“I am as curious about color as one would be visiting a new country, because I have never concentrated so closely on color expression. Up to now I have waited at the gates of the temple.” — Henri Matisse All I needed was a quote about color. Doesn’t sound too ambitious, does it? It’s a … Read More
“A kind of India happens everywhere, that’s the truth too; everywhere is terrible and wonder-filled and overwhelming if you open your sense to the actual pulsating beat.” — Salmon Rushdie “So what do you think of India so far?” It’s a question I’m starting to get a lot lately–from family, friends, even people I meet … Read More
“So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked.” — Mark Twain There’s a certain calm to Pondicherry—to the old French quarter, at least. … Read More
“Boy, those French. They have a different word for everything.” — Steve Martin Dear Pondy, I know we’ve only known each other a couple of days so far, and I always hate to rush into these kinds of things, but I’ve got to be honest here: Whenever I’m with you, I feel like I’m cheating … Read More
“Learning is always rebellion… Every bit of new truth discovered is revolutionary to what was believed before.” — Margaret Lee Runbeck On a rainy Saturday morning outside Chennai, Tamil Nadu–India’s southernmost state–huge groups of students were arriving at DakshinaChitra. But one bus brought nine young women there for a different reason than a simple school … Read More
Diwali was supposed to be quiet. Well, obviously not that quiet given the extraordinary amount of fireworks that are set off, but quiet enough. “It’s a family holiday,” my friend Nambi told me as I headed towards the southern city of Chennai to spend the festival with his family. “Most of the celebrations take place … Read More
“Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? No. Just as one can never learn how to paint.” — Pablo Picasso If Picasso’s right, and two colors can sing, then the spectrum of shops, stalls, and saris in the Lad Bazar of Hyderabad can be called nothing … Read More
“But, as the years passed, I began to mourn the loss of something I had known in the drawing-room of Marchmain House and once or twice since, the intensity and singleness and the belief that it was not all done by hand–in a word, the inspiration.” — Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited There was a lot … Read More
Sonia isn’t impressed with my style. “You not having fun?” she asks. “Not comfortable in the water?” I look around me at the long sandy stretches of Orissa’s Puri beach and wonder what impression I’m giving. I assure both her and her cousin Pooja that I’m comfortable. More than comfortable. Having grown up near Virginia … Read More
Rickshaw Runners like to put on a hardened front. We’re adventurous, tough as nails, and capable of withstanding whatever the Indian roads throw our way…literally. But maybe, just occasionally, we slipped up. I can’t say for certain, but rumor has it… 1. There may have been air freshener… When we stumbled on this convenience store … Read More