“Written kisses don’t reach their destination, rather they are drunk on the way by the ghosts”

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” →

le Carré’s ‘The Karla Trilogy’

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’ →

The Political Origins of the United Nations

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 →