Pey Nayanar
On a dark night, the poet Karaikaal Ammaiyar, who is supposed to have lived in the 6th century A.D., went to the crematorium — a shunned space then and now — to watch Lord
Category: The Blog
On Killing a Tree
By Gieve Patel It is premeditated murder — no two ways about it. Stanza 1 “It takes much time to kill a tree, Not a simple jab of the knife I will do it. It
Tampopo
There is a mom-and-pop Japanese basement eatery in a mall near my place. Dad cooks the food; mom takes orders and serves the food. She never smiles. She speaks to customers to tell them
Red Sox, Blue Fish by Susan Orlean
Used to be, a fella could regale his buddies with endless tales of his bravery and fortitude in the face of adversity — of mettle in battle, for instance, or stamina on a Grand Teton ascent,
Nenendu Vethugudura/ How Can I Find You?
Karukurichi Arunachalam, the legendary player of the nagaswaram, a wood-wind instrument of South India, was born in 1921, in Tamil Nadu. He died at the age of 43. In the year of Arunachalam’s 100th birth anniversary, I came across a moving short story about him, Nenendu Vethugudura, based
Meenakshi and The Supernumerary Nipple
Meenakshi I am a green goddess.My name means Fish-eye:like a fish-mother, whose eyes never close,I’m always watching over my children. Yes, fish eat their young – I do that too.I protect the city, I destroy