WRITINGS
People & Memories
People return to me in fragments — a teacher’s voice, a friend from school, the smell of food at home, a festival, a journey, a face I have not seen for years. These are recollections, not biographies; moments from a life that continue to stay with me.
-
Me and Suraj
I return to a friendship from my school days, trying to understand with greater maturity the boy who once protected me, shared those restless years with me, and later became my adversary.
Read the memory →: Me and SurajOne does not think so deep when you are young. Now I keep thinking about him.
-
A PERSON I REMEMBER
Mona Madam
I remember Mona Madam as a cheerful, generous teacher who loved children instinctively. To me, she was never merely a teacher; she showed how naturally learning and affection could belong together.
-
A TASTE I REMEMBER
Hostel Eats
I still remember my first hostel dinner in Chennai, the unfamiliar food and the homesickness that came with it. In time, those same Tamil dishes and small street treats became part of my growing-up years.
- PEOPLE
For me she was a living example of learning and love.
— Krishna Mohan, Mona Madam -
A TASTE I REMEMBER
Hostel Eats (contnd)
I remember how a meal from home, or an occasional Andhra lunch in Madras, could suddenly reconnect me to my roots. Perhaps food tasted different because affection was as important as flavour.
-
A TIME I REMEMBER
The Other
I remember the long train journeys between Nellore and Anand—the unknown stations, passing landscapes and the strange excitement of imagining where every road beyond the window might lead.
- PLACES
The palette of an expert painter would have faltered to paint those colours.
— Krishna Mohan, Sunrise at Gudisa -
A TASTE I REMEMBER
Culinary trends at home
When I think of food at home, I remember my grandmother’s fiery curries and my aunt’s cooking. Those flavours became part of family itself, and stayed with me especially during my years away at boarding school.
-
A PERSON I REMEMBER
Samyel – A sketch
I remember Samyel first as the formidable school watchman who rang the bell, guarded the grounds and frightened us with his cane. Looking back, I see a far more complex man behind the figure we feared as children.
-
A PERSON I REMEMBER
My Teachers
I look back on the teachers who shaped me—not only through what they taught, but through encouragement, discipline, personality and the confidence they gave me at different stages of my life.
- TASTES
Although we paid for our hostel expenses, why I could not relish the hostel food was probably due to the reason that it was given without love.
— Krishna Mohan, Hostel Eats (contnd) -
A TIME I REMEMBER
Deepavali
I remember Deepavali through my uncle’s cracker shop, my brother, childhood friends and evenings filled with smoke, noise and daring. Now I mostly watch the lights and long for a time when such small joys meant everything.