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Essays

Writer Unblocked

Writing a Mills & Boon novel rekindled a romance in Aastha Atray Banan’s life—the one with words. For, it finally allowed her to let go of the fear of being judged as a writer

A Lifetime in Ink

A travelling tattoo artist, Isa EsAsi carries memories of the many friendships she made across the world on her own body

Ashok Kumar: The Evergreen Hero

On Ashok Kumar’s birth centenary, we bring you an excerpt from Saadat Hasan Manto’s brutally honest essay on his friend and colleague.

Death of the Reader

Readers who ignore historical silences in fiction by authors like Zadie Smith and Khalid Hosseini are just buying into the feel-good myth of multiculturalism

Ugly Duckling Syndrome

No one is entirely happy with how s/he looks. But Ranbir was fixated, and his need for physical perfection unknowingly made him a social misfit

The Poacher Who Cared

Joynal Abedin was a hunter and poacher. But two accidents changed his life: an unborn buffalo calf’s untimely death and a forest officer’s squashing by a rogue elephant. He has now dedicated his life to wildlife conservation in Assam’s Dibru Saikhowa forest

Vroom with a View

For years, he dreamt of riding out on his motorcycle and finding adventure, like the heroes of his books. But one should treasure every little trip while waiting for that big one to materialise

The Other Khushwant Singh

His books are mistaken for those of his famous namesake, and he has often faced charges of being an imposter. It is harrowing to constantly defend one’s name

The Autumn of Hypocrisy

Those opposed to Srinagar’s Harud litfest have only strengthened radical voices in Kashmir. In the name of a ‘cause’, they have silenced those whose stories must be told

Living with Parkinson’s

As the disease tried to strip him of his dignity, her father fought back with his inimitable sense of humour

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