Leslie's Laughs

 Published in My Kolkata https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/staying-home-for-christmas/cid/2073526 After decades of being out and about at Christmas, the author takes a break from the nightlife and finds himself at home on Christmas, with only memories for company in a lighter vein and hopefully not in vain. That famous set of Christmas songs have been on loop for nearly a month now. I say Christmas songs with impunity despite the season being rebranded “The Holiday Season” in the US of A and “Good Governance Day” back home. For one thing, in our country we don’t have a season for holidays - we have a couple of planned holidays every month and a few more unplanned days scattered here and there throughout the months. In fact, we don’t even use the term ‘holiday’ when we go out of town, we say ‘tour’ for some reason. I guess that’s why we are disdainfully known as ‘local tourists’ wherever we make a nuisance of ourselves. And Good Governance, even for a day, is a gre...

 Published in My Kolkata https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/the-legacy-of-kolkatas-band-music-musical-legacy-through-bands-genres-and-generations/cid/2061131 A former rock musician who is now a music hobbyist relives the changes that Kolkata musicians have undergone in form and feature while keeping the rhythm going. Names mentioned in the text are mentioned with admiration and love for the music they gave and still give us!  Every November the music of Christmas wafted from our old radiogram at home. Bing Crosby sang, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” and random choirs belted out, “Silver Bells … soon it will be Christmas Day!”   That anticipation translated into other frantic activities for the myriad “dance bands” that sprang up around the season which lasted through December and early January.  ‘Tis the season to be jolly involving Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and multiple Christian weddings which dot the 12 days of Christmas.  New...

 Published in My Kolkata https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/work-life-balance-how-to-invest-in-a-healthier-happier-lifestyle-with-these-simple-strategies/cid/2060027 [The author consults with corporates on areas of employee well-being, structured operations and HR.  When people burn out or suffer stress at work he advises balance. But how does one maintain balance in a continuously warped world of work? He takes an investment viewpoint, a little tongue-in-cheek. ] A doctor recently informed a group of 60-year-old friends that if “at our age” we could stand on one leg for 15 seconds then we “are in good condition”. Naturally we all just had to try it!  I'm not sure what the criteria for a good condition could be but this whole discussion on “balance” had me thinking of how we use the word in multiple ways to influence our lives.  Then again, there’s this 80 year old gentleman, having seen quite a few decades he refuses to “slow down”. He gets up early...

 Published in My Kolkata https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/the-evolution-of-mens-hairstyles-from-jimi-hendrix-afro-to-modern-man-buns-and-barber-trends/cid/2056976 The writer turned a bushy grey a long time ago and has seen several different hairstyles in his life and times.  He lists some of the excitement that goes with the humble haircut, short back and sides included.  It’s those 4 or 5 days a month, but for men.  A growing sensation that your locks have grown too long.  It’s tickling your ear tops, it’s brushing your collar and unintentional kiss curls are popping up all over. You need a haircut.  Of course, there will be people who opine that you look “quite cute” with the sprouting foliage and others who bemoan the fact that they haven’t enough hair to interest a barber. Eventually after much procrastination you enter the salon for a much needed trim. Pretentious though it may sound, “Hairport Saloon” is quite the name for my guy ar...

 Published in My Kolkata https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/sports-music-and-the-challenges-of-holistic-learning-in-the-attention-economy-in-kolkata-schools/cid/2048569 [After the successes at the Paris Olympics and the Paralympics where the Indian flag has been hoisted quite frequently, the author - a teacher and casual musician - takes a serious look at how we strive to be holistic in our schools.] We’ve been unfurling the flag quite a bit in the last couple of months. Six medals in the Summer Olympics, then Independence Day and last week, 29 medals in the Paralympics. While we all rejoice in these small successes, there will be a bunch of naysayers who will keep creating and sending memes on WhatsApp.  One such meme rues the dearth of medals with the caption, “How can we aspire to medals in the Olympics with one period of forty minutes a week devoted to physical education in our schools?” Others are quick to add that we have just one “singing class” and pos...

 Published in My Kolkata https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/events/on-world-first-aid-day-a-scoutmasters-guide-to-surviving-bumps-and-bruises-with-a-smile/cid/2047999 [The second Saturday in September is World First Aid Day and this year the theme is First Aid in Sports and Games. The author, a one time Scoutmaster and teacher, gives us a heads up on basic First Aid for all - with a bit of laughter, the best medicine!] Everyone remembers Kiss Plaster, right?  You fell in the playground when you were little and ran to mommy for her instant kiss-and-fix.  More than the bruise, the bruised ego was repaired and you headed back for your game with enthusiasm. Mum’s the word in more ways than one.  At home, every little graze, cut, bruise, sprain or scald is first attended to by mom. Doctors are only required if things go bad.  In fact, there was a little bottle of homoeopathic pills which were trotted out to be placed under the tongue every time a kid got a bum...

