It was a blistering afternoon in Chennai, the kind where the heat shimmers off the tarmac, making the traffic signal feel like a mirage. I was having a quick, strong filter coffee with an old business associate, Mr. Sunder, outside his new boutique office in Adyar. His venture, a small but growing consulting firm, had […]

I still remember my neighbour, Mrs. Rao, in our old Hyderabad colony. Her balcony was a jungle, and right at the centre of it, dangling gracefully from a macrame hanger, was a magnificent specimen of the Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum). For her, this lovely plant was not just decor; it was a testament to simplicity,