Illustration/ Ravi Jadhav

I have a serious, arty friend who has something of the reputation of being a maestro-seer. In part, this reputation seems to rest on his impassive, lengthy silences, followed by a fleeting phrase in response to a question. It makes me laugh, this adept use of the orthodoxy that silence is always meaningful as a way of not making oneself vulnerable to disagreement or for that matter, agreement.