Told a guy at the airport who broke the line, that there was indeed a line. First he pretended like there was no line. Then said I should complain to the airline. When I asked the lady at the counter why she didn’t tell him, she says “bola sir, kya karein, sunte nahi hain”. I told him to have some courtesy and some sense, so he proceeds to tell me I should go teach in a school, not him. Such folks travel abroad, and then give India a bad name!

In 1993, a shotgun blast shattered the wing of Malena, a white stork who from that day on could no longer fly. While the other storks migrated to Africa, she remained in Brodski Varoš, a small village in eastern Croatia. Taking care of her was Stjepan Vokić, a retiree who built her a shelter, fed her, and helped her survive the harshest winters. But what happened in the years that followed is what made this story famous around the world. Every spring, Klepetan, her mate, faithfully returned to her after spending the winter in South Africa. A journey of around 13,000 kilometers across Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Balkans, always ending at the same place: the rooftop where Malena was waiting for him. For 16 consecutive years, his return was documented without interruption. Together, they raised more than 40 chicks, even though Malena could not teach them how to fly. Every autumn, Klepetan would leave again with the young birds and head south. She stayed behind. And every spring, the skies brought Klepetan back to the same nest. For some, this story speaks of instinct. For others, of devotion. For everyone, it is a reminder of something that is difficult to explain with words alone. :::

If there’s a person from history that actor Naseeruddin Shah resembles — you could, technically, go with Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad. It’s the role Richard Attenborough offered him in Gandhi. Naseer was clear he’d play the Mahatma, or no part in the film. He has subsequently played Gandhi on screen (Hey Ram), and stage (Mahatma Vs Gandhi). Hey, but how about JRD Tata? It’s only when you watch the GOAT, Naseer, 75, with a slight droop, in light coloured suits, no prosthetic makeup, just his grey hair naturally gelled back, in the series, Made in India: A Titan Story (Amazon MX Player), you go — Oh my god, of course, Naseer = JRD! The show’s lead writer, Karan Vyas, tells me, “He was our first and last option.” Centrally, A Titan Story isn’t so much the biopic of JRD as of his eccentric mentee, Xerxes Desai, who founded a watch-making start-up, within the Tata group. Jim Sarbh plays Xerxes. He had, likewise, splendidly portrayed another fellow Parsee, Homi Bhabha, in Rocket Boys, an equally unlikely show on the building of public institutions of science, within the Indian government. Titan is, essentially, a private concern, albeit started in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu state. Why are we so neatly drawn to its story? Because popular shows on business/corporations generally tend to focus on the greed/rot/politics within the system that’s made for profit, and somewhat designed to profiteer. Take the finest Indian series, Scam 1992, or the world’s greatest, Succession. A Titan Story shines a light, instead, on the middleclass, Boomer Generation, of faceless engineers, MBAs, graduates; employees, in general — most of whom devotedly worked their life off in the same firm, with passion, loyalty, adding value to society, and raising their families, alongside. That’s most desi dads, born between 1946-64, you’ve known. What else? Full column link in bio.

A tired-looking dog wanders into a guy's yard. The man examined the dog's collar, feels his well-fed belly and knows the dog has a home. The dog follows him into the house, gets comfortable on the couch and falls asleep... The man thinks its rather odd, but lets him sleep. After about an hour the dog wakes up, walks to the door and the guy lets him out. The dog wags his tail and leaves. The next day the dog comes back and scratches at the door. The guy opens the door, the dog comes in, goes down the hall, jumps on the couch, gets comfortable and falls asleep again. The man lets him sleep. After about an hour the dog wakes up, walks to the door and the guy lets him out. The dog wags his tail and leaves. This goes on for days. The guy grows really curious, so he pins a note on the dog's collar:   "Your dog has been taking a nap at my house every day." The next day the dog arrives with another note pinned to his collar: "He lives in a home with four children... He's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?'

Aloka, a rescued Indian dog who joined Buddhist Monk Venerable Bhikku Pannakara on a 2,300-mile Walk for Peace across America, is currently in Delhi.

Aloka, a rescued Indian dog who joined Buddhist Monk Venerable Bhikku Pannakara on a 2,300-mile Walk for Peace across America, is currently in Delhi.

Delhi NCR has too much pollution seems like an urban myth for large part of the year. I purchased Xiaomi air purifier last month thinking there is too much pollution in Gurugram (where I live). I was surprised to see PM 2.5 figure as 25 in my bed room at the time of taking this photo. Currently it is just 13. Even in my study room it has never been more than 50. Most times it is around 15 to 25. This has been for last 3-4 weeks. Rain or no rain, this figure moves between 10 to 50. I was under impression that PM 2.5 is above 100 for large part of the year. Pollution is high but only during November December Paralli season it seems. Same cars, trucks and buses are plying on roads but PM 2.5 is not too high for last 1 month. Even in Tokyo when I had visited AQI was around 50. In Canada when I had visited due to forest fires AQI was 150 type. So Delhi is not that bad during summers. In monsoon the AQI pretty low in Delhi. Even in February it is not high. So leaving November and December we can easily survive in Delhi air.

Water from the fire tender is reaching up to the sixth floor to douse the fire on the 12th floor of a high rise in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

Signs are disappearing in #MalviyaNagar as properties linked to arrested hotel owner Lavkesh Bajaj face scrutiny after a fire killed 21. Residents allege unchecked #expansion and ignored safety concerns, with one hotel reportedly growing from two-and-a-half to five floors without approval. #Bajaj allegedly admitted to illegal expansion, stating 'Delhi mein sab chalta hai'. More details 🔗 toi.in/HFhh4Z For the complete story, download the TOI App toi.in/toiappdownload

Please share this, especially with children and teenagers, teachers and parents of kids. #streetdogs

Emma Watson reveals Hollywood broke her “I came to work looking for friendship and that was a very painful experience for me outside of Harry Potter and in Hollywood. Like bone-breakingly painful” “Most people don't come to those environments looking for friendships. They're looking for this is my chance, this is my role, this is what I want out of it” “I found the rejection really painful. The friendship rejection. I took that expectation into my other workplaces and I just got my ass kicked. I really did” “It broke me but in a way, I'm proud that it did because I guess that means I have something left to break. I have a heart left to break” “I'd much rather keep my humanity”

Another international embarrassment 👇🤩🤘🤞☝️

At this Brazil airport where lines were moving very fast anyway, this Indian tour group cut in saying "we are all together" and "late for our flight". Public let em cut in. Lat Am is a very pehle aap culture. Later saw their boarding passes. Lots of time for flight! They lied!