The Free Speech Campaign

Nilanjana Roy, the redoubtable writer and journalist, has started a campaign to protect and reinforce a fundamental right. The idea is to do a bunch of readings on February 14 (the day when Satanic Verses was banned in 1989) to protest book bans and censorship in the arts. The campaign page suggests that you should organize a public reading (or take part in one) at 3 PM in whichever city you are. If you have a blog, post this poem by Rabindranath Tagore: just like I did.

"We cannot let our republic, our beloved republic, our constitutional republic, our free and free-speaking republic, be hijacked by fear. It happened once in the Emergency. It must never happen again.
We cannot let them close our mouths and eyes and ears.
We cannot let them break the pen or ration the ink. ~ Vikram Seth, speech at the Kolkata Book Fair.

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high 
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments 
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth…
Where the mind is led forward by thee 
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. 

~ Rabindranath Tagore.


(The poster below was designed by Sanjay Sipahimalani. Check out more on his site.)

Quick note

Sorry for the intermittent silence; much has happened over the past two weeks on the work front, which is why I haven't been reading much. Suffice to say that I'm gainfully employed now and am settling into the new workplace. 


Will be doing a bit of reading over the weekend for a work related assignment and post an author interview in due course. In the meanwhile, enjoy the archives and do grab a copy of Samanth Subramanian's wonderful collection of travel essays, 'Following Fish'. 

Musings on Soumya Bhattacharya's 'You Must Like Cricket'

One of my many grouses about the mainstream media (and, to a lesser extent, Indian literature) is that it is devoid of quality memoir writing; particularly essays on personal experiences about cricket. Thanks to the advent and spread of TV and the internet, my guess is that cricket buffs would watch a riveting game of cricket rather than read stimulating and enjoyable memoirs about the game. Not only has that lead to the near-death of cricket writing, but, I reckon, made the experience of being a cricket buff distant and sterile. I am no exception; the first and last time I saw a game of cricket was in 1998 when India played Pakistan in Delhi and Kumble took 10 wickets in an innings. 

So on a balmy Saturday morning, I was delighted to find in the mail, Soumya Bhattacharya’s excellent cricket book You Must Like Cricket? Memoirs of an Indian Cricket Fan. It’s a book I’ve been keen on reading since I’ve read it’s (sort-of) sequel All That You Must Leave Behind and interviewed Soumya about it.

Essentially, You Must Like Cricket is about Soumya’s 30-year obsession with the gentleman’s game; nearly everything he does, experiences, thinks or observes has to do with the game of cricket. And, sometimes, this obsession makes him do slightly strange things. For instance, the book informs us, that after a getting sloshed during a junkette in Mauritius, Soumya went up to Kapil Dev and asked whether he could “touch the hand that had bowled the best outswinger in the history of Indian cricket”. On another occasion, he bought an air ticket from London to Calcutta just so that he could watch the final match of a tournament at the Eden Gardens. And, when asked by friends about the year of his daughter’s birth, Soumya nonchalantly replied ‘the same in which Laxman scored a historic double ton against the Aussies in Calcutta’.

These humorous vignettes aside, You Must Like Cricket is a quirky, irreverent and poignant account of the evolution of cricket as seen through the eyes of an enthusiastic cricket fan. Most importantly it gives words to those thoughts and emotions which get drowned under victorious cries of “Indi-yaaaaaahhhhh” and cuss-filled rants which evoke the misery of defeat. You Must Like Cricket, therefore, is a book which wants you to enjoy a fan’s experiences of the game as much as you enjoy the game itself.

Hence, what you’ll come across in this vivid, conversational memoir are not gushing accounts of historic victories but about how strong the memory of that victory is. Nor are there long winding essays on the shabbiness of some of our cricket grounds; instead, there’s poignant account about food and the importance of sharing it with fellow members of the audience. Most importantly, even though this a book of memories, cricket never seems to be on the periphery in this book, nor, I suspect, in Soumya’s life (possible, to the chagrin of his wife). Such is the writer’s craft that he places the sport as the skeleton and his memories of it as the flesh and blood of this book.

Since this is a collection of essays, I’m sure some of you are bound to ask about a favorite (or two). But, to be honest, I have none. After all, how can you say that one memory is better than another? That you enjoyed watching Sachin score a match-winning blistering century in Sharjah than a century at, say, Wankhede. Just like the sport which it reminisces about, You Must Like Cricket is best enjoyed as a whole and not in parts.

To be frank, You Must Like Cricket, has left me, well, stumped. For, as I wrote earlier, Soumya Bhattacharya has managed to give drowned emotions and thoughts words, sentences and paragraphs. He has written about India’s (and his) beloved sport with sparse prose and without being voluble or verbose (can any of you describe an innings or a memorable cricket win without using an adverb or an adjective? I bet not). Most importantly, he’s made the experience of cricket loving writable in an era which has seen the decline of cricket writing. That alone is reason enough to read this book.

Hence, I’m going back to re-read it and I suggest you do the same. At least once.

Hack Digest: Edition 1

Starting today, I'll be posting links to the best journalistic writing that I've read in the recent past. I'll try and be as regular with this as possible but in case I can't do it on a monthly basis, I'll put up a bi-monthly or even quarterly digest depending upon my workload. In the meantime, enjoy this and if you think you've read an equally good or a better piece of journalistic writing than what I've posted here, feel free to email and I'll upload it.


