To understand why I was only a little shocked---in an oh-my-god-you-had-sex-and-talked-about-it way, not a look-at-this-predator kinda way---when I read Nabokov’s Lolita at 16, you’d have to understand Indian culture. Even after laws banning child marriage were passed in India, there’s still something that resides just under the
Founded in 2007, Atma is a Mumbai-based organisation that aims to address the issue of quality education for underprivileged children and youth in the city. The N.G.O works in association with education-oriented N.G.O.s working with children and young adults across Mumbai, and helps them to
Way back in 2006, when I was but a youngling not halfway through high school, I went to see Taxiride in concert at Palace Grounds in my hometown, Bangalore. Courtesy Vh1 endlessly plugging the band that summer, I’d become a semi-fan of the largely mediocre Aussie band. But this
Tantalising mojitos, rumbas, rum, cigars, and exceptionally humble and friendly people---a potent combination that captures the spirit of Cuba. In spite of constantly being in the bad books of the Superpower, the fact that Cuba has managed to survive on its own terms while preserving its enviable culture definitely gives
Donate your used books to Books on Toast this week! Started in 2012 by Anuya Jakatdar with friends Shalaka Pai, Phalguni Desai, and Neha Bhatia, Books on Toast is a book donation drive and sale in Mumbai. After a successful run last year---the project raised Rs. 60,000 for Hamara
In order to address the rapidly growing market for young-adult fiction and nonfiction in the country, Penguin India has just launched Inked, a new imprint that will publish books by both new and established authors. Inked, a new young-adult imprint from Penguin India. Targeted at readers in the age group
Vivek Narayanan has lived in India, southern Africa, and the United States, and continues to divide his time between India and the States. This journey of fractured geographies resonates in his work: restrained in his verses, Vivek manages to inhabit the space between "the coast of saying too much
(This excerpt partially based on The Alchemy of the Mosque by Thomas Rochford.)
BOMB Thursdays is a new series of events started by artist and event management company ennui.BOMB that aims to address the lack of good venues for indie rock gigs in suburban Mumbai. BOMB Thursdays from ennui.BOMB and Kino 108. "BOMB Thursdays started as an idea to bring
Started in 2008 in San Francisco, Open Show is a series of free community-organised social screening events taking place worldwide. Described as a "global network of local events", Open Show is currently active in five cities in India: New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune. Open Show organises
Don't be fooled by the title: this book isn't about an assassination attempt on Bhagwan Rajneesh, a.k.a. Osho. Written by Osho's second-in-command and once prominent Rajneeshee Ma Anand Sheela, the book is really about the years that she spent with him, helping