An occasional series on the more interesting – and helpful most of the time – people I come across during my travels. “Calling one of them Bina is alright. But naming two of them Bina-1 and Bina-2 is for the SPCA.” I said. “But the minister was personally involved in every step of their growth.” Ramphool stood his ground. “So it’s fine.” I gave up; between the two of us he would be dealing with the Binas more. Whether it was ‘1’ that just bounded away or ‘2’ that was

The river Chambal has been found to meander continuously towards the right during the past 28 years (1972 – 2000) at a distance of 140 kilometres away from the origin. ‘Stream dynamics change analysis of River Chambal using remote sensing and GIS techniques’, International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences, 2011. Jeep drivers are icons in hinterland India. Little boys grow up idolising them, hoping to be one someday. An ambition shared many years ago. But in the rickety racket – with curtains – where I sat bouncing, I realised that non-existent