Julius Caesar (1970): I’ve been on a Roman history reading project for a month. This 1970 star-studded movie was a faithful adaptation of the play. But, the whole Roman setting and the costumes made it a bit too ‘period’ for my taste. Antony and Cleopatra: As in Julius Caesar, Charlton Heston also essays the role … Continue reading What I Watched – August 2025
Steve Brusatte’s “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World” was a quick and engaging read about the fascinating field of palaeontology, and, of course, dinosaurs. A new species of dinosaur is currently being discovered, on average, once a week. (I took time to wrap my head around this … Continue reading Some Dino Facts
In Disaster Management, assessing risks is foundational towards ‘preparing’ for a disaster and ‘mitigating’ the impacts of a disaster. Intuitively, we all understand risk. Shopping during a pandemic is a high-risk activity, depending on one’s age (vulnerability) and the places visited (exposure). Building a resort on the floodplains of the Ganga is ‘risky’. Being born … Continue reading Reflections on Hazard Risk and Vulnerability Assessments
I tried to dig out a few enduring cultural legacies of Caesar... C-Section: Caesar’s mother didn’t die giving birth to him. So the belief that he was born by a cesarean surgery has been widely discredited. Despite this, the association gave his name to the procedure. The Ides of March: referred to the 15th day … Continue reading The Enduring Legacies of Caesar
Even as a child, when I knew nothing of Roman history, Caesar’s assassination and his famous ‘Et tu Brute’ dialogue were familiar to me. Looking back, I wonder if Caesar’s enduring influence in popular culture is all thanks to Shakespeare. What if the play was never written and the assassination never dramatized? Would he have … Continue reading Julius Caesar
I was in Jodhpur for the Independence Day weekend. Like any other city of Rajasthan, the main attractions are the fort and the palace. (The view of the fort from the city is its most impressive aspect.) I discovered that Christopher Nolan brought his entire crew to film a 40-second scene for Dark Knight Rising, … Continue reading Jodhpur Notes
I read David Szalay’s ‘Turbulence’ a few years back and loved it. It was a series of interconnected stories of characters that encounter each other on random flights (or something like that). This year, when Szalay again made it to the Booker shortlist, I decided to pick him up. ‘Flesh’ has its flaws but Szalay … Continue reading Szalay’s ‘Flesh’
With Finland and Sweden joining the NATO, the Baltic Sea is now often referred to as the NATO Lake. The alliance controls more than 95 per cent of the Baltic’s coastline and all of its sizeable islands, as well as the western entrance through the Kattegat and both sides of the Gulf of Finland, Russia’s … Continue reading The NATO Lake
You can land up in trouble if you publish a map of India that doesn’t represent the ‘official’ borders of the country. While we often take our present borders for granted, few of us realize how different ‘India’ looked less than a century ago. Sam Dalrymple's 'Shattered Lands : Five Partitions and the Making of … Continue reading Shattered Lands
I got to hear Abhishek live after ages. He sang for close to three hours at the India International Center. Varnam in Sree Ragam Nada Tanumanisham in Chittaranjini Mayateeta Swarupini in Mayamalavagowla. (Hearing this for the first time) Thyagaraja's Aarabhi Pancharatna was the main piece. What a delight! Thaamasam En Swaami in Todi (Papnasam Sivam … Continue reading Abhishek Raghuram at IIC
