Articles by Chandra Shekhar Balachandran

The author reminisces about a time when steam engines ruled the rails, and when the ‘backside gate’ of the City railway station was still the entrance.

Chandra Shekhar Balachandran’s hilarious account of what ensues when an Indian Babu interrupts a presentation, is an accurate depiction of what happens when those in power interact with the masses.

School-going children often come up with nicknames for their teachers. Here’s one such teacher from the author’s past – DRV aka Dappa Ravay (V)unday.

This humorous account of how the author came to the rescue of a young school-going lad, is truly a lesson in appreciating the little things in life.

In yet another trip down memory lane, the author talks about a lake he grew up around and the ‘Government Rains’ of the 1960s.

The roots of people are not always clear. Chandra Shekhar Balachandran reminisces about two such people from his childhood, and says that sometimes, it is quite all right for things to be that way.

My primary schooling was at Sri Kamala Nehru Makkala Mandira. The school was housed in old houses, some of them bungalows, others not, dotted about the Yediyur circle area and even in Tata Silk Farm.

Saturday December 4th 1971. Morning classes had just begun. Schools had “morning class” on Saturdays – an awkward arrangement with classes starting at 7:30 or some such hour and ending around noon. The previous night,

Kathri. Scissors. That was the connection that first brought this man into my life. In my salad days, learning to ride a bicycle was not quite what it is today. One did not have access

Here are three little stories to take you back in time. Read about a dog named Kiraa, how a burglar may have been dealt with, and a lady who cured cricks in the neck with an iron key.

I come from a family that can only be described as bonkers. Come April, amma would ask (I wish I could capture the exact tone of the original Tamizh in English; alas, it’s not to

There were days when you could hear Venkateshwara Suprabhatam in MSL’s voice every morning. How could this affect one’s learning? Reminiscences of old Bangalore, National High School and more.