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’
Soon after finishing ‘Twelfth Night’, I watched the 1996 movie adaptation by Trevor Nunn and was better able to appreciate the play. Four hundred years before gender, queerness and homoerotic love became a fad, we have the Bard tackling all these themes in a comedy without breaking a sweat. That said, I found the plot … Continue reading Twelfth Night
Though Coorg (Kodagu) is close to Kozhikode, I’ve never visited the place. My only ‘connection’ must be the fact that Sruthi’s cousin is married to a native of Coorg. Last week, on a visit to Patna, I got to know that one of my teammates working there hailed from Coorg. In the short chat, I … Continue reading Some Kodagu Facts
If you were an East German during the Cold War, the Stasi (East German Secret Police) scrutinized every aspect of your life. Letters would be read, houses and offices would be bugged, suspects could be trailed, and any suspicion of wrongdoing could lead you to the interrogation chambers. The Stasi even saved up scents of … Continue reading The World’s Largest Jigsaw Puzzle
When the Charter of the United Nations was signed on 26th June 1945, the Second World War was still raging in the Pacific. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were yet to happen. And colonialism was very much alive and kicking. ChatGPT informs me that the following countries were still under colonial control: Mark Mazower, in No Enchanted … Continue reading The Political Origins of the United Nations
Was Shakespeare an antisemite? Many argue that his portrayal of Shylock in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is proof that he was one. Shylock the Jew is a money lender who demands a pound of flesh from Antonio, loses his mind when his daughter elopes (setting off with his jewels and ducats) and refuses to curry-favour … Continue reading The Merchant of Venice
The Brutalist: I wonder if this was the longest movie that I’ve ever watched in a cinema. The movie was good but not great. After a month, thinking about it, only Felicity Jones’ character comes to my mind. Day of the Jackal: Undoubtedly, the best thriller that I’ve watched in ages. I just love these … Continue reading What I Watched – March 2025
I visited Bhuj for the first time earlier this week. The first thing that struck me was the barren landscape, the hardy Mesquite trees, herds of goats and gaushalas – each a testament to a land shaped by sparse rainfall and arid conditions. (This Wire piece on the role of the mesquite in Kachchh is … Continue reading Bhuj Notes
