A 70-Year Journey Through Passports
We all have our own journeys. We navigate the world through our unique lens of experiences.
My father navigated his by being a traveler. The best times of his life were when he was on a flight to a city
Traversing Geographies of Memory-Interviewing family members
Interviewing family members is messy. The interview does not stay confined to the questions one asks. Indeed, it spills into stories that the person wants to share, inviting you to look through surfaces you thought were opaque, provoking you to … Read the rest
A Woman of Substance II
Continued from part 1
A Dream Come True
Connecting with the past is surely an ongoing process, for an individual’s personality, way of life and chain of thoughts are all influenced by people who are closely connected with one’s past. … Read the rest
A Woman of Substance
First of the two part memoirs of an extraordinary woman and mother
Connecting with the Past
On a cold January morning in 1946 in New Delhi, India, Ranee awoke early, with a sense of excitement mingled with trepidation. Today was … Read the rest
Ghosts Galore
I had my first confrontation with a ghost in the 1940’s. My family were staying with friends in the village of Narborough, near King’s Lynn, Norfolk, after evacuating from our London flat because of the bombing. We often visited Narborough … Read the rest
Nostalgia and Happy Memories
The next few months were a turmoil and the saddest period of our lives. Baba had not been keeping too well and was exhausted running around to the Calcutta Corporation for Ma’s tenanted ancestral house. The tenant had stopped paying … Read the rest
“When to the sessions of sweet silent thought, I summon up remembrance of things past”
First of a two part narration of family history and childhood memories
I start writing the memoirs of my childhood in Madhya Pradesh, anecdotes and incidents of those years which had a dramatic effect on my life then and later, … Read the rest
Those Horrible Nights
It was Anita’s first day as a boarder. She had never ever been away from her family. Her day had started with tea in the refectory at 4pm. She was anxious but all seemed jolly. A very friendly nun ushered … Read the rest
The Bungalow in Kalimpong
In 2010 I was working as an External Fellow of MAKAIAS and studying cultural heritage and identity of the Lepcha and Mangar communities of Darjeeling and Kalimpong . The study was based on extensive fieldwork which took me and my … Read the rest