Is it a place at all?
You might well say this is mildly obtuse. Bang on! A hack's thoughts and actions usually are. But you see, beyond the headlines and by-lines, exists a realm ... in which we cease to be journalists.
As a correspondent, one is supposed to be in sync with the terrain on which one operates. I profess inadequacy on that count. Delhi is my latest 'home.' The fifth, in less than a decade. I am still negotiating its many eccentricities. My previous stint was in Bombay (I refuse to call it Mumbai) ... aah! that ubiquitous face-off. Much along the lines of Karachi versus Lahore, as I learnt from friends across Aman Sethu (on neutral territory, over shiraz and mutton chops tempered with Bollywood gossip).
But what's with the obsession to 'belong'? Do the rites of relocation necessarily subtract from one's ability to connect? And tell a tale? Objectively, or otherwise? But then again, what's objectivity in a world riddled with subjectivities? A matter of perspective perhaps.
Hello and welcome.
P.S. The term SUTRADHAR literally translates as 'the one who holds the threads.' In classical Sanskrit theatre, the sutradhar is a central figure who creates a coherent narrative by acting as a producer, a narrator, a director, and even a manipulator of the performance.
first published:December 31, 2005, 16:48 ISTlast updated:December 31, 2005, 16:48 IST
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At home everywhere. And nowhere. The lived reality of a troubadour. What is 'home' anyway? Is it a hearth, with all the attendant trappings that makes one believe one 'belongs'? Is it a place where streets mean more than names?
Is it a place at all?
You might well say this is mildly obtuse. Bang on! A hack's thoughts and actions usually are. But you see, beyond the headlines and by-lines, exists a realm ... in which we cease to be journalists.
As a correspondent, one is supposed to be in sync with the terrain on which one operates. I profess inadequacy on that count. Delhi is my latest 'home.' The fifth, in less than a decade. I am still negotiating its many eccentricities. My previous stint was in Bombay (I refuse to call it Mumbai) ... aah! that ubiquitous face-off. Much along the lines of Karachi versus Lahore, as I learnt from friends across Aman Sethu (on neutral territory, over shiraz and mutton chops tempered with Bollywood gossip).
But what's with the obsession to 'belong'? Do the rites of relocation necessarily subtract from one's ability to connect? And tell a tale? Objectively, or otherwise? But then again, what's objectivity in a world riddled with subjectivities? A matter of perspective perhaps.
Hello and welcome.
P.S. The term SUTRADHAR literally translates as 'the one who holds the threads.' In classical Sanskrit theatre, the sutradhar is a central figure who creates a coherent narrative by acting as a producer, a narrator, a director, and even a manipulator of the performance.
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