India, July 19 -- Last Saturday, I wrote about heart attacks. The very next morning, my father, K.B. Ganapathy, passed away due to a massive heart attack. He was 85. It was the kind of ending he wished for - a long, healthy life and a sudden death.

He lived a fulfilled life brimming with adventures and enough stories to fill a book-shelf.

Although I don't feel much like writing this week, I must honour his words. He often said, "A newspaper writer or columnist must never miss a deadline."

So while many expect me to write about my father, the Founder-Editor of Star of Mysore and Mysuru Mithra, I will do so next week, when the grief is a little less raw.

For now, I'll write about something far less emotional but equally close to our civ...