A couple of days after mentioning Jhumpa Lahiri in a blog post, I unexpectedly saw her in person. The Italian Cultural Centre in Delhi, as part of an ongoing series where prominent Indian writers introduce their favourite Italian films ahead of screenings, had invited Lahiri to present the inaugural film — 'Il Sorpasso'. Sruthi and … Continue reading Jhumpa Lahiri on ‘Il Sorpasso’ at IHC Delhi
When Pinochet was arrested in London in 1998 for crimes committed during his military dictatorship, there was no precedent for such an act anywhere in the world. No former head of state had ever been arrested in another country for an international crime. And it was this arrest that paved the way for the future … Continue reading Pinochet in London and a Nazi in Patagonia
Eko:This movie has created a lot of buzz and for the right reasons. While a mystery thriller story featuring guard-dogs is definitely unusual in Malayalam cinema, the WWII theatre in South East Asia being portrayed in the movie made it all the more unique. Got reminded of Twan Eng’s trilogy. The Mastermind: Kelly Reichardt reimagines … Continue reading What I Watched – January 2026
As I wrote last month, Alberto Moravia was the literary discovery of 2025 for me. His wife Elsa Morante was also a celebrated writer best known for her novels ‘Arturo’s Island’ and ‘History’. Their marriage was a stormy affair (literary icons you see), and Moravia himself had at one point confessed: There were days when … Continue reading The Moravia–Morante Marriage
It was only after reading Diana Preston’s 'Eight Days at Yalta' that I fully grasped the perils of flying in February 1945. Though the writing was on the wall for Nazi Germany, the war was far from over—Japan was still fiercely defending its Pacific island outposts, and the full horrors of the Holocaust were just … Continue reading Roosevelt’s Journey to Yalta
My last stop before returning was Munich – the place where the Nazi party was birthed, where Adolf Hitler became something more than a petty local nuisance and where the groundwork for the ‘Final Solution’ were drawn up. As I had just a day in the city, I quickly checked out the main cathedral, the … Continue reading Munich Notes
Innsbruck, nestled in the Alps, was an unexpectedly pleasant town that we ended up in. I also managed to meet a schoolmate of mine after twenty-six years, who’s been in Innsbruck for more than a decade. Thanks to him, Sruthi and I received a crash course in Innsbruck history and a whirlwind tour of the … Continue reading Innsbruck Notes
An astonishing trivia about Vienna is that sometime in 1913, Hitler, Stalin, Freud, Trotsky and Archduke Franz Ferdinand lived in the same city. It’s irresistible to speculate if Hitler and Stalin had bumped into each other in a café or exchanged smiles while sipping an espresso or an Einspänner. Source Vienna was the most beautiful … Continue reading Vienna Notes
Prague was one of the few cities of Central Europe that was untouched by the destruction of the Second World War. During the Cold War, the city became synonymous with the Prague Spring – a series of reforms by the Communist Party to make communism more palatable - reduced censorship, more autonomy, decentralization of power … Continue reading Prague Notes
On a whim, I decided to go to Warsaw from Krakow and spent around six hours in the city (of which one was spent trying to figure out its tram lines). Warsaw is large, spread-out and has the ‘big-city vibes’ when compared to Krakow. The entire city was rebuilt after the Second World War. After … Continue reading Warsaw Notes
