Wit Wisdom and Whoop

Talking about what happened on 22nd April’2025 is irrelevant since enough and more has been said about the incident. This is an attempt to ruminate on the incident from a different perspective. While every such attack is obviously planned, the micro level planning seems different from other terror attacks on Indian soil. The unique features. The terrorists did not kill a single woman or child. They targetted only men and that too after ascertaining their religious identity with a 3 way test. The killings were not generic or random – but with a clear target. They wanted to convey a clear message of challenge when they told the women they spared – Go Tell Modi. The other features of the attack which even if conjectures are as below. The terrorists knew that PM Modi would be in Saudi Arabia. Coincidence or otherwise, the last time an attack happened coincided with the visit of the Saudi Crown Prince. The day coincided with the presence of USA VP JD Vance. The time selected coincided with...

Odessa file: In college, a totally bald professor had a class scheduled in the afternoon when we got news that he was sick, and the class cancelled. Me and my friend - incidentally both of us had shoulder length hair – decided to go watch the matinee show of the film “The Odessa File”. We reached the theatre to find ahead of us in the line – who else but the bald professor. Like typical college kids we generally discussed him in colourful words and avoiding him got into the theatre and soon interval time arrived. Most folks left the seats to step out while we continued sitting. My friend in a loud voice with very colourful words recalled the Professor bunking class to see a movie and soon asked in general. “Where the f**k is that baldy I say” and we turned around – only to find the Professor sitting exactly behind us and stared into each other’s eyes. We quickly turned back and I don’t think we even saw the rest of the film properly. Even as the credit list came on, we literally ...

Life has been good to me, have spent significant time travelling, faced various situations and when one looks back, many were rather funny but usually in hindsight. These can lose their sting when written, but I still try. They are not in any order. Gujarat Hotel: Joined a new company and many of us at a senior level were new to the company and each other. Met up in our hotel room on the eve of a meeting in Gujarat – a dry state. Invariably the conversation came to getting alcohol and none knew what to do. One guy had a bright idea and picking up the phone ordered in a friendly but all-knowing voice – Ask Pinto to send it to the room. Obviously, there was some confusion at the other end, but my colleague confidently said – don’t worry yaar, Pinto knows everything, just tell him. Line disconnected and we ask – who’s this Pinto? He says – I don’t know but usually every hotel will have a guy named Pinto !!!!!!. Now Gujarat can have lakhs of Patel’s but not Pinto, a very Goan name bu...