Updated WhatsApp on my mother’s phone. My father is planning on getting me shaved day after tomorrow. Also getting my hair dyed. I might be forty years old but for my parents I am just a baby who needs regular grooming. There might not be enough vegetables to share among four people but there’s enough money to get shaved and hair dyed- no matter how little of them are remaining. These have become decades old complexes without any resolution. They might find one excuse over the other with the final threat of expelling you from their household. Some other facilities would demand similar services from whatever is remaining of your lifespan. Life is demanding. Relentless cough from the nearby bed. They hardly care about each other and I find myself in difficult situations by trying to be generous. Wheat breads are extra thick according to parents though they appear to be smaller than before. You don’t have a say in any affairs. This is because of that ancient decision to come and visit your parents after they keep calling you repeatedly and your career is gone. Then a few more such decisions and your career is over. Now dictatorial retired people will keep bullying you lifelong ( whatever is left of their lives and yours) and you only need to say yes to everything no matter how childish or naive it is.
There’s nothing new in the passage above. And countless of my previous weblog posts in the last decade and half had similar ideas. Why then do I feel like putting them in words instead of passing over them in silence? It’s because if I ever get to read it again I realise that nothing really changed for me. Not really. My entire life was spent looking for the end. Not living. It was spent waiting for the end while other people lived. What was their experience like? I don’t know. Nor do I want to know.
The gas cylinder guy brought only two gas cylinders. Two others were negotiated with an extra hundred rupees for each. And it took quite long. I dragged couple of cylinders from upstairs kitchen to downstairs. I also dragged couple of them from the store room to verandah and then moved them outside and moved the four full cylinders inside to the store room.
The alphanumeric codes on the inner metal stays of an LPG cylinder indicate its test due date (often referred to as the “expiry date”). This is the date by which the cylinder must be sent back to the bottling plant for a mandatory safety check and pressure test.
How to Decipher the Code
The code consists of a letter representing a three-month window (quarter) and two digits representing the year.
| Letter | Quarter (Months) | Example: A-26 |
|—|—|—|
| A | January – March | March 2026 |
| B | April – June | June 2026 |
| C | July – September | September 2026 |
| D | October – December | December 2026 |
Why it Matters
* Physical Safety: These cylinders are made of steel that can corrode or weaken over time. The test ensures the shell can still handle the high pressure of the liquid gas.
* Checking at Delivery: If a delivery person brings a cylinder marked D-25 and it is currently February 2026, that cylinder is technically “overdue” for its safety check and you should request a replacement.
Students had a fine time staying just for forty minutes. After that the elder brother was showing me his Instagram feed messages. I asked why they didn’t appear yesterday and the reason was something similar to what I had predicted yesterday.
The younger student wanted to do another Gemini Live session in which he started asking questions which were different from the ones he had told me about during the practice session. I told him the importance of preparing in advance. I told them that impromptu speech, debate competition and other such events also need preparation. I asked him to not use “agar”( if) in the beginning of every sentence he puts to the

Gemini Live engine.
Here’s an excerpt from the brief session:
Gemini Live Session
Student: Hello. Hello.
Gemini: Hello! How can I help you today?
Student: अल्फा पाई की खोज किसने की थी?
Gemini: पाई (π) की खोज किसी एक व्यक्ति ने नहीं, बल्कि यह एक लंबी प्रक्रिया थी। प्राचीन सभ्यताओं जैसे बेबीलोन और मिस्र के लोगों ने सबसे पहले पाई के मान का अनुमान लगाया था।
हालांकि, भारत के महान गणितज्ञ आर्यभट्ट ने 5वीं शताब्दी में इसके मान काफ़ी सटीकता से निर्धारित किया था। उन्होंने आर्यभटीय ग्रंथ में इसका उल्लेख किया है।
क्या आप पाई के बारे में कुछ और जानना चाहते हैं?
Student: हां
Gemini: ठीक है। पूछिए, आप क्या जानना चाहते हैं?
Student: कुछ नहीं
Gemini: कोई बात नहीं। अगर आपके मन में कोई दूसरा प्रश्न आए या आपको कुछ और जानना हो, तो बेझिझक पूछें।
Student: शीशे की खोज किसने की थी?
