Comfortably Numb - Sheila Kumar's Storehouse

Travel: Chartres, France

Catatonic in Chartres The beauty of the ancient cathedral as well as losing her wallet rendered SHEILA KUMAR utterly speechless in Chartres. OK, first things first. The shrine is all it claims to be. The oldest and most beautiful cathedral in Europe, say the guidebooks. On this chilly, late autumn morning, it stands in…

Feature: Litany, A Poem

Litany Don’t. Don’t dislodge that face veil, that head covering. Don’t sit with your thighs apart. Don’t refuse to open those thighs for him. Don’t let your eyes dance. Don’t let your voice lilt. Don’t lock gazes. With anyone. Don’t forget to cover your mouth when you laugh. Oh, and don’t smile so much. Don’t…

Travel: Hampi, Karnataka

Going around Hampi is a practice session in rock climbing —but the intricate and expansive work around is totally worth the effort. So, there we were, bowling along a fairly good road, on a day that had yet to switch from merely warm to sweltering. We were off to immerse ourselves in…

Feature: Ayn Rand and Atlas Shrugged

Ayn Rand: The enduring saga of Atlas Shrugged October was a special month for fans of Ayn Rand. It was the 50th anniversary of the publication of her grand polemic, Atlas Shrugged. And of course, there were celebrations, in the US as well as in India, the latter lot organized by the Delhi- based Liberty…

Feature: The Dangers of Detoxing

The dangers of detoxing Relentless fasting, fad dieting and colonic irrigation…not all of it is very good news. Detoxing has, for some years now, been the mantra for just about anything to do with the human body and mind; the way to a better skin, lustrous tresses, shining eyes, and of course and a calm…

Feature: Jaipur Lit Fest Sidelights

Jaipur Literature Festival: Can you repeat the answer, please? One quick question. Who was the rock star of the LitFest? ‘Twas Vikram Seth. Behaving like a distracted, sometimes dithering Oxford don, he launched on chatty monologues, read poetry in truly divine fashion, had the audience at ‘hello.’ Then he took one look at the snaking…

Travel: Samtse, Bhutan

Samtse symphony A haven in the land of the Thunder Dragon The crossing into Bhutan was made so seamlessly, we were in the Land of the Thunder Dragon (the capital letters add to the mystique!) before we knew it. We entered from the south-western tip, from Siliguri in sub-Himalayan West Bengal, to use the…

Travel: Rome, Italy

A Roman Odyssey Rome isn’t just the Vatican City. Sheila Kumar travels across the heart of the city and still has energy left over to gasp in awe and delight. Our hotel is just across the magnificent Collosseum. Rome that morning, is a balmy 18 degrees Celsius, brilliant sunshine, fluffy white clouds scudding across…

Travel: Cappadocia, Turkey

Just can’t wait to kiss the ground… Sheila Kumar goes hot-air-ballooning in Cappadocia with fear in her heart and a question on her lips. It had rained, the night before. And so, some of us go to bed with a silent plea in our hearts. Those pleas are heard; at 4.30 the…

Feature: The Anonymous Woman

She’s the best, now and forever Her looks are deceptive. She always looks calm and collected, and content. If not happy, well then, not unhappy, either. This look, it has come from long years of practice, of perfecting the art of being the still center of all the gathering storms. And apart from practice making…