Refractive Thoughts

  Virus to Vaccine and Vivid memories of Vacations from the past… Vacation was the most cherished endeavour in the pre-Corona days.   The details that went into planning by the family members or a friends’ group was both fun-filled and exciting, nonetheless sometimes even excruciating than the actual event.   A keen eye and ability to pay attention to minutest details victimized a person relegated to be made the scapegoat to don the coordinator’s role; a contrasting character rendered many in the group stranded at crucial juncture in precarious situations. Virus swamped us from the beginning of 2020.   Many remarked that the pandemic was expected to last only a few months and lockdowns would break the community spread.   An anti-climax of sorts – to draw a parallel the fans expected a 4-hour T20 cricket game, while it turned out to be a never-ending game much beyond the five-day test match.   Nothing classical about this onslaught, which has venomously ...

Never a pretty sight to witness and study the under-belly of an 18-wheeler truck when it is in motion! Feb 18, 1994 – in USA traveling in a car in Texas from a small-town Beaumont to Houston on highway I-10, I caught a glimpse of the under-belly of a massive 18-wheeler truck.   Master Hirannaiah’s “Lanchavatara” was playing in the car, as my friend and I drove amongst well-disciplined drivers.   The master in his own inimitable style delivering intertwined ocean of words, a’ la vehicles movement into and out of the highway, kept us entertained as we were immersed in this kannada narration and ruminating on the same! Our car was cruising along in the middle lane when suddenly two nerve-wracking swerves, first to the left and then to the right perched us stationary in a precarious position, perpendicular to the flow of traffic.   I could see two approaching ‘semis’ one behind the other – monster trucks a very common sight on US highways.   One, they have an overwhelmin...