Conversations around art
Conversations around art Review of ‘The Book of Chocolate Saints’ by Jeet Thayil Jatin Das hasn’t probably read this book yet but what he said a couple of days back is relevant because he talks of the present having ‘no conversations around art. No one critiques it – there is no space to discuss...
There is no poetry in smog
There is no poetry in smog Over and around us Bad air surrounds us We have constructed this demon On our own For our own And think we have won. Nothing is clear Except the fear That our misdeeds may never be undone. . . . . . . Arvind Passey 07 November 2017 PS:...
We accept that we are more Indian than you think
We live in a country that is around 3,214 kms from north to south and about 2,933 kms from east to west with a land frontier of about 15,200 kms. According to the 2011 census, we have 623.2 million males and 587.5 females and this massive population lives on a mere 2.4 percent of the...
Open up… you’re in India
The strangest thing about being an Indian is that we believe quite a bit of all that dear Bollywood feeds us… or all that gets fixated in our minds because we have not yet seen the complete picture. The give-me-some-sugar-in-a-bowl myth Such neighbors are everywhere and there is absolutely no escape from them. There will...
Spent. And finished – is it?
Spent. And finished – is it? Review of ‘One Indian Girl’ written by Chetan Bhagat Radhika Mehta, who ‘makes a lot of money’, has ‘an opinion on everything’, and has had sex is the sort of person who has no inhibition in saying, ‘Why can’t women get a wife?’ With her as the protagonist...
What the cow said
Always in the news Open to views The cow remains confused Thinks its name is over-used One cow that looked in my eyes Felt it understood lies That wore a guise of faith Without understanding fate.
Skill progress is all about willingness to adopt and adapt
Skill progress is all about willingness to adopt and adapt Progress is another buzzword in the corridors of power today. There are multiple reports applauding the statistics that administrators placed throughout India are loading the decision-makers in the Centre. According to newspaper columns, the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna “is aiming at training one crore...
I’m no fan of a ban
We’re already under an umbrella of bans in this country. The clear blue sky of a free voice has already been effectively muffled and the people holding this umbrella are telling us that it is too dangerous to even peep out. Asking for the removal of this umbrella is unheard of in the corridors of...
REDI to buy a new car? GO!
Buying a new car is no longer about going to the only showroom in your city and going round the only model you could afford and then deciding on a thin choice of colours. It is much more complex than all this. Cars from all over the world including this 1966 Ford Mustang convertible for...
To those who look through the spotted deer
The funny fact about most people visiting wildlife reserves is that they tend to prefer wearing bright coloured caps of all sorts, clothes that would make even the wild hog snigger and keep looking into the screens of their smartphones, saying, ‘There is no network here.’ And every time you meet a canter-full of them...
Four short poems on peace
Four short poems on peace Poem 01 A page A stage A gist A mist A herd A bird A still A thrill Stitch peace Piece by piece
I’m not paid enough – Life on the streets of Delhi
A friend from London who was touring India told me once, ‘Life is easy in India. Everything is so inexpensive.’ I looked at him in mild surprise and asked him to give me a few days to show that Delhi wasn’t an easy city to live in. As he turned to go, I saw some...