Rahul Bhatia's account of the three days he spent with LSD director Dibakar Banerjee (Open magazine)


Siddharth Varadarajan's powerful piece on the double standards of Indian politics when it comes to riots (The Hindu)


Chandrahas Choudhury's wonderfully written account of the BJP's 30 year journey and how it tries to strike a balance between the old and the new (The Caravan)


Shreevats Nevatia's cover story on how New Delhi is getting newer and better for the Commonwealth Games (Outlook) 


Priya Ramani on why Shyam Benegal is the Indian villager's Last Action Hero  (Mint Lounge)


Jai Arjun Singh talks to movie director Anup Kurian about the 'smallness' of his movie 'The Hunt' (Business Standard)


Gaurav Kalra on why Prince Yuvraj will never be King (IBNlive.com)


Samar Halarnkar wonders what Twitter is all about  (Hindustan Times)


Manu Joseph's superb piece on the most foolish things said about Sachin Tendulkar (Open Magazine)


Vir Sanghvi on why the Hindu loony fringe was obsessed with Sania Mirza's wedding and the origins of Dal Makhani (Hindustan Times)


And finally, Salil Tripathi on the humility of the Indian journalist (Mint)


Also check out the anniversary issue of TimeOut Delhi which is an exhaustive compilation of the best eateries in the capital

Sneak Peek: Quarantine by Rahul Mehta

The good folks at Random House India recently sent me a sample copy of their forthcoming book, Quarantine, by Rahul Mehta. It's a collection of short stories about gay relationships and the manner in which Indian families deal with them.  What struck me the most about Rahul's stories is the simplicity of his prose; crisp sentences, simple words and well-constructed paragraphs which make his stories beautiful and tender. Just to give you a brief insight, in Quarantine we see Bapuji, a typical grandfather who cribs about his daughter-in-law Asha's cooking and is unable to come to terms with his grandson being gay while in  Ten Thousand Years, we read about a couple whose relationship is on the rocks because one of the partners, Thomas, has been unfaithful.  There's a third story, Citizen, which I'm yet to read but I'm sure it'll be as enjoyable as the previous two.


I don't want to say too much right now because I've just read two stories but it's suffice to say that I really enjoyed whatever I read and am looking forward to reading the full book once it's out at the end of April. 


Will post a review/author interview if, as and when it happens.

On my bookshelf...

....are a lot of books that I've bought and received over the last few weeks. Thanks to the book fair, the Jaipur litfest and my current job as a book reviewer, I've managed to collect quite a number of books; some of which I will probably start reading in another lifetime. Here's a quick list


1) Berlin by Antony Beevor: This was a book which I bought accidentally and, to a certain extent, unintentionally. I went to the World Book Fair in Delhi looking for Beevor's much-acclaimed work Stalingrad and his latest book D-Day and while I did spot both the books on weekdays, they were sold out over the weekend. In fact, the only Antony Beevor book which remained untouched was Berlin, which is a narrative account of the people who were caught during the final collapse of the Third Reich. A blurb at the back of the book states that Berlin is "even better" than Stalingrad (although the Book Fair stalls indicated otherwise). Haven't started reading it yet but, given the amount of praise I've heard about Beevor, I will probably read it soon


2) A Matter of Taste: The Penguin Book of Indian Food Writing edited by Nilanjana Roy: A few months before I actually bought this book (in Jaipur), I had just finished reading the hugely enjoyable Rude Food by Vir Sanghvi and realised that there weren't very many Indian memoirs written about food. I did a quick Google search to prove myself wrong, and the only other book which showed in the results section was A Matter of Taste. Initially, I was a bit hesitant to buy a copy since I'd read a read an unkind review of it on the net. But, given the authenticity and accuracy of internet reviews,  I decided to buy a copy anyway. And I'm glad I did. Because even though a lot of essays are extracted from books, the range of memoirs they capture (for want of a better phrase) are fantastic. There's Behram 'Busybee' Contractor reminisces about eating chapatis with his morning tea. Rohinton Mistry writes an endearing account of a Parsi family's tryst with chicken. Suketu Mehta's extracted essay from his terrific book Maximum City is a terrific and horrific account of the sacrificing of a goat by Mumbai's "black collar workers". Other writers whose works feature in the book include Salman Rushdie, Raj Kamal Jha, Radhika Jha, Mukul Kesavan and Vir Sanghvi. I hope Nilanjana does a sequel to this book - it's been almost six years since this one came out and it's high time we got to read another one.


3) The Picador Book of Indian Cricket edited by Ramchandra Guha:  Bought this one from the book fair as well. For anybody interested in the history, personalities, quirks and the evolution of the game, this one is a must read. Not only because it's edited by Ram Guha but because of the range and quality of the essays in the book. While the contributors to this anthology are formidable writers themselves, it is Guha's superb skills as editor which stand out. His ability to choose from top quality cricket writing and his reasons to choose them  give the book its intellectual tone and character. I haven't read the whole book but a few outstanding essays include the ones on Sachin Tendulkar, Malcolm Marshall, Waqar Younis and Brian Lara from the personalities section. There's a wonderful piece in the initial part of the book which traces the origin of Test cricket and a few pieces on the food at cricket grounds which I'm looking forward to read.


