Beyond the thorns
Rumi writes that ‘bougainvillea dances with the wind’ even in the heart of summer’s blaze. Other writers have called it ‘a beacon of hope,’ a ‘symphony of colours,’ a ‘flame burning bright amidst the darkness,’ and the truth is there for each of us to see and experience. If you look close enough beyond the...
Almost like the brushstrokes of Monet
Why just Monet. Or Van Gogh. It could also be a word from a sonnet, a beat from a musical composition, a story by Haruki Murakami, or find even Howard Roark dreaming of his creations. It is here that one may stumble upon an inspired moment that created any kind of art anywhere in the...
A Thrilling Dive into a Gathering of Tanka Verses
Words love other words and have that strange magical power to turn each of their get-togethers into duels, sermons, inquisitions, insights, decisions, barbs, directions or whatever else they are asked to do. Sometimes we just let them clump into complex shapes that defy any description and allow them to go on with their search. It...
The curse of Kuldhara – book review
There are suspense and thriller tales that hardly ever let the adrenalin rush subside, those where calculated risks abound and then yet others where the power of the narrative scores. ‘The curse of Kuldhara’ by Richa S Mukherjee has all of these in scattered evenly and, in addition, is also like a delectable mix of...
Battleworthy thoughts on National security
National security situations that have impacted Indian political thinking on war – both limited and otherwise – and even other security-related challenges need not just an unbiased retelling of what happened but must also be insightful and courageous enough to express reflections that are not obfuscated by mere political alliances. The book that I have...
History simplified
Past, like green hues, waves,Waits, not uttering a word –It knows how words changeIf not spoken correctlyThough even silence misleads. But the past patientlyPrefers to remain quietBecause words, it knows,Are engines that hurry awayInto the unknown… somewhere… Leaving severed timeBleeding green, yet waitingFor hustling feet toTo pay heed to what the headSwaying backwards, tries to...
Those who think clearly, listen
The art of thinking clearly needs above average listening skills. One way to develop this skill is to listen to books being read out to you… particularly by people who know how to read well. By the way, even when we read books, our mind pauses other activities and listens carefully… and we call this...
The importance of being different
‘I don’t like kindle. It doesn’t smell like a book,’ tweeted a friend, and the words left me wondering if a kindle must really smell and feel like something that it is not. For instance, a book never adopts the smugness of a smartphone, and it doesn’t bother me. Our obsession with making everything seem...
Which way to go?
While on treks even I have often noticed, as did Oorja, the protagonist in ‘Mapping Love,’ the debut novel by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, that everyone is ‘in a hurry although everything around them is slow. They know that they have to make things happen before the sun sets…’ The narrative pace of this book, as...
Love sandwiched between drugs, fanaticism, politics, and patriarchy
I remember when I was posted in Bhatinda, a friendly chemist there near Birla Mill colony told me that he sells tons of Dulcolax. So many cases of severe constipation? I asked. Addicts actually, he replied, and so I realized that drug addiction was rampant in those parts of Malwa region in Punjab. This happened...
Khabar Pakki Hai!
Khabar pakki hai?Khabar pakki hai!Where is the point in spending even that oft talked about twenty minutes reading a daily newspaper or that hour or so gaping at the idiot-box if all one gets to read or listen or see is stuff that may or may not be right. Or meaningful. When I read that...
The secret life of aggressive loudspeakers
This post is a satire on the use of loudspeakers... and also loud speakers.
