Joyfully I write

Recently read a book by Ruskin Bond titled ‘The India I love’. Within that, there was a chapter called ‘Joyfully I write’. As an author, some of what he wrote resonated strongly with me. I am sure as readers and writers, you will find it equally delightful. Here are a few excerpts from that chapter … Read more

Thoughts on Approaching Seventy

As I approach fifty, I thought it might be apt to put out an extract from a book by one of my favorite writers – Ruskin Bond. Of course, one must bear in mind that there is a difference – for many, lot of it – between turning fifty and turning seventy. And biologically, there … Read more

The Greatest Bengali Stories Ever Told: Review

I recently read this collection of Bengali short stories translated from the original by Arunava Sinha. It is simply outstanding – to put it in short. Verily a collection of carefully curated masterpieces by some of the most well-known as well as not so famous writers from Bengal that provide the reader with the cultural, … Read more

Unhurried Tales: Review

Two book recommendations for the yearend. Both by Ruskin Bond. I read both of these one after the other almost a year back and was just going through my Kindle to check them out again. Unhurried Tales is a collection of the longer, well-known stories by Ruskin Bond. Time Stops at Shamli is one of … Read more

Firebird: Review

I recently read a novel called ‘Firebird’ which is the English translation of the original Tamil book by Perumal Murugan. I had heard an interview of the author at the Bangalore Lit Fest and got interested in the book. It is translated into English by Janani Kannan. The novel is steeped in the world of … Read more

Sakina’s Kiss: Review

I recently read a novel by Vivek Shanbhag, the acclaimed Kannada writer, titled ‘Sakina’s Kiss’ – translated in English by Srinath Perur. I was introduced to this author by an earlier novel titled ‘Ghachar Ghochar’ again translated into English. At that time, I was left with a feeling of intrigue after finishing it in a … Read more

A Mahabharata Primer: Review

I have read a lot of books by a friend Sharath Komarraju, who writes both fiction and non-fiction primarily around the Mahabharata. He has read and written all kinds of things on the Mahabharata. Many years back, I think it was when he launched his first book on Hastinapur, as a simple promotional tool, he … Read more

Notes from ‘The Practice’- Set 4

A few months back I read a book titled ‘The Practice’ by Seth Godin. I loved it a lot and made some notes from it. They are some profound lines from the book which spoke to me. The first, second and third sets of these lines are here, here and here. Here is the fourth … Read more

The Courage to be Disliked

A friend recommended reading this book, and the title of the book instantly intrigued me. I got the book almost on the same day, and finished reading it over the next week or so. While the title is attractive and whoever thought about it must be credited with it, this book is not just about … Read more

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