4) Broken News by Amrita Tripathi: A new chick-lit novel by the CNN-IBN journalist, the book is a satirical take on the TV news business and office culture in India. Broken News is the story of a not-so-young TV journalist and anchor (NOT Amrita) who battles craziness, chaos on a daily basis as part of her job. She's almost had a nervous breakdown, a horrible breakup and after eight years on the job, has become quite cynical of her profession. In between, she also plays mentor to a newbie hack who's just graduated from a J-school. If you are an aspiring TV journo with idealistic dreams of anchoring on the second day of your job (like yours truly was not too long ago) then this is just the sort of book you should read. Not only will it kill some of that idealism, but it'll also give you an insight into the chaotic world called 'behind-the-scenes'. I'm already 50-odd pages down and am enjoying the book very much. There are a few glitches (lots of commas) but barring that this book's a fun read. Grab a copy ASAP


5) A Corner Of A Foreign Field by Ramchandra Guha: There was a time in my life when I thought of historians as 'bloody boring'. Part of this thought process should be attributed to a rather ordinary school life where if you admitted you liked history, you were immediately labelled 'weird' (and in some cases unceremoniously thrown out of your peer group) Ram Guha's book was released exactly at that point and I kick myself for not buying/reading it then. This 500 page tome isn't really a 'cricket book'; it's a book which looks at India's socio-political tapestry from the prism of cricket. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say this is a book is more profound than Guha's most acclaimed work till date - India After Gandhi for it blends all of Guha's profiles; cricket writer, historian, biographer, anthropologist and political commentator. Again, I haven't started reading the book yet (yes, I know I suck but blame it on the profession please) but I doubt I'll be able to put it down once I do. 


That's it for now. Back to work and to do some reading. 


P.S. For all you Ram Guha fans, grab a copy of the latest Caravan magazine; he's written a cover story tracing the history of the Congress Party. Also, read the wonderful interview he gave to Chandrahas Choudhury about India After Gandhi

Short Review: Unlikely Hero by Nandita Puri

At the start of her book, Nandita Puri has published an endearing picture of her husband and her son, Ishaan, playing with each other. The photographed is captioned "For Ishaan: A legacy you will cherish". Sadly, however, the author chooses to ignore Om Puri's cinematic legacy focusing on his personal life instead. And what could've made for a riveting read is just a collection of anecdotes and incidents from Om Puri's personal life which has been full of hardships and tribulations. 


Om Puri found his bearings at his birthplace Ambala,  where we are informed that Puri had no clue about his actual date of birth, was the youngest child of his parents, didn't go to school and had briefly contracted smallpox. Financial constraints meant that he had to do odd jobs (washing utensils at a dhaba being one of them) and move to Patiala to finish his higher studies. It was there that Puri experienced his first brush with cinema. Soon, stints at the National School of Drama (NSD) and the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) followed. Om Puri went unnoticed in his first six films until Aakrosh happened followed by Ardh Satya.


In between all of this, there was Om Puri the womaniser and philanderer. To be fair, his biographer wife Nandita has boldly written about the actor’s womanising ways (his affair with Santi, the domestic help, his crush on actresses Seema Sawhni and Rohini Hattangadi and his failed first marriage to a woman named Mala). At one level, all these might seem like salacious bits of gossip which were included to sell the book. However, these incidents help to demonstrate how a successful, good-looking young man from a small town can get carried away by attention and glamour. But that's not what makes this a mediocre book. 


An actor as accomplished as Om Puri surely deserves a biography where his body of work is analysed thoroughly. How does he straddle the worlds of popular and 'offbeat' cinema with such ease? Why aren't movies,  which evoke the anger of Ardh Satya or the humour of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, not made any more? What did he make of his brush with television? Does he enjoy doing Western cinema? And what makes him do movies as horrible as Singh Is King, Victoria No. 203 and King of Bollywood?


Instead, what does the reader get in this book? A short overview by Om of his favorite films and a 'Tips To Aspiring Actors' manual at the end. Clearly, Nandita Puri could've written a much better biography of her talented husband. Sadly, she chooses not to.


Did this for Businessworld Online


P.S. Part-2 of Niall Ferguson's session at Jaipur will be uploaded once my current crop of assignments is over. Also, expect a super exclusive piece about Sidin Vadukut and his debut novel Dork. But for now, I'm busy reading Shahriar Mandanipour's Censoring An Iranian Love Story. As always, review will be posted once it's published in print


Ciao!

Jaipur Diaries 3: Niall Ferguson on The Ascent of Money (Part 1)

I’ve always thought of Niall Ferguson as an economist and, like many others, have stereotyped him as one: an intense looking Harvard professor wearing thick-rimmed spectacles always talking about numbers, policies, currencies, growth rates, cartels, oligarchies, fiscal deficits, stimulus packages…you get the drift.

But I was wrong on both counts. Firstly, Niall is not an economist; he is a historian who specialises in financial as well as the history of colonialism. Secondly, he is extremely good-looking and one of the wittiest speakers I’ve ever heard. He is the author of 13 books including the much-acclaimed Pity of War, Empire and The War of the World. But at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Niall spoke about his latest work The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World. Read on.

While introducing his book, Niall said that a few issues which he examines, among others things, the globalisation of the current financial system. Niall said that the international financial system is a part of “everyone’s lives”. “It’s a story of where this thing came from: Planet Finance; this giant, extraordinarily complex system which will affect your life, that will give and take our money, whether you like it or not!” quipped Niall. But who we blame, asks moderator Omair Ahmad. “Not me!” replies Niall, amidst peals of laughter from the audience. According to Niall, it’s easy to come up with simplistic explanations for a crisis of this magnitude. “For a time, there was a fashion to blame Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve. Then, we decided to blame Goldman Sachs and its rebranding as a giant vampire squid was one of the remarkable phenomena of the past year. In some ways, it resembles those Russian trials of the late 19^th century when the jury would refuse to convict a murderer because, as the Russian Tsar said, we are all guilty” added the Harvard professor. “In some ways, we all are complicit – at least in the Western world – because the financial crisis couldn't have happened if it hadn’t been for the reckless behaviour of millions and millions of house loans that run up debts in excess of anything you’ve ever seen!” Niall exclaimed.

