Nihal Bambulkar, Author at Arré

In Auroville, My Search for Spirituality Ended at a Forest Rave Party

Following a rough patch, I went to Auroville to connect more closely with nature. Three days later, surrounded by raving firangs and vegan pizza, I realised this brand of spirituality was not for me.

Nihal Bambulkar April 8, 2016

Modern Family

The OG #FamJam: Why We Need to Bring Family TV Time Back

Family TV time was when we’d bond by making hapless attempts at answering KBC questions, laughing at each other’s awful guesses, and asking about each other’s day at school and office during commercials. But now, I can’t seem to remember the last time my family turned on the flatscreen in our living room.

Nihal Bambulkar April 6, 2016

Pop Culture

How Ralph Breaks the Internet Highlights the Hidden Costs of Social Media Popularity

Ralph Breaks the Internet, the impressive sequel to the 2012 Oscar-nominated Wreck-It Ralph, does something that you’d not expect a Disney film to do: Offer an insightful commentary on the perils of internet stardom.

Nihal Bambulkar April 4, 2016

Pop Culture

#Don’tSpoilTheEndgame: A Plea To All Spoilsports Who Ruin Films and TV Shows

Over the last few days, a few lucky social media users who got to see Avengers: Endgame before everyone else have been celebrating by live-tweeting the plot at everyone else. This is a new low for internet trolls, especially considering how far the Russo brothers have gone to keep the details of the film under wraps.

Nihal Bambulkar April 2, 2016

First Person

Don’t Interrupt Me, I’m Having a Conversation (with Myself)

If you haven’t tried it yet, you should plan a chat with yourself ASAP. It’s only borderline personality disorder if you’re talking to someone that isn’t present and isn’t you. I’ve checked, just to make sure.

Nihal Bambulkar March 30, 2016

Culture

Elephant Gods, Flying Insects, and Crabby Crabs: A Ganpati Visarjan Horror Story

I’ve been jostled in the crowd, groped by a stranger, covered in cheap gulaal, and sacrificed at the altar of the DJ wale babu. But no trauma compares to the ordeal of attempting visarjan from the deck of a ferry in the middle of a downpour.

Nihal Bambulkar March 26, 2016

Pop Culture

Benedict Cumberbatch Shines in the Dark and Twisted World of Patrick Melrose

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. There is no better illustration of it than abusive parents, convinced they are only looking out for their kids. Of course, it takes an especially abusive kind of parent to screw someone up as thoroughly as Patrick Melrose, played by Benedict Cumberbatch in Hotstar Premium’s latest Emmy-nominated show

Nihal Bambulkar March 26, 2016

POV

Nanha Munna Rahi Hoon: What I Miss Most About School Independence Day Functions

We might have complained endlessly about school Independence Day celebrations back then. But it was the only phase in our lives where we truly understood what it meant to be a patriot, without the layers of nationalism and political stances that colour that notion as adults.

Nihal Bambulkar March 11, 2016

People

A Life Measured Out in Tickets: The Story of a Lottery Addict

Hope and faith are the bedrock of lottery. Champaklal Patel has been buying bumper lottery tickets for the last 56 years, hoping to build a house in Surat – even though the retired peon with failing eyesight is yet to win a single prize.

Nihal Bambulkar March 9, 2016

Modern Family

The Death of the Family Photo Album

There was a time when cameras would be kept away in our parents’ closets until a special occasion arrived. Today however, our cameras are perpetually out capturing everything from our morning grump to our Swiggy meal.

Nihal Bambulkar March 9, 2016