Once upon a City

Ring out, twin bells    Today, January 6, is the Epiphany – according to tradition the twelfth night after Jesus was born, when the three wise men of the East arrived in Bethlehem – signalling the…

Burn bright, eternal flame  The story behind Lady Jamshedji Road in Mahim is a warm one. Distraught after miscarrying babies, Lady Avabai Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy, the wife of First Baronet, Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy, prayed at Mount…

Parsi panic in tinsel town On a street essentially retaining its colourful character, the saddest exits have been staged by epic single-screen theatres. Cinemas on and around Lamington Road are left demolished or as purveyors…

First Miss India in free India In the month of our Independence anniversary and, by further coincidence, on the weekend of her August 6 death anniversary, here’s celebrating Esther Victoria Abraham. Better known by her…

Magical monsoon tour What’s good about being caught in the rain without an umbrella? It frees captive eyes to observe things mindfully, minutely. You could be pounding the same streets daily without really noticing the…

Who were les Filles de la Croix? This is back-to-school month for most kids. Time to tell the story of the origins of my alma mater in Bandra. The beautiful, red brick St Joseph’s Convent…

It takes a village to bless a city The 1st of May marks the Feast of the Holy Cross, celebrated throughout the maze of little paths making up Matharpacady. Estimated to be 300 years old,…

Persia under the pines I’m in Tel Aviv this week. Mind and mood throwback to a lakeside retreat in Maine twelve years ago. At that unforgettable fortnight-long meet for writers and teachers, convened by the…

Think pink It’s the time of year when Bombay bursts with beautiful summer blooms. With vermilion gulmohar and burnished laburnum, pastel-perfect bougainvillea and dreamy clouds of mussaenda bushes. Lanes crowned by leafy canopies seem to roll…