Author: manuscrypts

  • Three score and ten

    He was a shadow of his former self, and his memory was not what it used to be. But I could see his eyes light up when he was reminded of who I was. We spoke a bit, and I like to think that a bit of his joviality returned in those brief moments. My interactions with him are more than three decades old, and our memories of each other are probably a bigger bond than any relationship we have. He complimented my demeanour, much to the annoyance of the other M. He passed away a few weeks later. These days, I am ambivalent about meeting old people. On one hand, I think I’d like to remember them in their prime. But then again, there is a good chance that I’d be meeting them for the last time. So these days, when I do meet, my behaviour factors that in.

    The worst thing about death is the fact that when a man is dead it is impossible any longer to undo the harm you have done him, or to do the good you haven’t done him…They say: live in such a way as to be always ready to die. I would say: live in such a way that anyone can die without you having anything to regret.

    Leo Tolstoy, (via Arthur C. Brooks’ From Strength to Strength)

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  • Walking Towards Ourselves: Indian Women Tell Their Stories

    Catriona Mitchell

    That it took Catriona Mitchell, born in Switzerland, and raised in UK and Australia, to edit and publish this anthology – about and by Indian women – is perhaps a statement in itself. In any case, I am glad she did. The flap describes it as a kaleidoscope of distinct and varied real-life stories, and I think that is just about accurate. Just about because I don’t know if it sufficiently captures the distinctness and the variety.

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  • Millers 46

    I know, I know. First, a legendary place, Second, after some 300+ restaurant posts here. But that’s precisely why I decided to post this, despite a relatively small meal.

    This is practically an international trip from Whitefield, but since we had to be in the vicinity to get the visa for an actual trip, we decided to drop in at Millers 46, a legit old-school Bangalore establishment. On a Friday afternoon, the crowd was sparse, and that worked just fine for us.

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  • AI 2041

    Kai-fu Lee

    Kai-Fu Lee wasn’t a name familiar to me until I heard him in a podcast where he was talking about the book. Based in China, he is considered an expert in AI, and has worked with Google, Microsoft, and Apple. The book has an interesting structure consisting of ten stories, with a commentary by Lee after every story on the subjects covered in it. The storytelling is in collaboration with Chen Quifan, a Chinese science fiction writer, and the translations have been done by a handful of folks. 

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  • The flavours of death

    Once upon a time, the only kind of death that would have been written about here would be Death by Chocolate from Corner House. But middle age brings its own set of journeys.

    I don’t remember being afraid of death. I think it was only reinforced after my heart attacked me in 2021! Even during the trip to the hospital and the procedures, I don’t remember being afraid. I wondered later whether it was a remnant of the arrogance of an earlier self – you know, the aura of invincibility and immortality we (or at least I) had around the 20s. They have reduced it to a single word now – swag.

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