A RIVER CALLED TIME

It was in the early sixties. The Communist Party in India had just split in two, with the intellectuals and idealists lining up on one side and the street smart leaders with the majority of the cadre on the other. The first major war with Pakistan was just around the corner. US troops were considering [...]

An ancient kingdom, its people

 
My mother’s family came from the very southern tip of India, an area then known as Naanchinaad. It included present day districts of Kanayakumari, Nagercoil and possibly parts of Thirunelveli. I say so because we had branches of the family settled all over the place till about fifty years ago.
 
Though largely Tamil speaking, till Indian [...]

Of courtyards, verandas and bamboo canes

 
It was many years ago. The setting is sometime in the early sixties. My grandfather was a chartered accountant with many rich clients. He had his office on the ground floor of the family house. There was a direct access to the office from the large airy veranda. My own father was a taxation lawyer [...]