Abstract: In a year that overwhelmed us with the many lives lost, the promising young actor Sushant Singh Rajput passed away on 14th June, 2020. We delve deep into the Instagram posts of Mr. Rajput in an attempt to understand his cerebral and stirring posts. He contemplated the universe, life and the human condition in several posts, characterized by an economy of words but a striking beauty of expression. We try to unearth his philosophy of life aided by his interviews and other secondary sourc…

"Vish Dhamija offers subtle twists which don’t seem like twists till one reaches the end. I’m usually curious and love to predict what will happen next, but this book was so addictive that it didn’t give time for my mind to wander elsewhere. A must-read for readers trying to explore the genre of thrillers, as well as readers who want a more nuanced take on a psychological thriller." *** Two best friends, tired of the simpleton life they lead adding on to the pressure of sustaining their fa…

QUEST FOR THE WEST – AN ESSAY ON MIGRATION DUE TO AMBITION Author: Sanchaiyata Majumdar Author intro: Ms Sanchaiyata Majumdar is currently working as an Assistant Professor of English at Garden City University, Bangalore. She completed her graduation from one of the prestigious colleges in India, Bethune College, Kolkata in English Literature, and her post-graduation in English Literature from University of Calcutta ranking within top ten positions in her class. In 2017, she successfully complet…

“Sometimes we feel we straddle two cultures; at other times, that we fall between two stools.” This quotation from Salman Rushdie reveals much about the ambiguous condition of the diasporic people. The term diaspora, which was once an object of suspicion, has now become one of fascination. Once it was historically and politically a loaded concept, today it is not only an impartial term but also an all embracing one for the erstwhile terms like immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, guest worker…

ADNAN Author: Samina Hadi-Tabassum Author intro: Samina Hadi-Tabassum is an associate professor at Erikson Institute in Chicago where she teaches courses in child development. Her first book of poems, Muslim Melancholia (2017), was published by Red Mountain Press. She has published poems in East Lit Journal, Soul-Lit, Journal of Postcolonial Literature, Papercuts, The Waggle, Indian Review, Classical Poets, Mosaic, Main Street Rag, Connecticut River Review, Pilgrimage Literary Journal, Riksha, C…

Now that I ponder over my very memorable memories of the past, sitting under this secluded shady oak, away from my motherland, I feel like I clearly have two incidents to remember. Two incidents to remember, specific ones. I really do not understand why I recall them in the first place, but I will document them here to be remembered for posterity. They might be reading this someday; they might be able to deduce and infer something. Who knows! I That night there was deafening thunder and blinding…

“Take this cup of tea”, Mina keeps the cup of tea over a piece of log lying in the open field. Her husband, Mohan has been working in the paddy field since early morning. It is not the season for paddy. He is engaged in planting seasonal vegetable saplings in the field. He has enclosed the one bigha land with bamboo fences to stop the intrusion of the grazing cattle. Mohan is a changed man now. He works very hard in his vegetable orchard. While working in the field his mind flies back to the pas…

“Chintoo has always been mischievous, and he is still the same! Look, now he even has the audacity to hide from me forever...” – This thought oscillates in my mind as a nightmare, over and over again. Why? Because we go back a long, long way! Our roots can be traced to our fathers’ time; our families have a bonding that extends from the early school premises to the film sets and beyond. Our fathers have been a legendary actor (Raj Kapoor) and a singer (Mukesh) – musical pair of their own golden …

He must have been sent to life with the purpose of selfless giving. That’s Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubramaniam, for us – a legendary singer and actor. S. P. Balasubramaniam, who I am proud to have as my senior and have been fortunate to learn so much from. Forty years in the industry and an unbelievable list of recordings across all genres – my respect for SP weighs the same as his admiration for S. P. Kodandapani, his mentor. SP was a stalwart, very lively and energetic, with a metallic vo…

“Masterji, learning from your adaa, is the heaven above dancing to the steps of ek, do, teen?” Saroj Khan, yes, Saroj Khan! However much implausible it is, but she is not with us anymore. She left for her heavenly abode at a very early age of 71. Early because she was all the same; a dancing maestro, who had not yet retired, nothing was yet exhausting for her. Still, it took just a cardiac arrest and her feet stopped, never to dance again. Early dawn, first rays of the sun, a new day. 3rd July 2…