Gemini: पाइथागोरस ने सीसे की खोज नहीं की थी, बल्कि वह एक महान गणितज्ञ थे और पाइथागोरस प्रमेय के लिए जाने जाते हैं।
जहाँ तक ‘सीसे’ की बात है, तो यह स्पष्ट नहीं है कि आप किस चीज़ के बारे में पूछ रहे हैं। क्या आपका मतलब ‘शीशा’ (काँच) या ‘सीसा’ (लेड) से है?
Student:  की खोज किसने की थी?
Gemini: माफ़ कीजिएगा, मुझे ‘आकाश शीशे’ या ‘आत्मा शीशे’ के बारे में कोई जानकारी नहीं है। क्या आप इसे थोड़ा और स्पष्ट कर सकते हैं? शायद आप किसी विशेष प्रकार के उपकरण या खोज के बारे में बात कर रहे हों?
Student: आखिर मुंह देखने वाला आखिर मुंह देखने वाला शीशा
Gemini: अच्छा, आप दर्पण (Mirror) की बात कर रहे हैं। दर्पण का आविष्कार किसी एक व्यक्ति ने नहीं किया बल्कि यह एक क्रमिक विकास था। प्राचीन समय में लोग पॉलिश की गई धातुओं जैसे तांबा या कांस्य का उपयोग करते थे।
आधुनिक दर्पण, जैसा कि हम जानते हैं, जिसमें कांच के पीछे चांदी या एल्यूमीनियम की परत चढ़ी होती है, इसका विकास बाद में हुआ। 19वीं शताब्दी में, जस्टस वॉन लीबिग ने एक प्रभावी तरीका विकसित किया जिससे हम कांच पर चांदी की परत चढ़ा सकते थे।
Student: अगर गुटके की खोज किसने की थी
Gemini: ‘गुटका’ शब्द के कई अर्थ हो सकते हैं। क्या आप तंबाकू से बने गुटके की बात कर रहे हैं, या किसी और चीज़ के बारे में?
Student: हां, तंबाकू छेवाने के लिए
Gemini: तंबाकू गुटके के आविष्कार का श्रेय किसी एक व्यक्ति को देना मुश्किल है, क्योंकि यह एक पारंपरिक उत्पाद है। इसका उपयोग प्राचीन समय से ही विभिन्न संस्कृतियों में होता चला आ रहा है। भारत में भी, इसका उपयोग पारंपरिक तरीकों से किया जाता था और समय के साथ इसके विभिन्न रूप विकसित हुए।
Student: दुनिया में सबसे खराब मोबाइल कौन सा है?
Gemini: “सबसे खराब” मोबाइल फोन की कोई निश्चित सूची नहीं है, क्योंकि यह काफी व्यक्तिपरक होता है और आपकी आवश्यकताओं और अपेक्षाओं पर निर्भर करता है। कुछ लोग कम कीमत वाले और बुनियादी सुविधाओं वाले फोन को खराब मान सकते हैं, जबकि कुछ लोग धीमी गति या खराब बैटरी जीवन वाले फोन से असंतुष्ट हो सकते हैं। क्या आप किसी विशेष ब्रांड या मॉडल के बारे में जानना चाहते हैं?
Student: दुनिया में सबसे खराब मोबाइल कौन है?
Gemini: “सबसे खराब” मोबाइल फोन का निर्धारण करना मुश्किल है, क्योंकि यह कई कारकों पर निर्भर करता है, जैसे कंपनी, मॉडल, उसकी कार्यक्षमता और उपयोगकर्ता की ज़रूरतें। क्या आप किसी विशिष्ट ब्रांड या किसी खास विशेषता के बारे में जानना चाहते हैं?
Student: दुनिया में सबसे खराब मोबाइल कौन सी है? जल्दी बताओ।
Gemini: “सबसे खराब” मोबाइल कोई एक मॉडल नहीं होता, क्योंकि यह उपयोगकर्ता की जरूरतों और प्राथमिकताओं पर निर्भर करता है। कुछ फोन बैटरी जीवन, प्रदर्शन या कैमरे के कारण खराब माने जा सकते हैं। क्या आप किसी विशेष प्रकार की समस्या के बारे में सोच रहे हैं?
Student: मेरा नाम है पुष्पा भाई पुष्पा भाई
Gemini: पुष्पा भाई, “सबसे खराब” मोबाइल फोन का निर्धारण करना मुश्किल है, क्योंकि यह आपकी आवश्यकताओं और प्राथमिकताओं पर निर्भर करता है। कुछ फोन बैटरी के कारण, तो कुछ प्रदर्शन या सुविधाओं की कमी के कारण खराब माने जा सकते हैं। क्या आप किसी विशिष्ट पहलू पर ध्यान केंद्रित कर रहे हैं?
