Essays

Waiting for Deliverance

Ruhani Kaur

What families in Haryana will do to have a son. A witness’ account

The Hills Go Red

Lhendup G Bhutia

Memories of an agitation unsettling the calm of Kalimpong and of a human head on a lamppost

A decade into her modelling career, at a stage when most others would have thought it prudent to call it quits, Candice Pinto still walks the ramp nearly 300 days a year. The secret of her career longevity

Tango’s First Steps

Shyamant Behal

How the Great Depression, Juan Peron and the brothels of Argentina influenced the creation of one of the world’s most vibrant forms of music

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Anil Budur Lulla

Abdul Wasey Mirza has survived two bomb blasts, one in Hyderabad in 2007 and another in the same city in February this year. Hundreds of pieces of shrapnel lodged in his body are proof of the ordeal, but what he wants to rid himself of are the scars of being branded a terror suspect

My Adventure with Bluetooth

Sumana Roy

Sumana Roy spends an afternoon in the company of a smuggler

Genes and Sneakers

Akshay Sawai

As Arjun Tendulkar takes baby steps in competitive cricket, Rohan Gavaskar talks about the challenges of stepping into a famous dad’s shoes

The MGR of Chepauk

Akshay Sawai

The eccentricities of MGR devotees are many. Ask TR Kailasam, who has been playing his lookalike since 1996, black wraparound sunglasses and fur cap included. When he dresses like MGR, says Kailasam, he ‘sees’ him

How I Became India’s Only Wildlife Taxidermist

arindam

Veterinarian Dr Santosh Gaikwad is the country’s only taxidermist who preserves wild animals. Completely self-taught, he has stuffed several animals over the years, including lions, tigers and snakes. An elephant head too

How Life Happens

Anuvab Pal

Twelve years ago, Anuvab Pal’s home was invaded by a mouse named Arthur. This made him write a play about two people throwing a cricket ball at each other. A year later, a drunken impulse made him check the voicemail of a job he had quit six months earlier. Then all these dots connected, and he became a stand-up comedian