This morning, I requested my daughter to take a picture of kids going to school from the car window. She didn’t get a very clear picture, but I hope the two pictures she took make it clear how different the school run is in every country, and yet how similar.

It is neither the housefly’s cousin nor a chair to sit on — A Loungefly is a kind of bag, a tiny backpack. Specifically, “Loungefly” refers to a particular brand promoted by Disney. It usually has Disney princesses on it. Or villains. To add to the price, and make it desirable, because who would want to buy a cheap bag? Today I asked…

A washing machine purchase is love! — Last year, an assistant of mine got married. Let’s call her Babli. Babli moved after the wedding from her parents’ home to her parents-in-laws’ place, and that transition can be rough. In her husband’s parents’ home, her responsibilities increased fourfold. Babli used to take public transport to work; reaching an hour before…

Sharpening scissors and memories — India’s had a time with scissors. So much, that in the ’80s, we used to eagerly grab the orange-handled scissors called the Fiskars original out of the suitcases of relatives who visited Singapore, Europe or America. I would even marvel at the scissor-shaped plastic packaging over the cardboard base. The…

Outside the Huda City Center Metro Station — The lemonade seller outside the Metro station was doing brisk business on a very hot day. The temperature was around a hundred and ten. I kid you not. Eating, drinking, and smoking are all not allowed on the Delhi Metro, so as soon as people get off here at Huda…

All I need, and nothing I “might want” — The shopkeeper who’s born into the job I wrote a couple of stories last month about two women in business, running stores, entitled The Brave Little Shopkeeper. These were stories of women who didn't have any family background in running a business but were still successful in their ventures. So when I entered this shop to buy…

A New Delhi photo story — During our Delhi trip, I was taken by the kinds of three-wheelers we see in Delhi. Some run on CNG — compressed natural gas, while others are battery-powered. This picture is of an e-rickshaw which…