Do writers need social media?Chetan Bhagat apparently does but not JK Rowling or Salman Rushdie. However, Rushdie enjoys his Twitter feuds with critics and rivals, affording us enjoyable glimpses into his wit and his unvarnished human need to answer a jibe with a retort. The social media also is graced by the likes of the […]
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Month: August 2014
Lauren Bacall: Every Man’s Equal
“It’s an awful thing to do to a woman my age, leave her alone with her thoughts.” With rain streaming across the kitchen window, Lauren Bacall is presiding over a breakfast table conversation in A Mirror Has Two Faces (1996). She talks about what it is like when the spirit is young but life has […]
Singham Returns: Of Mythology And Masala
There is a reason why superheroes click. It is because they promise you absolute assurance in a rather unpredictable and occasionally dangerous world. That no matter how many explosions rip the world apart, you will be safe…if only in the confines of the movie theatre. Singham is one such muscle-bound- superhero, with an enviable waistline, […]
Goodnight Sweet Prince
“You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you’ll win, no matter what the outcome. Our job is improving the quality of life, not just delaying death,” so said Robin Williams in Patch Adams (1998). ** Who else but Williams with a clown’s nose and a philosopher’s wisdom […]
The Master Of Spirit And Space
In Bangalore to address the students of Indian Institute of Management, legendary Architect B V Doshi strolls around the campus. As he pauses to make a point, he is framed by a flowering creeper, crests and hollows of green grass and thousands of trees. It is simple to see in this snapshot, the sum of […]
Who’s Death Is It Anyway?
“Murda Paraston ki Duniya” , is perhaps my father’s favourite line. Loosely translated it would mean, “this is a world where the dead are greatly appreciated.” Over the years, I have come to believe that this is in fact true. It’s amazing how an untimely death can propel you to win a posthumous Oscar or […]
A Mock Drill Called Life
On a routine day in a mall, while browsing for gifts for a friend, I heard shots..or crackers. It is hard to tell the difference but considering the world we live in, the mind begins to replay inexplicable campus and mall shootings, 26/11, stories of people running for their lives in the middle of a […]
Women Who Write Dissent
“If I should have a daughter, instead of ‘Mom’, she’s gonna call me ‘Point B’, because that way she knows that no matter what happens, at least she can always find her way to me. And she’s going to learn that this life will hit you hard in the face, wait for you to get […]
Kishore Kumar: The Man Of Ironies
A few days after Kishore Kumar’s birth anniversary, the ring tone of his son and singer Amit Kumar echoes a song befitting the occasion, Ye mahfil yun hi sajegi.. ye duniyan yun hi chalegi… jo dhadkan kisi ki ruke tum ruko naa..(The celebrations will continue, the world will go on…if a heartbeat stops somewhere..don’t stop […]
Cool Cafes In Varanasi
Even if you don’t have a single religious bone in your body, Varanasi (or Benaras as some still lovingly call it) calls for a visit. A visit to see and experience the rich character that one of the oldest cities in the world exudes from every inch and corner. It is impossible to capture the […]
Bike Trip To Ladakh : A Beginner’s Guide
A few weeks before we were supposed to leave for our first bike trip to Ladakh, I found out that we were missing the famous Hemis festival by just two days. Though I felt miserable, I soon realised that these mistakes were bound to happen. After all we were complete novices to serious bike trips and the unnerving […]
Poonam Dhillon: Destiny’s Child
When Poonam Dhillon was in her 20s and already a well-known film actor, she received the news of her father’s demise. On the way home, in a flight, as she battled a haze of tears and grief, she was surrounded by fans who wanted a picture, an autograph, a smile. This moment, and many […]