complete 14 essays

When We Were Then

Memory is strange. It buries things for years, then returns them without warning — in a song, a smell, or an old console cartridge. These fourteen essays go back to the places, people, and moments that shaped who we are before we even knew it was happening.

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Essays in this series

31 March 2023

The good luck song

Every time I boarded a bus for a semester exam, I listened to Hotel California by Eagles for good luck. Sometimes all it takes is a song to prepare us for what we're about to face.

27 March 2023

The promise I made to my bike

My bike ran out of fuel several times, but never stranded me in a random place. It always stopped in front of my house or a petrol bunk. I promised to always keep the tank full. I still keep that promise.

24 March 2023

Annachi kadai rasna packet

Coming to Chennai in 1999, the summer heat was unbearable. The only saving grace was the neighborhood annachi kadai's rasna packets — the drink of laborers, kids, and middle-class households alike.

21 March 2023

Player 1: Start

A console for which we fought tooth and nail to decide who gets the next turn. Back then, technology was a wonder. Today, kids take it for granted. I'd give anything to play one more game of Contra.

19 March 2023

The fish and the iceberg

The fishes were dying of heatstroke. Mom's idea — drop ice blocks in the tank. One day I carried the whole block and dropped it on the last surviving fish. I've stayed away from pets since.

17 March 2023

Face value

Wherever I go, people mistake me for an employee. A guy at TI Cycles thought I worked there. Someone at a tea shop ordered vadai from me. I don't mind — I find these incidents genuinely fun.

15 March 2023

BSNL broadband days

When we got broadband in 2007, my limit was 34 MB a day. The 500C plan changed everything — unlimited data from 2 AM to 8 AM. Those hours waking up at 4 AM made me a blogger and a movie buff.

13 March 2023

The girl in the green dress

I was fifteen when I saw her walking down the school corridor in a bright-green salwar. For a few seconds, I saw nothing but her. I never spoke to her. I felt lucky just to have been there.

11 March 2023

The curse of the parrots

Dad got two parrots home. They fought every single day. We released them at a temple on the way to Chennai. Mitu and Meenu flew to opposite branches — free at last. They cursed me to be single for a long time.

9 March 2023

The singing astrologer

I copied in my 4th grade math test and came home to find an astrologer who tells the future through songs. He finished his song with 'your boy copied.' Since then, I stopped believing in astrology.

7 March 2023

The fast and the fearful

I drove to Tirupati with my new car despite being terrified of driving uphill. A police officer asked for a ride to the temple gate. When she noticed my nerves, she quietly walked away.

5 March 2023

Into the world of boy bands

Until 15, I knew only two English songs. Then a CD of Backstreet Boys opened the world for me. Boy bands had a formula — good-sounding music that hooked you quickly. And it never disappointed.

3 March 2023

The mini-mall computer guy

My parents bought me a branded computer from a mini-mall guy who sold poorly assembled PCs. The frustration of fixing it made me love tech. I became that 'guy' among family and friends.

1 March 2023

Why do we love nostalgia?

Why do we feel warm and comfy when we're nostalgic? You are a different person every second of your life, but nostalgia makes you look back into those missing pieces of yourself.