Epiphany

Movie Review: A Separation

2011-12-31T10:51:00.006+05:30

Slated to be one of the best films to come out in 2011, A Separation, fits its billing. The opening scene sets up the plot right away: Nader and Simin are at divorce court. Simin says her husband is fault-less, decent and a very nice man in fact, but he is unwilling to leave Iran to go abroad and seek a better life. Simin has visas for the family, which includes 13 year old Termeh. But Nader does

Chapter Five: Oleanders

2011-12-25T21:46:00.014+05:30

After meeting Manoj I left the building needing to smoke. Maybe if I went home earlier than Shefali and cleaned up she wouldn’t find out right away. But she has great instincts and it won’t be long before she knows that the addiction has taken me in its vice-like grip. The only person who will be thrilled would be my colleague Das knowing that he can bum fags* off of me until I stop smoking again

Chapter Four: You Said It!

2011-09-01T22:55:00.011+05:30

Do you ever feel like we live in an increasingly noisy world? I have been around a long while, so I can attest to it. Open up your newspaper, switch on the TV, everyone is jostling to get your attention. And I am fairly certain that it has been getting hotter. It is hard for me to actually feel these things, admittedly, but I am very perceptive. But we are not here to talk about me. So where

Chapter Three: The Sixth Tarot

2011-07-30T10:43:00.021+05:30

I have always been good at reading people. Trying to understand their motivations and raison d’être. Rishab seemed a bit put off when Manoj introduced me, but he recovered his composure very quickly. I wonder if it was because he recognized me, or if he disliked all journalists. In an interview with a women’s journal recently, I was asked if being born with a silver spoon made life a bit easier.

Spain Vignettes: Comida es la vida

2011-07-28T08:53:00.034+05:30

“Tengo Hambre” was one of the first Spanish phrases that I learnt, and more importantly, never forgot, because of how important it is – “I am so hungry”. When I asked Ash about planning a trip to Spain, Ash, who has been to Spain twice, wrote me a detailed reply. At the end of the email, he said simply, scratch all I said, just go for the food. We were ready to be gastronomically delighted. And

Spain Vignettes: Locos por el fútbol: ¡HALA MADRID!

2011-07-13T00:55:00.006+05:30

April 30 2011. Madrid.I had been excited for the match ever since I booked the tickets, but grabbing the yellow Real Madrid tickets from the La Caixa ATM solidified the feeling: I was going to see Real Madrid play in their beautiful stadium. All of us wore white. My journal came in handy to figure out the trains to take to Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. The crowd increased as we got closer to our

Guardians of forgotten vaults (attempt #2)

2011-07-09T06:11:00.003+05:30

Ghosts of centuries pastBeheld the treasures and watchedMarauders crossing vast swaths of landPillaging, raiding streets paved with gold Muslim raiders to British voyagersScurried away with riches over the yearsBut with the good graces of Lord PadmanabhaThese vaults hidden from grave-robbers, foreign rulers alikeKing after King went behind the strong steel doorsLovingly parting with the wealth

Guardians of forgotten vaults

2011-07-09T01:57:00.006+05:30

Ghosts of centuries pastBeheld the treasures and watchedMarauders crossing vast swaths of landPillaging, raiding streets paved with gold Ghosts of centuries pastBeheld the treasures and watched.Muslim raiders to British voyagersScurried away with riches Ghosts of centuries pastBeheld the prosperity and watchedKing after King visited the vaults withinLovingly parting with the wealth of the state

Spain Vignettes: Papeles Mojados

2011-06-20T04:59:00.017+05:30

May 3 2011. BarcelonaMuseu Picasso.The morning had been one of discovery. Of little streets and graffiti on the sidewalk. Of finding stone-walls with beautiful sunlight that made for great pictures. We were on our way to the Picasso museum, which had been a must-see on our list. The line snaked down around the museum till the eye could see, and it looked like there were hundreds of people. We

Rivers of red

2011-06-14T06:51:00.004+05:30

Proudly we fight, yetWe run, we hideIn the jungle’s quietBut how can we hushthe screams of the dead?

Kathegarana Shaapa | The Storyteller’s Curse

2011-06-13T10:18:00.004+05:30

I am Kathegara, the storyteller. Over the centuries I have been called many other names: Baghawatha the narrator and Soothradhara the holder of strings. I was five years old when my destiny was foretold. I still remember the day clearly. It was near the end of the Rig-veda, one of the most glorious times in the purity of spiritual thought. A thin, tall man with a beard and long hair appeared at

Spain Vignettes: La leyenda del tiempo

2011-05-31T01:07:00.010+05:30

May 4, 2011. Granada.We reached Granada in the morning, after an uncomfortable overnight train journey. It was quite chilly. We eat croissants, donuts and gulp down coffee at the cafe inside the station. My journal tells us the best way to get to the hostel is by bus. I ask the information centre for directions to the bus stand. ‘Derecha’ he says, at the intersection a few blocks from the train

Spain Vignettes: Conversación, habitación

2011-05-25T08:30:00.005+05:30

May 5, 2011. AVE (Cordoba-Sevilla).We boarded the train after taking DDLJ style pictures, commemorating the many ‘near misses’ with catching the train throughout the trip. Without a male lead, however. The train stops in Cordoba for just about a minute. Most of the passengers in our compartment were sleeping. It was a few minutes to midnight, after all. Attu wanted the window seat, per usual.

