All essays
Everything I've written so far, newest first.
Legacy Family Restaurants
Seeing the "family room" at the restaurant made me feel nostalgic for a past where eating out felt like going on a vacation.
Movie Theaters
Movie theaters put us in touch with our true emotions. They let us connect with our inner selves in the company of strangers.
Suburban Trains and Train Stations
Train stations always look older than they are. Until I graduated, they fed me, comforted me, and made me feel at home.
Ice Cream Parlours
Ice cream parlours are places of love — and if you walk in alone, they'll remind you of that more than a club on a weekend night.
The good luck song
Every time I boarded a bus for a semester exam, I listened to Hotel California by Eagles for good luck. Sometimes all it takes is a song to prepare us for what we're about to face.
The promise I made to my bike
My bike ran out of fuel several times, but never stranded me in a random place. It always stopped in front of my house or a petrol bunk. I promised to always keep the tank full. I still keep that promise.
Annachi kadai rasna packet
Coming to Chennai in 1999, the summer heat was unbearable. The only saving grace was the neighborhood annachi kadai's rasna packets — the drink of laborers, kids, and middle-class households alike.
Player 1: Start
A console for which we fought tooth and nail to decide who gets the next turn. Back then, technology was a wonder. Today, kids take it for granted. I'd give anything to play one more game of Contra.
The fish and the iceberg
The fishes were dying of heatstroke. Mom's idea — drop ice blocks in the tank. One day I carried the whole block and dropped it on the last surviving fish. I've stayed away from pets since.
Face value
Wherever I go, people mistake me for an employee. A guy at TI Cycles thought I worked there. Someone at a tea shop ordered vadai from me. I don't mind — I find these incidents genuinely fun.