The Fourth Seat

Every now and then, it is beneficial to pause and look back. Especially at the end of the first year of a two year master's program. Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote this post describing my first impressions of TISS. That post received a lot of positive reactions and also some negative ones, the comments, as is the norm nowadays indicate the furore that it caused. In retrospect, my hunch about TISS was right. It is indeed about re imagining futures. Photo Courtesy:  TISS HRM & LR Forum  A year later, I find myself sitting here typing on my laptop (I managed to replace the old one), while a gentle breeze blows outside my window, swaying the old palms in the middle of the night in the Friendship Park that I call home. A strong cup of filter coffee, courtesy of in the inhouse master Barista Ranjit  is sitting tall. From living on my own, in a home away from my home, studying odd hours, working in teams, having discussions over chai and at times, perfecting the ...

Frederick William Stevens lies buried under a nondescript gravestone in the Sewri Christian Cemetery. Among the many notable individuals who lay here, this man's contribution to the city of Bombay is far more noticeable than anyone else. For, F.W. Stevens was the architect of many of the more prominent buildings of Bombay. Years ago, when we started the Exploring Fort walk , we would begin with an interesting story of the Mulji Jetha fountain on Mint Road. Early participants, I remember, were quite puzzled by my excitement of telling the story of a small rundown fountain, with a dome topped by a young boy reading a book. The source of my fascination was the fact that it was designed by Stevens. The same architect who gave us the Victoria Terminus or the CSMT - the current headquarters of the Central Railway and one of the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the city. Notice the different types of headgears denoted in the panel A walk around this magnificent buil...