A great one for fond memories, Roopa Sarah Thomas transforms them into enjoyable pieces that she serves up every week.

At the Ahujas' (6th August 2002)
Mr. Ahuja was quite a character. In his 70s, he enjoyed drinking (typical of an ex-army man). Often after a little too much drinking, he would speak about his grandchildren, eventually moving to his busy son and daughter-in-law...

The "S" Syndrome (30th July 2002)
...distinct American accent, "Dial the extension if you know it. Otherwise wait for the operator." This fancy voice was usually followed by the operator's madrasi accent, that would demand, "What for you want to speak to COO?"

Priests and Tailors (14th May 2002)
No one is indispensable, I’m told often. But never did I think priests and tailors could be so important in the lives of certain people...

Picnic of the Year (30th April 2002)
Last month I had my final exams. Preparations began a month earlier, with regular trips to the college library. The Xerox machines worked full time and some of us formed study groups...

Unpleasant Experiences, Pleasant Memories! (23rd April 2002)
The trip to Hubli was a forced one. From seniors we had heard terrifying tales of how they were given bittergourd juice for breakfast and boiled vegetables for lunch and dinner. Presentations went on till the wee hours of morning...

Farewell... (16th April 2002)
The location was perfect. A huge house with a beautiful swimming pool. Candles had been lit all over. The DJ was busy with the music and the disco lights had been fitted. Everyone was dressed to kill...

The Bald and the Beautiful (19th February2002)
Three years ago, a couple of my juniors decided to go bald. No explanations were given or asked for. They simply walked into college one morning sporting fancy hats...

Survival of the Fittest (12th February2002)
Till recently there was very little that I knew about Zaire. Apart from having studied about it in Geography class years ago...

When Tragedy Strikes (5th February2002)
My aunt and her family were returning to India after two years and she insisted that the entire family be there to receive her. And being the close-knit family that it was, everyone made it a point to be there...

Playing Journalist (22nd January2002)
We were apologetically told, "Only upmarket people with above average looks." I was surprised. Didn't poor people with average looks have opinions? But these noble thoughts were short-lived...

Graciously Fake (15th January2002)
I’ve always been fascinated by the fake. Yes, those who seem outwardly thrilled at something they wouldn’t care less about, and go around kissing the air surrounding people’s faces...

The Art of Taking (8th January2002)
As important as it is to give generously, it’s also important to take graciously. If giving brings happiness to the receiver, receiving also brings happiness to the giver...

Of Men and Kitchens (25th December 2001)
"Why don't you take a few easy recipes with you", suggested my mom, trying to be helpful. But I was sure I didn't need them...

The Waiting Room (11th December 2001)
In a selfish way, we often looked sympathetically at those whose loved ones had more fatal ailments, thinking we were luckier...

Heaven After Hell (4th December 2001)
A classmate told us that we would find the house easily. “Just ask for the dog waali auntie’s house on Queen’s Garden road,” she said...

Bogey, Detachable (13th November 2001)
They were all travelling in a bogey that was detached from time to time, only to be attached to other trains...

My Brother (6th November 2001)
If my mom isn't making him his favourite cake, it's moi, the big sister, who gives him his fill of presents. Pune, for him, is not the place where his sister studies, but a huge shopping mall.

English August (30th October 2001)
“Rahul who?” asked my mother, wondering why this unfamiliar name was causing so much excitement.

Dollar Power (23rd October 2001)
Foreign-returned relatives have always been a source of much amusement. Preparations begin weeks before their planes land.

An Ad Mad World (16th October 2001)
I’ve always found advertisements fascinating. My earliest memory of an ad goes back to the "Nirma" days, when young housewives in starched saris provided answers to household problems.

Small Blunders (9th October 2001)
My cousin’s children returned from tuition one evening, with a doubt that had been troubling them for a while. They wanted to know why their tuition teacher had been blessed with such a vast backside.

Family of the Bride (2nd October 2001)
Weddings in my family can give Sooraj “Hum Aapke Hain Kaun” Barjatya a run for his money. Preparations in the wedding house begin as soon as the bride and groom give their approval...

R.I.P. (25th September 2001)
Dressed in remnants of tattered glory and oblivious to a festering wound, he sat by the gate of our building for over a year. It was his long unkempt beard and dreamy eyes that earned him his name, "Rip Van Winkle."

It's a Dog's Life (18th September 2001)
Her fluffy tail wagged furiously and her ears flapped backwards when she went on long drives with her naughty face outside the window. And when we took a break for food, there was always someone who would either comment on her beautiful eyes or ask if she was for sale...

In the Midst of Pages (11th September 2001)
I loved Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella. Rumpelstilskin, Rapunzel and Tom Thumb were other favourites. So when I had extra homework in LKG, I hoped the elves from The Elves and the Shoemaker would come to the rescue...

Aaah... One More Week to Go (4th September 2001)
After two months of working, eating, sleeping and fooling around, it's time to leave. Now, amidst work, I have to make last minute visits to the dentist and the tailor. A filling and a top that needs to be altered are fitted into a tight schedule that also includes lunch dates with friends...

Orknob (21st August 2001)
I don't remember how we got friendly. He asked if I wanted to go on a cyber date and I played along, describing the exquisite red gown that I was wearing. He picked me up in his exotic car and we drove through the universe and reached a dhaba where I was given a meagre meal...

Memoirs of a Schoolgirl- Part II (14th August 2001)
Nagercoil is a little town situated half-an-hour from the southernmost shores of Kanyakumari. I walked into my new school looking rather skeptical. The classrooms were tiny and on looking in through the windows I noticed a maximum of ten students in each...

Memoirs of a Schoolgirl (7th August 2001)
A tiny little school inhabited by Bengali speaking teachers and students got me started. Dressed in pretty little outfits along with appropriate shoes and socks, I began each day by screaming, "I won't go today...

Helping Hands (31st July 2001)
My mom and aunt have had the strangest luck with maids. While one spoke of a husband who was the exact replica of a popular matinee idol, another mastered the art of dumb charades to communicate with my mom...

It is a Lefty's World (24th July 2001)
Being a lefty was never really a problem. I wasn't given rickety chairs to sit on or chipped glasses to drink out of. Neither was I denied the right to vote...

Chaos in Cachar - Part II (17th July 2001)
Birthdays were much-celebrated events in Cachar. While Mom busied herself with the food (she always baked a cake), Dad took charge of the decorations...

Chaos in Cachar (10th July 2001)
In the summer of '81, I found myself in the hills of Assam. My dad had just been transferred to a little village is Assam called Cachar...

To the Local Guardian, With Love (3rd July 2001)
When I moved to Pune, I made two sets of promises; one was to my parents, promising to visit all my local guardians and the other was to myself, promising to avoid visiting them as far as possible...

"I want to be a..." (26th June 2001)
"I want to be an IFS officer," said Rheya, while her younger brother explained that he was going to be a doctor who would also sing to his patients...

Eating Out - A Path Down Memory Lane (19th June 2001)
After living on a steady diet of chappati, rice, sweet dal and uncooked sabjee for a month, I woke up one morning deciding I'd had enough..

An Ode to the One Beside You... When Travelling (12th June 2001)
Travelling companions come in all sizes and types. While some talk nonstop till you reach a point of life-threatening boredom, some others stare into oblivion outside the window...