“Countries like Britain, Ireland, the United States, Spain and Iceland achieved unprecedented levels of indebtedness – and in a relatively short timeframe. So, I think before anyone says ‘it’s all the fault of Greenspan or Lloyd Blankfein (Goldman Sachs CEO) or some ruthless investment banker, I think one has to step back and realise that, the financial system is a highly complex one and involves decisions by millions of individual actions” explained Niall.  He adds that he went to Michigan in the United States to study the subprime mortgage crisis and found the process “fascinating”. “It’s absolutely fascinating to get inside the process whereby, a relatively low-income American family takes on an amount of debt that everybody knows is unsustainable” said Ferguson. In his assessment, “ignorance” was the cause of the subprime crisis. 

“Ignorance of financial history and elementary things like interest rates.  We (need to) educate people who really matter in this stuff. And our courses on economics and finance, at close suspection, turn out to be really bad” lamented the Harvard professor. Niall added people who worked on Wall Street and were closely involved in the financial system knew “very little” about financial history. “That’s why they find it so hard to imagine that a great depression might happen to them.”

“Most people who are operating based on their personal experience did not know much about financial crises before the early 1980’s. And they had no idea that, in 2007, they were close to as big a crisis as 1929”. And that, Niall said, was the main reason for him to write The Ascent of Money.

Omair went on to suggest that money is a way of educating people as it attaches a value to something (in this case, a stock) and helps a prospective buyer judge the stock based on the value. So isn’t the financial market screwed up in educating us, in a manner of speaking enquired Omair.

“I would put it slightly differently. It’s the process (of buying and selling) which is educational. The money is a relationship between buyer and seller, between a creditor and a debtor.  The earliest money, which dates back to 4500 years in the form of clay tablets – the size of credit cards – states that X promises to pay Y, the bearer, a specified amount on a certain commodity on a certain date. He (X) crystalises that relationship that transcends time and space because you can settle the debt hundreds of miles away from where you are. So, the money really is just a relationship between the debtor and creditor. Even today, the money that you carry around with you or that you imagine is in your bank – it’s not there!” gasped Niall. “That’s called fractional reserve banking – a 17^th century Swedish invention – which means that when you deposit money in the bank, they take that money and lend it to somebody else. Don’t be fooled; if we wanted all the money at once, banking systems around the world would crash; that’s something that investors at the British bank, Northern Rock discovered not so long ago” Niall quipped.

According to Niall, prices are just signals which “express value”. “But these prices, in a free market, are only arrived at by our collective expectations of what something is worth right now and what it’ll be worth in future” Niall went on to explain that as human beings, our collective mood-swings help determine the value of a commodity in future. “Human psychology, which is very volatile, is magnified when we act collectively and financial markets reflect them; they reflect that there’s been this extraordinary switch from greed to fear. The same people who worked in investment banks and hedge funds in late 2006 and early 2007, bet with me that there will never be another recession in the United States.  So, the relationships which money crystalises are as volatile as the ones we forge in our emotional lives” added Niall.

Veering the discussion towards an Indian context, Omair remarked that since India’s political and economic cisterns remain fragile; we may not be able to afford these mood-swings. What does Niall makes of this? The Harvard professor replied “India’s experience over the last twenty years has been fascinating because unlike many Commonwealth countries, India’s economic miracles – and I think we can call it an economic miracle – have been based not on trade or on foreign direct investment or on globalisation. India’s growth has been primarily a result of a significant increase in savings and investment within India itself. Also, a growth of demand for domestic goods in India; that means India is much less exposed to crises of globalisation than China is where trade has played a much larger role in generating growth.  India has run a modest current account deficit while China has the enormous and ever-growing surplus. In some ways, India hasn’t attempted to grow as fast as China; it’s a little bit like the story of the tortoise and the hare”.

Niall added that China’s reform process started in 1978 which is why it’s economy is now three-and-a-half times larger than India and, by 2021, that figure will go up to four-and-a-half. In essence, India isn’t running as fast as it should be.

This is part 1 of what is a really long recording. Due to time constraints (and long hours of transcribing), part 2 will go up either tonight or tomorrow. Do comment on what you thought of this post. Hope you enjoyed reading this and the other Jaipur diaries as well. 

Jaipur Diary: Short Note On The Litfest

- Recently attended the Jaipur Literature Festival and I have to say it wasn't as fun as it was last time round. That doesn't mean the festival was bad; it's just that this year it was insanely crowded and I hadn't heard of or read the works of most of the speakers. Also, I didn't interview anybody this time round. However, what I did was attend a lot of sessions so that I can blog about what was discussed as opposed to posting one Q&A after another (as it is, the blog has too many of them). 


 - So anyway, that apart, I seriously think Sanjoy Roy & Co. should move the festival out of Diggi Palace. As scenic and traditional as it may be, it simply cannot accomodate the hordes of people who come there.  And going by the popularity of the event, it's size will only increase in the years to come.  


 -  Felt slightly bad for the organisers because a lot of the speakers, authors and invitees were stuck in Delhi and/or in their respective cities due to the dense fog and visa-related issues. Which meant that a lot of the sessions had to be rescheduled (especially on the first two days) and a lot of speakers had to double up as moderators of other sessions.


