Sheila Kumar - Comfortably Numb

Comfortably Numb

Sheila Kumar's Storehouse

Book review: Himalaya, an Anthology edited by Ruskin Bond and Namita Gokhale

This is more a brief take than review. In high places Every book I read which fixes its focus on the Himalaya mountain range, as well as the world`s highest peak Everest, further feeds my fascination with the mountains, with that mountain. This book is a varied collection of mountain tales from some highly acclaimed…

Book review: Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbagh; translation by Srinath Perur

This is more a brief take than review. The ties that bind…hard Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag. Translated by Srinath Perur. Harper Perennial Books. This little gem of a story deals in domestic doings, and the teller of the tale is an unnamed male at the centre of everything that is happening to his family….

Travel: Borra caves, Araku Valley

Of deep dark structures These caves are really the jewel in the Araku Valley`s crown. A recent visit to Andhra Pradesh`s Araku Valley near Vizag was just that bit underwhelming for someone who has lived in the Nilgiri hills. The Araku valley is a nice enough hill station which is part of…

Book review: Always A Parent by Gouri Dange

Roadmap for rapport A guide to traverse a tricky relationship road. It`s a fact of life. Children grow up, marry, beget children themselves. Parents stay parents, just growing older. They continue to view their offspring as appendages to be forever kept under wing, protected, fussed over, guided, led. The (grown) children see this as intrusions,…

Book review: The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

Spy on the run The Twilight author pens a spy thriller with mixed results. I have to start with a confession – I have enjoyed Stephanie Meyer’s other books; the Twilight series, as well as The Host. Yes, they were flawed and definitely cannot be considered as literary fiction but I was kept engaged by…

Photo Feature: Jaipur`s jharokas and more!

All photographs by Sheila Kumar. Images are subject to copyright. Links to my other Photo Features: Photo Feature: Picture Postcards Photo Feature: Critters of Odisha Photo Feature: Eden and its serpent! Photo Feature: Eating Chinese food in China Photo Feature: Paths in the Kumaon foothills Photo Feature: China chronicles Photo Feature:…

Excerpts: Suspected Poems by Gulzar

Suspected Poems by Gulzar. Translated by Pavan K Varma.

Book review: Standing on an Apple Box by Aishwaryaa Rajnikanth Dhanush

This is more a brief take than review. STANDING ON AN APPLE BOX by AISHWARYAA RAJINIKANTH DHANUSH. HarperCollins India Publishers. Things we learn from these winning essays by one who just happens to be the daughter of a Living Legend (come on, this calls for capitals!) and the wife of a shining star in the Tamil firmament:…

Book review: Walking The Himalayas by Levison Wood

Walking the Himalayas by Levison Wood. Hodder Books/Hachette India. A couple of disclaimers need to be inserted at the start of this review. One, I`m a sucker for any book that has the word `Himalayas` in its title. Two, the rather edifying jacket pic played its part in my picking up this book. That aside,…

Book review: Songs of the Cauvery by Kalyanaraman Durgadas

The flow of life By the banks of the Cauvery in Tamil Nadu, a set of people try to make sense of their life and times. As the nineteenth century draws to a close and the twentieth appears on the horizon, India`s freedom struggle is fast gaining traction. This story is set in the…