Comfortably Numb - Sheila Kumar's Storehouse

Feature: The Search for Bunter

The Search for Bunter The search began inconspicuously enough. Some years ago, I was at this party in Coonoor and the talk turned to books and further, to the books of our childhood. Someone said, ‘’My favourite books were the Billy Bunter series by Frank Richards,’’ and I heartily agreed. The books were a riot,…

Books: Is India Reading?

The book still rules Harry Potter notwithstanding, it’s been a parade of pretenders: the television, the Net, cineplexes, video games. Has this blitzkrieg killed the love of books in us? Sheila Kumar does a reconnoitre of the situation and brings in a clear verdict. Is India reading? What a no-brainer question, right? Of course India…

Feature: Walking on the clifftop

All in the mind Walking on the ridge of a windswept cliff, you suddenly get to see more of a cliffhanger way of life. It is a bleak day, a blue day…

Humour: The Great Indian ET

The Indian ET The Indian traveler is no longer an arriviste… he has arrived! Sheila Kumar delves into the psyche of this peripatetic tribal. Who is he? He is The Great Indian Traveller, more popularly known by his other name, ET. ET stands for Enthusiastic Tourist. The ET should not be confused with the OIA,…

Humour: The Red Dragon

The Red Dragon It was getting to be dark, we were tired but there were no B & Bs to be had in all of Bath. So we drove on towards Bristol, till we came to this farm…

Humour: Confusion confounded

Confusion confounded SHEILA KUMAR lets you take a glimpse into her convoluted mental process. Like Martin Luther King, I, too, have a dream. My dream is not a lofty one; it is to walk into a soiree crowded with the finest minds around. And then, to partake of discourse on matters both profound and…

Feature: When Army Wives Start to Throw their Weight Around

When wives put on the pips Even as the Armed Forces are in urgent need of restructuring — facing a shortage of good officers, and with a corresponding mountain of grievances piling up — one more arrow in the flank of this great institution is that of ‘senior wives’ throwing their weight about. To tell…

Book review: The Disappearance of Irene dos Santos by Margaret Mascarenhas

The book is a coming-of-age tale, with all the magical mysteries that can be expected of Latin American writers. Let’s start with the positives. The book has a striking cover picture — of a young woman in red shoes disappearing into what looks like a dense forest; the vivid neon of her shoes catches and…

Humour: Chip off the old block

Chip off the old block She was all of four, pint-sized with a mind of her own, firm opinions and a definite world view. Academics were not to her liking; she saw no need, relevance or utility in study. And so, every day after her school session, she would return all perky, and announce, ‘’I…

Humour: Coffee talk

Coffee Talk Over the years, I have come to meet some interesting people in Bangalore`s coffee houses. some of these people are celebs, others quasi-celebs and still others, confirmed eccentrics. I have come away feeling quite enriched…