Sheila Kumar - Comfortably Numb

Comfortably Numb

Sheila Kumar's Storehouse

Feature: Alternative Therapies for the Mind

Healing differently Today, there seems to be plenty of alternatives to the psychiatrist’s couch. There was a time when the troubles that affected the mind and mental well-being of a person were discreetly swept underneath a rug. Then, times changed and the few who ventured to face their demons found themselves in the psychiatrist’s office, pouring…

Book review: Transgressions by Vaiju Naravane

Avalanche of secrets Adultery, betrayal, loneliness, family friction… all put together with quiet assurance. Journalist and editor Vaiju Naravane’s first book is about the troubled relationships people enter into and exit from in life. Kranti Goray is a proverbial Maharashtrian girl next door who emerges rather violently from her chrysalis, becomes something of a…

Book review: The Blind Lady`s Descendants by Anees Salim

The bungalow of tales The Blind Lady’s Descendants. The title of Anees Salim’s book has a Márquez-like ring to it; what’s more, the story plays out very like a Márquez tale, slowly reeling the reader in and soon getting her/him thoroughly invested and involved in the fraught family drama being played out on the…

Humour: The half doctrine

The half doctrine Ever since the Famous Author promoted the half idea, I have been wondering who originally developed this earth-shattering concept. Was it Aryabhata, who after…

Travel: Lyon, a moveable feast – In between bites

I have got to be honest and upfront about it: I had come to Lyon to eat. This city that sits tidily between two charming and seemingly placid rivers, the Rhone coming down from the Alpin glaciers and the Saone coming in from northeastern France, is one that the French, an epicurean nation if there…

Photo Feature: Cats of Turkey

Cats of Turkiye, a pictorial representation All pics by Sheila Kumar. All images subject to copyright. A short note on Istanbulli felines: Locals call Istanbul Catstanbul at times; many hundreds of felines — 1,25,000 at last count — roam the streets in complete and confident freedom and have…

Book review: The Treasure of Kafur by Aroon Raman

More than just a treasure hunt One helping of history, one helping of fantasy and a spicy mix of adventure make for a thrilling read. In the author’s note, Aroon Raman states that he has not hesitated to play fast and loose with historical facts. This is a disarming confession, and one that has the…

Book review: The Gypsy Goddess by Meena Kandasamy

A carnage recalled Reading about the worst Dalit massacre in TN back in 1968, the reader recognises with a shock that neither people nor times change much. Poet-activist Meena Kandasamy’s first novel, The Gypsy Goddess, is a rambunctious read. Now, this is an odd way to talk of a book that is a retelling of…

Humour: Book? Launched!

Book? Launched! In which an unsuspecting writer goes to launch a book and comes away the wiser for it My mother’s neighbour’s son wrote a book. He found a publisher and now it was time for the launch. I was asked if I would please ‘do the needful’. My mother being very fond of his…

Feature: The Das Sreedharan Interview

‘Food is god to me’ In conversation with London-based chef, restaurateur and inveterate rice-lover, Das Sreedharan. Das Sreedharan went to London to study accountancy, but ended up opening the Rasa chain of restaurants and making his mark in global cuisine. Sreedharan, who appears frequently on British television, is the author of four popular cookbooks and…