No income tax returns for the salaried: more myth than reality

Every year the salaried class literally goes crazy computing and filing their tax returns. This year, the finance minister apparently has good news for them when he announced that if you have only salary income of below Rs 5 L, then you need not file  tax returns. So, are you really saved the trouble of …

Mamata Banerjee’s budget speeches as word clouds

India's railway budget is a much parsed document, and successive railway ministers have been known to be partial to their own constituencies and home states. Beyond that, what else are their focus areas? And how does that focus shift from year to year. I tried to garner a quick understanding of the changing trends in …

An unlikely bird sanctuary

These pictures were taken last December (2010), not at any regular bird sanctuary, but right in the middle of a town; right besides a world-renowned monument. Any guesses where? These were taken from the Taj Mahal, into the Yamuna river which flows right behind. We had gone to the Bharatpur bird sanctuary, and where  disappointed …

Raneh Falls, a breathtaking canyon near Khajuraho

People have waxed poetic about the temples of Khajuraho, but have mostly kept quiet about the grandeur that is Raneh falls, 20 km away from Khajuraho. The falls is a canyon carved out of multi-hued crystalline granite by the Ken river. Apparently, a volcano existed here, according top the local guides, and one can still …

Where to buy stuff (economically) in Gurgaon

Where can you buy the best and most economical stuff in Gurgaon? The focus being on the economical bit. This post is the result of one late night discussion with twilightfairy, Paavani, MojoSanjay et-al on twitter, immediately after Easyday markets opened on Sohna road. By economical, I mean economical for the middle class and not …