Lounge

Rhythm and Blues

Rahul Pandita

Jeet Thayil is a fine poet, and you see his talent in Narcopolis. But this is performance poetry masquerading as a novel

A Murder Analysed, A City Revealed

Mohammed Hanif

Journalist Meenal Baghel manages to make a thrilling read of one of the most over-reported crimes of our times, widening its scope to offer a portrait

A Mixed-Up Mills & Boon

Annie Zaidi

The Harlequin formula is ‘hot boy falls for curvy girl and live fuzzily ever after’. Aastha Atray Banan’s attempt to bring in life after romance pops the glorious mirage that M&B entitles us to

Fujifilm x10

Gagandeep Singh Sapra

If you are not hung up on interchangeable lenses, this little camera could prove handy

Love, Sex Aur Maafi

Rosalyn D’Mello

In this 18th century erotic poem banned by the British, the courtesan Muddupalani gives us Radha, a feminist and sexual woman in rage over Krishna’s ‘betrayal’

Familiar Sorts

Trisha Gupta

In her latest collection of stories, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala writes of people you feel you already know. In her assured hands, that may not be a bad thing