Fly Away You S#%&#!

Who would have imagined that the world would soon see a disease whose name itself would be quite a mouthful? And that too mouthful of a curse.
 
Enter Swine Flu!
Wonder who coined the word ‘Flu’! Sounds like a jet plane flying around at will, and landing itself unannounced at unwelcome destinations.
Sometimes the name of an ailment [...]

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Pigeon Diaries Finale

I had washed some clothes and wanted to put them up for drying in the balcony. So, I had to deliberately shoo Pikoo and Bannu away. 
I also noticed that the pigeons had been using my balcony as an excretion ground. I had to spend ten minutes just scraping off their dried out excreta that had stuck to [...]

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Pigeon Diaries IV: Bannu Calling

For the past few days, a strange phenomenon is happening. 
Pikoo and his family spend more time in my balcony than anywhere else. Earlier they used to fly away when I tried to get near the sliding windows of the balcony. Nowadays, no matter how close I get to the windows, the birds remain unruffled.
Several times, [...]

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Pigeon Diaries III: Pintoo Struggles

I sometimes chuckle at dumb birds, especially if it happens to be a pigeon.
Mind you, pigeons are considered to be one of the most intelligent birds on the planet. The pigeon can recognize all 26 letters of the English alphabet. The pigeon can also pass the ‘mirror test’ (being able to recognize its reflection in [...]

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Pigeon Diaries II: Missing Pikoo

One night, Pikoo stayed on the balcony. I know this because when I woke up at 4 am to answer nature’s call, he was still there – huddled up in a corner. Motionless!
The very next morning, surprisingly, Pikoo was not there to be seen. Did Noah take him away in his Ark?
The evening of the [...]

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Pigeon Diaries I: Meeting Pikoo

 
I normally don’t go bird watching.
There are better things to watch. There are better things to waste time on. However, my ornithological tendencies get the better of me sometimes.
Usually, it happens when any feathered friend comes visiting, and stays on. Unimaginable things can happen when pigeons arrive, that too without appointment. And with pigeons, it [...]

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What’s In A Name

When Shakespeare writes “What’s in a name…”, let him be reminded that being called Sex-Peer or Shekoo won’t be much good for his appetite either!
People call me by nicknames aplenty – Venki, Vanki, Venky, Venke, Benki, Winky and what not…
Its also within my rights to pull their cheeks, pinch their stars, and ask – “My [...]

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Once Upon A Prayer

After losing his late father’s fortune in the stock market, Sunny Singh had just enough money left to start a business.  A thorough research of the market showed him that only the liquor business was still profitable.
Though a teetotaler himself, Sunny went ahead to bid for tender for a liqour shop. Soon, the tender was announced [...]

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Prayer To Motherland

As sweet bells chime in the temples of men
As lamps of insight ignite the asleep minds
As voices of victory chant the song of devotion
Let us invoke in our hearts
The loving remembrance of the eternal Motherland
Who is resplendent than thousand glittering suns
Whose face shines like the calm brilliance of the crescent
More beautiful than anything ever seen [...]

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Happy New Day!

It is 11:59 pm.
The seconds-dial takes another purposeful round past the digits on the face of the clock. Your eyes wait for it to complete its job, so that the minutes-dial can move on to the digit 12.
Its 12 midnight – completion of a year and beginning of another. Fun and joy break out, fresh [...]

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