Imagine a town. An alley in it. Houses lining the alley on both sides. You get a peek into each one of them. And find the same story. Different versions but same story. Man in control; woman, his vehicle. He owned her, rode her, flaunted her, pushed her and upgraded to a modern version when … More Small acts of resilience in a tainted alley
In the recent years, a realization has dawned on me – the loudest of essences comes from the quietest of people; it is to say that those who do not give away words for a trifle, give words to matters that are substantial, and these very words invariably tend to ring long after they have … More Quiet Power of Right
I might have missed young Latif if I had met him at a hotel or a lodge; bellboys are, after all, a part of that moving crowd which gathers (almost) no mass. But in Salim’s story, he is the hero. A hero who has a hairstyle like none other, a hero who takes care of … More Listen to his knock
A Burning by Megha MajumdarMy Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars Words. I know they are potent; they can bind and heal, rejuvenate and transform. But, I also know, in equal measure, they can kill. In ‘A Burning’, just a pale black string of words on a social media page makes a young Muslim girl, an … More Book Review: A Burning by Megha Majumdar (2020)
The Association of Small Bombs by Karan MahajanMy Rating: 4 of 5 Stars “Sometimes, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” – A A Milne It is, in many ways, both a comforting and disturbing thought that events of negligible weight, often elevate to gargantuan heights, lighting and dimming our lives from the … More Book Review: The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan (2016)
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy My Rating: 3 of 5 Stars [Originally appeared here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/li…%5D How does a lament sound? Like a distorted sonorous wave? Hitting the crest with a shrill cry and falling to quietude with mangled whimpers? Or like a prolonged stream of soiled garble, comprehensible only to its beholder? … More Book Review: The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy (2017)
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars I finished reading this book at precisely 0205 hours a week ago. The night still lay majestically over the impending dawn, and in its blackened stillness, swayed the echoes of this imperious book. The walls of my room, at once, turned into a … More Book Review – The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1880)
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars [Originally appeared here] Of all the fiction in this world, I find the ones rooted in mythology the most enticing; not because there is an element of otherworldly magic in them but because somewhere deep down, a bewitching veil of truth hovers above them. … More Book Review: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (2017)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce My Rating: 5 of 5 stars APRIL 19 (Evening): Alright. This is insane. It has been almost eighteen, 18 (has more impact) hours since I sat down to scribble something about what is going on in my mind but the right words are … More Book Review: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce (1914)
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke My Rating: 5 of 5 stars Dear Mr. Rilke, Assuming it to be a frequent phenomenon with you, I partake in pleasure and liberty of appointing you the receiver of yet another letter, from a besotted admirer of your wisdom and expression. You see I have … More Book Review: Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke (1929)
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