Eko:This movie has created a lot of buzz and for the right reasons. While a mystery thriller story featuring guard-dogs is definitely unusual in Malayalam cinema, the WWII theatre in South East Asia being portrayed in the movie made it all the more unique. Got reminded of Twan Eng’s trilogy. The Mastermind: Kelly Reichardt reimagines … Continue reading What I Watched – January 2026
Allesandro Manzoni’s ‘Betrothed’ is the ‘national novel’ of Italy. Every school child in Italy is familiar with the work and in the words of Bruce Penman whose translation I read: If Dickens had written only one novel, and there had been no Fielding or Thackeray; if his novel had foreshadowed the theme of a successful … Continue reading Allesandro Manzoni’s ‘Betrothed’
I embarrassingly realised that I knew next to nothing about the workings of the District judicial system in India until I picked up Prashant Reddy Thikkavarapu’s and Chitrakshi Jain's ‘Tareekh Pe Justice’ - Reforms for India's District Courts'. I came across their work when I saw it featured in the Ideas for India podcast. Article … Continue reading The Tragedy of the District Judiciary
All Seventy Episodes! Image Source
As I wrote last month, Alberto Moravia was the literary discovery of 2025 for me. His wife Elsa Morante was also a celebrated writer best known for her novels ‘Arturo’s Island’ and ‘History’. Their marriage was a stormy affair (literary icons you see), and Moravia himself had at one point confessed: There were days when … Continue reading The Moravia–Morante Marriage
Florence today has a population of around 360,000 and an area of around 100 sq km. ChatGPT informs me that the equivalent Indian city to Florence would be Sambalpur. For nearly three centuries, beginning in the thirteenth century, Florence produced an extraordinary constellation of luminaries who launched the Renaissance and changed the course of our … Continue reading The Miracle of Florence
If there’s one unmistakable feature of our society today, it should be the falling birth rates. Unlike the generation of our parents, its quite common today to come across couples who have voluntarily decided to not have kids. Having a first baby in your 30s is common. And anyone having more than two children are … Continue reading Fertility Rates, Gender Equality and the Math of Human Extinction
I visited the Muthappan temple in Parassinikkadavu, Kannur for the first time yesterday. While I’ve seen mice, cows, monkeys, eagles and peacocks as guardians to deities, it was the first time I encountered a dog at the entrance to the sanctum. Dogs chilling around the temple Dogs guarding the main sanctum of Muthappan The Muthappan … Continue reading Parassinikkadavu Muthappan
During the Christmas break, I spent three days visiting Kerala’s most celebrated tourist destination – Munnar. The place lives up to its reputation for natural beauty. Contrary to my expectations, the ‘concrete jungle’ that I was bracing for was largely absent for most of the trip. But the tragedy was to see how rudimentary most … Continue reading Munnar Notes
Phantom Thread: I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a conventional artist–muse relationship that slowly turns into a strange psychological duel. Daniel Day Lewis has such screen presence that his performance alone made the movie worth watching. The Sacrifice: My first encounter with Andrei Tarkovsky’s work was far from easy. The film demands absolute attention and … Continue reading What I Watched – December 2025
