Thursday, May 28, 2026

Falsa (Grewia asiatica) - The Summer Superfruit

Falsa(s) fruit, served chilled with slight sprinkle of salt or spices - photo clicked by Author


    Summer months, particularly May and June but also April, provide us with refreshing purple berries known as Falsa or Phalsa. They form part of childhood memories for many children and elderlies alike. The sour-sweet and tangy taste has a lasting impression. These seasonal berries are native to South Asia, particularly grown in India and Pakistan.  

    Scientifically named as Grewia asiatica, these berries are grown primarily in Indian subcontinent. These bushes or small trees are grown in India and Pakistan at large scale particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal and in Himalayan foothills.

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Corpus - The Rupee Tumble and Financial Stability


Corpus - The Rupee Tumble and Financial Stability
Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash


"Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship." - Benjamin Franklin 

 

      A year back, I was pondering a good bank balance - a good corpus to maintain in case one wants to retire early or be financially free to make major career changes. This was indeed a personal growth quest.

    A tweet/post by a New York City based girl helped me set initial compass or say benchmark. She had set a target of $200,000 before leaving her regular job and building her own venture. I found it a reasonable and ambitious goal, especially considering I am earning in Rupee and at that time one USD equalled about INR 87. And therefore, the $200,000 target translated into about  17,400,000 at the time of beginning. If I started saving amount equivalent to my entire monthly salary at that time it would mean regular investment for well over a decade and a half (actually some bit longer).

Sunday, July 05, 2020

Serenity

Photo by Javardh on Unsplash

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass
the world is too full to talk about.”
Rumi

    The fight is within. The fight is in accepting that everything is not in one's control. Neither I have to be blamed for everything nor I have to be absolved. Some say intention matters, if that's the case mine was never impure. I need not submit to any single philosophy, logic, idea fully but sometime the way forward is to lean onto any idea that just reduces the chaos and brings about peace. It may not be the most constructive or romantic way, but might be suitable in practical reality.