THE PUPIL OF LITERATURE

 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