The Middle

IT is said that families are like trees whose branches grow in different directions but their roots remain the same. My father, who worked as a mechanic for the Haryana Roadways Transport Corporation for over 30 years, retired in 1995....

WEAVING our way through the milling crowds in New Delhi’s Karol Bagh market, my daughter and I, after a long walk and some shopping, decided that enough was enough. We had picked up what we wanted, so there was no...

A few months ago, when our pug birthed four pups, a family known to us expressed interest in taking one of them. “It’s a desperate request from my children,” the head of the family said, making repeated phone calls to...

IN the Army, we live by the motto: Sweat more in peace, bleed less in war. It’s a life of constant training — pushing our physical limits, mastering the use of weapons and planning for any battlefield scenario. But amidst...

A decade ago, I took my 11-year-old daughter to the zoo, an outing she had eagerly anticipated for days. She had read about animals in books and seen them in animated movies, but this was her first real opportunity to...

THERE is a trend in the armed forces of calling some comrades by names other than the given ones. I had thought that this happened mostly among officers — Mandeep became Mandy, KJS was nicknamed Tiny or Kapoor distorted to...

MY mind often drifts back to the carefree days of childhood when playtime stretched from morning till dusk. We returned home only when called by mother. We lived in Sargodha, a vibrant town; now, it is an Army cantonment in...

ANNUAL confidential reports (ACRs) have their ironies and contradictions. Ideally, these reports are supposed to give employees what they deserve. An officer commonly says, “What can I give to you except a good ACR?” He thus expresses his veiled gratitude...

SPENDING time in the lap of nature has a unique ability to foster a feeling of wellbeing. I’m lucky that my workplace is surrounded by a vast, lush landscape dotted with towering eucalyptus trees and other beautiful varieties. It’s in...

AFTER year-long basic training at the Internal Security Academy, Mount Abu, Rajasthan, I joined a battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Zubza, Nagaland, in early 1978. Constable Talib Hussain was to be my orderly — a colonial-era...

COME summer, when humans, birds and animals seek shelter from the scorching sun, municipal workers in Mumbai descend upon trees on the roadside and start their job of hacking and hewing them. They have given this activity an innocent name,...

ON board my return flight from London to New Delhi, three youngsters were seated a couple of rows ahead of me. They were speaking Punjabi and their T-shirts bore the signature image of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh. No sooner was the...

PEOPLE often surprise us, and judging them solely on the basis of our first impression is a mistake. This truth was reinforced by an incident that happened almost a decade ago. On my way to Shimla, I stopped at a...

IN October 1987, we — a group of five IPS probationers who had been allotted the Gujarat cadre — were undergoing six-week training at the Police Training College, Junagadh. We decided to go for an outing on a Sunday. The...

AH, Holi! That glorious festival in which we drench our friends in colour, and our homes in the unmistakable scent of sweets, revelry and mild chaos. It’s an occasion when history, mythology and sheer mischief collide in a kaleidoscope of...

THE controversy over the demolition of a wall of Nek Chand’s iconic Rock Garden in Chandigarh made me recall my first meeting with him back in 1984. I was then with the CBI as an SP. The probe agency was...

I have heard people say jokingly, “If you want to make an impression, speak in English. If you want to show courtesy, converse in Hindi or Urdu, but if you want to convey a strong message, prefer Punjabi”. Born out...

THE Shinkansen — the Japanese bullet train — is much more than a mode of public transport. A trip on this train is a must for many tourists visiting the country. It is hard to say whether I was more...

WE humans are like magpies, happily hoarding something — books, music, clothes. Those rich enough splurge on art, wine and suchlike. I am also guilty — I love to collect moments and memories. We experienced a rich cascade of lifelong...

HONESTY is a virtue that often reveals itself in the simplest of lives, shining through in the most unexpected moments. One such remarkable example was Niku, fondly called Subedar, whose integrity left an indelible mark on the residents of my...

THE exuberance in my voice must have been evident when I rang up my father. I was happy to tell him that I had bought a cycle for his schoolgoing grandson. It was a little expensive, but my son liked...

I glanced at her cherubic face — pink cheeks and a creamy complexion. Manbhari seemed a befitting name for the lovely girl. I smiled. Her eyes sparkled momentarily and clouded just as suddenly and her expression changed to an unsmiling...

AN anniversary is supposed to be a day of celebration, right? You dress up in your finest attire, cut a cake, maybe clink a glass or two, and reminisce about how you’ve survived another year of wedded bliss (and arguments...

A couple of months ago, I attended a wedding where I knew no one except the father of the bride. After giving the host a warm hug and the customary shagun, I was all by myself. I headed towards the...

SOME people are keen to do a good deed, but they don’t go ahead with it as they presume that others may not cooperate with them. I remember an incident which illustrates that if you pursue a noble goal with...