It is June now. Europe waits with bated breath for one spectacle. The UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan. Manchester City might just finally break their European duck. A couple of years ago, they had fallen short of the ultimate prize to English counterparts, Chelsea. Two years have gone by and…
Croatia, stirring thy soul
Language is a powerful paradox. On the face of it, it just has functional utility of communication. But as you peel off the layers, you unravel an intricate art spun from words. Deep in this web are some words that are special, having the potential to stir souls as no one can. If there was…
Love with Prague
I had high expectations of Prague even before I went there. That was mostly because all my female friends who have been there recommended it vehemently to me. “Prague ki feel hi kuch alag hai!” was what I had heard. I didn’t realise that soon enough, but when I did, I knew just the word to qualify…
The wild wild Budapest
Money is a strange thing. It changes not only its color but also its worth as it changes hands and places. And money is truly powerful when things come cheap. For then, it injects shots of greed into your blood and makes you crave for new experiences. And Hungary is an embodiment of that greed.…
Settlement
Click. Click. Pause. Click. With a barely audible whomp, the flame came on. Anish brought the lighter closer to the cigarette dangling precariously from his lips. He took a puff, followed immediately by another, and released the button on the nearly-depleted lighter as his cigarette lit up fully. As he set the lighter down on…
Austria
Austria is in many ways a close kin of Germany, emulating its language as well as rudeness. But it still has its own distinct character. And continuing with my previous articles, if Netherlands is trippy, Austria is musical. And a lot of the accolade goes to arguably the greatest composer of all time, Mozart. There is also this Sound…
चलो, तुमको लेकर चलें
चलो, इंद्रधनुष के अंत तक चलें | सुना है वहाँ परियाँ मटकियों में सोने के सिक्के छिपाती हैं, वहाँ एक सपनों की दुकान करते हैं – हरे गुलाबी रजनीगंधा की खुशबू वाले दिन में टिमटिमाते सपने | उनको कोई ग़रीबन की बेटी बालों में जूड़े संग गूथ लेगी, या कोई फकीरन का बच्चा आँसुओं संग…
The hoax of happiness
There's this John Lennon quote (misquoted probably) about how his goal in life was to be happy. Some of my friends, although unknown of The Beatles, also reply the same when I ask them. I understand that the ultimate goal of most of the humans would be to be happy. But sorry, it's bullshit. Firstly, what is happiness?…
You Know Chechnya
You know Chechnya, sometimes I cry We could have, but we didn't try To save you from the enemy's eye You know Chechnya, sometimes I cry You know Chechnya, sometimes I hear Your voices that have known no fear Mourning those, who once were dear You know Chechnya, sometimes I hear You know Chechnya, sometimes…
Love in the Time of Dengue
Priya ambled lazily across the wall towards the window. She’d always peep outside, but I thought she’d never leave. I had made my peace with this intruder to some extent. The vicious attacks with bug spray and a broom that just made her circumnavigate the room had been replaced with a weary tolerance. The first…
High on LSD 