I was eight, when I participated in my first painting competition. It was conducted in a park on a sultry, summer evening. I wore one of my favourite cotton dresses, carried my water-colours, fancy brushes in a rucksack, and held my sister’s hands, as she walked me to the park. It was filled with hundreds of […]
Let me begin the review of Friends in Wild Places by Ruskin Bond (Speaking Tiger Books) by quoting a passage near the end. Below my cottage was a forest of oak and maple and Himalayan rhododendron. A narrow path twisted its way down through the trees, over an open ridge where red sorrel grew wild, […]
Watching Bhupendra Chaubey’s contempt for Sunny Leone (He did not even care to pronounce her name correctly) in a brutal interview on CNN IBN reminded me of an episode many years ago when my son was about six or seven and as a working mother, I had taken him to a media event I was […]
I am a tad upset. I have just read about a hotel chain which is soon launching women-only hotels. I know I should be kicked about it, as I often travel solo, but I am not. Traditionally, our streets, roadside restaurants, public parks, pan- cigarette tapris have been a male bastion. While women remained housebound, men traversed […]
I have always been a staunch supporter of travelling responsibly. I am not an expert in this field but in my own personal capacity, I do my bit. I try to keep the environment clean, carry my own water bottle, use public transport, support local community and propagate the idea through my blog and social media. But, there are times […]
Round white tables with wooden chairs, transparent glass tumblers with steaming chai, steel glasses for water, memorabilia from the 70s and 80s on the wall, signs in Hindi all over the place, chequered black and white floor and even a ‘nimbu-mirchi’ strung together to ward off the evil eye! There is a word for the faculty […]
In the midst of the recent dark days of my soul, a dear friend called me. She was doing this exercise in gratitude every day where she would write and give thanks for something that she wanted but was yet to manifest in her life. It was something that I had told her to do […]
My first introduction to the unrepeatable David Bowie was Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. A disturbing, cathartic, strangely uplifting film about war that was made in 1983 by Nagisa Oshima. Bowie played Major Jack Celliers, a mind bending war prisoner who is so free, nothing can break him. Not violence. Not torture. Not perverse mind games. […]
The cherry blossom-laden mind, Sways to the music, Of the, nonchalant wind, Painted in dreams, hopes, Of memories left behind, A few petals disembark, into realms wistful, A few soar, Some plummet, Others open their dewy eyes, Blush in sunshine, Gone, are the dreary winter mornings, Gone is the mist, The darkness, Once seemingly unending, So now we smile unafraid, And […]
The ad I’m taking on today is actually one that’s being hailed as progressive and gender inclusive by many on social media. That’s right; I’m talking about BIBA’s new “Change is Beautiful” ad. However, I’m disappointed to report that it’s not as ground breaking and stereotype changing as the makers would have you believe. Here’s […]
The ad I am reviewing today is by Everest Masalas. The commercial starts with a woman in her office, thinking of, or rather vividly picturing her daughter asking her “Aaj kya banega?” (What will you make today?). She goes home, looking mildly frustrated and asks her two kids and husband, “roz roz kya banaun?”(What am I […]
When a friend of mine asked me to review Angry Indian Goddesses, I was quite apprehensive. I don’t have what is generally considered “good taste” in films. I’m a little ashamed to admit that my films of choice are cheesy chick flicks that end with confessions of love and kisses in the snow. However, I […]