The Middle View More

THE first of everything is always treasured, be it the first words spoken by a child, the first day at school or the first kiss. In a fauji’s life, the first posting is an unforgettable event. Every soldier’s experiences upon...

TECHNOLOGY is simply indispensable in today’s world, but it doesn’t always simplify life. Sometimes, it leaves us red-faced and gives us a ‘hold my beer moment’. One of my friends started using an app for translation as part of his...

MOTHERS care, mothers share, mothers dare, and sometimes they make you pull out your hair. Each day spent with them is a learning experience. I am sharing some snapshots. “Does my nail polish match my dress? Silver shoes work with...

I do not remember what kindled my interest in Urdu, but while I was in college, I joined Jamia Millia University’s correspondence course to learn it. It did not take me far, and then other priorities pushed Urdu behind. Two...

THE thrill of riding a tram in Kolkata has been an enduring memory since my college days. For me, these rides were more than a means of transport — they captured the city’s rhythm and soul. Sadly, their nostalgic charm...

A wise old gentleman told me that house-hunting was a much more difficult task than job-hunting and even wife-hunting! Now when I’m looking for a suitable pad in Pune, I remember his prophetic words. Finding a home, even if it’s...

THE Army installed a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the banks of Pangong Tso lake in eastern Ladakh over a month ago. Even as the event sparked a debate, it prompted me to take a walk down memory lane....

AS parents, we were usually trusting and liberal when our son and daughter were growing up. And they were generally candid and well-behaved. But, as we were concerned about their wellbeing, sometimes we resorted to ‘spying’ to keep tabs on...

IN 2010, a professional assignment led to a strange encounter. I had gone to meet a prominent industrialist, known for his groundbreaking success and global ambitions. Having a prior appointment, I arrived at his residence, an opulent estate that spoke...

IN the tapestry of Indian mythology, gods and goddesses are not just celestial beings but embodiments of universal principles — creation, preservation, destruction and accumulation of knowledge. In the digital age, artificial intelligence (AI) tools like Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity...

I was just seven years old when a series of turbulent events happened over 77 years ago in a couple of villages in Montgomery district (now Sahiwal) of west Punjab. One day, I was whiling away the hours with my...

IT was fascinating for me to watch bureaucrats in action several decades ago. They borrowed most of their mannerisms and idiosyncrasies from the British. When the colonial rulers left the country, it was hoped that the Indian bureaucracy would serve...

Vivek Shukla FROM the clamour of Janpath or Akbar Road, a turn onto Tees January Marg is like stepping into another world. A sense of profound stillness settles upon you. The silence is almost absolute, in stark contrast to the...

AS US President Donald Trump hollered about acquiring Greenland and adding other pieces of land to the American kitty, I was reminded of the childhood game called Trade — better known as Monopoly today. The board game was very popular...

AT a green energy conference held recently, a speaker waxed eloquent on solar power and fuel-efficient vehicles of the tiny South Pacific island of Tonga. While industry delegates listened with rapt attention, my mind dreamily veered to another tonga, the...

I was born in Sultanwind village of Amritsar district in 1928. Few people know that Sultanwind residents played a significant role in the freedom struggle. Many of them were killed or injured in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Recently, I had...

THE recent break-in at the apartment of Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan was, by all accounts, a shoddy job. Thieves of yore would not have touched him with a barge pole! My career in the police taught me that professional...

GIVING alms to beggars does little to help them in the long run; instead, it only worsens this socioeconomic problem. If we want a beggar-free world, skill training and job creation must be prioritised. Poverty is generally the cause and...

THE stampede at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad last month brought back memories of my first experience of viewing a movie in a cinema hall in my hometown, Tiruchirappalli, several decades ago. Having appeared for the all-India higher secondary examination in...

I grew up in Chandigarh in the late 1990s, when virtually every birthday party was organised at home. We had the luxury of living in spacious bungalows with verandahs and lush-green lawns. Musical chairs, ‘pass the parcel’ and treasure hunts...

IT started as a tranquil afternoon, the kind that tempts you to believe the universe has finally aligned in your favour. My government vehicle, helmed by a driver whose calm could rival a monk’s, breezed through the winding mountain roads...

A popular song by Diljit Dosanjh has this line, “Main karda fly firda, kayi muh chakki firde ne taah nu...” (I fly high, while many people do nothing but look skyward). Gen Z often shares this number on social media...

The  year was 1980, when good English-medium schools were few and far between. For my parents, securing admission for me at Bishop Cotton School (BCS), Shimla, was a matter of immense pride. Coming from Hoshiarpur, they dreamt of giving me...

My family joined me during the summer vacation while I was commanding a regiment in Ladakh. One day, my adjutant brought a shiny black newborn kitten from an outpost he had visited. My nine-year-old daughter adopted this cute little living...

Albert Einstein told the world, “Everything is relative”. A clever tweak to this truism popped up on my phone the other day: “For some people who amass power and wealth for their relatives, ‘relative is everything’.” I chuckled at this...