AUSPICIOUS MAKAR SANKRANT As we dawn into the beginning of this New Year, one must acknowledge the auspicious day of January 14 – which is the very beginning of a good start in the Hindu calendar. “Makar Sankranti” or “Makar Sankrant” as it is known, is a celebration of triumph with colour, pride and joy – in...
NEW YEAR (DECADE), NEW US! My wish for all of us this year is that we make mistakes. Because making mistakes means making new things in the form of trying, learning, living, pushing ourselves, changing ourselves, changing the world around us. Do things we’ve never done before, and more importantly, given the year we all have survived...
THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ‘till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas,...
DOGGONE IT! Many things differentiate us from each other but of the things that brings most if not all of us together is Viral Animal A live webcam fixed on a bald eagle nest running 24 hours a day to watch an egg hatch. A goat frolics with a baby rhinoceros. A pig nestles up to a house cat. A...
MUMBAI, INDIA’S GOURMET CAPITAL Today Mumbai is India’s restaurant capital. From it is a genre-defining to the genre-defying cooking. Mumbai is experimenting with flavours and formats that are transforming India’s food landscape, leaving a foodie like me spoilt for choice. There is an energy to the city’s restaurants, a sense that a chef can do anything...
GRATITUDE - A FORGOTTEN VIRTUE? Are you concerned about maintaining the health of your brain as you age? You’re not alone. Losing one’s memory and mental abilities to cognitive decline is something we all fear, and the current statistics on the prevalence of cognitive decline in this country are not pretty. By age 65, sadly 1 in...
GRATITUDE - A FORGOTTEN VIRTUE? It’s easy to be grateful for the big moments in your life, but in the day-to-day craziness, sometimes we forget to be grateful for all of the people and the little things in life that make us happy. Here are 4 tips that encourage gratitude: Be thankful for what DIDN’T happen. No matter how...
OLD IS GOLD There is a school of thought that believes mental health problems are a ‘normal’ aspect of life, but most older people do not realise that they have developed mental health problems, and they can be helped if they do. While a significant number develop dementia or depression in old age, they are not...
THE MEANING OF DIWALI Diwali or Dipawali is the Festival of Lights. Historically, the lights symbolize the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance” that commemorates Lord Ram’s return after years of exile the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness for the Sikhs the release of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind for Jains marks...
WINE AND DINE The goal of food and wine pairing is to combine two elements that bring out the best in each other and create a harmonious whole. Good balance between the two components is essential; think of it as a conversation where neither person dominates. Or you could say a perfect pairing is one that may be...
SUSEGAD, MY NEW WAY OF LIFE ‘Susegad’ – which comes from the Portuguese word ‘sossegado’ for quiet – refers to the relaxed, laid-back attitude of Goans, who seem to live in a perennial state of contentment. Perhaps in these troubled times one needs to take a slice out of the Goan notebook and learn the subtle art...
CALM BEFORE THE STORM 2020 has already cast such a heavy metaphorical storm our way...