uLaaR
Coffeeholics Anonymous [Remastered]

Coffeeholics Anonymous [Remastered]

June 26, 20213 mins

[Editor’s Note] I slightly cringe when reading my posts from a few years ago. The ones I wrote 10+ years ago are downright pain-inducing. If the code of the bloggers allowed it, I could delete them…

Coffee Struggles

Coffee Struggles

February 21, 20213 mins

For a coffee addict (he does not like to be called an addict, the word has a disparaging sense, he feels that we might as well call each other milk addicts or food addicts or air addicts), the most…

Its time you told your mouth

Its time you told your mouth

November 01, 20204 mins

“I think you should change your name to Vic.” The recruiter had completed a quick scan of my resume and this was her first helpful suggestion. I smiled at her and said “My official name is Vishwanath…

A slice of uLaaR

A slice of uLaaR

September 24, 20203 mins

The blog turned 12 in Feb this year. Originally setup as ulaar.wordpress.com, I migrated to Wordpress-powered self-hosting on Dreamhost in 2010. A few premium Wordpress theme changes kept things…

You can only dilettante thrice

You can only dilettante thrice

August 16, 20204 mins

This incredible urge to play a musical instrument or sing. Where the heck does it come from? I mean, how does one explain this urge when You are not born into a Bengali family When neither of your…

Eschewing meat- a few short stories

Eschewing meat- a few short stories

August 02, 20202 mins

Until the start of the new millennium, my classification of people into “meat eating” vs “non-meat eating” was pretty static. If you were born vegetarian, you remained vegetarian (and vice versa…

MOMO Gormandizers Anonymous

MOMO Gormandizers Anonymous

August 02, 20202 mins

Momo: a type of steamed dumpling with some form of filling. Original traditional delicacy from Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Ladakh, Darjeeling, and Northeast – now mainstream Indian fare I’ve heard some of…

If only giving up desires was this easy

If only giving up desires was this easy

July 31, 20201 mins

The great sage Ramakrishna from a conversation on Aug 24, 1882: “Sometimes I used to assume a rajasic mood in order to practice renunciation. Once I had the desire to put on a gold-embroidered robe…

At the left hand of God

At the left hand of God

July 09, 20202 mins

But everyone can make a beginning. Things to do in the morning: 1) First, I remember that I’m going to die. This gives urgency to the way I will live that day. 2) Second, I spend 5 minutes in…

The asthmatic who went up a hill but came down a mountain

The asthmatic who went up a hill but came down a mountain

July 05, 20203 mins

“Hey V, are you carrying your inhaler? R is having an asthma attack further up the trail.” It was day #6 (of our 3-week trek from Uttarkashi to Yamunotri) and my first reminder that I was an asthmatic…