biography - Comfortably Numb

Book review: The Private World of Georgette Heyer

THE PRIVATE WORLD OF GEORGETTE HEYER by Jane Aiken Hodge (Pan Books). Big, big fan. So I read anything and everything on this wonderful writer. Hodge chronicles Heyer`s writing `Black Moth` when she was just nineteen for her young brother who had taken ill; her ability to average two books a year for years, books…

Book review: Cages by Aabid Surti

The story is a straight one. A heroine who is unafraid to express her sexual desires; the patriarchal straitjacket of male control; the strength of sisterhood. These then are the central themes in Aabid Surti’s book which was published almost fifty years ago, and has been re-released now…which makes Surti a ‘woke’ author long before…

Book review: Jahangir by Parvati Sharma

Jahangir by Parvati Sharma. Juggernaut Books. The king known to history students and history buffs more for being indolent, over-fond of his drink, an emperor who avoided military campaigns, a vicious, even capricious man, becomes a very interesting figure in this book. Nuruddin Muhammad Jahangir. The fourth of the six Great Mughals. An inveterate chronicler…

Book review: Mythbreaker, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and the Story of Indian Biotech by Seema Singh

This well-written biography with its catchy title, gives readers a cogent answer to the question, who is Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, as well as its corollary, what is Biocon all about. Actually, it leans more towards tracking of the business rather than delving too deeply into the personality traits of its founder but then, the…

Feature: The Sathya Saran Interview

Chronicle of a ghazal singer Sathya Saran talks about her book on ghazal singer Jagjit Singh. Sathya Saran is as busy as ever. The former editor of Femina now writes articles as a freelancer, books as an author, and edits and assigns books as Consulting Editor, HarperCollins Publishers India. She also teaches fashion journalism at…

Book review: The Red Sari by Javier Moro

With all the hoopla surrounding the book, I picked up Javier Moro`s The Red Sari (Lotus Collection/Roli Books) with some trepidation. However, it turned out to be quite readable . Moro calls it a dramatized biography of his subject, and boy, is it dramatized! There is nothing in there that any Indian with half a…