Calcutta in the 1880s —cultural, artistic, revolutionary. A well-connected class and caste of reformers made waves through India, and the Indian revolution, for generations. One small part of this story, lost in our revolutionary nostalgia, is the nascent formations of the Indian circus — specifically,...
It was one of those rainy nights during the Mumbai monsoon, the sky outside seemed angry with the city… thunder, lightning, trees falling, random politico-religious songs playing in the background — you get the picture, right? Somewhere in some part of this large metropolis a...
The land owner of the place I am currently staying at, Mr Raju, is a nice man. We have had a long association. I am the oldest tenant in this particular building, and he does not want me to leave his house. Why? I will...
As one enters Chennai from the Bangalore highway, one cannot miss Dr. MGR Engineering College standing tall and welcoming everyone to the city. The college also stands tall for being one of the few educational institutions in the city that embraces and adapts to new...
A BEACH BABE WITH A PURPOSE If you’re looking for a great story, it’s usually a tale from the past or well, from science fiction. Nobody ever speaks of great stories from today. Stories created every day by ordinary people around us. One such story...
If you are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, or interested in its history and activism, you have probably heard of Hoshang Merchant. He is one of our most famous poets, critics, academics. In 1999, he edited the first mainstream publication of gay writings in...
Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter… I might tweak this proverb to read ‘direct’ rather than ‘write’ and ‘lioness’ instead of ‘lion’. At the 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival, female directors were showcased in the main...
THE 2018 floods which hit Kerala was termed the disaster of the century for the State. Something on that scale had occurred last in the year 1924. Of course, it won’t happen again in another 100 years, everyone thought. Until August 2019. While the worst...
The time for summer flings and sunny vacations may have gone by, trendy swimwear that’s chic and exotic is however here to stay. Shivan & Narresh, a beachwear brand that’s got the Indian consumer hooked talks to us on what drove them to create this...
Up until very recently, (three years ago, to be precise,) my definition of freedom meant being allowed to stay out at a friend’s place for a sleepover. No kidding! Being the only girl child raised in a conservative family meant that I was always expected...
