The three days of excruciating pain that Mumbaikars suffered and survived last month hit home like no other terrorist attack in India, as I watched the horror unfold, safe in my living room 10,000 miles away. I lost a former senior colleague to the Taj Mahal Palace hotel siege. I was saddened, shaken and sobered. The next time, it could be my family or my close friends, in their own homes, in my home country. 

I want to write something light and airy, something that will make you all howl with laughter. I want to write something frothy and giggly. But it just isn't in me. I watch the election news, listen to the endless posturing and positioning, and feel so man-handled by the spin doctors that I ought to file molestation charges. So today's column is about how to find joy in the midst of mayhem -- how to find solace in a world jam packed with tragedy.