Travel writers in the waiting lounge

The first to be hit during the pandemic was the travel industry. Travel bloggers are cooling their heels at home and working out survival strategies Anshul Akhoury, an award-winning travel blogger from Patna, was visiting Kerala to cover a festival in February, when Covid-19 cases in India were not high enough for it to be […]

Once upon a plague….

With entire countries under lockdown, Albert Camus’ ‘The Plague’ provides an insight into human emotions and reactions to turmoil  In January 1941, 28-year old Albert Camus, an Algerian French philosopher and Nobel laureate, started writing about a deadly epidemic transmitted to humans through rats resulting in the death of almost half of the population of […]

Good cop bites the bullet

Ajai Raj Sharma has dealt with some high profile cases in his illustrious career. He writes about it with flair in his recently published memoir  Ajai Raj Sharma, 76, will go down in history as one of the better commissioners to have led Delhi Police. No surprise that he was actively considered for the post […]

A trip to remember

A three-day trip to Rishikesh turned out to eventful – and full of adventure WHEN SOMEONE mentioned Rishikesh to me, the first thing that came to my mind was ‘spirituality.’ I have heard that people from all over the world visit the place in search of ‘nirvana’ or to attain peace. Known as the ‘yoga […]

Search for serenity

The city isn’t a restful place. Head out, a little away from the rush, to find the joy that lies in quiet retreats crafted for the stressed-out urbanite TREK, READ, SLEEP – KALI TIGER RESERVE, KARNATAKA A home in the middle of a tiger reserve—unheard, unseen. I am taken by surprise at this homestay in […]

Love, identity, reckoning

Voices belonging to the LGBTQ community share their stories of struggle “I GOT sick of the intense pressure to get married and finally told my mother that I have no interest in girls. You know what her retort was? “Why? Do you like boys then?’”. Today, Deepak chuckles at the memory, recounting how his courage […]

Amazing cultural mesh

The sights and sounds of the Old City of Jerusalem entice visitors — not just its historical ruins and sites that tell fascinating tales, but also the enduring connections with India “Are you Indian?” is a question that almost any Indian tourist is likely to be asked often in Israel. Not just because Israelis love […]

Shades of Manto

Shikari Auratein (Women of Prey) — a collection of some of Manto’s stories and sketches published in 1955, has been recently translated in English by Saba Mahmood Bashir. It shows a different side of the iconic author IN RECENT times, Manto has been read widely. The reason could be the movies and plays that have […]