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Once upon a time...there were decision-makers It's certainly common enough to hear, speak and discuss about 'agency', 'consent', 'control over our bodies', 'privilege', 'patriarchy' and so on. But how many of us are able to apply these concepts in this day and age?  With every generation some challenges stay constant, despite the overall atmosphere build up that 'change is here'. Is the change good though? And, what change are we talking about? Does it signal progress or a backslide? The dialogue continues. Now, imagine this scenario being discussed amongst the Nair women of Kakasherry Tharvadu  (ancestral house) in Manjoor village, nearly 100 years ago. In her debut novel, Drop of the Last Cloud , Sangeetha G focuses on the lives and times of the Kakasherry women, who were at the cusp of social and political transformation, that took place in pre-independent India. The novel opens to 1924, when floods ravaged Kerala and the birth of

  Ready for an Isspeshal story?   Goldiboy and the Three Apes..--- An Isspeshal Fairy Tale --   yes, you guessed it right! It’s a spin-off on the popular fairy tale, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The spin here is that Goldiboy is a teenage boy, with a dazzling, golden smile. Goldiboy likes things ‘Just Right’. The smell of a Thai curry is off-putting for him, nor does he like the gooey pasta. But a gluten-free grilled cheese sandwich, yes, Goldiboy loves it! Maybe you will think that this Goldiboy is fussy? We would say that he is ‘neurodivergent’. You and I perhaps fall in the ‘neurotypical’ category. But does that make a ‘neurodivergent’ teenager any less than us? No, ‘we are same same but different’. A gorgeously illustrated Goldiboy and the Three Apes is a peek into the life of kids on autism spectrum disorder. The picture book has been conceived and penned by Ashiish V Patil, an autism dad, for his son Rishaan, who was diagnosed with the disorder at the age of two and

'There was nothing wrong in it,' Dada Bhai said, his head bent towards the cold, unyielding floor. 'Sir?' asked Tapan, who had followed him out, just as he had ushered him in personally. 'A boy and girl loved each other. There was nothing wrong in what Sanaz did. Love. That is what is halal for me.' Valmiki would not be contained, she knew, whenever the news reached him. He would rage within. Waste away in the cavity of his chest. She needed to bundle up all her nerve and pack it inside her. Convey to him soundlessly that he was fortunate to be loved for two years. Two years! An eternity for someone who had not got two whole hours of it in her life.  'A whiff of rosewater is enough...' On Makar Sankranti when the kites soar high, Sanaz' wings are brutally clipped. She is found dead in her room and what follows is a trail of questions hiding violence in their midst; of corrosive human behaviour. The ugliness and degenerate behaviour of the many a char

Who said falling in love was easy? Eleanor & Park ticks all the boxes of a YA novel -- a new girl in school and town; mean school kids who make her life difficult and an unlikely friend she meets on the school bus. There is music, there are comics, there is an abusive father and then there is another set of loving but strict parents. Eleanor, the awkward 'big' girl with red hair, wearing a man's clothes with scarves, rings and ribbons just can't seem to fit in her school, in her new house or in Park Sheridan's normal household; Park the American-Asian kid, in his all black avataar seeks to stay under radar. When the two misfits meet, they can't stay away from each other.  Rainbow Rowell makes this tale of all-American teenagers universal with her exquisite writing and exploration of feelings. That one friend we all longed for in our seemingly difficult teenage years?Rainbow Rowell could fill in for that friend -- putting in words, naming those feelings and c

What makes him a star... Is there anything that stays 'undisclosed' in a celebrity's life? Something that can still shock and awe his fans or individuals who admire his body of work and the actor himself? It turns out that yes, some facts can stay carefully undisclosed, especially if you are an actor belonging to an earlier generation; or from a film family that's revered and members of the clan continue to work in one of the biggest film industry. Rishi Kapoor's memories penned in Khullam Khulla (co-authored by Meena Iyer, senior journalist) at times reveal and at times reinforce 'beliefs and opinions' about the Kapoor family.  His father's fondness for Nargis (actor) was known to everyone and Rishi's possessiveness for Dimple Kapadia (his co-star in Bobby) was also discussed in public domain. His recording of those aspects makes the account authentic.  With the unbaring of intrigues, rivalries, friendships (some gone sour) and family quirks, the m

