By: Vivian Castelino, Abu Dhabi
There are many people just like Hilda Aunty, loving, caring, helping others and thinking of others always, and this real life narration is to give tribute to such human beings who make difference to fellow humans as much as they can. In today’s world we need people like Hilda aunty or Hilda teacher or Games teacher as she was fondly known. You can call me an orphan and God intended that I came into care of loving, kind Hilda aunty. By profession

 By: Prashant R. Rao, Riyadh
Mangaluru, Mangalore, Kudla, Kodial - call it by any name it conjures fond memories of swaying palms, gushing seas, glowing sand, the narrow, winding cul-de-sac’s and the numerous summer holidays spent in my childhood. Visiting Mangalore in my summer holidays was a high point of my life in school. I would wait for the final exams to get over with bated breath as it would mean going back to my birthplace Mangalore. Going to Mangalore from Mumbai in those days meant an arduous 24 hour bus journey sometimes

 By: Charmaine Albuquerque, India
Ting Tong…. This is the last and final call for all passengers travelling Air India’s flight IX 812 to Managlore – the announcement systems must have blared out at Dubai airport. Little did the 158 passengers, on board – going home to Managlore, realize that it was indeed the last and final call and yes, they would be going home- but this time, forever. My heart aches even as I pen these lines and I can never fathom the pain, the fear and helplessness each of these 158 passengers and crew went through, realizing the

 By: U. Mahesh Prabhu, Mangalore
"Money is like oxygen…" her friends found her saying, often. Interestingly, she wasn't from a hapless family; hers was upper (or near to upper?) middleclass. Born into household of servicemen she hardly had anything to quench about life and yet she would crib anyways. We humans need food, shelter and clothing - those are our basic necessities. Because our necessities, essential or others, aren't given to us for free everyone's got to work and earn money.

 By: Varsha Malli, Mangalore
As a kid I used to love to go to the hospital! Surprised? Laxmi nursing home is where I visited quite often as I was an energetic kid and you could all see my feet off the ground, on tree tops and sometimes even on my tiled roof. Dr. Shantharam, 55, a bachelor was running the nursing home

 By: Charmaine Albuquerque, India
Have you noticed that the people you love the most, the people who are closest to you- are the ones you hurt the most? How easy it is for us to be nice to a complete stranger, yet when it comes to the ones we love, we will not hesitate to give them a whiplash! Questions like these keep popping into my mind time and again. Makes me wonder why do we do this?

 By: Queenie Mendonca, Chicago
You get to know them; you are affected by their personality. Every time you interact with a person, your life is altered in some way. There are just a few individuals who are well known, have a humble, down to earth nature and who come into your life and you feel totally blessed

 By: Edmond Fernandes, Mangalore
"Steeped in history, blessed by nature, sanctified by faith, alive with wildlife and dotted with destinations". This is the way one used to describe Mangalore (Rome of the East). Today we see this small, fast transforming city making the headlines for all the wrong reasons. We have numerous educational institutions to our credit

 By: Edmond Fernandes, Mangalore
There came a December roughly 2000 years back which changed the course of human life for eternity. Indeed a child was born. The world was waiting and the message of the prophets finally came true. A God-man made his first steps on Bethlehem soil. Jesus Christ was born. The news that a saviour was born to save us from eternal damnation

 By: Alfie D'Souza, Illinois
It's once again that time of the year when you start hearing "happy holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" greetings here in the US. What the heck is happy holidays? Are we celebrating holidays or are we celebrating

 By: Deepesh Rajan, Udupi - Abu Dhabi
Here I was, aged 20 still in my college days when the need came that I drop the idea of a degree due to family commitments. As a young man, I thought it was my duty to support my family and shoulder my father's responsibility

 By: Vivian Castelino, Abu Dhabi
The situation resulting in this kidnapping and then eventual release upon payment of ransom amount, resulted in me being away from computer for longer periods giving some kind of nervous signals to my wife. The day of release itself I was totally away from the computer and once our sponsor was released after 15 days of captivity, instant decision was made that

 By: Rohan Sequeira, Pune
The latest invention of the Al-Qaeda lab is an Intestine Bomber. Wow! One of the greatest wonders in history of terrorism. A plot to blow up from gut level where all hatred comes from! Naxalites beheading a Cop

 By: Charmaine Albuquerque, India
Trrr… the alarm bell forces me out of my slumber! I drag myself to the kitchen to get the coffee brewing. The smell of brewing coffee seems to have done the trick and I am now awakened from my slumber. Gosh how I hate weekday mornings!! It means not being served bed

 By: Arjun Pinto, Dubai
Shipment from China to Dubai, outward shipment from Dubai to S.A, Shipment on hold, Container at the yard, Penalty for late shipment. I was totally engrossed in the mails shooting in and out and coming in from all parts of the world, while suddenly my Nokia started ringing. I could see the incoming call was from my mother in Mangalore.

 By: Richard D Souza, Qatar
The auto was old and the driver was nasty. Dodging the potholes and rain water ponds, cursing other drivers under his breath he drove like a man possessed. Occasionally he slowed down to spray the betel and tobacco out of his mouth. Every now and then he peeped at me through

 By: Newton D'Souza, USA
The end of the year was approaching. It may have been 1976. And it wouldn't be untrue to say we didn't look forward to the annual class photograph. After U-Kg it was a show of our impeccable uniformed selves. The instructions were clear-shoes had to be polished; shirts starched; hair cropped, cut or combed (whatever it took to make

 By: Dr. B. M. Hegde, India
The dust is just about settling down after the hectic mudslinging on all sides during the recent Lok Sabha elections in India. Newer rivalry will, of course, start now what with the usual wheeler-dealers on the side of the success trying to get their pound of flesh. Nothing succeeds

 By: Sharel Machado, Germany
Maternal instinct is an inborn tendency to protect and nurture one's offspring. God made it a woman's privilege and it is not at all replaceable. The universe may sing praises to a mother for carrying the infant in her womb, giving birth to the child, nurturing, caressing and bringing it up in compassion

 By: Alfie D'Souza, Illinois
Yes, it's time again to commemorate Father's Day--a celebration inaugurated in the early twentieth century to complement Mother's Day in celebrating fatherhood and male parenting, and to honor fathers, grandfathers and forefathers. Father's Day is celebrated on various dates worldwide