George Menezes

There must be hundreds of Hume pipes lying all over Mumbai. Gigantic concrete ones meant to be used for storm water drainage into the sea.

They make for BMC forgotten temporary, very temporary housing for millions of homeless people who are merely a statistic for the powers that govern the city and a passing landscape for the well heeled people like you and me. (more…)

The bicycle has occupied an important place in my life.

In Dharwad, in Karnataka, where we lived for many years, I went to school in a “tonga” with four pretty looking Saraswat girls who lived in the house next door. It was a bit of a squeeze, with three of them sitting behind and one of them, Prema Sirur sitting next to me in front with a sweat-exuding “tongawalla” who mercilessly whipped the emaciated horse. (more…)