Bangalore Archives - Comfortably Numb

Travel: Ramalingeshwara temple complex in Avani

Legends of Avani The plan to reclaim life from the pandemic calls for taking road trips to places of interest not too far from the city I reside in, Bangalore, and the Avani temple complex, 30 kms ahead of Kolar town, fits the bill beautifully. Soaked in antiquity, as the guidebooks would say, the Ramalingeshwara…

Photo Feature: My session at the Times Lit Fest, Bangalore, Feb 2020

So, it was mighty fun, the session on Sex, Marriage & Morality at the Times Lit Fest. Despite the fact that I had to live down the descriptor `renowned` which the PR people handling the fest chose for me. Which was rather like saying `SK-world-famous- in- east-Bangalore!` We managed to draw a full house, an…

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…

Feature: Artisanal coffee is a thing!

Artisanal Coffee Is A Thing So. Have you heard the one about the woman who walks into a coffee bar, eyes the toothsome barista and says, `Make me happy, Joe.` The barista looks at her with a smile, then says, give me a mo. The woman seats herself at a table nearby….

Book review: Askew, a Short Biography of Bangalore by TJS George

Cry, the beloved city It is neither compulsory nor mandatory but I feel the need to make this admission: I am not an outsider. Though not of Kannada origin, I have been a resident of Bangalore/Bengaluru since the start of the 80s. That`s been over three decades, during which I have lived, worked, married, learned…

Book review: Chain of Custody by Anita Nair

Inspector Gowda goes down sinister paths Four years after he was first introduced to us, Inspector Borei Gowda returns to the printed page and to the reader’s imagination in Anita Nair’s Chain of Custody. This is a fitter Gowda, who is drinking less and therefore more alert. However, he is still carrying the scars of…

Book review: A Hero for Hire by Zac O`Yeah

Hari, namma hero Back in 2013, when Hari Majestic made his appearance on the Bangalore gumshoe shuffle, my book blogpost had this to say: The hero is utterly irresistible with his well-oiled hair, a startling addiction to chicory, and a heart of gold. Everyone greets everyone else with “oota aiytha?” (had food?), there are people rejoicing…

Book review: Aleph Books` City Monographs

Feature: On Books and Bangalore

So. What is Bangalore reading? Sheila Kumar sifts through rumours of a tectonic shift in Bengaluru’s reading pattern. In a tweak of the immortal CSNY song, this was a long time coming. My personal wake-up moment came via a twin-pronged route. I was scanning the sell list of a popular buy-and-sell online forum when I…

Travel: Bannerghatta National Park

I am in the Bannerghatta National Park, Bengaluru’s favourite getaway. I have signed on for a Jungle Lodges Resorts (JLR) night-stay package, which includes all safaris and meals. Earlier that day, I had checked in at the JLR camp; 1 and 1/2 kms inside the park, past ponds filled with blooming pink lotuses, huge anthills black…