Paperback ISBN 978-81-250-5174-9 Hard cover ISBN 978-81-250-5175-6 Author: Dr. Radhika Seshan (Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Pune) Publisher: Orient BlackSwan … [Read more...]
Buying a Fridge
My sister came to Kolkata and helped me buy a fridge. It was a long and detailed exploration, comparing brands, sizes and prices at various places. We wandered around, visiting shop after shop before we finally decided what would suit me and made the purchase. We spoke to my parents that night, relieved."What brand did you buy?" asked my mother. "Haier." "What size?" I told her. I don't remember any more. "How much was it?" "6500." "Do you need a stabilizer for it?" "No, it has an inbuilt one." "How long is its guarantee?" "One year." "Where did you buy it?" "Sarat Bose Road - also called Lansdowne Road." "Did they deliver it home?" "Yes, I've started using it already!"The next morning, my mother called my grandmother and said, happily, "Varsha bought a new fridge!" "Oh!" said my grandmother, excited. "What colour?" "Hmm." The one question my mother never thought of asking. … [Read more...]
Imagination
I sometimes think about what other people must be thinking about what I'm thinking. Cycling home from my grandfather's place early this morning, I was amused at bystanders waiting for buses. I thought about what they would be thinking about how dedicated I was about exercising everyday. I imagined conversations with real people and recollected a real conversation with someone who was actually curious enough to stop me and ask.And then I thought about how wild my imagination was when I was younger.When I saw men (they were probably young, but child-Varsha thought they were all uncles) on bikes, how I loved to imagine! I imagined that they had just robbed a bank and were running away. I imagined that they were policemen in disguise. I imagined they had stolen other people's bikes. I imagined that they had murdered someone or performed some nameless crime.I never imagined that they … [Read more...]
The Harry Potter Phenomenon
"You must read Harry Potter," a friend of mine told me when I was in the eighth standard. I glanced at the book lying on her desk and nodded. The book she was so impressed by was not yet available easily in India. A relative had given it to her and she was passing it on.I postponed reading - for an incomprehensible reason that I wonder if anyone would understand. I thought Harry Potter was the name of the writer and I had a deep-rooted prejudice against writers who put their own names in font that is far larger than the name of the book. Who was this Harry Potter who used one-fourth of the book cover for his own name? A lot of writers did that, I knew. I did not like the idea of it at all. I did not want to read this new author, this Harry Potter.So another friend read it before I did and said to me, "You must read Harry Potter!"I was curious now, so we spoke a … [Read more...]
Nritya Tarangini
Day 1: I wondered whether I would get anything out of the workshop conducted by the Dhananjayans. I wondered whether it was all worth it. We were learning a piece that was getting totally jumbled in my head. There were too many episodes and at the end of the day, I could not even remember the music.Day 2: I knew it was worth it. I understood why Dhananjayan Anna and Shanta Akka have played Rama and Sita so often. Anna's gentle humour, Akka's quiet poise. I remembered when I went with my teacher to their place while Akka was taking class. I could barely take my eyes off her. 68 now, and still so beautiful. In her own words, Anna is the architect and she is the engineer. I watched her teaching. I realised how similar she is to my teacher and I realised once again how blessed I am.Day 3: A performance at Tilak Smarak Mandir. Of course there were parts I did not enjoy. It's part of the … [Read more...]
The Great Gatsby
Is it fair to compare a book with a movie? Especially a book with such a strong narrative voice? I was a little put-off by the idea of Nick talking to the doctor. But then, that was one way of getting the narrative voice loud and clear, I guess. It was exactly like the book and nothing like it. Long, rambling sections where I was bored. While reading a book, I can just skim, skip and flip. At a cinema hall, I couldn't fast-forward, so I took of my 3-D glasses and yawned. But there were parts that I thought were perfect. Gatsby's beautiful, flawed dream. The green light. And above all, hope.Daisy... Ah, Daisy, Daisy. With her voice full of money. What a description that was, and how well done! The carelessness, callousness, shallowness - all of that came through.It was long and overdone in so many parts, but it left that bitter-sad, yet fragile-hopeful taste in the mouth. … [Read more...]
The Life of Pi
I like to get involved when I watch a movie. I like to feel with the character, hold my breath during moments of anticipation and cry during moments of sadness and joy.That did not happen with The Life of Pi. Not because of the movie itself but because of the cinema hall.First of all, we were in row H. I thought, "Hmm! Not bad." We were in the third row from the screen. There were only ten rows in all.A couple that came late, walking in when the movie had already begun. They had seats at either end of row H. In the true spirit of adjustment, the usher asked all of us to move one seat. I felt as if we were in a bus. The whole row got up and moved, next seat, next seat, next seat. So that the couple could sit together.Children squabbled, laughed and shouted in the rows behind us. Even then, I tried to get engrossed. I tried to enjoy the beautiful 3-D graphics. I tried to get into … [Read more...]
The First Year Away
I remember the time the house got flooded and I put my mattress up on the fridge. I shared a bed with my flatmate, and we watched dead cockroaches, plastic bags and coconut shells floating around us.I remember the time when a thief came to my window in the middle of the night. He did not make a sound, but I woke up and saw a man with a stick at my window, reaching into my room. I was too scared to scream.I remember the time when a cat jumped on my feet when I was in bed. A white cat. In the middle of the night. It woke me up and streaked past. I wonder how I was sane enough not to think that it was a ghost.I remember the time I fell down a manhole.I remember the time when a bag - with my PAN card, library books, library card and wallet - were stolen from my room during the course of the night.I remember how I woke up with a huge cockroach on my face. I picked it up, threw it … [Read more...]
Faerie Heart
Incredible. As a child, I did not like novels that were not divided into chapters. I have no idea why. The only exception was Mary Poppins. I somehow think this one would have been an exception too.What a visual treat! The imagination just blew me over. A coverlet and a bed made of insects' wings. Weaving ropes out of spider threads. Threading cobwebs together to sew the insects' wings. Curtains parting noiselessly - like clouds. Droplets of water hanging from grass - and whole shimmering worlds within.Livi Michael. I'll look out for the name. … [Read more...]
Easter in France
The good thing about being a foreigner in a French family is that they do everything to give you the true French experience.My family could not control the weather - it was cold and there was hail that spring - but they did make Easter special!Traditionally, children are sent out into the garden with baskets to hunt for Easter eggs hidden for them.Even though I was 24 (and not quite a child), my family wanted it to happen. But it was too cold. The garden was wet and not very clean. So they did the modern commercial version of the event for me. They bought chocolate bunnies and hens, and packets of Easter eggs that we could find quickly without getting too wet and too cold. As soon as I woke up and went downstairs on Easter Sunday, they told me what I was supposed to do. Shivering with cold and excitement, I went out and happily collected my eggs and bunny. They had even marked my … [Read more...]