-
My ardas to the ghazal
The ghazal At the university they said, “Oh you should study the ghazal” Perfectly plucked you will understand the nuances of the ghazal My grandfather told me stories that spread beyond words Murdered during partition, the border bled the ghazal I work in corporate communications – I sat with a grant for academics I don’t…
-
Teesri Manzil
I have been on this spree of discovering movies that I had watched a long time ago, or watched in bits and pieces on Doordarshan before the cable TV revolution hit India, its been bitter-sweet finding these gems and reliving moments I had almost forgotten. Most of these films (full and complete) are on YouTube.…
-
Surya Restaurant
Surya Restaurant Ceintuurbaan 147 Amsterdam +31 20 676 7985 Top 3 reasons you should visit Surya: 1. Spare me the India you see: it does not have hastily crafted Ganesh statues, bad ethnic prints and distastefully made Rajasthani dolls. Neither does it play sad Indian sounding numbers with too much sitar and flute, or ghazals (cliche…
-
Hand – a ghazal
Hand – a ghazal The sound of tinkling laughter, words tossed like salad, pointing hands, In the middle of that noise my mind drifted on a boat to familiar hands The body of David was moulded and caressed, Stone was converted to poetry by calloused hands She packed their lunches into their bags, Boarding the…
-
Notes on Earth-1947
I will be presenting Earth at a screening in Utrecht. These are my notes. Why is this movie called Earth or 1947? 1947 is the year two nations Pakistan and India were born out of British India. The British East India Company had its presence in India from the early 18th century. The Company was…
-
Thoughts after Dabangg 2
Don’t overthink it I was advised as we walked into the cinema hall. I apologise to my well-meaning friend. It is difficult to switch my brain off. However, Dabangg 2 had nothing to fear from my thinking mind. To be honest, it benefitted from me keeping those grey cells ticking. I managed to enjoy its…
-
“Royal” by Carol Stone
“Royal” We are one of those long-married couples who do not speak. Especially after our argument on the train to Brighton, we do not speak. For the life of me, I can’t read a timetable, while my husband can. Around us, elderly couples lift pasty faces to sun, and do not speak. I order Earl…
-
My favourite Blackadder moments 1-10
I found this old post I had done on Blackadder and because I love that show so-so-so much I thought I must share it with you guys all over again: 1. It minds not me that you dress like a mad parrot and talk like a plate of beans negotiating their way out of…