- By far, the most popular speaker at the festival was - not surprisinly - Chetan Bhagat who was mobbed by schoolkids and fans and was the subject of much discussion amongst presswallahs, delegates and every second attendee. That some not-so-nice things were said about him is another matter, but it was quite evident that most people were envious of the life he led. Even the session which he moderated had to be moved out of the Durbar Hall to the front lawns. And this, when he wasn't even discussing a page of his works!


- However, the showstealers for me were Vikram Chandra, Niall Ferguson, Lawrence Wright, Tenzin Tsundue (whose session had to be scheduled keeping in mind his court appearances!) , Geoff Dyer, Alexander McCall Smith and Tunku Varadarajan. Can't describe how brilliant they were. You just had to be there to understand what I'm talking about. Suffice to say that it was these gentlemen which made the trip paisa vasool


Will start blogging about the sessions as soon as I've filed my freelance assignments in the next few days.  


P.S. Overheard at the festival: Two very popular authors discussing the finer nuances of masturbation. And that Chetan Bhagat's 'Teen Deviyan' session should've been renamed  'murder by Anjum Hasan' :)

'So when are you going to write your novel?'*

If there's one question which has been asked of me ever since I became a book reviewer, this is it. And by everyone I know. Friends, relatives, well-wishers, journalists, parents and absolute random people who I might have met at some of those boring book launches. 


Which brings me to the point about reviewing and book writing: why do most people assume that, if you're a book reviewer, you're also an aspiring writer? 


Perhaps it's got to do with the fact that some book reviewers in India are authors and vice-versa. Or maybe - and this is just a guess - there's this perceived notion that book reviewing enables to you to meet publishers, writers, critics who then help in cutting short the excruciatingly long process of  getting published. 


But ask any published writer of repute and he or she will tell you that book writing is an extremely arduous, ambitious, mind-numbing, finger-breaking, brain-frying process.  From what I've heard over the past one year, it seems getting a hair transplant or undergoing plastic surgery seem less painful (unless of course you do a Michael Jackson and change the way you look every alternate day). And this is just the writing process I'm talking about. Getting published is a different ball-game altogether. 

I won't drone on about the how's and why's of writing and publishing any more except to state both require the patience of a saint, mind space, lots of time and that brilliant, Stephen Hawking-invented component without which no book would ever get published: a story (a calm Shivraj Patil look on your face whenever there's some major issue in the manuscript will count as bonus).

As for me, I don't think I have very many of the elements listed above. And also, I'm very happy with book-reviewing. Most satisfying activity it is. 

*Disclaimer: This blog post is not meant to discourage/dissuade/demoralise/kill the aspirations of any aspiring writer. It is purely an exercise in random self-indulgence and to keep the craft of writing alive in the blogger. Please write/don't write at your own risk.

Looking Ahead: 2010, A Year of Promising Literature

Was just going through the catalogue of a publishing house and realised that there are a lot of books I'd be interesting in reading next year. A quick glance through my own shortlist


1) The Temple-goers by Aatish Taseer: Billed as the Delhi novel, I can't remember the last time a book was awaited with such anticipation. A debut novel, Temple-goers is the story of a young man who returns to Delhi after living abroad for many years. Soon, he is befriended by Aakash, an unpredicatable young man who shows him the dirty underbelly of Delhi. Both get embroiled in a politically sensitive case which exposes the ruthlessness of Delhi society


A few months ago, Aatish read out excerpts from Temple Goers for a select audience in Delhi. I happened to be present at the reading and, along with the others, was mesmerised by what I'd heard. And if that reading was any indication, this book will definitely be flying off bookshelves. 


2)  Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin 'Einstein' Varghese by Sidin Vadukut: Before I proceed any further, let me declare that this is a plug. For ever since I started reading whatay.com, I've been a fan of Sidin's writing. Be it popular culture, travel tales or mostly random observations, Sidin's brand of humour is immensely popular among bloggers and tweeters. But his forte is looking for humour at the workplace. And that's exactly what Dork is about - a hilarious book on office culture and humour. Want to know more? Click on the link and/or wait for excerpts.*


3) May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss by Arnab Ray: What you just read wasn't a typo nor am I drunk-blogging but that is actually the title of the book.  Popular blogger Arnab Ray, also known as Greatbong (of Random Thoughts of A Demented Mind fame) is out with his debut novel; a promising laugh-out-loud, irreverent take on everything that India is (and isn't). C-grade bollywood movies, cricket, education and reality TV shows among many other things


4) Evidence of Suspicion by Amitava Kumar: Writer of the much-acclaimed Husband Of A Fanatic, academician Amitava Kumar critically examines the impact of the war on terror from a philosophical, moral and political perspective. I'm one of the lucky few who've had a chance to look at the text (fleetingly) and I wouldn't like to divulge too many details except to say that it's a gripping, moving and thought provoking tale


5) Homeboy by Husain Naqvi: The story of young, New-York based Pakistani boys in search of their identity and chasing The Great American Dream who embark on a road trip which goes horribly wrong. Another much-anticipated debut by yet another Pakistani author.


6) Karl Aaj Aur Kal by Cyrus Broacha: Television's most popular funny man pens his debut novel which promises to be as hilarious as his spoofs and bakras


7) The Biryani cookbook by Pratibha Karan: Yes, I do read recipe books and I'm not ashamed of admitting it. And I'm eagerly looking forward to this book because my cook can't make a decent biryani to save his life. In fact, his version of the biryani is an absolute insult to the dish. Hence, I'm looking for some much-needed course correction and a few unusual recipes. 


