Feature Articles
When the App became the Guru
By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam There was a time, not too long ago, when I woke up in the morning and decided for myself what kind of day it was going to be.…
9 Sept 2026 · 5 min read
The Lighter Side
13 stories · Page 1 of 1
Feature Articles
The Vanishing Zebra
By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam There is a particular kind of faith that gets instilled in Indian school children somewhere between learning the national anthem and being taught not to talk to strangers.…
2 Sept 2026 · 4 min read
Feature Articles
The Republic of Quid Pro Quo
By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam There was a time or so our grandmothers insisted, when a neighbour dropped in with a plate of payasam simply because it was Tuesday and the mood had…
26 Aug 2026 · 4 min read
Feature Articles
The tyranny of the ten thousand steps
By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam There was a time, not very long ago, when a walk was simply a walk. You stepped out into the evening air because your legs asked for it…
19 Aug 2026 · 4 min read
Feature Articles
Parliament of the parking lot
By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam There is a particular kind of democracy that flourishes in India without ever appearing in any political science textbook and I have had the privilege of observing it…
12 Aug 2026 · 5 min read
Feature Articles
The phone that was smarter than me
By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam There comes a moment in every man’s life when he realises that the world has quietly marched ahead and forgotten to leave him a note. Mine arrived the…
5 Aug 2026 · 4 min read
Feature Articles
The real power of quiet authority
By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam I attended a function the other day where the chief guest arrived twenty minutes late and the entire hall rose as though a great wind had passed through…
29 Jul 2026 · 4 min read
Feature Articles
When flying lost its wings
By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam There was a time when the very mention of a flight filled me with a quiet thrill. As a young man, the idea of being lifted into the…
22 Jul 2026 · 4 min read
Feature Articles
A Tale of Two Tails
By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam There is a peculiar arrangement in my neighbour's home that everyone there calls dog ownership. They believe they own a dog. The dog, a portly fellow named Bruno,…
15 Jul 2026 · 4 min read
Feature Articles
Live, Laugh and Learn
The Lighter Side By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam There is a wooden board hanging in almost every drawing room of our country these days and it carries three words painted in a cheerful…
8 Jul 2026 · 5 min read
Feature Articles
The Great Busyness Epidemic
The Lighter Side By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam There is a peculiar affliction sweeping through humanity with a virulence that would have alarmed even the most seasoned epidemiologist and I speak not of…
1 Jul 2026 · 5 min read
Feature Articles
Confessions of a Card-Carrying Middle-Class Indian
By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam There is a particular variety of human being that the great Indian experiment has produced with remarkable consistency over the last several decades and I have the dubious…
24 Jun 2026 · 5 min read
Feature Articles
The Great Indian Railway Platform
By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam There is something deeply philosophical about an Indian railway platform. It is, if you think about it carefully enough, the only place in the country where everyone, regardless…
17 Jun 2026 · 4 min read