My dad is so irritating. He tells us to have cold water baths in winter. He tells us to skip a meal sometimes. It’s very irritating when someone talks like that. Let him do all those things, I mean, why is he forcing it on us?
Rachna, 15 years

A. I think you are a great guy. You have your priorities in place and that is wonderful. I think she has given her response.

Once, someone sent me a printout of a review posted on a website titled “Get Him While He’s Down Cause He’s Gonna Come Back with a Magnum and Then You Gotta Ask Yourself: ‘Do I Feel Lucky?’ Well, Do Ya PUNK?”

Of what use are these dresses, sweets and crackers when I know there are so many children my age who don’t even have clothes to wear? And you know what I asked my dad? I said, “Daddy…”
— A nine-year-old writes on, shaming a whole lot of us.

I am 21 years old. My parents are not together but not divorced either. I was brought up to enjoy a good lifestyle, but when my father left us he made it clear that if my brother and I wanted financial security, we should leave our mother. This was wrong because it was he who was at fault.

Okay, so ever since I have been in the cradle, I’ve been awestruck about how life continues to imitate popular entertainment. Take this: I went to buy a pair of cool spectacle frames last week. The salesperson took one look at me and said, “I have the right ones for you! The Kaun Banega Crorepati frames!”

Ever since I can remember I have been an atheist. I haven’t visited a temple. And
even when there was Ganpati puja at my home in Hyderabad, my only interest was in the sweets, and a break from the school text books for three days.

H is parties were casual. No cloaked agenda. No celebrity guests pix featured in the day after’s newspapers. Just abundant food, choice spirits and crackling conversation.

Young friend, I won’t quote your long and wordy letter here. You asked me to comment about the “art of living”, but that particular phrase is already pre-owned, branded and packaged. Let’s talk of life as an art form instead and see where our words take us.

Q. I have a concern about which I need your advice, as I am a little confused. I work in a transport office and I have one good friend. We both work in the same team. There is a girl who also works in our team.