8) The 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron Book' by Jai Arjun Singh(aka Jabberwock): Noted literary and cinema critic, Jai Arjun Singh writes about the iconic movie which pioneered the dark comedy genre in Hindi cinema. Not much is known about the book since Jai's still working on it, but since Jai is a prolific and respected blogger, this book promises to be an interesting read


*Off-late, I've met Sidin a few times and the man has the ability to generate humour every two seconds. Hence, I'd like to forewarn journos who'd be doing author interviews with him - you'll probably spend most of your time laughing and don't be surprised if your giggles drown the conversation on your voice recorders!


That's it for now, folks. Enjoy the year ahead and do lots of reading.


Oh, and in between please leave comments on my blogposts. It'll help improve the quality of writing 


(My review of Aatish's Stranger To History: A Son's Journey Through Islamic Lands is here. Also, an interview with Aatish)

Shoutout: Jaipur Litfest 2010

Sorry for the prolonged silence but I've been buried under a mountain of books and have been busy procrastinating. However, literary endeavors - big or small - must continue and hence, I've booked myself for the Jaipur Literature Festival next month. Honestly speaking, the list of speakers isn't as glamorous as it was last year but they've still got some fine writers such as Hanif Kureishi, Anjum Hasan, Sankar, Soumya Bhattacharya and Amit Chadhuri in attendance. When I visited the official website a few months ago, I was delighted to see Ahmad Rashid's name on the list as well but to my disappointment, it seems he's skipping the fest again this year. Which is sad because his book Descent Into Chaos is one of the best books ever-written on terrorism and America's response to it in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Hopefully, he'll make an appearance in 2011.

Keeping these writers company will be Gulzar ( who re-appears after a spectacular debut last year) and Javed Akhtar. I just hope that unlike previous years, there isn't any Bollywood superstar present this year (Aamir Khan came a few years back and Amitabh Bachchan came last time around). It'll help attendees to appreciate the work of writers who've come there and keep the crowds slim at Diggi Palace.

To be honest, I had ambivalent feelings about attending the festival this year; a less-than-glamorous author list, huge crowds and of course, expenditure. But I guess it only seems natural that I should be there this year as well - after all, the germ of this blog and whatever freelance writing I'm doing these days is the festival. Hence, I shall be at the Diggi Palace again next month - attending sessions, meeting new people and (hopefully) doing some interviews for my blog.

In the meantime, do go through the January and February archives to read the interviews I conducted last time. I'm feeling too lazy to link them here. Hopefully, they'll be tempting enough for you to come to Jaipur!

Unintended Silence

Sorry for the silence, folks. Much travelling and wedding attending happened over the past two weeks, hence the silence. Coming soon, however, is an email interview with John Elliott and Bernard Imhasly, editors of a wonderful anthology and an interview with Sadanand Dhume, author of My Friend The Fanatic, a riveting travelogue about Indonesian cultural and politics post the 2002 Bali bombings. More soon
Ciao!

Book Review: Case Of The Missing Servant

Witty, hilarious, pacey, engaging and totally Delhi. If there's one book that does justice to all these terms it is this. Hall's latest novel, though aimed at a Western audience, is an enjoyable detective novel which starts in Delhi, travels through the corridors of Delhi's posh Gymkhana Club, Jharkhand's uranium mines before ending up in Jaipur.

Vish "Chubby" Puri, a portly, pakora-loving Punjabi detective and managing director of Most Private Investigator Ltd.is your stereotypical middle-aged Delhiite who operates from above Bahrisons booksellers in Delhi's tony Khan Market. He earns his bread and butter by succesfuly spying on prospective bridegrooms with shady pasts, business rivals and straying spouses. "Chubby" prides himself on being able to crack the most difficult of cases while remaining absolutely faithful to his clients "Confidentiality is our watchword" is his motto.

But his real challenge comes when Ajay Kasliwal, a well known Jaipur-based lawyer's maidservant Mary, goes missing. Puri is hired to locate her and the only clue he has is her name. Soon, news of Mary's murder breaks out and Kasliwal is implicated in the case. But, is Mary really dead? Is Kasliwal the real murderer? Puri questions himself as he tries cracking - along with associates Tubelight, Facecream, Flush and Handbrake - the most complex case of his life.

In between, Chubby is attacked by a red-booted man as he waters his terrace garden. Since India's most private investigator doesn't care much about himself, his widowed "Mummyji" starts her own parallel investgations into the incident - much to the chagrin of Chubby.

What follows is a roller-coaster ride which gives an insight into the lives of detectives, middle class India accompanied with a dash of dilliwaalon ki bhasha. The language is far from literary, the narrative engaging but shallow. Well-etched, fringe characters like Puri's fretful wife Rumpi, the eccentric Brigadier Kapoor, and Mummyji provide the humour as does his new servant, Sweetu.

But the most striking feature of Hall's India-inspired detective novel is the manner in which he captures the behaviour of Delhiites. Indeed this is a city where your best friend will say 'Sab Changa' when asked about his health. Its a city which prides itself on its wealth and connections as Puri's childhood buddy Rinku shows. So whether its getting Puri a club membership or boasting about his money-minting strategies, Rinku personifies the stereotypical Delhiite.