Ghalib goes detecting  When presented with 'What if?', the 'scenario' conjures up numerous possibilities making it an interesting proposition to delve in. What if Mirza Ghalib was a detective? Isn't this enough to hook a reader? We bet so. Thus it is with great interest that we began reading Murder at the Mushaira , and we were not disappointed. Raza Mir, the author, toyed with the possibility of envisioning Ghalib as a detective for nearly 15 years. What we get in Murder at the Mushaira is not a racy whodunit, but more than a peek into the life and times of Ghalib, the Mughal court, the nobility and the sepoys who tried to overthrow the East India Company. The novel is set against the backdrop of First War of Independence and it begins at a point when the 'night is too silent' and ends with a gunshot with the horse rider thrown away from his mount. Who is the horse rider and what is his mission? At that time, Shahjahanabad is a city brewing with tension, in

  Every morning we wake up to doom and gloom -- the unseasonal rainfall, the floods, the drought, disappearing mangroves, urban forests being mowed down, the dip and the sudden rise in temperature and the illnesses that come with it. What is the world coming to? Can we put a stop to it? Perhaps; for the answer lies within us. In contrast, Iora’s world seems radiant – the trees are tall, the woods are deep, and so colourful with greens and blues, talking birds and animals. Why not? She lives in Twitterland, a hidden rainforest, with hardly any communication with the outside world. But you see the jungle is also doomed, as Iora discovers. The evil forces are dominant and her father’s life is in danger. She has to quickly track down the Five Angels and elusive Spirit of Jungle and get them to meet at Scar-faced lake, on a moonless night. For the first time in her 11 years, Iora steps out of Twitterland, but she is not alone. A dwarf Beetle and her friend-rival, Owlus keep her compan

  Here’s a quiz for you: a)     •   In which hotel did American author, Mark Twain stay when he arrived in Bombay? b)      •   Which Mumbai school has a natural history museum section? c)       •   Do you know who was the architect of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus? d)      •  What is the old name of Horniman circle? If you are curious to find out the answers, pick up Fiona Fernandez’s H For Heritage Mumbai. It brings to life the people, roads and landmarks of Mumbai that have shaped the Maximum City, as we know it today. There have been several books that have tried to capture the essence of the capital city of Maharashtra; what makes it tick; what makes its people so resilient. Fernandez tries to go beyond the clichés and describes vividly the pockets comprising different worlds that co-exist in one bustling metropolis -- from Mahim to Bandra and from Colaba and Khotachiwadi to Mahalaxmi and Borivali and Worli in between. H for Heritage Mumbai is packed with

 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

  (This book review was first written for Amritabharati) Summer’s Song Title: Bena’s Summer Author: Shibal Bhartiya Pages: 247 Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren’s Books From its first page, Bena’s Summer draws you into a world that is fast fading away -- of innocence, believing in and doing the good, trust and happiness. The story is a visual treat of a summer that promises fun with cousins, climbing trees, eating raw mangoes and reveling in the pleasure of having outsmarted elders. Set somewhere in the 80s, Bena’s Summer travels to Gaya in Bihar, where her paternal relatives stay in Altamash Manzil and later to Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, where her maternal grandparents and aunt live.   A largely autbobiographical story of Shibal Bhartiya, her protagonist Bena or Benzair Altamash is a precocious eight-year-old. Bena is generous to a fault and believes in the goodness of all; sometimes she does stumble and makes an unkind remark, but apologises straight from the heart when she realise

  (This book review was first written for Amritabharati) Title: Saira Zariwala is Afraid Author: Shabnam Minwalla Pages: 352 Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Book   Right there…behind you An ordinary school girl’s life gets enmeshed with wannabe stars, the rich and happening set of Mumbai and the result is an edge-of-the-seat whodunit murder mystery. Saira Zariwala gets a silver iphone for her 15 th birthday, but her excitement is elbowed out when she realises that her mobile number previously belonged to one Akaash and all the messages that pour in are for him. ‘Who is Akaash and where is he?’ Saira wonders as the evil forces quickly zero in on the teenager, who at first, is clueless about her role in the scheme of things. Saira’s history of panic attacks, protective parents, her outwardly cool but watchful elder brother, and a set of school friends and frenenemies keep the plot churning in Saira Zariwala is Afraid . The book teems with characters, but not one is ‘unneces