SHIT HAPPENS

There are certain stories you hear in your youth that not only remain with you for the rest of your life, but also manage to bring a smile to the face every time you replay them in your mind. The following incident was narrated by MC Subrahmanyam, the man who was instrumental in setting up […]

WHY IS IT CALLED ‘BIKINI’?

Ever wonder why the two- piece swimming costume that women wear today is called a bikini? The ‘bi’ in the word does not mean ‘two’. Believe it or not, bikini is actually the name of a place. When in July 1946, the French designer, Louis Reard, came up with the idea for the two-piece swimming […]

Cellphone lingo

The interesting thing about language is that it keeps changing. Words which were extremely popular during a particular year, find themselves being condemned to the obituary column a few years later. For example, during the mid 1960s and early 1970s, words like groovy (fashionable, excellent), you dig (understand, like) and fuzz (police) were frequently used […]

THE GODS ARE CRAZY AND MEAN

When we think of God, the image that we instantly conjure up is that of someone with a halo around his head, a delicious smile spreading across his compassionate face, the nectar of celestial kindness flowing through his veins, words wisdom and encouragement gushing through his mouth…and so on and so forth. Hold that thought […]

SUMMER VACATION OR STAYCATION?

A few decades ago, summer vacations meant making a beeline for the unfortunate relative who lived in a hill station, parking yourself in his house for a month or so, and whiling your time away eating, playing, talking and sleeping. While you were there, others with whom you had blood ties, and had similar ideas […]