Whatever we do, we hope for happy endings and new beginnings. It was a sentiment my family and I shared when we moved house for the first time in decades, from the suburbs of Mumbai to the city side. The move, late last year, was inevitable but not unanticipated: our apartment block was going to be rebuilt.     We respond to most changes in the course of life with apprehension and excitement in more or less equal measure. Relocating to another home miles away from our comfor

My dad taught me chess when I was in the second grade. By fourth grade, I was beating him half the time, sometimes more during our marathon sessions. Somewhere in-between, I got cocky. I remember one game where he failed to notice his queen was under threat, and I told him so just as he was about to make a different move.   Dad wasn't pleased.   He said gently, “Next time you do that, I won’t play with you. In chess, never tell your opponent his move or that he’s making the w

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. We came together, all decked out, at the beautiful wedding reception of Kashmira’s son; she’s standing on the far right in the picture. Next to the mother of the groom is me, Parizad, with Farida and Prema.   We were so excited about the evening and the chance to catch up that Farida, Prema and I even decided to time our entrance—but we almo

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