Book Review: Samskara

2011-05-23T04:21:00.009+05:30

Written in the sixties, this provocative, ahead of its time Kannada book helped bring attention to eventual Jnanpith award winning author, U.R. Ananthamurthy's work. Unfortunately, I didn't even attempt to read the original, and opted instead, to read the translation into English by A.K. Ramanujam. The latter has done a fantastic job of keeping true to the original, I can almost imagine what the

Spain Vignettes: Ahi estas tu

2011-05-17T01:44:00.006+05:30

April 30, 2010. Madrid.I thought I would wake up early and pack with enough time to be able to make it to the bus stop about half a mile away and take a bus to the airport bus stop. As the bag was being packed, any desire to carry it for any length of time disappeared. So I called the airport shuttle to pick me up. I was bright and early, the flight was late. So I settled in to read The Trial, by

Spain Vignettes: Poquito a poco entendiendo

2011-05-14T01:49:00.008+05:30

May 6, 2011. Sevilla.I woke up and got ready in the attached bathroom, and woke Attu up. After she came out, we woke Neeto. In the ruckus we were creating, the other three kids got up as well. The girl, who Attu thought was German because she was reading a German book, brushed and left with her bags. The young-looking kid got up and went out. I can’t remember if he brushed his teeth, but

Spain Vignettes: Soy gitano

2011-05-10T05:40:00.011+05:30

Note: Spain related posts will most likely not be in chronological order. If and when I write more, I will try to link them in the order that it should be read. Although my two friends and I didn't really have any ground rules for the trip, we were asked to do everything together by our parents so they could feel better about our safety. And so we did stuff everyone was interested in doing and

Chapter Two: Fallen Heroes

2011-04-26T10:34:00.007+05:30

The Gulmohar trees are the first thing you notice when you enter the city. The entire district, in fact, is full of these trees to welcome you into its red-flower bearing arms. Every time I look at those trees, I feel I am home, and at peace. I was killed on bhanuvara, Sunday. I wonder if I will ever be at peace. I couldn’t stay at my death-filled house anymore so I decided to venture out. I

World Champions

2011-04-03T02:24:00.001+05:30

For 28 years since the last world cup title, we have had faith, lost faith, have had wonderful victories, unbelievable defeats, came so close to the cup, and still remained far behind. There were multiple scandals, format changes.. and an influx of too much money. But we never lost our passion for the game, and today we get our reward. To the game that unites the most diverse country in the world

Chapter One: Smoke And Mirrors

2011-03-22T02:45:00.014+05:30

May 13, 2010I look for him as soon as I climb into the seventh bogie of the daily train into the city. I always choose this one because it is all the way at the back, and doesn’t get too crowded. I am worried for Khan, it has been three days since I saw him. And in the year that I have known him, he hadn’t missed a single day. “I can’t take time off” he would smile and say, “We are preparing for

Movie Review: Lemon Tree

2011-03-21T05:37:00.005+05:30

I am making a habit of posting non-fiction! While I decide if I should keep up with it, I bring you another movie review. Lemon Tree, an Israeli movie with dialogue in both Hebrew and Arabic, was directed by Eran Riklis and released in 2008. A Palestinian woman's life is thrown into tumult when the newly appointed Israeli defense minister, Israel Navon moves in next door with his wife. Salma

Beneath The Surface...A Termite Nest

2011-03-02T22:05:00.003+05:30

Reading a very well written article on the state of our country, makes me wonder...How far are we from the abyss of this?

Travelogue: Andaman & Nicobar Islands

2011-02-24T05:02:00.013+05:30

I usually stick to posting short stories on this blog. But I heard a story on the radio today about the threat to corals, and I was reminded of my trip to the islands. My trip was more than ten years ago, and I do not have my photos handy for reference, so forgive the hazy details on this trip to memory lane. It was before 9/11, and the cockpit doors were not kept resolutely shut on the flight.

Like Moss, Mama Said

2011-02-19T00:32:00.005+05:30

I loathe him. I eat his food grudgingly. Mira knows this. Pulling on her right ear lobe, she asks “But why?” She is trying on a new face today. Yesterday, she was pulling at her chin. She likes to research the effect on other people. I act like I don’t notice, so she always perfects her art with me without worrying about losing the new-ness. “Mama told me to never trust a man with a wandering eye

Movie Review: No One Killed Jessica

2011-02-12T12:04:00.003+05:30

Based on a true story, the movie revolves around the murder of Jessica, at the hands of the son of a powerful politician, and the fight to get justice in the case. Narrated by a journalist, modeled presumably after Barkha Dutt, it spans the 7 long years following the incident in which Manish shot waitress-model Jessica for denying him a drink at a high-profile bar. 300 socialites vanished,