THE PUPIL OF LITERATURE

Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma' started a genre of brainless comedy and ' May I come In Madam?' falls under this category. Given the deluge of TV shows on OTT platforms, one doesn't come across such shows if not listed in Top 10. With the peer pressure gravitating towards Squid Game, why would you fall for it? Your time is precious, isn't? I came across this montage through a dear one. Finding it amusing to hear the laugh and giggle travelling to the adjacent room where I was lying down reading a book, I decided to have a look.  I sat in the sofa and started watching in medias re.  Ten minutes into the show, my high brow inner-self started judging me for even adding another minute to it.   “ You! The pupil of high masters like Aristotle and Horace, who has gone through the the works of Marlowe and Eliot is stooping to the absurd!” Throughout the watch, I was befuddled. The laugh and snort came out of sheer bemusement and derision. In reality, I was too spoilt for the

The gentle mind Clad in the beauty of summer days  Crawls to maturity  Against the rough winds.  Cruel hands Put out the light  The golden slumber Withers in stormy night The sweet content Scatter in hurtful murmur Pride and ambition Decay in drizzly night  The heart- frozen soul Soaked in wintry drops  Sobs amid the forsaken Sunny robes. 

It is said that logic has preceded human existence way before people could even define the word ‘ logic ‘ . Anything that doesn’t have scientific backing is unproven or uncertain. There is a grey area where science hasn’t been able to penetrate fully, and that area has dictated human way of life for centuries. Blasphemy or hurting ones religious sentiments isn’t the aim of this contemplation, rather it delves deeper into the inquiries of human surrounding.  Who am I ? - Religion, A Question of Identity  I am a Hindu woman married into a Hindu household. Mostly, I am seen upholding the religious values of either side of the family. Every time I stand with a thaali in my hand, I look up to the Godly figures in hope that one day I would reconcile with my conflicted feelings. This duality in existence is rather tiring. The day-to-day existence of pretence has often been casually dubbed as hypocrisy while being blind to the threat that comes with being or speaking differently. I represent m

I am a man born into a family  To which I owe my blood and sweat.  My father did the same and so did his father’s father.   In the natural process of evolution  I grew up believing  That everyone around owes me.  I am a twenty-first century man  But I find it harmless  In oscillating between  Stereotype and modernity. I love to please myself with girls around. Now, I have my eyes glued to one But unlike every other man I ‘chose’ to be kind to her You see, she should know  How important my clan is to me!  She is an outsider Who has yet to win my trust  To become an insider.  I am constantly at war with the world In bringing food to the table My battle scars need to be caressed  For I put the divine plan into motion.  I am the protector, the liberator  I protect her for she is naive I liberate her of her delusions.  I know what’s good for her So I chain her from time to time.  I know how the world works  So I have my way with her.  My sway over her is so vital That she no longer identifi

 1. The Greek Philosopher Plato in his work Republic presented the Allegory of the Cave or Plato's Cave to compare how education changes us for the good and effect of the lack of the same on human nature. It is narrated by Socrates and the dialogue is between Plato's brother Glaucon and his mentor, who is Socrates- the narrator. 2. An Essay on Man , written by Alexander Pope in 1733-34 was dedicated to Lord Bolingbroke . The poem was written in heroic couplets of Iambic Pentameter. It was an effort to 'vindicate' rather than 'justify' unlike Milton in the opening of Paradise Lost. (PAPER 2, Q14, 2004) 3. Containing four epistles, An Essay on Man is a philosophical work and has been praised by writers in Europe like Voltaire, Rousseau, and others. 4. TheVanity of Human Wishes by Samuel Johnson is based on the tenth satire of Juvenal. Its full title is The Vanity of Human Wishes: The Tenth Satire of Juvenal Imitated. It was published in 1749. (PAPER 2, Q15,

 INTRODUCTION On my WhatsApp status, I often share a lot on various topics. It’s an ambivert's way of staying in touch with those who are away, without the cognitive load. More so, it’s a space to voice my thoughts and opinions often peppered with chili and dark humor. So, a day arrived when a Hindu festival ‘Vat Savitri’ is going to get celebrated. For those, who belong to different parts of India, ‘ Vat Savitri’ is a regional festival, celebrated mostly in Bihar and Jharkhand by ‘ suhagans’ ( married woman) for the long life of their ‘suhags’( husband). A woman adorned in colorful traditional attire, covering their head in red bridal chunri visit the nearest Banyan Tree to worship and tie a sacred thread around it. It marks a ‘suhagan’s’ devotion and love for their ‘suhag’.  THE DAY BEFORE Now, my mother wanted to keep it simple, but I pushed her to dress up. With age, the enthusiasm subsides, but the essential rituals of the festival are observed with all devotion in my house. A

INTRODUCTION Feminism encapsulates a wide range of social and political movements as well as ideologies that aim to establish sexual equality at the social, political, economic and individual front. It highlights the importance of equal access to opportunities, resources and participation in decision-making including economic.   Continuing with this line of thought, the presentation of women in the mainstream media often comes in handy in learning the suppressed records of female experience as well as in combatting the stereotypical   portrayal of women.  The study of the female characters from the series comes as a sharp reaction to the cultural mindset perpetuated over the years. This article studies three female characters in the lead: First, Dhriti- a teenage; Second, Suchi-Sri’s wife, and Third, Raji-a militant.  DHRITI T ender love blooms amidst rebellion, troubled yet sheltered bitter-sweet honeycomb of Srikant Tiwari- The Family Man.  A teenage gets drawn to a boy who is older,

