Sri Lanka: The Land of Serendipity (Part 3)

The Ariyapala Mask Museum and Galle One of the most enjoyable rides of my life would be the one from Colombo city to Galle and back. We also visited the Ariyapala Mask Museum situated in the south western coastal town of Ambalangoda. It comes on the way to Galle. So it is a good way

Sri Lanka: The Land of Serendipity (Part 2)

COLOMBO CITY Colombo is a city that symbolizes that happy coexistence of the two jungles- the actual and the concrete. If you take a tour of the city, it gives the feeling as if it has sprouted out of the greenery from all around it. Most of the streets in Colombo city are bordered by

Sri Lanka: The Land of Serendipity (Part 1)

I had never seen so much greenery all my life. Wherever the eyes turned, it was dense foliage and tall coconut palms waving their fronds, swaying to the rhythm of the waves; shapely traveller’s palms, glistening in the tropical sun, slender screw palms and scaly tree ferns wrapping the landscape with a lime coloured lushness.

Kohinoor: The Story of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond

History is always written by bloodied hands ravaged by war with broken quills dipped in red. And it is a bloodier history if it happens to involve a spectacular gem. ‘Kohinoor’ by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand charts the brilliant journey of this unique jewel in a gripping and fascinating narrative. From pre Mughals to

A Webbed World in the Lock-down

The lock-down initiated us to many new and innovative ways of teaching and lecturing and making ourselves visible. When we decided to go with the online mode of teaching, it was a bit unnerving at first. I just couldn’t imagine talking in front of a computer screen, sans a classroom and a crowd of energetic

Anthony Doerr’s ‘All the Light We Cannot See’

This book has been sitting on my book shelf for the last 5 years. It’s been literally screaming at me to pick it and read it. And I have been avoiding and delaying reading it for two reasons- one, it’s set in the time of WWII, ergo it will be a tear jerker and an

Wordyland

Of endless waits and uncountable gaps,Of time lapse and a memorabilia of memories,Confined to the coziness of the couch,Words transport me to,Far, far away, to Neverland, Underland, Galaxies, and The Emerald City,Through diagonal alleys and enchanted forests,I walk, I run, I ride, I swim, I fly,With wings, on carpets, on eagles, on planes,Over forests, snow

Easterine Kire’s ‘When The River Sleeps’

Easterine Kire’s ‘When the River Sleeps’ is one of the most unusual books I have ever read. At the outset it reads like a tale of magic and myth. But as you read, you realise that it talks about journeys. I use the plural because it speaks about the actual journey the protagonist undertakes physically, the

Janice Pariat’s ‘Boats On Land’

I am on short-story reading spree, and especially those written by Indian women writers from the North East. I have put aside all other mainstream books and exploring these hidden treasure tales which I came across quite unexpectedly. It was a chance encounter indeed and I was whisked away to a world of myths, dreams,

Temsula Ao’s Laburnum For My Head

The influence of short fiction or short story is undeniably strong amongst avid readers. One reason would be that the roots of short story run deep- into our soul and psyche, not to forget that they are small windows into a much larger world. It’s been a long time since I came across a short