Comfortably Numb - Sheila Kumar's Storehouse

Book review: The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony

I did this the wrong way around. I read An Elephant in my Kitchen by Françoise Malby-Anthony first. Less than a quarter of the way into that book, we read about the death of Francoise’s amazing husband, the south African conservationists legend Lawrence Anthony. Françoise tells us how the herd of elephants Lawrence had saved…

Feature: Down with Brown!

Fashion in Dune, Tan, Walnut, Cinnamon? No, Thank You I`m anti-brown. Not where terra firma is concerned. Not in furniture, though brown sofas invariably give me a nagging headache. Not on footwear and handbags, though I did bin my LV Neverfull tote for a Michael Kors bag the colour of blood on the dance floor….

Travel: Thotlakonda, Andhra Pradesh

History on a hill Thotlakonda in Andhra Pradesh is today a hazy hark-back to its glorious Buddhist traditions It’s a hot day, a very hot day in fact. The sun glares down mercilessly and I`m glad of the foresight to have carried a hat. There is a strong breeze blowing, though, carrying…

Book review: Where the Indus is Young by Dervla Murphy

I agree that this book was written back when times were less complicated, when people generally minded their own business and didn’t waste time or energy in trolling others. However. Where the Indus is Young is Dervla Murphy`s 1977 account of three months spent in the wilderness of Baltistan, living the rough life, subsisting on apricots…

Feature: In conversation with Andaleeb Wajid

‘I write constantly, consistently’: Andaleeb Wajid Andaleeb Wajid is a household name in Bengaluru, with a large oeuvre —18 novels and counting — that spans genres like Young Adult, romance, sci-fi and horror. Recently, a couple of her books have been optioned by film production houses. Wajid started off with slice-of-life stories about…

Book review: Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup

Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup (HarperCollins Books). What an assured debut! Shubhangi Swarup`s Latitudes of Longing is in one short succinct word, astonishing. Writing like a geologist with a magic pen, Swarup spins a story that at its core, is a love story to the mountains, to the sea, to the earth and the…

Book review: Lullaby by Leila Slimani

Cradle fall and all This book is such an immersive experience, you find yourself exhaling long and deeply when you come to the last page. It’s the kind of book where you sit up as something strikes you; where you wince as you see what`s coming before the characters do. Where you sharply draw…

Photo Feature: Critters of Odisha

All photos by Sheila Kumar. All images are subject to copyright. A collage of creatures seen across Odisha during our recent trip therein Outside the Lingaraja temple complex in Bhubaneshwar. Making light of history at the Rajarani temple in Bhubaneshwar. Two comrades outside the Khandagiri Caves outside Bhubaneshwar. Calmly appropriating…

Travel: Indian Tourists: The Way We Are

Nightmare tourists on steroids When on holiday, we desis know just how to jump from being bindaas to crass. I read of the incident that happened last month where the Royal Caribbean International line had to refund passengers after 1,300 Indian men from a gutka company came on board the Voyager of the Seas for…

Travel: Dambulla Caves, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka`s Dambulla Cave Temple stuns the viewer into an awed silence. Of late, I have broken a long-time habit, that of reading up on a place before I visit it. Because, when you go someplace you know little or nothing about, the visual pleasure of what you come across is underlaid with…