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Dental Extraction Anyone?

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 I knew dental issues sometimes take a while to be sorted. But I had no clue that they can be almost (detri)mental for your pocket, pleasure, and patience. What could probably have been wrapped up in three months took a good over half a year. I was visibly gripped with fear even when there were two days to go for my appointment. My ever supportive and loving hubby asked if I wanted him to accompany me. I said no. I told him I wanted to face the fear with my mouth wide open (if you know what I mean). If I didn’t do it on my own, I would never be able to get over my fear of the dreaded ‘D’. So I went to the dentist on my own and faced it, head on. Not to mention that COVID didn’t make things easier. Before going in the den, oops I mean the cabin with the dentist’s chair, I had to undergo a strict protocol. That included getting first sprayed by something like a sanitizer, then wearing a (ridiculous) poncho kind of a thing, a cap to keep my hair together, and slippers provided by the clin
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Donning A Myriad of Roles Effortlessly – Harimohan P

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  Harimohan Paruvu, an engineer by education, cricketer and a published author by passion, shares his interesting and evocative professional and personal journey during a freewheeling chat. The former Ranji cricketer has five books and a film-based on his first novel to his name along with his regular contributions as a columnist for Edex Live, for the New Indian Express. 1. Tell us a bit about your childhood and what was it like to have elder sisters around while growing up? I was born in Hyderabad. My father was a civil engineer in the state Roads and Buildings department. He retired as Chief Engineer, National Highways and was a committed professional, a gentle, artistic man from a humble background, the first graduate in his family. My mother was a worldly wise, sensible and grounded person who trained to be a teacher after school. But she never worked being busy managing home with six children and frequent transfers across the state.   I have four older sisters and one younger bro
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Five Things That The Past Year Taught Me

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We are towards the end of the second month of the year. I might have been rather early into introspecting about the past year. However, one cannot help those little grey cells from going into an overdrive, can, we? So I was ruminating about how the year almost flown by has been. There were a number of hits as well as misses. But mostly, there were hits. The events or experiences in isolation apart, I felt that there was common thread which ran through them. That was of having understood myself better and learning about life in general. The following things I realized, made my year, what it was – full of new connections, experiences, a bit of travel and so much more!  Letting Go!  As clichéd as it sounds, this is one thing has been one of the prominent narratives for me in the past year. Simply let go. Well, by this I don’t mean that you let go of your dreams, people you love or the likes. By this, I meant, let go of things we can’t control. Now, yes, it is easier said th
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Tea - Our Very Own Desi Draught of Peace

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Indian diaspora is not a new phenomenon. Not very surprisingly, a number of dishes and drinks quintessential to India have become popular across the globe. Most prominently, butter chicken, tea, Dosa, Rasam and a number of others. However, I feel chai tops the charts when it comes to popularity. In other countries, like UK or even USA or others, there are probably these set patterns and times of having tea. The most common being black tea, with a couple of specific accompaniments. In India, though, there is no set time and pattern to having it. From 1 am in the morning to 12 midnight, you can have tea anytime and no one will be staring wide-eyed at you. We are quintessential ‘chai’ lovers. Whether you go to a government office or a private office, any time during the office hours, you will find someone or the other sipping a cuppa. You would see vendors with make shift tables and kettles serving only tea between 6 am to 9 am on the roads. The sight of these roadside tea ve
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Why Sibel, A Turkish Drama is A Must Watch

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One of the entries at the 17 th Pune International Film Festival (10 th January - 17 th January 2019), in the Global Cinema Section, was the Turkish drama, Sibel. Set in a secluded village in Turkey’s Black Sea region, this is the story of Sibel. A 25-year old mute girl, she communicates through an ancestral whistle language. Rejected by the villagers, she is driven by a single motive, to hunt down a wolf on the prowl. Its existence has sparked rumours and fear among the villagers. Killing the wolf is important for her as she believes it will make the villagers accept her. Things happen rapidly when she is ambushed by a fugitive while trying to hunt down the wolf. Sibel takes care of the man, who is hurt and has nowhere to go. She is oblivious to the fact that he is a wanted fugitive. He sees her in a completely different light than others. For the first time perhaps in her life, she feels wanted and cared for and becomes aware of her sexuality. Things take a downturn when suspi
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New York City, Relationships & Everything In Between

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Many of us, including me, fantasize visiting the ‘Big Apple’ or New York City once in our lifetime. Well, I have not got a chance to actually go there till now. But voila! Carrie Bradshaw and her girl pals introduced me to New York City with the show Sex and the City. I was immediately taken in by the basic premise and charm of the portrayal of the journey of these 4 girls. I adored all the quintessentially girly stuff in the show. (It is another story if I myself would ever be able to carry those Blahniks and D&C’s with such elan). The character I can most relate to and love is Carrie’s (apart from the host of relationships she has had). She is a columnist and is not afraid to speak her mind. Whatever happens in her life, she has her girl friends whom she can bank upon for support. Although she loves all the other 3 – Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda, I think, Miranda is the first one she calls or goes to in troubled times. Yes, be it New York or Paris or London, you need one
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A ‘Golden’ Film - Woman in Gold

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It had been a while since I loved a film with all my heart. That’s the 2015 film, ‘Woman in Gold’. Based on true story, this film tackles the complicated issue of art restitution. In simple terms, it refers to restoration of something to its rightful owner. This is mostly in context of art looted during World War II. So here, Maria Altman (Helen Mirren), an elderly Jewish refugee living in Los Angeles, discovers letters in her sister's possession dating to the late 1940s, after her sister’s death. To her surprise and dismay, the letters reveal an attempt to recover the artwork owned by the Bloch-Bauer family, left behind when they had to leave the country for their life and freedom. The artwork is subsequently stolen by the Nazis. Of particular significance is a portrait of Altmann's aunt, Adele Bloch-Bauer, made by one of Gustav Klimt, one of the most renowned painters of his time. The portrait later came to be known in Austria as the "Woman in Gold". From h
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