Comfortably Numb - Sheila Kumar's Storehouse

Book review: My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff

`We must talk about Jerry` MY SALINGER YEAR by Joanna Rakoff. Bloomsbury Books, 2014 release. Obviously, the author will have Salinger fans at the second word in the book`s title, but it really is a lovely read, all of it. The peg is irresistible: a young New Yorker freshly graduated having majored in literature, goes…

Guest column: To inconvenience and be inconvenienced

To inconvenience and be inconvenienced, that`s the Indian way Some years ago I was sitting next to an Australian tourist in a coach headed to Kovalam. First, they showed a movie, with tinny sound turned up to full volume. Those of us not interested in watching the 80s movie kept silent because other passengers might…

Book review: Return of the Brahmin by Ravi Shankar Etteth

Excitement redux The Brahmin, that enigmatic Machiavellian warrior-strategist, is back, and engages the reader as intensely as he did when Ravi Shankar Etteth first introduced us to the character in 2018. For the necessary recap aimed at those who have yet to read the first book, the Brahmin is spymaster to Ashoka, ruler of Pataliputra, eventual…

Guest column: Korea`s intriguing Tamil connect

Vanakkam, Seoul: the intriguing Tamil connect It doesn’t take long for the hardcore Kdrama fan/certified Koreaboo (that would be people obsessed with Korean culture) from India to sit up and take notice of several familiar sounding words that fall from the lips of a Kim, Park, Choi or Song on-screen. Out in South Korea (and…

Book review: It`s a Wonderful Life by Ruskin Bond

IT`S A WONDERFUL LIFE: Roads to Happiness by Ruskin Bond, Aleph Books. So, before the cynics (and yes, there are a few about) go into a spasm of eye-rolls at this latest offering from the Ruskin Bond factory, I need to say this: so, yes, not all the short pieces featured in this book are…

Book review: Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles

My Wednesday review of this week is going to be a most enthusiastic one. Just finished reading IKIGAI, The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles (Penguin UK Books), and I totally recommend everyone has a go at this. It`s a neat but not dumbed down simplification of…

Feature: As light as air

As light as air The origin story of my soufflé-making is now lost in the mists of time. However, I will admit that it had a lot to do with the fact that, after a string of epic fails with everyday lunches, I turned to baking under the impression that baked dinners would make for…

Guest column: Patriarchy in the land of matriarchy

Patriarchy in the land of matriarchy Even as Kerala tops the list on the human development, literacy, low infant mortality, high life expectancy indices, it remains at par if not worse than other states in one respect: the disrespect of women. The empowerment of Malayali women has been slowly eroding over the years, and this…

Travel: Castlerigg Stone Circle in England`s Lake District

Circle of enigma The stone circle at Castlerigg in England`s Lake District is believed to be the earliest of its kind in all Europe. Last night, I dreamt I went to Castlerigg again. These, of course, are the wistful dreams engendered by the times we are living in, but Castlerigg is one place I really…

Feature: The Sonora Jha Interview

`Tenderness and empathy are the pillars of feminism for boys` Professor of journalism, writer, activist Sonora Jha `s latest book How to Raise a Feminist Son is a lived experience manifesto, a brave meld of the personal and the political. Every chapter parses the complexities of feminism, the weight of traditional tropes, gender binaries in films…