Your own children come with large doses of both heaven and hell. There are moments of heady joy, pride and a foolish heart filled to the point of bursting. But there are also moments of terror, panic and immense fear that goes deep down into your gut. This dichotomy does not apply to nieces. Nieces are pure … More There’s something about nieces

The first thought that went through my head when Manasvi, my fourteen-year-old, ripped her toenail right off her foot in front of my eyes two days ago was, “Thank God she was in the pool when it happened. The water will lessen the impact of the pain, and the chlorine will disinfect it in case … More Ouch

Due to late nights at work these days, I end up having my breakfast around noon. Yesterday, as I sat alone on the dining table in our ‘informal’ dining room (we have a ‘formal’ one as well, see how God spoils me), I was still sleepy, having my paratha in silence. This room falls in … More Domestic divinity

Suddenly in the middle of a harsh, unforgiving summer, came the rain. One kid was out to a birthday party. The other wanted to go to the mall, tired of sitting at home for the past few days (it’s summer vacation time). When it stopped raining, we drove down to the nearest cluster of malls (Vasant … More The day the weather god smiled

It was a teachable moment, and I decided to talk my 12-year-old Isha through the big, bad world of international diplomacy. I told her about Libya, and how Gaddafi — after decades of rule — is now turning on his own people who want a new government. I told her about how NATO is now … More Talking to Isha

(Continued from previous post…) The second space I found God in Mombasa was underwater. I did lots of swimming in Kenya last week; either lounging about in the excellent swimming pool at our resort (Diani Reef Resort and Spa), sipping liqueurs at the pool bar, or else in the sea. And different kinds of sea: … More Underwater sojourn

I went to Mombasa in Kenya last week with a bunch of other journalists. Lots of God for me to find there, but I’m going to talk about just two instances here. The most important was the banana boat. It was day 3 of our trip, and so far everything had been going right. I was … More The lesson of the banana boat

I have loved swimming since childhood. I considered myself a bit of a water baby, luxuriating in the other-worldly feel of the pool or the sea the minute I stepped into it. But I have also always been painfully inhibited about my body. I was on the swimming team in my school in Abu Dhabi, … More Burst of swim

I went belly dancing for the first time yesterday. It was a class full of about 40 women, from teenagers (my own daughter was one) to women in their sixties, and from all different social backgrounds. Initially, I was inhibited and shy, doing only tiny circular movements, all controlled and propah. But luckily, our coach … More Shake that thang

I’ve been obsessed by babies lately. If they aren’t a tangible, down-to-earth, in-your-hands-and-ears evidence that God exists, then I don’t know what is. Watch a pregnant woman balloon from conception to delivery, and tell me you are not able to look at the end product with dumbstruck awe. How did a single cell become this … More Baby baby

My favourite path of them all: poetry. There’s lots of God in poetry. Isn’t Shakespeare just divine? He was my favourite in college back in the early 1990s, when I studied English Literature. (I also liked him because the teacher who taught us Shakespeare was a fiery, passionate woman and a committed professor. So the … More How do I love Thee? Let me count the ways

My earliest memory of the Om symbol was one inscribed on my father’s hand, a greenish-blue tattoo made when he was a few years old. He was born in Lahore in 1944, three years before the Partition. It was the ‘it’ symbol of the time, a religious stamp on his and his brothers’ hands to prove … More Everything starts with Om

I first met God when I was 12. We were in India for our annual summer vacations from school (July and August according to Dubai’s weather) and the entire extended family had flown up to Srinagar for a holiday in the hills, the expected thing to do for Delhi families every summer. We’d checked into a … More Introduction to God