Although I never asked my parents, I know that leaving India was difficult for them. Fresh out of India's premier medical institution, they left, along with a majority of their peers, to fill a dearth of specialized physicians and medical researcher positions in the United States in the late Seventies. While in the United States, … Continue reading The unthinkable option →

The old man recognized me although he has not seen me in over a decade. “When did you come back home?” “Last week,” I said with a feeble smile. “Kaku, are you well?” “I am fine, though my eyesight is not as good as it used to be. I could hardly recognize you. You look … Continue reading Fountain pen →

I was frustrated with the typos I was making with the on-screen keyboard of the tablet, until I saw someone grapping with the much smaller keyboard of a smartphone.  At the bus stop, I was standing last in line and restlessly looking at my watch, until someone stood right behind me. Later that evening, I … Continue reading Group therapy →

I. “You have an iPod?” asks the stranger inquisitively. “I have an mp3 player, not an iPod. This one is made by Creative, not Apple,” I respond not quite sure where the conversation is going. The year is 2004. I’m on vacation in India for only a few weeks, recuperating from a PhD program in … Continue reading There is no app which replaces Steve Jobs →

You probably don't know that I have another blog where I spew braindroppings in Bangla. (Actually, I have more than one blog, but that is another story). At my Bangla blog, I've been experimenting with comics that mainly focus on wordplay. As these are not easily translatable, I've never thought of an English version. With … Continue reading The writing on the wall… →

Making a birdcage is an arduous task. You need wire, but good wire is expensive. So, cage-makers routinely use wire stripped out of worn tires which have been discarded after running over miles of rough roads scattered with sharp pebbles, broken glass, and gritty sand.  These tires must be peeled of rubbery flesh to extract … Continue reading Birdcage →

The government in West Bengal just decided that it is time to change the name of the state.  During the sixty-four years of India’s independence, West Bengal has been known as Paschimbanga in Bangla (পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, phonetically Poschimbongo), the native language of most inhabitants. By decree it is soon going to be changed to Paschim Banga … Continue reading Why I don’t support changing West Bengal to Paschim Banga →

Even when death had not become endemic, quicksand was a perennial problem. Marauding elephants became a concern much later when we cut down the forests. The Kangsabati, which is also known as the Kasai, has always been my river. I grew up a short bicycle ride away from its sandy banks. On afternoons of oppressively … Continue reading My river →

I remember when I first found out that malignant cells were spreading inside my grandmother lungs. I didn’t cry or bat an eyelid. I froze. Over the next few months as my grandmother suffered through small cell lung cancer and coughed up her rapidly dissolving lungs, I refused to acknowledge what was happening to her. … Continue reading Driftwood →