Musings

You are what you make

I believe this is when it rises to the level of a delicacy. Others might define a delicacy to be something rare, not common, or off limits because of price, or controversy. Truffles for the price, and foie gras for the controversy? But both are praised for their taste too.
Reasons to love the holiday season

In the West, ‘it’s the most wonderful time of the year’, because the holiday season is just around the corner.
A decade’s worth of friends

My dearest Suku, I don’t have words to explain how much I miss you. I still have monthly solo crying sessions over not being able to see you. Thank you for showing me your home through your eyes.
Kidulting: Growing up to grow down

Take a good look at your expenses of any month. Chances are you have bought something that is more appropriate for your pre-teen niece or nephew, or your own child rather than yourself. But there it is, sitting on your desk or gracing your showcase, proudly yours!
What’s in your handbag?

Women and handbags go hand in hand. Have you ever spotted a woman without one? Perhaps not. We women carry tonnes of things in our handbags on any given day.
The curious case of Marie Antoinette

In one of the intense countercultural debates of the late 1960s, Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, two of American’s wittiest and charming intellectuals, raged on their debate about the future of America.
A 5-minute break for your well-being

To enjoy this 5-minute vacation, the first thing you need to do is disconnect yourself from the outside world. Not completely, of course, just switch off or silence your cell phone for 5 minutes, so that a ping or a flash on the screen does not distract you.
The crime of tardiness

Have you ever waited for a friend or an acquaintance so long that you fell asleep?
Words from a commoner

Tagore songs take me back to my childhood. They remind me of the nights when my mother would stay awake well past midnight to watch over me while I studied for my board exams.
Chronicles of the Andalusian Blackbird

There are very few periods in medieval history where people of different faiths rubbed shoulders with one another, exchanged their writings,
Bad Vibes Inc.

Having a job comes with being a fully functioning adult. With all the people skills you have developed, you encounter different
Honesty on a tightrope

Calvin was probably right. We now live in a time where people still believe that the world is flat and that vaccines are a hoax.
Lungla Station:our heritage and pride

It is a testimony to the glory days of old. It bears witness to many events which characterise the place, and puts it in the annals of history.
The scent of rain

The breeze that heralds rain has a different smell —a rich soothing aroma, instantly evocative of wet earth, and unbridled joy of feeling the first drops of much anticipated rain, cooling droplets cutting the dominance of a blazing sun, or increasing the mystique of a pitch black silent night.
The Ice Cream Love Affair

In this scorching heat, a shower might cool your body but what is going to cool your soul? Whoever you are, whatever your age is, ice cream is probably something you cannot say no to. If you can, you might be pure evil. Be in the form of smoothies or sundaes,
A wristful of rainbow

In our always-in-a-rush lives, truly just running from place to place, and errand to errand, barely taking a breather every weekend, ‘We have no time to stand and stare.’
Her third eye

I rolled over my bed and grabbed the mug from the bedside table, taking the first sip of the day from the leftover coffee of the previous night. Bitter and stale.
If we could read minds

Imagine a world where everyone could read everyone's mind. Wouldn't that be scary? But it would also help keep our ugly thoughts at bay, and be more honest with the people in our lives.
A queen–sized heart

Modern narratives are wretchedly bare of the stories of powerful Muslim women, and their achievements are rarely emphasised.
You have to ‘bujhte hobe’

Relationships are built on a lot of things; love, trust, loyalty, communication.
Fashion in Peril

Fashion is an unceasing lost-and-found affair. Trends emerge and dissipate, only for some to come back again after a while. While some make comebacks in a big way, there are also some that fall into oblivion.
When the thought counts

“What do you gift a person who has it all?” – this is an impasse that most of us have certainly faced at least once, especially when buying for someone who literally, and often metaphorically, has it all, in this day and age of consumption and love translating into more and more things!
How credit cards made life easier for me

Keeping track of banknotes in the wallet may seem painless to many, but I have always been bad at handling cash. When I lived in Dhaka, I used cash a lot, because 10 years ago, credit cards were not as widely used as they are today.
'Tis the holiday season

Santa Claus and his sleigh, reindeer, wreaths, Christmas trees, string lights, holiday banners, streamers, glittery window displays and LED light shows are all over the country, especially in America's malls and shopping centres.
The school bell still rings at my alma mater

The twentieth century had dawned to see the culmination of changes in all spheres of life. One of the most visible changes was in the education sector.
What follows “I do”

By 3AM in the morning, the hullaballoo was over. Our wedding party had reached Dhaka, the ceremonial welcome of the new bride over and done with, and J, my kid sister ushered us to the room.
Baby's first morsel

The literal translation of the Sanskrit word means 'food feeding' or 'eating food,' but in the Bengal regions, it is more commonly known as “Mukhey bhaat.”
On the edge of anxiety's seat

Do you ever feel like your mind is enveloping you in a hug, and not the nice, warm one, but a tight, suffocating hug that constricts your breathing, makes your skin sweat or your heart race in fear?
The peculiar case of nicknames

Do these words sound familiar? Maybe not, if you are a millennial, but Gen X can surely recollect the expression, as words spoken by people in the peripheries of Bangladesh.
Letter to My Past Self

This is a letter you would want to save for the future; for all the heartaches and bliss you endure.