Student: नहीं
Gemini: समझ गया! पुष्पा भाई, मैं गाना नहीं गा सकता, लेकिन अगर आप कोई विशेष प्रकार का गाना सुनना या उसके बोल जानना चाहते हैं, तो मैं उसमें आपकी मदद कर सकता हूँ।
Student: दुनिया की सबसे अच्छी कंपनी कौन सी है? कंपनी मोबाइल की
Gemini: दुनिया की “सबसे अच्छी” कंपनी का चुनाव काफी चुनौतीपूर्ण है, क्योंकि यह भी व्यक्तिगत पसंद और जरूरतों पर निर्भर करता है। कुछ कंपनियाँ गुणवत्ता और इनोवेशन के लिए, तो कुछ किफायती और टिकाऊपन के लिए जानी जाती हैं।
Apple, Samsung, और OnePlus जैसी कंपनियाँ आमतौर पर प्रीमियम सेगमेंट में लोकप्रिय हैं। क्या आप किसी विशेष ऑपरेटिंग सिस्टम या फीचर्स में रुचि रखते हैं?
Student: Huh.
Gemini: किस बारे में? कृपया विस्तार से बताएँ।
Student: आखिर बच्चों को कब से गुटखा नहीं खाना पड़ता है?
Gemini: बच्चों को गुटखा कभी नहीं खाना चाहिए। यह उनके स्वास्थ्य के लिए बहुत हानिकारक होता है। भारत सरकार ने 18 साल से कम उम्र के बच्चों को तंबाकू उत्पादों की बिक्री पर प्रतिबंध लगाया है, क्योंकि इससे उन्हें कई गंभीर बीमारियाँ हो सकती हैं। क्या आप इस बारे में कुछ और जानना चाहते हैं?
Student: मैं तो नहीं एक बच्चा तो दो 10 साल में खा रहा था अब बताओ
Gemini: यह बहुत गंभीर स्थिति है। 10 साल का बच्चा गुटखा किसी भी कीमत पर नहीं खा सकता और यह पूरी तरह से गलत है। तंबाकू में निकोटीन होता है जो कि एक नशीला पदार्थ है और बच्चों के शारीरिक और मानसिक विकास पर बहुत बुरा प्रभाव डालता है। क्या आप इस बारे में और कुछ जानना चाहते हैं?
Thereafter the student started demanding Urdu verses from Gemini. It delivered. You can see that he started asking questions on Mathmatics, then on Gutka mixture, then on mobile brands and back to Gutka mixture before he ended up asking questions about Shayari or poetry in Hindustani. Meanwhile he also used a popular Hindi film dialogue. He is conditioned to use “agar”( if) in the beginning of his questions. Despite their lack of development in reading and writing you can compare them with students of our time who had no access to such devices and who couldn’t have asked questions about best and worst mobile phone brands as it didn’t matter.
I dragged one cylinder inside the kitchen and attached it. The other three I kept inside the store room. I couldn’t miss the cylinder guy spitting as the goats passed by and there was a guy shaking a gutka pouch to mix tobacco with arecanuts. It’s not a coincidence that my students were asking about gutka though they didn’t see that guy.
The younger student was talking about the potato finger chips. He had done a lot of work to make them in their kitchen. I asked them why did they need to add colors to those finger chips when it doesn’t really contribute to taste. I told them the story of MacDonald french fries tradition:
It’s a bit of a leap from 2050 to French fries, but I like the shift! Here is the lowdown on the golden arches and the vibrant (if a bit questionable) colors of Indian street food.
The McDonald’s French Fry Legend
The “tradition” of McDonald’s fries actually centers on a major recipe change in 1990.
* The Beef Tallow Era: Originally, McDonald’s fried their potatoes in a blend of 93% beef tallow (animal fat). This gave them a specific, rich flavor that fans became obsessed with.
* The Health Switch: Under pressure from activists regarding saturated fat, they switched to 100% vegetable oil in 1990.
* The Secret Ingredient: To keep the “traditional” taste people loved, they started adding “natural beef flavor” (derived from milk/wheat) to the oil. This is why the fries in the US aren’t considered vegan, whereas in some other countries, the recipe differs.
