In 1979, Basu Chatterjee made Baaton Baaton Mein and unobtrusively brought to us the dating and courtship rituals of a community that was till then either caricatured or just overlooked in Hindi cinema. Nancy Perreira and Tony Braganza…
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Matriarchal manipulation in a patriarchal world is depicted unsparingly in Usha Priyamwada’s Pachpan Khambe Laal Deewarein (Now playing on Prasar Bharti). The mother resentful of her lecturer daughter’s comfortable life in her college residence because the younger daughters…
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“Start with hope..always start with hope. We went from being a shitty team to become one of the biggest dynasties in the sport and all it needed was one match to light this fire,” says Michael Jordan at…
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In 1947, my grandparents brought three children and the remains of an uprooted life from Pakistan to India in a train. One of those children was my mother. I grew up hearing a lot of stories about the…
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Three documentaries streaming right now show the ultimate culmination of the Bois Locker Room culture. And what happens when one gender is taught to mistrust its instincts of self-preservation and the other does not even learn something as…
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In Sudip Sharma’s Paatal Lok (Now streaming on Amazon. Co written by Sharma, Sagar Haveli, Hardik Mehta and Gunjit Chopra. Directed by Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy), India’s disowned inhabit the headlines we turn away from. A young…
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So there’s a term for an unnamed ache. Ambiguous loss. Such a loss leaves behind sharp objects, doesn’t it? Memories. The ones that made us feel something for the first time like in forever. There’s something compelling about this grandiosity that makes us see ourselves with new eyes as we say; “I was a bright […]
Silence. Above all, silence. We are safe in this thicket, as long as we remain absolutely silent. But Kala’s baby won’t stop crying. It is weak and hungry. As is she – she has not made milk for three days now. There is a command unspoken in the leader’s eyes. Kala understands. The baby is […]
I see this Laughing Buddha every weekend when I go cycling. Do you see the crow, perched on the board he is holding? Do you see how small it looks? This Laughing Buddha is gigantic. He is at VGP Golden Beach, Chennai’s first theme park. That part, where the Laughing Buddha was installed, of the […]
I had a dream where someone gave me a kiss. So sweet and gentle. Purely unconditional. Unartful. He simply looked at me, and kindly offered me this moment of intimacy to convey a message. Like a fairy tale prince, he woke me from my state of lethargy to make me understand that there’s still hope. […]
If you cannot see the knife At least imagine it Carry the idea in your mind The possibility of an edge Murderously honed Wielded in attack Feel the steel tear you Consider the possibility Of a stab wound Look around you Watch for edges, for hands Concealed in pockets, behind Backs Listen Most of all, […]
“How to Survive a Breakup” “Getting Over an Ex in 5 Simple Steps” “10 Things You Should NEVER Do After A Breakup” Over the last few years, I’ve read more issues of Cosmopolitan than I can count, and I’ve read more self help books than I care to admit – “He’s Just Not That Into […]
Calvin breathes gently. Despite the pain and exhaustion, despite the air of resignation that hangs around him, he seems peaceful. The morning sun is brutal, but Calvin continues to lie in the blinding brightness that escapes the curtains. Calvin. Our sunshine. Father, Mother, and I have locked our gazes on the boy. If our thoughts […]
He lied. I was at my favourite cafe. It was a bright sunny afternoon. I was wearing a black top he had chosen for me when we were on one of my shopping sprees. It’s strange how I look so perfect when I wear the dresses he selects for me. This time too, all my […]
“What should I wear for the wedding?” Sam asked me, when we were on our way to buy clothes for our friend’s wedding. Without thinking, I said he should wear a white shirt and a pair of beige trousers. Louise Phillipe was his favourite brand. We picked up a beautiful white shirt from a Louise Phillipe […]
The powder puff has more dust sticking to it than the familiar smelling particles of Ponds talcum powder. The fragrance is as familiar to me as the hemmed borders of the electric blue printed frock that I used to wear almost every alternate day. The scorching summers would not allow room for sartorial experiments. Back […]
William Trevor’s The Story of Lucy Gault set the tone from the very beginning; I knew that nothing would go right for Lucy. Her story was melancholic, but it didn’t make me sob. I felt a distant pain, and it lingered for a while, as though my mind played a sad song over and over again […]
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (Vintage Books) is an award-winning (the Samuel Johnson prize for nonfiction, the Costa Book of the Year prize) story of healing with a hawk. It is not a new release but it has long transcended the time barrier. It is the kind of book that you buy and keep […]