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 A Man From Motihari.  You will not be far off the mark, if this title reminds you of George Orwell. Eric Arthur Blair, the noted English novelist better known as George Orwell, was born in Motihari. And so was Aslam Sher Khan, the protagonist of A Man From Motihari . The connection doesn't end here...Aslam was delivered in the same bungalow where Orwell was born; Aslam's delivery was aided by a midwife, who was Orwell's nanny. This 'Lady in White' has constant presence in Aslam's life, something like a talisman.   But no, this is not a novel redolent of ghosts stories. Or shall we say it, A Man From Motihari is not the conventional ghost story. Instead its author Abdullah Khan touches upon the 'ghosts' of Babri Masjid, Godhra riots, bomb blasts in Varanasi, the agitation against Citizenship Amendment Act, all seen through the eyes of Aslam Sher Khan, a banker and an aspiring writer from small town India.  Khan has deftly woven the past and present of o

Three years to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown has taught us all many a lesson, that (hopefully) will not be forgotten in a hurry. Amidst all the changes that we have lived through -- WFH to WFA, hybrid work models, 'new normal', and connecting with almost the entire world online -- here are some stories of how those in the creative field plodded on. Here's a series with authors and artists on how the virus affected their productivity. We start off with Deepa Agarwal, a prolific writer, poet, who has written for children and adults. Read on... Many publishing houses hosted interactive online sessions to connect readers with their authors. How was your experience? There were several requests from publishers for sessions with schools and on social media like Facebook and Insta Live interviews. There were also requests for pre recorded videos. Not only publishers but other writers, book stores, reading groups and various organisations and individuals contacted me. Scho

 Ambika Shaligram Is there a kid in your class who has a natural aptitude for running? Well, Zainab would be happy to meet them, to pick a tip or two. You see, Zainab has done her school proud by winning a race.  And, then there is Bashir, who is pro at football, looking forward to his next match. Bet, you have another friend who is equally good at the sport. Oh yes, you should meet Rehman too, who might not be good at cricket like his friends. But he is at home on a sled, racing far ahead of his friends on the snow laden hilly tracks. Maryam is inquisitive, always ready to talk and ask questions. Anam is a little shy, but has a way with words, the written, of course. Sajid wants to be something else, not a salesman, like his father. For the life of him, Sajid can't press upon the visitors to Dal Lake to buy pretty stuff. It is necessary, how else will they earn their livelihood, his father tries to impress upon Sajid. These kids, alongwith a few others, feature in a clutch of nine

Ambika Shaligram Food and all the closest adjectives that make up the culinary world grab you in Manreet Sodhi Someshwar's Girls and the City . It tosses you around, lets you simmer a bit, and sets you out on a plate to chew and ruminate.  There's Reshma Talwar, who loves her Butter Chicken, but in her heart she's afraid of being called the gori moti bhains , a scar from her teenage years. JJ or Juhi Jha, on the other hand, easily tucks into large quantities of food, stays back late in office because the company picks up food tab if you stay back beyond the prescribed hours for work reasons. She knows hunger and intimately so, scrounging off pots for the last grain of rice or trying to hide a roti in her salwar , away from the males in the family who dig in their meals for second and third helping.  And, then there is Leela Lakshmi, who has lot on her plate. An abusive father, an abusive relationship, from which she has tenaciously build a happy life for her daughter, Nani

  By Ambika Shaligram Name: The Impeccable Integrity of Ruby R Author: Moni Mohsin Publisher: Penguin Random House India Pages: 276 It’s very easy to assume that Moni Mohsin’s latest work, The Impeccable Integrity of Ruby R has no surprises. On the surface, Ruby Rauf comes across as a familiar character, a person we know. One who has aimed high, but inevitably has her fall from grace. An industrious student studying in London, Ruby is working hard towards her Master’s degree so that she can grab a job back home in Pakistan and lead a comfortable life which was snatched from her and her mother, when her father passed away. In London, she happens to attend a speech by Saif Haq, a has-been actor, who is testing waters in Pakistan's politics. He still has charisma, good looks and convinces Ruby into quitting her degree and returning home to work as the social media manager for his political party, Integrity. Of course there are other compelling reasons for Ruby taking up the of

  The Postscript book review was first published in Sakal Times Ambika Shaligram There is no single template to deal with death, the mind-numbing grief and that aching sense of loss. Holly was comforted by the letters that her husband, Gerry Kennedy managed to deliver to her after his death. Cecelia Ahern’s PS, I Love You was all mush, lump in your throat, kind of story. Perfect love of Gerry and Holly, one would say. The letters always signed off with ‘PS, I Love You’ guided Holly to rediscover herself.  Postscript is the PS to this book and opens to Holly’s life seven years after Gerry’s death and six years after she received his letters, one for every month. Those who have read the first book (and watched the movie as well) and found it concluding on the right note, would definitely be wary of Postscript. What more could it say about death and healing? Turns out, quite a lot. Seemingly personal gestures can invite a chain of action and reaction as Holly discovers. A g

This interview was first published in Sakal Times Ambika Shaligram Rana Safvi’s third book in the Delhi trilogy series, Shahjahanabad – The Living City of Old Delhi – would strike a chord with the most. After all, who hasn’t heard of Purani Dilli, as we know it now? The other two books in the trilogy include Where Stone Speaks: Historical Trails in Mehrauli, the First City of Delhi and The Forgotten Cities of Delhi. They have been published by HarperCollins. Shahjahanabad or Purani Dilli was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Old timers, descendants of noblemen from Mughal court and members of the Hindu Kayastha community, who moved with Shah Jahan from Agra, still live there. They refer to Shahjahanabad as ‘shehr’.  Shah Jahan decided to build this city because he found Agra and Lahore forts less spacious for his retinue of dignitaries. He finalised the present location between Firozabad and Din Panah for Qila-e-Mubarak (Red Fort) and laid the foundation. The city of Sh

  An interview with Bhakti Mathur, who has been penning, Amma, Take Me series, introducing her children to various faiths. The interview was published in Sakal Times  Ambika Shaligram Published on :  05 Jan, 2020 , 9:18 am On her trips to India, Bhakti Mathur and her two boys, Shiv and Veer, often visit religious shrines and places of worship. The Hong Kong-based former banker has an agenda up her sleeves — firstly, to introduce her children to the country of their origin and the many festivals and mythology tales that make India a very vibrant and inclusive country. Secondly, the interactions, questions and the introspection that occurs finds its way through the books that Mathur has been writing for her children and other readers their age.  Her first book was Amma Tell Me About Holi! in 2011 and now she is working on a new series — Amma, Take Me — in collaboration with Puffin Books. So far Mathur and her kids visited Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupat

  This is a book review of The Sixth String of Vilayat Khan, written by Namita Devidayal and published by Context, Westland books Ambika Shaligram Published on :  12 Jan, 2020 , 8:18 am The Sixth String of Vilayat Khan gives us a close look of the man and his whimsical genius. What or who makes a prodigy? Well, god-given talent is one, but there are other factors too — nurturing of that talent, destiny and the artist’s approach to exploring his/her music.  Namita Devidayal, the biographer of brilliant sitarist Ustad Vilayat Khan deconstructs his persona vis-a-vis his contemporary and another brilliant artist, Pt Ravi Shankar.  Those of us who are far removed from the exalted stratosphere of genius musicians, might not be so clued in to their ‘rivalries’ or the disagreements between the fellow artists. But the few tidbits that float into public domain help in creating a ‘perception’ about the artist.  Devidayal, a journalist and musician, explores the image of Ustad Vilayat Khan with me