Sleeping To Death

June 2010


Looking around the room, I nodded my head and placed my suitcase next to the bed. “I like it, I’ll move in next Monday.”

My new roommate Jonathan nodded his head and smiled. He was a simple fellow; never asked too many questions. He didn’t know why someone with such a good job would want a cramped room to stay in. He didn’t know who my previous roommate had been. And thankfully, he never asked me...

The Chetpet Story

A rush of wind. Bustling crowd. Screeching rails.

That's all I remember of the first time I used the Suburban train in Chennai.

Over the next few weeks, my white-knuckled grip on the overhead railing loosened; my posture slackened; I finally took my eyes off the entrance of the compartment.

I looked around, and noticed The Chetpet Story for the first time...

Six Years And Five Takes

It was horribly depressing.

Remember the time in school when you watched your classmates get all the attention from the teacher, while you languished in the back benches? Remember the jealousy and envy you felt?

I looked back at the web page on my mobile browser. I read those words again.

Azhan Ahsan, 21 years old, is one of the youngest authors around...

21st Century Wordsworths

Recently, my English Professor at college held a lively discussion that focused on the theme, ‘The World Outside’. He began by asking us the simple question: When you think of a poet, what comes to your mind?
A smart classmate responded, describing an image of someone sitting under a tree, drawing inspiration from the world around him.

I wanted to raise my hand and say: “Eminem, anyone?”

'Tamil Mattum Pesungu'

 The following is merely my personal observation, and not in any way intended as a slight against any particular group or community.

While glancing through an edition of The Hindu on a sweltering Sunday afternoon, I happened to read a small article. Nothing much, just about how the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi had instructed all the Civil Service officers in the State to prepare documents in Tamil.

Two thoughts crossed my mind.

Is This Seat Taken?

 I got my first culture shock within three weeks of reaching Chennai. I know, it was pretty exciting. My cousin and I decided to have dinner, one Sunday, from National Durbar, a restaurant opposite the Chennai Central Railway station.

It’s a good restaurant, populated by middle class people, and normally extra busy on weekends. As a result, we arrived and saw that all the tables were occupied. I sighed, and decided to hang around for a little while longer. You know, just in case anyone suddenly swallowed whatever he was eating, and decided to make way for me.

The New Way To Hangout

This is part of a new phase in Laptop Diary, since for the next three years I'll be in Chennai. Hoping to revive the blog with stories of my college life. Let me know what you think....

There is a good chain of juice shops in Chennai, called ‘Fruit Shop’. Trust me, the juices are better than what the generic name suggests. It’s a great place to hang out, or just grab a drink to go.

One evening, a few friends and I decided to gather there. Guys dropped by in twos or threes, and soon, about ten of us were sitting around the small shop, ordering our usual drinks. Once that was done, we began talking among ourselves about nothing in particular. It took me about ten minutes, but I finally realised that something was odd.