Overall, The Case of the Missing Servant is a 'social thriller' much like Vikas Swarup's Six Suspects and meant to be enjoyed while you're flying between Delhi and Mumbai. Don't go looking for the literary and you, like Rinku, will also be very changa

A slightly different version of this review can be found here

Book Review: Salim Must Die

Been caught up with a lot of stuff on the studying front off late and so, blogging has taken a hit. It's become a lot more erratic than I thought it would and I'm trying my best to ensure the blog doesn't get neglected. So while there won't be blog-exclusive content for a few weeks, I'll be reproducing my book reviews. Here's a short review of Mukul Deva's Salim Must Die which appeared in this week's Businessworld magazine

The storyline of Mukul Deva’s Salim Must Die — sequel to the bestseller Lashkar — is strikingly similar to today’s geopolitical scenarios vis-à-vis terrorism. A beleaguered American president wanting to create a legacy, a Pakistani dictator trying to save his government and his life, and an ISI brigadier plotting against the kafir (non-believers) are the main protagonists of the book. Iraq and Afghanistan are burning, and a “clash of civilisations” is looming large. And caught in the eye of this impending storm is an Indian prime minister — already battling allegations of being “soft” on terrorism— who has to save his country from this storm.

Deva’s army days and the skills he learnt there are visible in the operation which sees the capture and subsequent death of a character loosely inspired by Osama bin Laden. Apart from its principal characters Col. Anbu and Brig. Salim Murad, the role of G.K. Rao — a portly, horn-rimmed intelligence expert — is bound to leave an impact on you with his sheer volume of information.

However, it is the planning, plotting and execution of operations that form the meat of the story. Deva gives an insight into the mind of a terrorist, and the deceptive mode of communication he uses. The creation of profiles on Shaadi.com and the near-anonymity of operational heads and subordinates is a brilliant example of this. Sadly, the pace and smart characters fail to hide its shortfalls; Rao drones on about his volume of information sitting at the National Intelligence Command, while Murad’s lecture on “targeting the minds of the kafir” fails to impress. The book simply makes you think about the dangerous world we live in.

Coming up in the next few weeks: Reviews of Meghnad Desai's Dead on Time, Tarquin Hall's Case of the Missing Servant and (time permitting) my thoughts on L K Advani's autobiography, My Country, My Life.

P.S. If and whenever I get Chandrahas Choudhary's debut novel, Arzee The Dwarf, I'll put that up here as well. For now, it's back to the world of studies.

Foodie Tales Part 1

Over a month ago, I re-visited Bombay to bond with family and friends. An endless flow of alcohol and shameless exhibition of gluttony is always on the cards whenever I visit the city. And since I’m on the subject, I guess it’s worth sharing a few restaurant stories of the city.

China Garden@Kemps Corner and CR2: As a kid, the day we (family included) landed in Bombay, it was a given that dinner would be at Nelson Wang’s iconic restaurant at Om Chambers. And if the day happened to be a Saturday or Friday, my uncle would reserve the table at least in a week in advance. Once, we had to wait for nearly 45 minutes in the adjacent Piano Bar till a vacant table was found. Apparently, crowds used to gather outside the restaurant over the weekend to catch a glimpse of their favourite movie stars. All of them would end up dining at CG or downing a few drinks after their film premieres. CG was known (and still is) for its eefoo wontons, cream corn, sapo vegetables and chicken manchurian. It moved to the crassy CR2 mall I Worli for a brief period but townies preferred the newer – and more authentic – Chinese eateries which had mushroomed. Now it’s returned back to Om Chambers in a newer avatar – CG83 – but it’s not even a shadow of what it used to be. Except for their signature dishes, everything else is oily, spicy and plain boring. I’d rather eat home-cooked Chinese food than go to CG83. It’ll be a cheaper, healthier option.

Thai Pavilion@ Taj President: When someone tells you that a chicken appetiser is served on a long toothpick-like stick with peanut-butter sauce, you start getting second thoughts about the place. But once I tasted Chicken Satay, I fell in love with it and with Thai Pavilion for dishing out some fabulous Thai cuisine. Be it Tom Yum soup, Penang Curry or Masaman Curry, this South Bombay restaurant soon became quite a rage. But unfortunately Thai Pavilion too went downhill for a few years. The food became horrible, menus remained unchanged, service was bad and loyal clientele preferred India Jones and others to Ananda Solomon’s eatery. In fact, there were times when Taj President offered free pick-up services to those who wanted to lunch at Thai Pavilion. Inevitably, good sense prevailed and the restaurant was closed for renovation. It reopened last year and to say that it has outdone itself would be an understatement. Solomon’s given it a contemporary twist so now the menu’s got flambé prawns with a hint of orange and the Thai curry is devoid of spices. Yet, it all tastes so good. The décor is friendlier and the restaurant’s more spacious than before. Let’s not discuss prices though. The appetite gets ruined.

Bagdadi’s@ Colaba (Behind the Taj Mahal Hotel): Now before I’m labelled as an elitist snob, I’d like to write that my most memorable meals have been at this non-descript eatery. After drinking ourselves silly at Leopold’s or Sports Bar, my friends and I digged into the most amazing Mutton/Beef Biryani, Chicken Masala, and Chicken Fry which is available under 50 bucks. That we blew up most of the cash on booze is another matter, but fact remains that Bagdadi’s dishes are much better than it’s overhyped neighbour, Bade Miyan. Another factor which sets Bagdadi’s apart is its egalitarian nature: be it a sozzled rich brat or a disgruntled taxi driver, all of them descend here for a quick bite. Signs such as “food will not be served to overdrunken person” and friendly waiters (one of them remembered that I hadn’t visited since the 26/11 attacks) are added features. So if you’re short on cash but looking for a delicious meal, Bagdadi’s is your destination – provided your not overdrunken!

