We live in a time when everyone seems to be rushing past one another, texting on their phones, chasing deadlines and targets or caught up in the rat race with little or no time to spend with family and friends, the company of people—even if they are total strangers—can be a pleasant and unexpected change.   Picture this.   One evening, at a restaurant in Bandra, a group of people from mixed backgrounds and probably little in common arrive one by one and share a table with so

We all want to feel happy. We want joy in our everyday lives. But we often look for it in big moments, when it can be found in our simple, everyday routines. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to find joy even in small, ordinary things, and to hold on to it for as long as we like. While these ideas aren’t new, they remind us how we can live a happy life—and how much of our own happiness is in our hands. Make time to meet people,  which means stepping out of your comfort zones

There are days when nothing feels right—when things seem a little too much or even overwhelming, when we need a gentle nudge to remind us that hope and joy still exist. In those moments, we either want to be left alone, waiting for the feeling to pass, occasionally going for long, brisk walks to shake off the gloom, or we talk to close family and friends. And sometimes, we turn to books, movies and music. Books aside, movies can be like friends who step in with vivid characte

None of these stories or parables are new. They have been told and retold countless times, yet they never lose their moral appeal....

I learnt to read time back in elementary school, as I’m sure most of us did. If I remember correctly, it took me less than an hour to...

My dad taught me chess when I was in the second grade. By the time I was in the fourth grade, I was beating him—five out of ten games,...

On April 22, my wife and I completed 35 years together, and we celebrated our Coral Anniversary in Bali—thanks to our children, who...

Paramahansa Yogananda, the renowned yogi, once said, “Blessed are those who do not indulge in sensational news.” To that timeless wisdom,...

Happiness means different things to different people. Some see it as contentment and inner peace, others as intense joy and exuberance. Whatever the name, everyone wants happiness or a sense of joy in their lives. Yet, the irony is that those who could be happy if they chose to, often don’t; whereas those who chase happiness desperately find it elusive. And then there are those who simply don’t know how to be happy.   That’s where books, among other things, can help us lif

Nobody likes to lose a job—it’s never a pleasant experience. But many of you, at some point in your careers, have been fired from a job...

Whenever I’m out and about in Mumbai, or travelling to another city, I always look for a bookstore first. It doesn’t matter if it’s new, secondhand or a thrift store as long as it’s a place selling books where I can spend a couple of hours browsing and buying them. Books, and especially comic-books , bring me joy.   Sometimes, these literary excursions make me dream about owing a bookstore. But that doesn’t stop me from exploring other people’s bookshops. Luckily, Mumbai has

This hat and coat rack, with a special drawer for shoes below, has been in my family for many years. This elegant piece of furniture,...

Everyone deserves to be happy in their own way. But is happiness really the purpose of life? It's a matter of personal belief or choice,...

On Christmas morning, I met an old acquaintance who had come down from London with his family to spend the holidays with his parents....

Who wouldn’t love receiving a book as a gift for special occasions like Christmas or birthdays? Anyone who enjoys reading would agree...

Actor-director Woody Allen once said, “If you're not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very innovative.”...

The four of us— best friends from school, college and work—met after a long time, though it didn’t feel like we’d missed a single beat....

Until the turn of this century, nostalgia—a sentimental longing for something good that happened in our past—often dominated...

It took a long-haul flight from Mumbai to Vancouver for me to finally experience a comic bookstore I'd only read about online and watched...

Picture this.   You’re on cloud nine because you nailed a job interview. At least, you think you did. But then, you start having doubts and brood over how the interview might have actually gone; maybe you didn’t leave a good impression. Before long, you’re convinced that you’re not going to get the job. Then, a week or so later, you get a call saying you’ve been hired.   Here’s another scenario.   You catch the flu bug and your doctor recommends routine blood tests as a preca