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Rebellion and Romanticism
The night in its limitless darkness a black hole engulfing all thoughts The picture of James Dean on the table, apparently, a symbol for flagrant rebellion The clothes yet to be ironed yet to be washed scattered on the floor, that we walk on the rug eaten by many winters The arena for some poetry…
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New Lunch Menu at Loetje
My love for Loetje is well-documented. I continue to enjoy their food and service. They have revamped the lunch menu and offer poke bowls, which are quite trendy at the moment. I had mine with “biefstuk” – it was delicious, beautifully cooked meat, succulent and full of flavor. The men in my life enjoyed their…
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Freedom in a Nutshell
All wrapped up in my own thoughts. Is there anything called freedom? Where you know the ground that you stand on, understand the decisions you plan on taking? I heard you saying, “we are the choices we make,” as you dragged your toe drawing patterns on the dusty floor. I suppose that you believed in…
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Ramen on a Rainy Day
On a rainy day a warm bowl of ramen is very welcome. Tokyo Ramen Iki is located at the Stadshart in Amstelveen. It is a small cute joint that serves reasonably priced yummy food. The service was pitch perfect. I will surely be visiting it often and would recommend it especially if you have a…
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Thinking About the Floating Dead
The painting above is a depiction of Shakespeare’s Ophelia from Hamlet. The haunting scene describes how Ophelia, driven out of her mind when her father is murdered by her lover Hamlet, falls into a stream and drowns: There, on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds Clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke; When down her weedy…
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The Uterus Inheritance
I remember the Ambassador rides from Bhubaneswar to CuttackYour tussar sari draped around your shoulderAt home you would read files, make notes“It is tough being a woman Secretary of Industries”You had endometriosis A fresh incision on an arterial veinNever did you take a day off,Never did anyone find out In Raghurajpur they had an exhibition of handicraftsYou…
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Scratching at Layers of Patriarchal Sedimentation
During my research on the ghazal, I discovered that the work done by several women poets in the eighteenth and nineteenth century had been removed from written history. Women had systematically been excluded from several anthologies. In Urdu, as oral poetry started being complied and printed, the biographies penned by poet and historian Altaf Hussain…
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Private Party at Cedars
Cedars continues to be one of my favorite restaurants in Amsterdam. Today, I was there for a very special private party and managed to click some pictures along with my talented friend Amrita Suri. Cedars is beautifully located by the river side. Its warm vibe and hospitality is par excellence. The food was divine, the…
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An Open Letter to Neenaji
Dearest Neenaji, Namaste. This is going to be a long letter. There is so much I feel about and for you that I have kept bottled up over the years, I am afraid it is going to shamelessly flow. Therefore, even before I get into what I want to say – I am going to…
