Being born an Indian means inheriting a big book of rules, principles and society norms as soon as we are born. We are taught from an early age that our behaviour reflects our family’s reputation and status, to listen and obey is considered a sign of goodness, to compromise and sustain a bad relationship is […]
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Month: August 2014
Recipes From Goa
These recipes were handed down to me by local families with whom I have had an opportunity to stay during my travels. While some were sincerely noted down on a paper, some were mere observations. And before these papers and memories crumble, here are some recipes for you to try. All these recipes were shared […]
When Watchdogs Become Predators
The ‘anniversary’ of the Shakti Mills rape has come and gone. Three of the five accused have been sentenced to death and the media jamboree has moved on. In search of another story. Another survivor who must be identified and paraded before a hungry audience while the convicts are taken to whatever hell they have been consigned to […]
TM Azis : Simply Profound
The complexity in artist T M Azis’ work comes from simplicity. But look closely and you will find layers of stories, jig-saw patterns that talk about the human condition, confusion, repetitive and self-defeating choices, unspoken angst. And yet an unmistakable air of innocence lingers. Almost as if Azis was saying, “We are all just overgrown […]
Coonoor Unlimited
Negotiating several hairpin bends on the way to the mountains after gorging on some authentic South Indian dishes with unlimited servings can be a daunting task. The roads though were extremely good which quickly reminded me of what I had left behind just a few hours back- the potholed roads of rain-soaked Mumbai. But here […]
Of Rice And Ice Buckets
A week ago a friend challenged me to the ALS ice bucket challenge. I had already heard about it given that celebrities like Oprah, Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates had taken it up. The obvious reason why I didn’t want to do it is I hate being cold and so the idea of dumping a […]
Why Heeba Shah Won’t Ask for Equality
Telephonic interviews take away the visual texture from a story but you don’t miss it when you talk to theatre, TV and film actor Heeba Shah. She speaks with immense clarity and leaves no awkward pauses for you to fill. Between tackling cinema of multiple genres, doing theatre and moving homes, she performed an Ismat […]
Naseeruddin Shah: Guided By Invisible Strings
“Javed bhai, hum Dilli haar gaye hain!” (We have lost Delhi), yells Naseeruddin Shah as a violently bitter sepoy in Shyam Benegal’s Junoon (1978). That scene is hard to forget. As is the fact that it was on the sets of Junoon that Shah first met Ismat Chughtai, one of the bravest literary and […]
The Teacher Of All Things
Having made the heartbreaking choice of studying journalism for my Master’s degree instead of my first love English literature, I marched off to the University to master the art of reporting and editing. All was well, till I learnt that folks in the English Department next door were studying Dostoevsky. Knowing that I would be […]
Finding My Running Mojo
It’s funny how before I even start running, I feel this insane urge to write about running. Okay, not about running really (no scientific approach is to be found in the ensuing paragraphs) but what it means to me. I want one those fancy running shoes, you know the ones that make your feet bounce […]
The Poet Of Ephemeral Forever
“Sirf ehsas hai rooh se mehsoos karo…pyaar ko pyaar hi rehne do koi naam na do.” (It is just a feeling..let the soul revel in it..let love be.. just love..try not to name it) So that in a nutshell is Gulzar for you. A man who does not name the obvious but will articulate what cannot be […]
Begum Qudsia Zaidi:Theatre’s Brave Pioneer
Shama Zaidi does not want to talk about her mother Qudsia Zaidi nee Umt-ul-qudoos Abdullah because you do not talk about a lifetime of love and loss over a telephone wire. 2014 is the centenary year of Begum Zaidi, writer, social worker, theatre producer and founder of the Hindustani Theatre in Delhi in 1954. […]