Mumbai's tragedy: Its planners have all the money, resources to create coastal roads for the 8% car-owning population, but no money to ensure there are enough BEST buses for the remaining 92%. Mumbai's planners forget: All great cities are built on solid public transit systems.

My jigsaw box view of Coonoor, Nilgiris District, May 2025

Making children visible, taking their ideas on board, allowing them to drive the process of co-creating 250 metres of their school zones has not only made the spaces safer but created joy in the community around, writes Ruchi Varma. questionofcities.org/how-children-c…

Train being shunted out of picturesque Coonoor station. All trains come in from Mettupalyam to the station on flat ground, then reverse and continue the climb to Ooty. Nice small loco shed adjacent to the station.

Rather startling livery of a bus, near Ooty. Seems quite typical of private buses in these parts!

On Uday express to Bengaluru from Coimbatore. Would not have guessed that Uday = Utkrsht Doubledecker Airconditioned Yatri. Trying to feel awakened, prosperous etc.

A view of the Ketti valley between Coonoor and Ooty, with the Nilgiri Mountain Railway line between Ketti and Lovedale stations going by unobtrusively, right in the middle of the frame.

Holy Ghost Church, Richard’s Town, Bengaluru, on a cloudy afternoon.

A burst of colour in otherwise drab surroundings - Muthyalamma Devi temple, in bustling Seppings Road, Shivajinagar, Bengaluru.

Bengaluru Chennai Double Decker snaking its way on the big curve near the old Bangalore East station, now being completely redone.

When someone makes no bones about something, what are they possibly referring to? I know what the phrase means, and as usual, I am looking for a possible, interesting origin to the phrase, not the actual meaning.

More interesting than most things happening around. Fine reporting!

Decided quite some years ago to adopt the late worm strategy, to keep out of the way of all those early birds.

Since my friends here probably don't keep track of baseball ... 🙂

Large Scale Optimization summer scale off to a strong start at IEOR, IIT Bombay, with many early birds already in place.

Used to look forward to window seat travel on trains, even on AC trains, where the connect with the outside world is less. Dicey proposition in some parts of my country, it seems. 🙁