All Seventy Episodes! Image Source
My January F1 Diet
Tag: Culture
An Ode to The New Yorker
Hardly a week goes by without my reading at least one piece from The New Yorker. Its long-form journalism and the sheer breadth of its coverage—from global wars and haute couture to fiction and cinema—have always been a magnet for me, along with that unmistakable, one-of-a-kind font that makes every page instantly recognizable. Netflix has … Continue reading An Ode to The New Yorker
Draupadi and Pani Puri
My little one recently represented her school in an inter-school quiz competition. True to form, she got eliminated in the first round itself. On reaching home, she tested my knowledge of the questions that tripped her. Authoritatively, I was informed that Pani-Puri was discovered by Draupadi. For someone who has read the whole of the … Continue reading Draupadi and Pani Puri
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Nineteen years after winning the Booker, Kiran Desai is back with a novel, - one that has once again made it to the Booker shortlist. ‘The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny’ at close to seven hundred pages kept me engaged primarily for the vast geographic and cultural landscape it covered. While we read of the … Continue reading The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
The Khushwant Singh of Our Times
I return to Delhi as I return to my mistress Bhagmati when I have had my fill of whoring in foreign lands. Delhi and Bhagmati have a lot in common. Having been long misused by rough people they have learnt to conceal their seductive charms under a mask of repulsive ugliness. It is only to … Continue reading The Khushwant Singh of Our Times
The Codification of Culture
Like most migrants, I insist, with moderate success, that my daughters speak their mother tongue (Malayalam), diligently expose them to Malayalam cinema (highly successful), feed them Kerala’s cuisine (Hobson's choice), infrequently take them to temples (where they are as clueless as me) and often drag them to Carnatic music concerts (which they tolerate for my … Continue reading The Codification of Culture
The Evolution of the Idea of ‘The West’
How did the idea of the ‘West’ emerge? Naoíse Mac Sweeney, in a sweeping narrative, presents a compelling argument in The West: A New History in Fourteen Lives. The Greek and Roman empires are central to the identity of the ‘West’ today. But how did this narrative arc emerge? Her fascinating arguments: Herodotus, in his … Continue reading The Evolution of the Idea of ‘The West’
Sudhir Kakar (1938-2024)
During my maiden visit to Lucknow in 2013, I dropped into the legendary Ram Advani Booksellers. One of the books that I picked up from the visit was Sudhir Kakar’s memoir, ‘Book of Memories’ - a work that first introduced me to the trailblazing Kamla Chowdhry. Kakar -India’s most celebrated psychoanalyst was her nephew while … Continue reading Sudhir Kakar (1938-2024)
Marilyn Monroe’s Literary Odyssey
So many of Marilyn Monroe’s photographs are iconic. The one shot during the shoot of ‘The Seven Year Itch’ - in which her white dress billows up with the wind is probably the most famous picture of her. Her centerpiece appearance in the inaugural issue of Playboy in 1953 is also another popular one for … Continue reading Marilyn Monroe’s Literary Odyssey
Helicopter Parenting
Image Source My daughters are ten and seven. In other words, they have just under a decade of their childhood remaining. As a parent, I have so far inculcated no noteworthy skill nor nurtured any particular talent in them. Not that I haven’t tried. The basketball coach lost his job, Bharatnatyam was ‘boring’, the art … Continue reading Helicopter Parenting
