Sheila Kumar - Comfortably Numb

Book review: Feminism and Contemporary Women Writers: Rethinking Subjectivity by Radha Chakravarty

Feminist voices An in-depth account of how six women writers view women vis-a-vis the world. There had to come a time when our post- colonial, post-Modern, post-feminist sisters would actually ask, “What is feminism?” That time, sadly, may be now. After the glorious age of Millett, Steinem, Friedan, Wolf and Co., the Movement continues to…

Feature: Tamil Cinema, That Vicious Circle

The vicious circle When it comes to Chennai city, is it art imitating life or the other way around, asks Sheila Kumar. Reel to real The other day, someone close to me was accosted on a dimly-lit lane off Greams Road. The road was deserted, and the young woman was returning home when a motorcyclist…

Feature: When Jethro Tull Rocked Bangalore

Rock and roll will never die For days before the show hit town, there were groups of people going around Bangalore with a beatific ‘It’s-a-miracle -no-less’ look on their faces. The group gathered others like them, who gathered others like them and then, a few thousands in strength, they shuffled…

Feature: Ageing Gracefully

Grace while greying Ageing is not all bad news because the years also bestow certain attributes. Praise it or blame it on the times we live in. Ageing can be retarded, arrested, prevented in many ways, ranging from top-draw and extremely expensive lotions and potions, Botox and fillers, myriad surgical interventions, and the like. And…

Feature: Those Little White Lies

Little white lies! Men and women tell lies to each other, sometimes deliberately, sometimes unwittingly. There’s a reason behind the pile of untruths. No one wants to tell lies, we promise you that. Sometimes, it is to cover up an error, at other times, to spare someone from getting hurt. What we are dealing…

Travel: Bhojeshwar Temple, Madhya Pradesh

Jai, Jai Shivshankar Even as the ASI begins work on the landmark Bhojeshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh, Sheila Kumar pays tribute to an unfinished dream When I read about the ASI starting renovation work on the Bhojeshwar Shiva temple in Madhya Pradesh, I couldn’t help but recall a visit to the magnificent shrine some…

Travel: Train rides I have gone on

JOURNEYS Ticket to ride A recent news item said that all the short-haul trains, the Shatabdis, Deccan Queen, the Brindaban Express , were running almost always full, while flights were going near empty. Oil prices apart, this didn’t surprise me one bit. The thing is, I still remember the days when train travel was…

Feature: Hair Attack!

Hair Attack! Your hair really is you. So what happens if it is wild and unruly, with a mind of its own? Sheila Kumar takes you through her tress trauma. I watch Madonna with a fixed intensity. I have been doing so for years now. You may think I’m a die-hard fan of the…

Book review: Paresh Maity`s Kerala Book

A radiant light An already lush landscape comes alive under the artistic gaze. Sometimes, one just has to deal in clichés to arrive at the inescapable truth. Here the cliché is a landscape artist taking a trip to the ultimate Eden. Art aficionados worldwide rejoiced at the result of a similar trip Maity made some…

Humour: He snores, she suffers

He snores, she suffers Who suffers more, the snorer or his spouse? SHEILA KUMAR delves into this debate Did you, perceptive reader, notice how the male of the species has been singled out in the blurb accompanying this article? Before a PIL is filed against this writer by irate (snoring and non-snoring) men, I have to…