The Bachelor of Arts
"The Bachelor of Arts" is probably RK Narayan's best book I have read so far. It has all the elements that contemporary writers abuse - friendship, infatuation, heart break, self awakening and love. But the book differs from the current crop in it's treatment. It is subtle and the doesn't go …
read moreLet The People Think
"Let The People Think" is a collection of essays by Bertrand Russell, an English writer, philosopher and mathematician. He was one of the very few English men to profess his anti-war and anti-colonial thoughts during the two world wars and this nearly led to his persecution after being labelled a …
read moreThe Real Inspector Hound
"The Real Inspector Hound" is a satire on theatre critics and the image of English aristocracy built by P.G Wodehouse and Agatha Christie. While taking the viewers through a murder plot, the play showcases the absurdity of theatre critics. Throughout the 75 minutes, the viewers are kept guessing the …
read moreSuccess
"Success", a play directed by Edward Morgan of Theatre MXT (USA) explores the cost of success. Success has lot of meanings and people tend to categorize it further as professional success, academic success etc.
Rick Sterling, a media consultant is sought after by lots of politicians as he is credited …
read moreThe Interview
Yesterday, I watched my first play after school at Ravindra Bharathi as a part of The Hindu Metroplus Theatre Fest 2011.
"The Interview", an award winning play directed by Akarsh Khurana of Akvarious Productions depicted a stressful interview of a desperate job seeker at the country's largest corporation. It showcased …
read moreMr. Sampath: The Printer of Malgudi
Srinivas wants to chart his own path but is burdened by responsibilities. He comes to Malgudi to start "The Banner", a weekly magazine and here he meets Sampath, the printer. Together, they form a partnership to promote the weekly. When the subscriptions start looking up, Sampath forces Srinivas to suspend …
read moreThe Serpent and the Rope
Relationships that defy logic
Some bonds transcend logic and blood relationships. When was the last time you experienced this?
This morning, my neighbour's mother whom I fondly called "Paati" (grandmother in Tamil) passed away. She was an active lady who cared for everyone and bore no ill feelings against anyone. She knew my culinary …
read moreEverybody loves a good drought
The news of the number of Indian billionaires in the Forbes list increasing every year should be heartening, right? Actually not, the major portion of the country (generally dubbed "The other India" by the foreign press) only seems to be getting poorer by the day. They are dispossessed of their …
read moreThe Wanderer and The Prophet
Kalyan recommended these books and need I say more about his recommendations? The Wanderer and The Prophet (two separate books) are a collection of fables and parables by Kahlil Gibran.
"The Wanderer" is a collection of close to twenty stories each spanning a couple of pages and discuss one philosophical …
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