When readers imagine what happened in a story
Review of ‘Shadow of the past’ by Mayank Manohar. Let me say at the start that Mayank, the author, has everything in place for him… a tale that relates to lot of people, experience of writing short and long pieces, and the courage to move a perfectly fine idea into a novel. He was probably...
Standing on the parapet dangerously: Review of ‘Life is always aimless…’
Akash was standing on the parapet dangerously, about to end his life, when he finally decides he is in love and now has ‘an intense urge to record his feeling of deep love for Maria and life,’ and decides to live on. Throughout the novel I felt I was on the edge of some parapet...
That’s right. I write
Years back I was interviewing the Chief Editor of CBT and one of the questions that I asked was, ‘How much do you love writing?’ ‘Writing is a pain,’ he answered, without waiting and then went on, ‘it tortures me and yet I write. That’s right. I write.’ I left the interpretation of ‘writing is...
Shoot to smile
Shoot and smile are two words that I love to associate with any of the gadgets that I tend to use. So whether it is a smartphone or a tab, the first thing I try to explore is the camera and the possibilities of editing apps. The screen resolution is important but what is more...
Creative energy redefined
Somewhere between absurdity and anti-absurdity is the zone where real creative energy can be found. The sort creative energy that is conveyed by the letter ‘A’ in the international radio phonetic alphabet, an unofficial leader, the first letter of the Greek alphabet, the beginning or creation, or a dominant individual in a pack or group...
The strength of a zealot. Review of ‘Private India’
Attention is like that ‘fine line between life and death’ transforming a thriller into a readable book or being shelved for some future reading which is as good as it being sentenced to a life in company of millions of unread words. Every book looks for the zealot lurking inside a reader, and who is...
What doesn’t work
We are funny creatures because we are forever focusing on what works. Right from our childhood we’re told, ‘Look for the best solutions.’ Seems sensible… but the truth is that it is absolutely daft. Listen, unless you know what is correct or what doesn’t work, what in blazes will you be searching for? Therefore, I...
Heart, happiness, and home
My home isn’t a museum Nor a theatre or an office And surely not a warehouse My home is where my heart is. My home isn’t a maxim Nor an idiom or a proverb And surely not a grammar textbook My home is where my happiness is. My home isn’t a battlefield Nor a research...
Ranks and egos: Review of ‘Love @ Air Force’
If you think the book is an academic dissection of the Indian Air Force, please do not go near this one because though the book does take you inside the mind of a few uniformed men, it stops much before you could be in a position to even sight a base. As I read on,...
In love with my hatchback
‘What’s good in a Wagon R?’ asked a friend once. I said, ‘Space.’ Space… is what I like best in this car. When you’re inside, you’re certainly never claustrophobic. The car is literally maintenance-free and isn’t demanding at all. It can rush through a crowd, it can zip up the mountains, it can take on...
The poetry of logical ideas
Life is not an artistic mystery, but a mathematical equation. Specky, my wife says so. She even quotes Albert Einstein: “If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut.” And whenever she does that, I just...
Who got hit? – Review of ‘Chennai Express’
Yes, who got hit? What gets hit is surely not the real in me… and certainly not the fantasy within me. The movie actually made the fantasy genes in me prance with a lot of joy and the real in me was relieved to find a break worth the time spent watching this movie. I...