 Published in My Kolkata   https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/the-changing-face-of-teachers-day-celebrations-and-an-educators-journey-through-time/cid/2045308 [With Teachers’ Day around the corner, an experienced educator - formerly known as Teacher - gives us his view of the day and all it signifies or hoped to, now and in the past. Any resemblance to  teachers you might know is purely coincidental and predictable.] Picture this: You pack up your books for the day, strip yourself of the necktie, slip into a loud shirt and head down to the local pub to play the guitar onstage when some older kids walk up and say, “Hi Sir!” with a knowing wink.  There are few professions which are “always on” like good WiFi - one of them is the Doctor and the other the Teacher. It’s a profession you can’t escape but we have designated just one day in a year to celebrate it - the birthday of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, philosopher, scholar, politician, President of In...

 Published in MyKolkata   https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/opinions-and-talking-points-of-2024-paris-olympic-games/cid/2042058 [An armchair sportsperson airs his views on what people talked about during the Olympics, paving the way to a new sport - Opinions!] The Olympics are unfair.  In addition to all the sports at which we do not excel, they could have introduced an ancient event - Olympic Opinions.  We might have won Gold if not Silver, Bronze and Fourth Place too. We could have been Lord of the Rings, all five of them. The Greeks shared their opinions at the Parthenon, which is back as a background on Olympic medals after a brief spot featuring the Roman Colloseum.  But, alas, we are confined to sharing our views in Olypub - name changed from the original Olympia which has nothing to do with the Olympics either. In the past, the views would be bolstered by “evidence” such as “they said” and “I overheard”.  But today we get far more d...

 Published in MyKolkata https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/how-ai-and-chatgpt-are-affecting-teachers-and-students-in-kolkata-schools-and-around-the-world/cid/2034104 Intelligence - Natural and Artificial The author, an educator for four decades plus, takes a look at how teachers, especially Language teachers, may be viewing Artificial Intelligence and their own futures. “Well, we got no choice / All the girls and boys / Making all that noise / 'Cause they found new toys /. . . / School's out for summer / School's out forever / School’s been blown to pieces” - Alice Cooper’s School’s Out, was released in 1972 and so was I, from school.  The ISC done, most of us were rocking to the song, and the words and we thought we’d never come back like the song says.  But I did.   A few years later, I was back in school as a Teacher. And I rued the day I sang, “No more pencils, no more books / No more teacher’s  dirty looks / Out for summer, out 'til Fa...

 Here's the link to the published piece in My Kolkata : https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/lifestyle/beyond-the-screen-my-five-year-experience-without-tv-in-the-age-of-smartphones-and-streaming/cid/2032629 [No noise, no outage, no calls to cable operators and plenty of Kindle - that’s how I would describe the last 5 years of my life without TV. No, I do not live under a rock, but I choose what I watch!] My son is an expert.  We suddenly decided to watch the T20 World cup finals last week - well, apparently it’s the done thing, even if you don’t watch cricket, to watch your country do stuff on TV. But we had no cable, no dish and no account. He managed to get a live telecast on his mobile phone and then he ‘screencast’ it to the TV set. Every alternate moment the picture refreshed itself, so you actually saw Chaplin type movements jerking across the screen. Not cricket!  After a bit more fiddling, he got a Tab to work and we watched the match in all its 11-inch glor...

 [Published in My Kolkata on 23rd June 2024.  Read Online .] Oh the games people play now  /  Every night and every day now Never meaning what they say now  /  Never saying what they mean Inner Circle made that song memorable for me. After an exhausting brace of election months we know we’ve been a part of these games, often as spectators or pawns. But that’s political.  This piece is about the games that we played in our youth and how they have transformed over the years. Facebook University informs me that for some 72 days which began a week or two ago, we are going to be treated to sports like never before - ICC World Cup, UEFA, Copa America, the Olympics - and for armchair sports persons this is good news!  Better news for TV channels and advertisers. In the good old days of 2-colour TV (Black and White) we preferred to be outside, missing the ads, lowering the TRPs and playing physical games. Or even indoors. At a friend’s house the other nig...