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
When Columbus reached the Americas in 1492, the ecosystems of the Western and Eastern hemispheres had remained isolated for millennia and were strikingly different. His voyage set in motion what has come to be known as the Columbian Exchange, a vast transfer of plants, animals, people, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds. This … Continue reading The Columbian Exchange and the Dawn of the Homogenocene
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
In the fable of the 'Fox and the Sour Grapes', the disappointed fox walks away at the end. He does this only because he is alone. Had there been a few more foxes salivating over the grapes, walking away would have been tough. According to the French philosopher Rene Girard, everything we desire is driven … Continue reading Girard’s Scapegoat Mechanism and the Mahabharata
Just as including He/She/They in your bio was recently considered an ‘in’ thing (at least until a few months ago), the term ‘Settler’ is also laden with symbolism, solidarity, and wokeness. But like many academic constructs, it does not always hold up to strong scrutiny. Settler colonialism originally referred to the process by which colonial … Continue reading On Settler Colonialism
I just finished watching Season 1 of Shtisel—the hit Israeli series. The show revolves around the lives of a large Orthodox Jewish family. The Haredi Jews are an ultra-Orthodox sect that shuns most forms of modernity. Television and the internet are 'prohibited' for them. They spend most of their time immersed in the Torah. Until … Continue reading Shtisel
Zena Hitz in ‘Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life’ offers a fascinating exploration of whether Mary was an intellectual. An ancient Syriac dialogue between Joseph and Mary imagines Joseph rebuking Mary for her apparent unchastity while Mary rebukes him in turn for his inferior knowledge of the scriptures: JOSEPH: You have … Continue reading Was Mary an ‘Intellectual’?
Norman Rush's 'Mating' was a complex, long read. A nameless female anthropologists razor sharp views on life, love and relationships set in the Kalahari during the Reagan era had some fantastic feminist takes on domesticity and love: I had to realize that the male idea of successful love is to get a woman into a … Continue reading Feminism in Domesticity
On hearing that I was visiting Mookambika, a friend wondered if I was on some sort of pilgrimage. The answer to that was no. But here I was, at the Mookambika shrine, deep inside the rainforests of Kollur, a village 130 km north of Mangalore. The Madras Mail from Mahe took four hours to reach … Continue reading Kollur Notes
In no particular order: ChallengersZendaya's energy sizzles throughout in this ménage à trois story Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny:I've been watching all the Indiana Jones' movies with the kids. The time travel scene to the Battle of Syracuse and the appearance of Archimedes in the scene was spellbinding. ConclaveWatched this last week and … Continue reading Best Movies/Series – 2024
