Comfortably Numb - Sheila Kumar's Storehouse

Opinion: Is all staring offensive?

To stare or not to stare Let me start with a confession. I`m a starer. Put it down to my Malayali genes. For those who are not Mallu or have no Mallu friends (really?): the state of Kerala wins all staring contests hands down. This is no mean feat in a country that stares. We…

Book review: Learning from Silence by Pico Iyer

When silence speaks Pico Iyer`s companion volume to his iconic The Art Of Stillness (2014) is out, titled Learning from Silence, as also Aflame. The second title seems to be derived from a Desert Father (an early Christian hermit) who said, `If you so wish, you can become aflame.` Picking up from where the first…

Book review: The Baby Dragon Cafe by AT Qureshi

Love amidst dragonfire Adding to the growing pantheon of easy, breezy reads is the New York based AT Qureshi`s love-and-dragons book. Be warned though: it reads young. The protagonist Saphira runs a café for people who wish to bring their baby dragons in while they relish a cuppa chai or coffee, or something more exotic…

Book review: The Outsiders by Devi Yesodharan

Looking out, looking in The migrant experience is explored through the perspective of two outsiders, in this book. One is a teacher from Kerala who comes to Dubai in the 1990s scouting better prospects. The other is a sailor who reaches the fabled lost port of Muziris in 213 CE. Both these stories deal with…

Book review: Rhapsody Road by Ravi Shankar Etteth

RHAPSODY ROAD Poems by Ravi Shankar Etteth, Om Books. This slim volume of poetry is conclusive proof that the author, who I`ve known since forever, is still one of the most consummate word-wielders that I have read in my long reading life. Rhapsody Road is a slim anthology containing poetry of love, longing, celebration and…

Feature: Theyyam: of the people, for the people

Dancing with fire and spirits The human aspects of the mystic ritual are fascinating, heartwarming It`s still dark at 4.20 am and the crowds are slowly building. The atmosphere is akin to a carnival, underpinned by stalls selling plastic toys and hard-boiled eggs. Friends are greeting each other, enquiring after Shantechi, and why Jibin hasn’t…

For the Love of Apricots by Madhulika Liddle

Love in the orchard Madhulika Liddle, cross-genre writer, creator of the splendid gumshoe of Mughal times, Muzzafar Jang, as well as of the ongoing Delhi Quartet series, goes off on an unexpected but sweet tangent with this book, a romance set in the Uttarakhand foothills. Why apricots, specifically? Liddle tells us that according to Armenian…

Opinion: A manifesto for manifesting things

Long before it became a big thing on TikTok and other socials, the art of manifesting was much beloved of life coaches across the world. Over a decade ago, a close friend would keep urging me to close my eyes and manifest whatever it was that I needed `the universe to do,` assuring me it…

Book review: Too Good To Be True by Prajakta Koli

Much ado about nothing Prajakta Koli aka MostlySane, wears many hats and apparently wears them adroitly: she is an uber-popular digital content creator/actor/fierce advocate for social causes. And now that she has written her debut fiction, a rom-com titled Too Good to be True, you can hear the cheering from fans loud and clear. The…