When the Russians entered Berlin in 1945, the most feared words for a woman in Berlin were ‘‘Frau, komm’ (Woman, come)! For Antony Beevor, the occupation of Berlin by the Russians resulted in the ‘greatest phenomenon of mass rape in history’. Close to 100,000 women in the city were raped irrespective of their age. Frederick … Continue reading ‘Frau, komm’, the Berlin Airlift and the Himalayan Hump of WWII
You need money to run a country. And if you’re managed by Communist Russia, it’s just a matter of time before the you go bust. In the 80s, East Germany (or the German Democratic Republic (GDR)) faced this predicament and resorted to all possible ways to manage this crisis. Two fascinating exports were arms and … Continue reading ‘Comrades and Cash’
“Two unlikely foes end up in love, and all ends well, after the hero, who is treacherously made to assume that his fiancée is unfaithful, repents when the culprits are caught.” This can be a one-line summary of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. I could easily think of so many Bollywood movies around this plot. … Continue reading Much Ado About Nothing
Ever wondered why we never tickle adults? Tickling can be violent, humiliating, sexual and rarely playful. Its always an act that dwells in a liminal space. It mirrors the ambivalence of most of our sexual and emotional experiences. One can never tickle oneself. Tickling requires the other and often happens at the boundaries between the … Continue reading On Tickling
Apparently, this is what qualifies as a pastoral comedy – one which has a countryside setting, rustic simpletons and displays a clash between the cosmopolitans and the rest. Of all of Shakespeare’s plays, AYLI is the most representative of this genre. I understand why this is not rated as among his best. The bard's fascination … Continue reading As You Like It
I love texting. Texts are a constant companion for me – quick check-ins, official work, deep chats late in the night, banter in the family groups are all various forms of texting that I (and probably all of us?) indulge in. At times, I get melancholic when I realize that texts are going to be … Continue reading “Written kisses don’t reach their destination, rather they are drunk on the way by the ghosts”
I returned from Agartala yesterday. The one-day trip for work was my maiden visit to the state. The sheer distance and the fact that one has to cross the Bangladeshi airspace made the journey quite fascinating. Added to that was the trivia that the aircraft that flew me out had just completed a Delhi-Baku-Delhi-Agartala sprint. … Continue reading Agartala Notes
Sector 36: Watched it with my cousins during my trip to Palakkad. Massey, with his baby face, was a wrong choice to play this real-life monster. Alaipayuthe: When I returned, Sruthi was midway through this with the kids. The pulsing energy of this movie still makes it as refreshing as it was when it came … Continue reading What I Watched – April 2025
I’ve been reading up on the Cold War and the Iron Curtain and naturally ended up shortlisting John le Carre’s Karla Trilogy - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honorable Schoolboy and Smiley’s People – for a reread. While James Bond was dashing, sophisticated, and sensual, le Carre’s George Smiley is a senior retired bureaucrat, cuckolded … Continue reading le Carré’s ‘The Karla Trilogy’
