Category Archives: books
kambakht bilkul aurat
I’ve been reading Ismat Chugtai’s ‘Kagazi Hai Pairhan’ and ‘Tedhi Lakeer’. Recently. Reading them, almost back to back, was a little confusing. ‘Kagazi ..’ is Ismat’s almost fiction like autobiography … Continue reading
on books, cramps and the rest of it
I confess I have been struggling with Vinod Kumar Shukla‘s ‘Hari Ghaas ki Chhappar Wali Jhopadi Aur Bouna Pahad‘ for the last few days. Well, it’s not even been that … Continue reading
ruskin bond – as long as you have a window
When the mercury in Bumm-Bumm-Bhole-Land dips to 23 degree Celcius, and there is a chill wind blowing down, coming right from the mountains far, far away, it’s a good time … Continue reading
premchand – karma and the real world
Premchand (1880-1936) is not an author most of us pick up eagerly to read. This is a fall-out from having to study him in school, as part of Hindi literature. … Continue reading
romi & gang
I am not a boy, never have been, and I have not been thirteen since quite a while. I have never played cricket, or maybe sometimes with a rubber ball, … Continue reading
just another day
Teja bought me an orange reading lamp, a big one, to suit my aging eyes. I loved the effort he went through to have it delivered home without me catching … Continue reading
premashram (1922) and a suitable boy (1993)
For a novel based on Gandhian philosophy, Munshi Premchand‘s ‘Premashram’ (1922) has several violent deaths. Rai Saheb (Gyanshanker’s father-in-law) escapes death by poisoning by his yogic skills, Gyanshanker’s two young … Continue reading
the eighth guest (2011)
The best detective stories are those that also detail lifestyles. Satyajit Ray’s Feluda stories are interesting not only because of the mysteries themselves but because of Feluda himself, his nephew … Continue reading
discounting good things
The Strand Book Stall sale is supposed to be a good thing, right? It is a good thing. Teja for instance, buys his year’s quota of books from there. Books … Continue reading
the museum of innocence (2008) – a museum of love
Orhan Pamuk’s ‘The Museum of Innocence‘ examines in minutest detail the obsessive love of Kemal Bey for his beautiful distant cousin, Fusun. The love story which spans a number of … Continue reading
the diary of a chambermaid (1900) – torture garden
Octave Mirbeau (1848-1917) was raped as a child by the Jesuit priests who were supposed to educate him. He wrote, “The universe appears to me like an immense, inexorable torture … Continue reading
Viewed the book
Teja likes to switch on his night lamp and open a book the first thing he gets into bed. He started doing it first to impress me. Now it’s a … Continue reading
The broken people
Last year, I thought it was time for Dhanno to begin cleaning her own bathroom and toilet. When I proposed it to her, she was shocked. Until then, usually I … Continue reading
The Guide
Days when I am stuckFor words,I read old books.Books written 50 years agocomfort.R K Narayan‘s ‘Guide’written in 1958.It was a toss betweenseeing the filmor reading the book.Films made 43 years … Continue reading
tatoo artist
Spent two glorious days book-collecting at the Strand sale. One of the pleasures of being gainfully employed is being able to buy as many books as one wants. Well no, … Continue reading