Why Indian Street Vendors Use Food Colors
If you’ve ever wondered why your Tandoori Chicken is neon red or your Gobi Manchurian looks like a sunset, it usually comes down to these three things:
* Visual Appeal (The “Eye Eats First” Rule): Street food is all about grabbing your attention in a crowded market. Bright, saturated colors make the food look “fresh,” spicy, or flavorful, even if the ingredients are simple.
* Hiding Imperfections: Sometimes, if the vegetables or meat lose their natural color during deep frying or long hours of display, a hit of food coloring masks the dullness.
* Consistency: Vendors want every plate to look exactly the same every day. Since natural spices like Kashmiri Mirch (which gives a red hue) can be expensive or vary in intensity, synthetic food colors are a cheap way to ensure a consistent “look.”
> A Quick Note: Many of these synthetic dyes (like Metanil Yellow or Rhodamine B) aren’t exactly great for you. It’s always better to look for vendors who use natural coloring like turmeric, beetroot, or high-quality chili powder!

We did a few problems on linear equations:
The equation y = 3x + 5 has infinitely many solutions.
Because this is a linear equation in two variables (x and y), it represents a straight line on a coordinate plane. For every possible value you choose for x, there is a corresponding value for y that makes the equation true.
Why are there infinite solutions?
* Algebraically: You can plug in any real number for x (e.g., 1, 0, -5, 2.75, \pi) and calculate a unique y. Since there are infinite numbers, there are infinite pairs of (x, y).
* Geometrically: A line is composed of an infinite series of points. Every single point sitting on that line is a valid solution to the equation.
Their Maths workbook didn’t get much chance to work. I asked them if they had brought my fees. They didn’t. They have been attending many ceremonies and they don’t do their homework.
I did my homework and classwork. I organised utensils in the kitchen. Made tea many times for parents, guests and grandmother. Served lukewarm water to grandmother and father. Served water to guests and served food to father and grandmother. Moved vegetables to store room. Filled the pot with ghee before serving the food. Moved a lot of utensils from the kitchen to the wash basin. Switched water pump on and off. Pasteurised milk. Cleansed kitchen platform. Filled the water jug up for father. Mopped floors. Switched fans on and off as per the requirement after mopping.

The Feedback I Expect

This is a poignant, heavy, and deeply reflective piece. It captures the “quiet desperation” of a middle-aged life caught in the gravity of aging parents, domestic labor, and a stalled career. The contrast between your heavy philosophical reflections and the mundane tasks (shifting LPG cylinders, teaching uninterested students, serving ghee) creates a powerful sense of “stasis”—the feeling of running in place while time passes.
Feedback & Observations
* The Contrast is the Strength: The most striking part of the article is the juxtaposition. You go from the “dictatorial” control of your parents over your own body (the shaving and dyeing) to the technical details of LPG safety and McDonald’s fries. This highlights how you’ve become a repository for everyone else’s needs and information, while your own needs remain unaddressed.
* The Theme of “The End”: Your admission—“My entire life was spent looking for the end. Not living.”—is the emotional anchor of the piece. It explains why you record these details: to prove that time is passing, even if nothing changes.
* The Student Interaction: The “Gemini Live” transcript adds a touch of modern absurdity. Seeing a child ask an AI about “Gutka” and “the worst mobile phone” while you sit there, overqualified and unpaid, emphasizes the “career is gone” sentiment you expressed earlier.
* The Domestic Litany: The long list of chores at the end acts like a closing credits roll. It’s a rhythmic, almost meditative list that shows the physical weight of your daily life.
Title Suggestions
Depending on the “vibe” you want for your WordPress blog, here are a few options:
Philosophical & Somber
* Waiting for the End while Others Live
* The Architecture of Stasis
* Decades of Complexes: A Life in Repeat
Observational & Narrative
4.  Shaved, Dyed, and Domesticated
5.  Between the LPG Cylinder and the Linear Equation
6.  The High Price of Returning Home
Metaphorical
7.  Three Stone of Sugar, Two Kilograms of Ghee
8.  The Expiry Codes of a Life
9.  Thick Bread and Thin Patience
Editorial Advice for WordPress
If you want to make it “cleaner” for your readers, you might consider:
* Formatting the Transcript: Use the <blockquote> or “Code” block in WordPress for the Gemini Live session to make it visually distinct.
* Spacing: Use a Horizontal Rule (—) between the section about your parents and the section about the students/LPG cylinders. It helps signify a shift in the day.
* The “Double Perspective”: You might want to explicitly mention that the technical info about the LPG codes and French fries is part of what you “gather” or “teach” during your day of service.