Last week, a friend of mine who’s relocating abroad, shared a predicament of his. He has a Jamini Roy in his collection which cannot be shipped to his new residence. It was only then that I got to know about the Government of India-designated list of Nine Gems whose works are classified as National Treasures. … Continue reading National Treasures
Month: April 2024
Heritage Walk-Leader Training Programme
Over the last two weekends, INTACH, in collaboration with ThisDay, organized a Heritage Walk-Leader Training Programme in Delhi. On a whim, I joined it and found it thoroughly enriching. The programme was a blend of lectures and on-site walks stressing the Dos and Don’ts of conducting heritage walks. The star-studded lineup of speakers included Swapna … Continue reading Heritage Walk-Leader Training Programme
Sudhir Kakar (1938-2024)
During my maiden visit to Lucknow in 2013, I dropped into the legendary Ram Advani Booksellers. One of the books that I picked up from the visit was Sudhir Kakar’s memoir, ‘Book of Memories’ - a work that first introduced me to the trailblazing Kamla Chowdhry. Kakar -India’s most celebrated psychoanalyst was her nephew while … Continue reading Sudhir Kakar (1938-2024)
The Sexual Exploits and Secret Diaries of Victor Hugo and Keynes
As I had written earlier, I read Victor Hugo’s ‘Les Miserables’ last month and I’ve been busy dipping into the commentaries and analyses of the work. Mario Vargas Llosa’s lectures on ‘Les Miserables’ is collected as a volume called ‘The Temptation of the Impossible’. Reading it, I discovered that our man Hugo was a sex-addict … Continue reading The Sexual Exploits and Secret Diaries of Victor Hugo and Keynes
Masters of the Air
From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose The ball turret … Continue reading Masters of the Air
On Horses
Last year, I spent half a day riding a horse in Pahalgam. Though it was a typical touristy thing to do when in Kashmir, the experience was exhilarating. To get a sense of a horse’s power, its intelligence and to appreciate why it was so central in human civilization, I would highly recommend getting on … Continue reading On Horses
Hikikomori
I read Jonathan Haidt’s ‘The Anxious Generation’ over the weekend. His work, which examines the impact of Social Media on Gen Z, didn’t have too many ideas that I wasn’t already familiar with. The rise of social media coupled with the introduction of the dual camera in smartphones was the pivot that marked the rise … Continue reading Hikikomori
Day trip to Patna
I did a day trip to Patna which was also my maiden trip to this historical city. The little that I saw of the city from the airport to the Sardar Patel Bhavan looked very much like Ranchi and Rourkela. Somehow, the poverty was also starkly evident – rundown buildings sharing space with incongruous flyovers, … Continue reading Day trip to Patna
The Door and Window Tax
In the 17th century, coins in England were regularly ‘clipped’ to siphon off the gold and silver. When penalties failed to curb the practice, the Crown decided to accept and demonetize all circulating coins irrespective of their quality. Since the quantity of gold to mint new coins was higher than what was collected from the … Continue reading The Door and Window Tax
Luxury Beliefs
Rob Henderson, the psychologist and writer grew up in nine different homes before his eighth birthday. He was born to an unwed drug junkie who died when he was three. His childhood, as described in his memoir ‘Troubled’ was typical of orphans growing up in foster homes in the US – abuse, neglect, teen gangs, … Continue reading Luxury Beliefs