It isn't about Islam. It is a very local issue.

Why she would never text back!

The initial contact with a female of the human species is a fairly uncomplicated event which is such a misleading phenomenon. You would think that Tinder is made to bring two like-minded people together, right? Or two people equally willing to bone together, right? Well, here is a giant NOPE!

The Other Side