 INTRODUCTION A question had appeared in Paper 3- December 2012 NET exam; it was question 1 on V.S Naipaul. It asked what the subtitle of  'The Caribbean Revisited ' was. Back in the college days, when I was in a graduate program, I hadn't even heard of the competitive exam. My only motivation to go for English Hons. was the love for reading, though my reading list wasn't worth boasting. Soon, the truth dawned on me that love for reading only wasn't enough! It was during the early days of the graduate program that one of my professors threw a question to the class on V.S NAIPUAL; that was the first time, I heard of him. By that time, I had been rebuffed by the high-brows; I was not worthy to be called an English graduate. I was already under a deluge. There was no end to the reading list. That's when love was tested and got separated from pleasure. Love required sweat; it became a task. In the anxiety to meet the current deadline, I didn't even Google Naipau

  When I climbed the stairs of my terrace, to watch the dark grey clouds gather, growling with howling winds, waiting to wash away the streets while brushing my tresses, touching the side of my neck and reaching the ears, it would send a tingle down my spine. The big drops touched my parched skin, the cool imposing wind made it difficult to stand firm.   Today, when I am confined to bed, looking at the wide open windows tossing right to left, curtains billowing ; hostile raindrops soiled in dust, enter through the window touching my feet. My toes curl looking for cover. Thunder, spluttering noise invade my room, causing my warm body to cover in goosebumps. I touch the tender dots and then rub to make it even.  My sweaty tangles, smell of salt. As I raise my hand to brush it aside for the pillow to dry; I call my mum to open the windows again as the sound of slowed down fan running on backup is jarring.  The flashback of half-satiated roads crosses my mind, when I covered the distance f

It was Teacher’s Day. Many girls huddled around their favourite professor to touch his feet and take his blessings. I was one of them.  “Girls shouldn’t touch our feet!” We all looked at him upright.  “ I don’t believe in girls touching feet. I believe in gender justice.”  In the smaller pockets of India, such mind carried ideas that nurtured entire generation to recognise their birth and gender to realise the lives that were laid and the movements that were started to bring more and more girl child closer to literacy and accessible education.  Overcoming a personal loss, that ripped him apart to no lesser degree, he submitted himself to literature and the purpose it served in interpreting life. The grief in his heart, made the words come to life. The lines of his poetry and numerous publications gave art the direction where it was merely a means to be served.  The magnetic personality carried the aura of English Department wherever he went. I caught glimpses of him more at the crowds

  INTRODUCTION Who does 'The November Man' remind you of when you Google the title? James Bond, isn't it? Well, the lead is Pierce Brosnan popularly remembered as James Bond in the series of the same name by Ian Fleming.  Falling in the genre of spy thrillers, it is based on the novel by Bill Granger. There Are No Spies is the seventh installment of the novel series- The November Man. What Bill Granger and Ian Fleming have in common are the genre and the actor! You are not wrong if Mission Impossible series crosses your mind too! This makes us dig deeper into the history of spy novels. THE ORIGIN The early origins according to William Bendler takes us back to the Hebrew Bible titled the Book of Joshua. In it, Chapter 2 of the Hebrew Bible is considered to be the first spy story. However, spy fiction as a genre started to take shape in the early nineteenth century. The credit goes to American novelist James Fenimore Cooper. His works The Spy( 1821)  and The Bravo(1831) are t

 1. Jeremy Taylor (1613- 1667) was a clergy during the victory of the parliament over the king. He is also known as the ' Shakespeare of Divines ' and is often considered one of the most prolific prose writers in English Literature. Lesser Festival is observed in his honor on August 13. 2. The Liberty of Prophesying (1646) by Jeremy Taylor is an appeal for toleration. John Locke's Letters Concerning Toleration(1689) has been written on the same line.  3. Letters Concerning Toleration (1689) has been addressed to Philip Van Limborch, Locke's close friend. In the letter, he has spoken of his fear of Catholicism undermining the Protestant faith. He has also appealed for religious toleration. 4. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding( 1689 )  has been one of the most influential works by John Locke(1632-1704). A prominent figure in the Age of Enlightenment , he is also known as the        ' Father of Liberalism .'  5. The Age of Enlightenment also brought to

P articipatory theatr e is a form of theatre in which the audience interacts with the performers. Cited as avant-garde, the genre is unorthodox in the sense that it breaks "the fourth wall" that traditionally separated the performer from the audience. The performance engages the audience, making them active participants.  Every Brilliant Thing , a participative play written  by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe  about addressing mental health, family and love, invites the audience to share the joy found in everyday objects.  The play- an intrepid one-man show, performed by underrated Vivek Madaan and adapted for the Indian audience by Quasar Thakore Padamsee has at its crux a boy who compiled a list of "brilliant things" for his 'amma' to cheer her up when she attempted suicide. Only seven, the perplexed boy seeks answers to his baba's rather unconvincing remark-"She did something stupid."  With the pandemic induced stressors and the suicide

  Hello, Sir! I hope this email finds you well. While watching this episode of yours, a few concerns came to my mind. It isn't related to your cooking skills, but what example you are setting in the society at large.  A few minutes later in the video, you say, “ I think every mother should gift her children a wonderful gajar ka halwa memory. “   While to a non- suspecting mind this line is of no consequence. But for me, it did raise a question- “ Why only women and not men?”, “ Why a ‘male’ chef who went against the tide to prove his mettle in a largely patriarchal order, come up with a line that it is only mothers who can give cooking memories to her children and not fathers?” Unknowingly, you are perpetuating the stereotype you stood up for.  My elder brother once sent me a video of yours featured in Josh Talks titled, “ Masterchef’s Success Story”. Interestingly, it were the women in the house who lit the fire inside you. But there was Munir Chacha too- he also gave you cooking