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C Y Gopinath

C Y Gopinath

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One day they’ll turn you into a cow

When you turn 60, you’ll be retired and put to pasture. But science is now showing that retirement can lead to cognitive decline and an earlier death

latest 10

Midday

C Y Gopinath

When enough is really too much

When enough is really too much

We live lives of too much. Too many clothes, too many shoes, more food than we can eat—and five times more toothpaste than we need. And there’s a...

28.01.2025 20

Midday

C Y Gopinath

The time at the time of the chime

The time at the time of the chime

India is 2,933 km from west to east, wide enough for the stars to be out in Kolkata when it is sunset in Mumbai. Anyone know the exact time?

22.01.2025 10

Midday

C Y Gopinath

How many islands do you see?

How many islands do you see?

History talks about Bombay’s seven islands. But the Portuguese saw only four, while the British saw two. The real number will surprise you

15.01.2025 10

Midday

C Y Gopinath

Can a grandmaster wear a dhoti?

Dress codes are designed to tell you that you are not one of a kind, and don’t you get uppity. A dress code is how you are kept in your place One...

08.01.2025 9

Midday

C Y Gopinath

A few big things about small talk

It’s a moment of epiphany to realise that mankind’s problem is not how to end a conversation but why start it in the first place Most human...

31.12.2024 3

Midday

C Y Gopinath

Nightmare on the Virar Fast

Six persons per square metre is the norm. Mumbai’s locals carry 16 at rush hour. I learnt what this means when I boarded the Virar Fast Mumbai’s...

24.12.2024 4

Midday

C Y Gopinath

What’s the sound of 7.6 billion SMSes?

They bombard their customers with useless messages daily. It’s an epidemic where everyone shouts and no one hears anyone Hundreds of Indian...

17.12.2024 5

Midday

C Y Gopinath

A prophet, in his own words

Among ancient hard drives, I found a glitchy file with words apparently translated from the original Aramaic words of Jesus The Gospel of Peace of...

03.12.2024 10

Midday

C Y Gopinath

In search of Harrison’s lost guitar

In 1968, George Harrison gave a guitar to a Bandra family. Not realising that the musical instrument was a gift, they kept it in their store room...

26.11.2024 4

Midday

C Y Gopinath

The man who did two things well

Can the law stop a person from being multi-faceted? How many skills should one have in a world where skills become obsolete overnight? Recognising...

20.11.2024 20

Midday

C Y Gopinath

On becoming comfortably numb

We turn the page and move on now, from wars, brutality, rapes, genocides, lies. How can we bring outrage back into our lives? Unlike anger, which...

13.11.2024 5

Midday

C Y Gopinath

How we got grief all wrong

Western psychology tells us we pass through five stages when we grieve. But there’s more to grief than meets the eye I find myself asking questions...

05.11.2024 4

Midday

C Y Gopinath

The problem with never-say-die

In today’s battered, brutal, world, there are enough people who would like to just leave the party. But society won’t let you die in peace, even if...

22.10.2024 4

Midday

C Y Gopinath

Letters to Gary Engelberg, RIP

How an intense email exchange lasting five days with a man I had never met, profoundly influenced two decades of my work Gary Engelberg, former...

15.10.2024 6

Midday

C Y Gopinath

Kamala’s Chatpata Curry House

They say the White House will smell of curry if Kamala Harris becomes the president. Will someone tell me why that is such a bad thing? I was not...

01.10.2024 3

Midday

C Y Gopinath

When five seconds is too long

When you drop food on the floor or the sidewalk, how long is it safe to pick up and eat? Turns out dirt has a lot going for it The flatter and...

24.09.2024 20

Midday

C Y Gopinath

The harm three monkeys can do

You can’t act to stop a genocide because you can’t use the word ‘genocide’ until the entire community has been wiped out Those in power teach...

19.09.2024 20

Midday

C Y Gopinath

Is my health policy a lemon?

What if you bought a health insurance policy—and then learnt that you could not make any claim for two years? Would you feel cheated? If you have a...

03.09.2024 10

Midday

C Y Gopinath

Another COVID vaccine, whoopee!

Should you get yourself the new COVID-19 booster shot? You’re a big fan of science, but how much do you trust Big Pharma? About 70.57 per cent of...

27.08.2024 9

Midday

C Y Gopinath

Who am I talking with, please?

I couldn’t think of a topic for this week’s column, so I decided to brainstorm with someone. It was not a conversation I was ready for ChatGPT’s...

14.08.2024 3

Midday

C Y Gopinath

Who was more generous, DS or JJ?

It was another Mumbai party and the discussion was about wealth, greed and generosity. Two legendary philanthropes were indicted Philanthropes...

06.08.2024 3

Midday

C Y Gopinath

People with gold in their veins

Very few people in the world have the rare blood group known as Bombay Blood. Most are in India. 30 of them met last Sunday Thirty strangers from a...

31.07.2024 3

Midday

C Y Gopinath

Joy and nightmare on the highway

I used to recommend a cab company to travellers. I now advise them to walk to their destination rather than take a taxi from the firm CabBazar’s...

24.07.2024 6

Midday

C Y Gopinath