Day 39: On writing, workers & Arjun Sengupta

Day 39 For a fluff writer like me the only way learning happens is through iterations. I am in the seventh week of writing everyday. Writing, exercise and reading have filled up the hours of these lockdown days. There was boredom kicking in, on some days, even in doing these. I didn’t hit saturation, but … Continue reading Day 39: On writing, workers & Arjun Sengupta

Day 25: Searching for mot juste

18/04/2020 Day 25 I spent the evening reading digital copies of newspapers of the previous two days. I have access to NYT and FT. I look forward to their weekend supplements, which have a diversity of reviews and recommendations on books, podcasts, movies and travel. Covid-19 related news and pandemic reportage seems to have moved … Continue reading Day 25: Searching for mot juste

Hate Cleaning? I love it! – Scraping through in Oslo

The city is cold. This is not a statement on weather here. Even on weather’s count, cold season of cities in lower latitudes is Oslo’s summer. It manages to keep an attractive and highly refined façade of affluence and lifestyle that unfurls into layers of nuances only on repeat visits. Parts of the city that … Continue reading Hate Cleaning? I love it! – Scraping through in Oslo

There is nothing straight about desire at all

Late night read. Madhavi Menon’s interview. This one’s quite interesting in the way Menon frames it -  Q: You write, “A far cry from the dominant history of sexuality that would assign one identity to one person, dargahs provide us with a window onto a world of desirous possibilities, none of which are spelled out … Continue reading There is nothing straight about desire at all

The art of preface: Woman, Body, Desire in Post-colonial India

For two days a week that I spend working at a university, I spend a part of my time reading preface of books and digging archives. If a preface gets my attention and is compelling enough, the book gets read for sure. Jyoti Puri's Woman, Body, Desire in Post-colonial India (Routledge) is one such. The … Continue reading The art of preface: Woman, Body, Desire in Post-colonial India

Preface from Women, Body, Desire in Post-Colonial India

Some books are encounters, as this one by Jyoti Puri. The idea of women, body and desire isn’t as appealing as the context in which Puri sets it. The author’s preface reads a very fine piece in a researcher’s personal ethics, honesty and humility with which the material is presented. She writes,  Despite the personal … Continue reading Preface from Women, Body, Desire in Post-Colonial India