• How to Love in Sanskrit: An Ancient Guide for Modern Romantics

    Love may be a universal language, but Sanskrit speaks its many dialects. Let’s uncover the many layers of love with the help of a recently published book called How to Love in Sanskrit.

  • Mindfulness and the Art of Drinking Tea

    Let’s not talk about mindfulness. Let’s start with something you do more often, say drinking tea or coffee. I am going to go with tea because of personal biases; you can do the same with coffee. Consider the following scenarios: Scenario 1: You sit on your couch, looking out of the window, sipping tea. What…

  • A Writer’s Critique of Writing

    I have always been critical of journalists. These delightful heralds, I tell you, how they love to cast stones from their glass houses! They point their fingers at the world but conveniently skip over the mirror. Do they ever self-reflect or critique the organisations they’re working for? And the cherry on top? Their incessant lectures…

  • RK Narayan’s Humorous Tribute to Umbrella Lovers

    Everyone should carry an umbrella. EVERYONE! Existence will not be perfect until it becomes as impossible for a person to carry another person’s umbrella as carrying another person’s driving licence. It may sound a little over-the-top, but to the great Indian writer (also an umbrella devotee) RK Narayan, this was merely a truth that needed…

  • Rudyard Kipling’s Shimla

    Every March, when rhododendrons stain their slopes crimson with their blooms, a sturdy little steam engine goes huffing and puffing through the 103 tunnels between Kalka and Shimla, in the north of India. This is probably the most picturesque and romantic way of approaching the hill station. Rudyard Kipling’s Shimla (in the 1870s and 80s)…

  • Reading Jaya Jaitly’s New Children’s Book Trilogy

    Jaya Jaitly’s recently published children’s book trilogy highlights the contradictions of our times: how the old ways are struggling to survive in this new world. Let’s find out more about these stories.

  • Heisnam Sabitri: The Spirit of Manipuri Theatre

    With a monograph as our guide, let’s dive into the life and art of Heisnam Sabitri, a legendary Manipuri actress.

  • Homi J Bhabha: A Renaissance Man Among Scientists

    With the help of Biman Nath’s brilliant monograph, let’s learn more about the life and works of the great Indian scientist Homi J Bhabha.