Trishna@ Fort and JVPD: If there’s one restaurant in Bombay which is jam-packed at 10:45 PM on a weeknight, it has to be Trishna. Famous for its butter garlic crabs, fish hyderabadi, dal hyderabadi and Lonely Planeters, this South Bombay eatery has started spreading its wings to the ‘burbs. Not only is the JVPD outlet more spacious, it serves more dishes than the one in Fort. The Chettinad Crab was a wonderful discovery – especially since it was de-shelled and mildly spicy. But the real revelation was the pomfret tikka: soft, chunky pieces grilled to perfection. A welcome change from the hyderabadi fish I’m so used to eating. Add to that Trishna’s signature Dal Hyderabadi, a few neer dosas and malai kulfi, and you have the perfect meal!

Coming Soon

Sorry for the disappearance act people, but I've been quite busy over the past fortnight. Balancing between work and planning further studies isn't as simple as it may seem. But, in between, I've been doing some work for this blog as well.

Got in touch with Patrick French and will be doing an interview with him about his book, Liberty or Death. This will be a blog exclusive so you won't find it anywhere else but here. However, it won't be posted before the end of this month/early next month because I still have to start reading the book.

Reviewed Aatish Taseer's much-awaited debut Stranger To History: A Son's Journey Through Islamic Lands. An engaging, insightful read about the Islamic world. Also had the opportunity to interview the young man, and we hit it off quite well (the dude has an enviable study!). These will be put up very shortly; as soon as I receive the go-ahead from the BW peeps.

Will also be posting the review of Mukul Deva's Salim Must Die. A short interview with him can be read here.

For now, all I can say is regular blogging will suffer since I'm planning further studies and trying to balance work alongside. Still, I'll try and post as often as I can. Watch this space for more!

Motorcycle diaries...of a different kind

I guess some people still haven't got over the Raj!

Healthwise Musing!

Just another random, funny sighting in one of New Delhi's hidden parks.

Goodbye Steve!

Just heard that Steve Bucknor is going to retire as umpire next March. Am instantly reminded of a college assignment I wrote at the height of the Sydney Test fiasco last year. Reproducing it here again.

(Warning: For those of you who hate anti-media rants, ignore this post)

The second cricket Test match played between India and Australia at Sydney will be remembered for the controversies it generated rather than the cricket which was played. Umpire Steve Bucknor, member of the International Cricket Council’s Elite Panel, made as many as 11 blunders against India. And to make things worse, the Australian cricket team alleged that Harbhajan Singh made racist remarks against Andrew Symonds.

Given the undue attention that is paid to cricket in our country, it was but natural that the media would devote reams of newsprint to this story. In its article that appeared on Jan 6, 2008 titled “India laid low by Benson-Bucknor duo”, the Indian Express called Bucknor “blind”. The Hindu which is normally measured in its reportage carried a front page story on January 7, 2008 confirming a three Test ban on Harbhajan Singh. News channels went on a “Breaking News” blitzkrieg and certain sections of the electronic media alleged that Steve Bucknor held a grudge against the Indians.

Being an avid cricket fan, I saw most parts of the match and shared similar sentiments on the quality of umpiring. But to say that India lost the Test only because of poor umpiring is hard to digest. On the last day, our team which boasts of such cricketers as Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Yuvraj Singh among others could not bat for 70 overs. It shows that besides poor decisions, it was a batting collapse that contributed to the loss at Sydney. Says Pradeep Magazine of the Hindustan Times “Despite all the wrongs done to them on the field, India could have still salvaged a draw and been in a much stronger position to take a high moral ground and tell the umpires and the Australians of what they thought of them”

Also, I think the media is wrong when it says that Bucknor holds a grudge against India. The argument presented by the press is that the umpire, on numerous occasions, has repeated his mistake. To substantiate this point, it has been repeatedly stated in several debates (such as The Big Fight on NDTV 24X7) that an ICC enquiry found Bucknor guilty of incompetence during the 2007 World Cup final. However, there has been no official enquiry which can prove that Buckor bears a grudge against India or any other team. Hence, to say that an umpire of this stature, who has officiated in over a 100 matches, bears ill will towards a team is false.
In addition, a leading Hindi news channel Aaj Tak, in one of its programmes committed a factual error. The anchor said that Steve Bucknor is a Be-Imaan (cheat). This is a very serious charge as it questions his integrity. And before making such a sweeping statement, one must take into cognisance the age factor: Bucknor is 61 years old. He may be past his prime but there is no evidence to suggest that he is a cheat. This is yet another example of the media getting its facts wrong.

In the aftermath of this controversy, the ICC replaced Bucknor, who was to officiate in the third test at Perth. The Times of India, in its January 9, 2008 edition, carried a front page story titled “India wins Sydney test” with reference to this development. In its editorial the newspaper writes “The ICC has hit the right buttons by initiating action against those who were on duty at Sydney. They bungled and an exciting Test match ended in a mess.” In a country where cricket has achieved cult status, the media ought to have acted in a mature manner. This decision by the ICC was not a victory for India. Instead, it was a sad day for the game of cricket. And inspite of being aware of Bucknor’s sloppy umpiring in the past, why didn’t the Indian cricket board appeal to the ICC to replace him before the start of this series? The board owes an explanation to not only its players, but to millions of cricket lovers in the country.

In conclusion, it was an episode that saw a high quality Test match being reduced to a mere controversy. What was even more appalling was the coverage by the Indian media which was mediocre, to say the least. Instead of being jingoistic about this issue, it could have shown a sense of maturity.