By Sarwat Nasir
It didn’t take me long to pack my suitcase for my holiday in Islamabad, Pakistan — salwar kameez (traditional Pakistani clothing), party wear for the wedding I was going to attend, thick coats for winter, makeup bag, toiletries, and I was ready to go.
Continue reading How Islamabad floored me this time when I went back home
By Anamika Chatterjee
It’s not often that one finds that someone penned a book titled The Book I Won’t Be Writing And Other Essays. And yet, H.Y. Sharada Prasad did just that. In the brief introduction, the former media adviser to Indian prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi made a case for not writing the book his peers so badly wanted him to write: an insider’s account of the leader that was Indira Gandhi. He said he lacked “the capacity to do justice to her complexity” — that prevented him from trying.
Continue reading It makes no sense to protest the release of a political movie
By Suresh Pattali
In the beginning, I wasn’t a big fan of the Vanitha Mathil, or Women’s Wall, conceptualised and marshalled by the Left Democratic government and some Hindu organisations in the Indian state of Kerala. The basic premise behind the formation of a human wall on New Year’s day was the consolidation of women’s voices for gender equality. And that’s where I had a problem with the wall.
Continue reading The patriarchy they stood up against deserves more walls
By Anamika Chatterjee
Five years ago, when my partner and I exchanged vows, I was assured it would be the most magical day of our lives. When the fantasy played out in real life, I couldn’t wait for the ‘magic’ to get over. The thought of going ‘over-the-budget’, the pressure of looking half-decent as a bride and the anxiety over more guests showing up than expected (most Delhi-ites don’t believe in RSVP-ing) exhausted me. The nail-biting moments came to an end only five days later when the celebrations were over.
Continue reading They look happy, but be wary of celebrity #weddinggoals
By Keith Pereña
Chai! Chai! Chai! Our tour guide asked us to shout thrice for something we wanted and it would magically arrive. It only works for chai though, not money, not fame.
Continue reading The fun I had shouting for chai from a rooftop in Delhi
By Sushmita Bose
For the longest time, I’d been disinterested in politics — of the political kind. As an Indian, and as a Bengali (apparently, Bengali political sensibilities are more evolved than average, and every discussion among a group of people from my home state invariably devolves into a raging ideological debate — based on who is in power), I was quite the outlier. My job as a journalist (when I was in India) obviously meant I couldn’t be ignorant; but personally and emotively, I couldn’t care less (unless I liked a particular politician — like, say, Sachin Pilot, who used to be one of my nicest contacts, and someone I want great things to happen to because he’s just so deserving).
Continue reading How this week’s news got me hooked to politics back home
By Allan Jacob
Striking a man when he is down is not my style in these divisive times when everything one says is dissected and damned. However, I find it hard to put a lid on the anger welling inside in me as Indian billionaires, or Bollygarchs, as author and journalist James Crabtree calls them, go unpunished and taunt the law from distant shores.
