NOTES FROM A WANDERING LIFE

One spring afternoon several years ago, I found myself running helter-skelter down a wide slope to the banks of a broad, silver-grey river. We were at a bend in the water, with mud banks on both sides, washed in shades of ochre and pale rust. My friend was two paces ahead, both of us laughing like loons. To be at the banks of the great Amu-Darya river was simply unbelievable. This was that long wiggly line in my atlas at school, in the middle of vast and mysterious Central As

When I began to paint plants, it was like constant voyage of discovery. I couldn’t believe I had missed seeing them clearly for all my life. I began to drive around Delhi with my head up, peering at passing trees for a flash of colour, new leaves, old leaves, even no leaves. I switched from totes to cross bags that carried a pair of scissors, my phone, all my spectacles, and a copy of Pradip’s iconic ‘Trees of Delhi’. All my kurtis were provided pockets and I declared the ca

It’s ber season! I have a great fondness for this fruit–– every time I buy some, it feels like a delicious gamble. Will they be sweet or bland? Should I let them ripen for a day or so, watching hourly as they turn from green to orange? Should I nibble or should I wait? The entire season is spent looking for the ideal ber —not too large, not too round, just the right oblong. The middle-sized ones are the best, but people prefer the really large green ones, thinking that they