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Showing posts from October, 2024

Chatting up Andaleeb Wajid: Scare Walk

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Fighting Fear Upamanyu Bhattacharyya Andaleeb Wajid The pitter patter of the rain spells 'a mug of steaming coffee in one hand and a book in the other' kind-of-weather. The rain, the hills covered in mist, have typically served as a setting for horror stories. But what if you are in your city, signing up for a scare walk that seems fun? What if the scares are not designed but real? Fear is never a solitary emotion. It multiplies with uneasiness, distrust exposing us to our dark side. Ask Veera, Angelina, Ishaan and Dhruv. The four teenagers want to chill a bit before their dreaded board exams begin. A visit to a bungalow on the outskirts of Bangalore for an advertised scare walk seems like a fun idea. And, why not? It means Ishaan can spend some more time with Angie and Veera could hold hands with Dhruv...with some scares thrown in for laughs! But what awaits the teenagers is something sinister and ugly. Picture huge waves, a shape shifting dog and treacherous mountain cliffs i

Book Review: Revolutionaries -- Fight to Freedom

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  Remembering the Revolutionaries The Indian freedom struggle against the British empire, underlined the rights of its people to speak up, to protest and to be heard. This was achieved in multiple ways -- by participating in legislative policies, taking out non-violent movements and launching armed resistance.  Sanjeev Sanyal in his book,  Revolutionaries -- Fight for Freedom --  highlights the armed resistance undertaken by young men and women. Back when there was no social media to create a buzz about political or social cause, the revolutionaries met in akhadas, formed secret groups, went abroad under the guise of studying -- to acquire arms, learn technique of making bombs and spreading awareness about why India needs to be freed by writing books and in newspapers.  Sanyal, in this abridged version for young readers, argues that events like Alipore bombing, Kakori conspiracy, Chittagong conspiracy, were not isolated acts of heroism, but were all  a part of the greater network