“No !” rang the journalist’s voice, laced with desperation, dripping with anguish. “I did not kill her.” His lawyer looked at him and smiled – a confident smile that said, “Don’t worry – we’ll win.” She’d been a very famous model. They’d been seeing each other regularly. Two months back, she had been found dead in her […]
I see you. I have been there. Me too. Is it fair to air stories about my battle when Gay’s memoir is utterly raw and intimate? I don’t know. But Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body has exhumed some painful memories and writing about those here will be a comforting exercise in catharsis. I was a few […]
“What’s your name,” Coraline asked the cat. “Look, I’m Coraline. Okay?” “Cats don’t have names,” it said. “No?” said Coraline. “No,” said the cat. “Now you people have names. That’s because you don’t know who you are. We know who we are, so we don’t need names.” ― Coraline by Neil Gaiman I wait while […]
The shorter days and longer nights make me thankful for the warmth of the sun and the long lazy days of summer that never ended. Pumpkins, squash and sweet potatoes in abundance remind me that Mother Earth will provide for us even when the cold winter winds blow. A roof over our heads and family […]
Those who remember the 2015 season of MasterChef Australia may remember an imperturbable Billie McKay nailing a perversely difficult sugar globe in the finale to land not just the title, the prize money and lifelong stardom but the chance to work alongside Heston Blumenthal in his iconic Fat Duck restaurant in London. Once there, she retreated from limelight to […]
The most interesting thing about Imtiaz Ali’s Jab Harry Met Sejal is Shah Rukh Khan and the reimagining of Raj, the lover who knew he could not fail at life or love. The film shows us what would have happened if Raj had lost Simran after that fateful train journey through Europe and shrunk into […]
The generation of women that came before mine had a different view by and large of what abuse and violation represented. I remember being told many versions of “apni izzat apne haath mein hoti hai” (your honour is in your hands) while growing up and in my twenties by women who could not understand why I […]
The pain of men Is the crux of noir It’s why girlfriends Are found in fridges The pain of men Is stoic Quietly eats away at the men The pain of men Drives revenge epics Fuels classical tragedies The pain of men Ennobles, somehow The pain of women Is everyday Everywoman And when it is […]
Me too. Me too. Me too. No matter how many times I say it, it won’t be anywhere near enough. Strangers on the street, boyfriends, acquaintances at parties, “friendly” uncles, neighbours- the reality that our bodies belong to everyone but ourselves is one that women realize rather early into their lives. The first time I […]
It is hard to deny that the most beautiful season has finally come with its inevitable fall of leaves, chill in the air, and a sense of impending renewal. How delightful it is to relax as you hug a favourite blanket, and, of course, drink hot chocolate or spicy tea as the season ambles by. It doesn’t matter who […]
“Everything is fair in love and war,” says Rajkumar Rao’s vindictive hero in the viral trailer for Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aaana. This could have been the tagline of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati. The difference is that in the first film, the hero is avenging himself by punishing the woman who broke his heart. He wants […]
It is heart breaking for a teacher to see adolescents killing themselves over an online virtual game which challenges them to do self-harming tasks in real life. It is equally heart breaking to read about the exam, admission, IIT studies, NEET etc related suicides. What are we doing to our youngsters? Are we driving them […]