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 […]
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Tag: death
How To Tame Your Hawk
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 […]
Valsa Mathew: A Tribute
I did not know Valsa Mathew but sometimes, you do not need to know a person too well to imbibe instantly and with absolute certainty that there is something very special about her. I first saw Valsa nearly a decade or so ago when accompanied by my mother, I went to her son Vivek Mathew’s […]
Of Grief, Loss And Hope
Confessional writing can tear you apart, plunge deep into your darkest memories and like EM Forster would say, spread them out in the sunlight so that you as well those reading you can know the meaning of them. But there is confessional writing that seeks to understand and resolve pain and writing that just wants […]
Aruna Shanbaug: A Tribute
She was no Nirbhaya…. Not born in the age of fast news; No voices, no candles, no protests, Grieved for her! She hadn’t gone out with a friend; No jeans; no mobiles; No reason for fingers to be pointed! Being a woman, her only fault! Half the world missed her story… A story…. Of […]
Shonali Bose: From Darkness To Radiance
Margarita, With a Straw continues its triumphant journey across the world, taking director Shonali Bose to assorted festival podiums and vindicating her belief in her brave, little film, again and again. In an interview, Bose recounts the loss, the pain and the cathartic emotions that led to the making of the film. The tragedy […]
Mistake
I could feel my heart thumping and beads of perspiration sliding down my forehead as I took a deep breath and stepped onto the metallic rail that slithered into the night. My body stiffened as I saw a beam of light emerging from the tunnel. “This is it,” I thought as I squeezed my eyes […]
What Growing Older Teaches You
A lot of advertising revolves around the horrors of growing old. They remind you again and again, your face needs to defy age. There are serums and potions out there that can erase signs of ageing. Magazines tell you how to fight cellulite. How to get rid of the muffin top belly. How to work […]
Intimations Of Mortality
Atul Gawande`s Being Mortal (Penguin Books) cuts rather too close to the family bone, so an impersonal review is difficult. To rage or not to rage against the dying light? That is what the author asks in this book. Dr Gawande, author of a set of very thought-provoking books like Complications, Better and The Checklist Manifesto, tackles […]
Not Worth Losing A Life Over
Losing a wicket is a far far better thing to strive for. No batsman would say that under normal circumstances, but given Phil Hughes’ death, he would certainly say that. **The sight of a fast bowler tearing into a batsman has been one of cricket’s most romanticized images, especially in the pre-helmet era. It was […]
Death With Dignity?
Editor’s note: This is perspective piece and we may agree or disagree but it is worth a read. After one final flash of colour, the trees are losing their leaves and getting ready for winter. Winter! The very thought of it makes me shiver. And makes me want to run away to Florida where I […]
Gone…
She was left behind on the marbled staircase Just as she had begun to climb the first step into Solid colour. She could see pastels floating above her head Escaping as she tried to hold on to them. They floated up into the fluffy white mantle Lingering on the horizon before gliding towards Celestial city. […]