Comfortably Numb - Sheila Kumar's Storehouse

Hoi An, land of lanterns – travel

Hoi An: land of lanterns It`s the lanterns that catch the eye first. Bamboo and silk structures swaying in the gentle breeze of the daytime, lit by lamps to cast a luminous glow in the balmy nights. Lanterns of lacquer red, royal purple, azure blue, fuchsia pink, molten gold…and pristine white. They…

Photo feature: Out and about in Vietnam

All photos by Sheila Kumar and subject to copyright.

Book review: Table for One by Sumaa Tekur

TABLE FOR ONE by Sumaa Tekur. Hay House. The tagline for this book reads: a solo living manual for the curious Indian woman. As manuals go, it is direct, (very) helpful and packed with information a woman about to live solo could parse to her benefit. The one outstanding quality of Tekur`s writing is her…

Photo Feature: Portals in the Angkor temples of Cambodia

All photos by Sheila Kumar and subject to copyright.

Photo Feature: The glorious temples of Angkor Wat

All photos by Sheila Kumar and subject to copyright.

Feature: Kochi-Muziris Biennale: the human condition through art

Art imitating life The fifth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, arguably India’s best art show, is on again at a handful of venues in Kochi, mostly in the Fort Kochi area. The 2022-23 edition, curated by Shubigi Rao, puts on display a large swathe of story-telling through film, installations, photography and art, from a wide…

Feature: A prolific chef and his new venture LUPA

From strength to delectable strength We all know of prolific authors/artists/musicians but Bangalore has the happy distinction of having one very prolific chef, the uberpopular Chef Manu Chandra. Having burst onto the local food scene in 2004 with his Olive Beach, the past years have seen Chef Manu helming pleasing and profitable eateries both in…

Book review: Bangalore Blues by Kirtana Kumar

BANGALORE BLUES by Kirtana Kumar. Little Jasmine Press. So, this delightful book is in a category of its own: it`s an IFYYK book. There are 32 short stories (and one poem) in here, along with a very moving essay, and all of them are guaranteed to strike a chord with ye olde Bangalorean (YOB). By…

Book review: Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor

The good, bad and the ugly Deepti Kapoor blew readers away with her 2014 debut novel, A Bad Character. Nine years on, she`s back with Age of Vice and it would be no exaggeration whatsoever to say that this book too, is blowing readers away. Adopting an almost austere style in telling the old- old…

Book review: The Half Known Life by Pico Iyer

The Half-known Life, In Search of Paradise by Pico Iyer. Penguin Books. The gifted writer sets out in search of a paradise on earth as well as in the mind. No prizes for guessing where the true paradise is to be found, of course. Iyer gets in a deeply reflective state of mind as he…