 By Samir Shukla
On a recent fall day, while pondering my place in the grand cosmos, sitting outside a fast-food joint munching on hot French Fries, I started thinking about the philosophical nature, the simple goodness and multi-purpose usage of that all-American vegetable. Ketchup. The ultimate flexible condiment. It goes with anything. We eat it with our sandwiches and fries and countless other foods as well as with some of our favorite Indian dishes. It is chutney when chutney is missing. Dip a piece of hot onion naan or dhokla or a samosa into ketchup and plop it into your mouth. The stars will look brighter.  By Samir Shukla
During an early November trip to the Florida Keys, while wading in knee-deep blue water, I gazed at the schools of tiny fish hovering around my legs, quickly swimming away at the slightest movement I made. In the distance I spotted a floppy pelican dive into the water and emerge with a mouth full of fish and salty water. I thought of the billions and billions, maybe trillions, of creatures lurking in the seas and bodies of waters around the globe. Of course, I’m only talking about those visible to our eyes, forget about the microscopic life forms. It is an unfathomable number. |
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