In California, met an activist and writer I admire, @VRFerose, whose crusade for differently-abled children has changed thousands of lives across India; and photographer and former street-child Vicky Roy, a runaway adopted by the @Salaam_Baalak Trust who is now a globally renowned photographer. They joined me with their books at @JLFLitfest in Los Angeles.

It was @thekiranbedi who called me one day as I hadn't been responding to her messages, and asked me what happened? I said my son was autistic and I didn't know what to do. She said most people dont know what to do, you are extremely lucky as your life's purpose has found you. That changed my life. @VRFerose spks with @amritat @JLFLitfest #JLFLOSANGELES @ShashiTharoor @CGILosAngeles

#JLFLosAngeles opened with an exhibition by @vickyroy87 commemorating 9/11 at @TIMOTHY_disney gallery at Hyperion. @CGILosAngeles opened the evening in the presence of @ShashiTharoor followed by a discussion with @VRFerose, @MauktikK and @amritagandhi @jlfinternational #JLFUSA

Across societies, the question of what it means to be a man has become fraught ✍️ @VRFerose

“Cats do not dominate narratives, they quietly but surely inhabit them,” writes @VRFerose for #FLYLEAF #cats #books #pet #reading

A first person experience of watching the FIFA World Cup at the latest edition to @VRFerose's column 'Flyleaf'

Priyanka Agarwal (42) from Karnataka became the second Indian woman with blindness to reach Mount Everest base camp and the first from Karnataka to do so. @vickyroy87 @VRFerose @MajDPSingh @MalvikaIyer @thekiranbedi @socialpwds @UNinIndia everyoneisgoodatsomething.co…

"Americans celebrate a nation on July 4. But before there was a nation,there was a document. And before there was a document, there was a printer. America, in many ways, was founded by ink," writes @VRFerose in #FlyLeaf

“There is something quite unsettling about the idea of forgery in books….” writes @VRFerose in the latest edition of FLYLEAF #books #forgery #BooksToRead #bengaluru #flyleaf

Congratulations @vickyroy87 and @VRFerose for achieving both the Asian and Indian book of records for this phenomenal documentation of folks who are differently able. @SBTDELHINGO

The latest edition to @VRFerose's column 'Flyleaf'

"The pace of my book acquisitions far exceeded capacity at home and office, forcing me to reluctantly donate many to the nearby library everytime we relocated. Now, my focus is on storing books... in the best possible environment," writes @VRFerose in #FlyLeaf

Many thanks to @VRFerose for a generous gift to rural public libraries of 300 copies of the Oxford School Atlas & 100 copies of Roopa Pai’s book on Cubbon Park. Such a nice gift to our libraries! Thanks also to @bookworm_Kris for sending the books across! #givebooks 🌷🌿📚🕊️

All about maps that reveal as much about human ambition and views as they do about geography ✍️ @VRFerose #BookRecommendation #bookstoread

"Cyberpunk offers little comfort. What it offers instead is clarity – and sometimes, that is far more valuable," writes @VRFerose in this week's #Flyleaf #BookSpotlight #AI #BookLovers

"As time passed, the dictionary quietly disappeared from my daily life. Words moved onto screens; curiosity became a search bar," writes @VRFerose in this week's #FlyLeaf

To stand just two feet away and point a finger while questioning the country’s Prime Minister or Finance Minister, a journalist needs immense courage. But even more than that, it requires the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister to have deep faith in democracy. A journalist can show such courage only when they know that the nation’s leadership has unshakable trust in democratic values and institutions. This faith in democracy was deeply embodied by Manmohan Singh. There is a quiet story often recalled by those who worked closely with him: even at the peak of his power, he would patiently listen to the harshest criticism, rarely interrupting, often taking notes himself. Once, after a particularly aggressive press interaction, an aide asked him why he never responded sharply. He calmly replied, “Democracy is strengthened when power listens more than it speaks.” Serving the nation five years as Finance Minister and ten years as Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh led with humility, intellect, and restraint. He proved that authority does not need loudness, and strength does not need arrogance. His life remains a gentle reminder that true leadership is rooted in trust—trust in institutions, trust in dialogue, and trust in democracy itself. #ManmohanSingh #DrManmohanSingh #Tribute #DemocraticValues #IndianDemocracy #FreedomOfPress #Journalism #ConstitutionOfIndia #Leadership #Statesman #HumbleLeadership #RespectForInstitutions #Legacy #India #PoliticalEthics

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." — Albert Einstein

“In today’s hyper-digital age, one might assume the coffee table book would fade into irrelevance, and yet, these books endure and even thrive…” writes @VRFerose in the latest edition of his column, Flyleaf #coffeetablebooks #books