Leslie's Laughs

  [This was published by My Kolkata on 26 March 2024.  You can read the published article online .  This is the pre-edited version without the pictures and links.] Eggs, Bunnies and Chicks - it’s Easter again! [A survivor’s guide to Easter in all its forms, with a little serious information thrown in … ] Eggs, Bunnies and Chicks - it’s Easter again! [A survivor’s guide to Easter in all its forms, with a little serious information thrown in … ] “Happy Good Friday!”  The wishes ping forth from the recesses of WhatsApp on the Friday before Easter.  It’s a red letter day on the calendar, it’s a long weekend at the office, obviously someone is celebrating something, so let’s wish them. The lone Christian on the employee list is singled out for the wishes. Painstakingly patient, she responds, “Good Friday commemorates the death of Christ. It’s a day of remembrance and mourning. We celebrate Easter, the resurrection of Christ on Sunday.” “Ok, then.  Enjoy!  We will wish you again for Easter,”

 [This piece was originally published in My Kolkata on March 15, 2024.  You can read it here .  This is the pre-edit  version. ] Bumps and other Barriers [The author drives wherever he can, encountering a few avoidable bumps in his daily commute or his visits to other cities. Here’s his irreverent take on our streets, our traffic and the ups and downs of driving.] Several years ago I was enamoured of the movie My Fair Lady. The words of one song in particular stayed with me long after. Here are the first two lines: “ I have often walked down this street before / But the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before” Walking down the streets of dear old Calcutta (sic), amusement made me link the words to the journey.  As an adolescent I wrote about that somewhere and recall that it was largely about the Kolkata Mud Digging Agency (KMDA). The pavement and much of the road, in old Calcutta, hardly stayed beneath my feet.  Potholes, open drains, and other traps for the unwary were par for