Posts under ‘Books’

Last evening, SR and I trudged down to Crosswords – Juhu where Sonali Kulkarni’s book “So Kul” was being launched. “So Kul” – an abbreviation of her name is collection of essays from her weekly column in Loksatta.
Sonali in addition to being writer, actor etal is also presenting our show “Art Beat” on popular [...]

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Take some data. it could be any data. Add a bit of correlation, stir in a bit of causality, simmer with coincidence and garnish with a leap of faith – package well with a chatty narrative style -and bingo – you have Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, which looks at what makes people successful.
Don’t [...]

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Ode to Kirihito – Osamu Tezuka is one of my favourite graphic novelists. I found his Buddha series incredible, and his Apollo’s Song heartbreakingly beautiful. JD gifted me ‘An Ode to Kirihito a few months ago, but i simply didn’t have the time to start it. A few weekends ago, I took it to Lonavala [...]

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After a long time, I picked up a book by an Indian author and managed to finish it. And enjoy it. And, not tear out my hair in frustration at the pace of the story or the meta level philosophical inputs that keep creeping into story lines.

Smita Jain’s debut novel is a good fun romp [...]

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I am currently re readingDr.Babasaheb Ambedkar's Annihilation of Caste – It is a thin little well thumbed, book – actually a speech that is published in a book form. It
This is a book that every Indian ought to read…I read this almost a lifetime ago as part of what ever i was doing at that [...]

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…..Not so much a concise book, as a slightly largish magazine feature. It has the wry observation, and the witty descriptions that is Bill Bryson's trademark .. but it isn't an involving read. And much like nicely written features for In flight magazines – there isn't too much to object to, at the same time [...]

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I approached the book with some trepidation. I am not particularly fond of authors from the sub continent who write in English. I often find their narrative overtly lyrical, pretentiously mystical, and deliberately desi. But, so many people had told me so many good things about the novel that I succumbed. After purchasing the [...]

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Finished reading Vrinda Nabar’s excellent "Caste as Woman".

It looks at women in India not from the point of western feminist theories, but more in terms of looking at India’s own unique socio-cultural systems, which essentially serve to keep the woman as an uncomplaining victim to many ills. As she puts it:

"… in India, the discrimination [...]

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A few months ago one of dad’s friend’s gifted him this book, which has been gathering oodles of dust on the book shelf.
Yesterday, finding nothing light to read – I picked it out of the bookshelf, dusted it, and tried to read it.
Tried is the key word here. I managed 3 whole chapters before I [...]

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Currently re reading an old favourite. Tranlated by Sir Richard F Burton(the explorer not the actor), and with an introduction by A.S.Byatt
Scheherazade’s attempt to save her life and the lives of all the eligible women in the kingdom by weaving a story that would divert her husband’s rage against all women for having been cuckolded. [...]

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