Durga Puja in Shillong: Live blog
For my fellow Shillongites am putting together this little live blog, featuring posts on how people back home are celebrating.
India
The Durga Puja pandal map
Pandal-hopping is a Durga Puja essential. But for that you need to know where the pandals are. Use and contribute to this crowd-sourced map.
Did Vivekananda say ‘Sisters and Brothers of America’? Fact checking a fact check
Also a list of the other participants from India at the 1893 Parliament of World’s Religions at Chicago. There were at least 15, including Vivekananda.
Shillong: Atop the abode of the clouds
In Shillong, rain is a recurring feature all the year around and umbrellas a constant companion.
150 and rocking: Shillong – a city amidst the clouds
Shillong. A city atop the abode of the clouds. A city that is a town in size but a metropolis in demeanour. A city that is now 150 years old.
A fidget spinner spins in ball-bearing carts sliding down Shillong slopes
The fidget spinner is easily the toy of the year 2017. And with a 5-year-old who keeps abreast of all the latest toy trends via YouTube Kids, it becomes difficult evading any such toy craze. While pondering about what to get for Googool (my son, aka Advay) at an airport duty free shop, noticed the [Read more]
Poha: The momo for the mornings
I begin writing this perched on the top berth in a sleeper coach of a train that has a long halt at Ujjain Railway Station. Ujjain is an ancient town that has an important role in India’s history and religion. At the previous station, Nagda, I had a breakfast, that has become almost a ritual [Read more]
2016 in unofficial Google doodles
There are some doodles that Google didn’t (or wouldn’t) doodle. The Chaiwallah prides himself as an unofficial Google doodler. I have written about these unofficial doodles and they have also been written about at a couple of places. 2016 had its fair share of the unofficial Google doodles and the doodles are not necessarily a [Read more]
Did you know? The lion in the Make In India logo is, in fact, made in Africa
Had raised this question a year-and-a-half ago, when the logo was first unveiled (also a couple of times since). There was quite a brouhaha over the news that the Make in India logo was designed by the Indian arm of foreign company (which is actually in sync with the idea behind Make in India) but [Read more]
Virender Sehwag retirement: The unofficial Google doodle
Update 3: This has gone viral. The tweet has been retweeted and favourited hundreds of times and featured on Huffington Post and BuzzFeed. Update 2: This time it is official;. Virender Sehwag has retired Update: So Sehwag has only hinted at retiring and hasn’t announced it yet. Nonetheless, the doodle holds true for the man. [Read more]
Watch: Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Maino’s wedding video
Whenever I have a little time on my hand (which is actually very little these days), I like to browse through archives (both physical and digital) in search for hidden gems and today stumbled upon this: Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Maino’s wedding video from February 25, 1968. (Note that the video doesn’t have any sound) [Read more]
Maggi noodles missing from Nestle’s 100 years in India video; Maggi explains why
(Post updated to include response from Maggi India) Nestlé is gradually attempting to make amends after the big Maggi noodles controversy that hit both its brand image and stock prices hard. As part of its brand revival strategy Nestlé India has released a minute-and-a-half long video that essentially wants to deliver the message that Nestle [Read more]
