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Spotting Purvanchal of 1800s in the Caribbean

Imagine the Bihar of the 19th century, sans the caste system, paan masala, poor civic sense, but all the amazing food, music, and sweet dialect

22.06.2025 10

Abhishek Asthana

One-way ticket to that lonesome town

A packed bus ride in peak summer highlights corruption and the unique experiences of travel, blending discomfort with poetic moments.

08.06.2025 20

Abhishek Asthana

Costs of a semi-war, and keeping hope

Nobody knows how far up the escalatory ladder we will climb, but with each successive rung, we exchange a bit of thrill for some fear

11.05.2025 20

Abhishek Asthana

Across the border: An army’s rising desperation

Pakistan is still fighting ghosts. The only thing going for it, and why it is still dangerous, is that its army is suicidal

28.04.2025 20

Abhishek Asthana

The quintessential Indian, value-maximising parent

Parents always regret that they couldn’t transfer their most prized skill — value maximising — to their kid

13.04.2025 10

Abhishek Asthana

Bringing up innovators, inventors and scientists

Now is the time to prepare a launch pad for the next generation who won’t be satisfied by repurposing an idea or importing a generic drug

30.03.2025 10

Abhishek Asthana

A bookmark for your memory called cricket

As we grow old, we learn the concept of emotional investment. It’s like keeping it in a vault rather than investing it around small-cap stocks

17.03.2025 20

Abhishek Asthana

Learning linear algebra, courtesy the local salon

Indian parents selecting barbers for their children meant the latter got haircuts that were so unattractive that they killed any prospect of youthful...

02.03.2025 30

Abhishek Asthana

The changing tracks of romance of trains

People who lived near the tracks surely must get a bit poetic. It’s like seeing thousands of faces every hour, faces that you will never see in your...

17.02.2025 20