CATEGORIES

The Image-Maker

Sukumar Ray’s most vivid images were saved for his classics of nonsense verse, but his singular eye, writes Nabarupa Bhattacharjee, found its earliest expression in photography

The Nawab's Last Sigh

Rudely awakened by the fact of independent India, an aristocrat in Meerut clung to his past. Now, he tells Sunaina Kumar, all he has left are his memories of a glorious age.

The Guest

Vaiyavan is the nom de plume of MSP Murugesan. Born in 1936, he did sundry jobs before obtaining postgraduate degrees by correspondence and then served as an English and Tamil teacher till his retirement in 1996. His writing career began in 1956. Multifaceted and prolific, he has to his credit a long list of short story collections, novels, plays, literary essays, poems and children’s stories. He has won several awards including Tamil Nadu government awards for best book on culture (1982) and best science book (1992) and the Malcolm Adiseshiah award for active participation in neo-literacy activities (1996). In his short stories and novels, Vaiyavan revels in a zest for life. Humaneness is the hallmark of his work, as the pain and pleasure, trials and tribulations of people in different rungs of society are described in minute detail. —CGR

The Birth of an Anthem

From right-wing slogan to moving patriotic song and now back to Hindu nationalistic war cry. Rimli Sengupta on the evolution of Vande Mataram

The Birth of a Parent

The beginning of a new life can create other strange new lives, reflects Manidipa Mandal

The Unknown Soldier

One man wondered and worried about his disappeared brother all his life.His granddaughter continued the search. Preksha Sharma resurrects a man and his story

The Art Scene

For the new kid on the block, it certainly has pedigree. The Centre for Con-temporary Art, housed within Delhi’s Bikaner House complex, finally opened its portals to welcome art aficionados during this year’s edition of the India Art Fair. Nature Morte was invited to stage the centre’s much-awaited inaugural show, an opportunity the gallery found too irresistible to pass up. The ambitious exhibition it mounted, The Idea of the Acrobat, occupied both floors of the recently renovated building and brought together the works of a dozen well known artists in a multitude of media. The line-up included Bharti Kher, Atul Dodiya, Dayanita Singh, Shilpa Gupta, Ayesha Singh, Khyentse Norbu and LN Tallur to name but a few.

Long, Long Ago

Arundhuti Dasgupta and Utkarsh Patel recount obscure creation myths from around the world, many echoing each other

Family Business

AT THE DINDUKKAL BUS DEPOT, the abortionist pushed her way through the crowd thronging the bus and finally managed to board it. She placed her travel bag beside her on the seat, calling out to her niece to hurry up. The young woman renewed her efforts to break free of the tangle of limbs and claim the seat reserved for her.

A Goan Childhood

Fragments of memory of a time long gone, from a life lived far away. By Selma Carvalho

Family Lore

We tell stories to make sense of ourselves, writes Jerry Pinto. But our origins, the people closest to us, are mysteries that resist explanation.

Through the Looking-Glass

And what children find there. Paro Anand reflects on the ugly families of children’s fiction and why it’s important that they be portrayed.

Postcard From Beijing

Reflections on home and the world from across the Great Wall

The Hour Of Poetry

They say it’s enjoying a revival. Why poetry never really goes away

Shared History

Conservationist Abha Narain Lambah pays tribute to Sharada Dwivedi and Rahul Mehrotra, lovers all of Bombay’s splendid, layered past

Nowhere Man

In a hierarchical society is there any greater privilege than being able to declare yourself free of class, wonders, Shougat Dasgupta

The Aristoprats

A year of dating a feudal throwback forced Shrayana Bhattacharya to confront her fascination with the wealthy

Home and Away

Where do artists come from, asks Kishore Singh. What nationality do we ascribe to works of art? And should it matter?

Morbid Curiosities

Ambarish Satwik on his days as a student of anatomy, poking around in cadavers and studying photographs of extravagantly diseased bodies.

The Long Night of the Bhikshu

THE EVENING HAD MOVED IN ON him almost unsuspectedly, grey cloud leading to grey drizzle. It was only when the bullfrogs started croaking that he realised it was dark.

Utopia Lost

The once-bohemian Cholamandal Artists’ Village is now a staid 50 years old.

Real-Life Dummies

One of the world’s great tourist traps, a Victorian relic, comes to India.

High Culture

Mountain heritage is as fragile as its environment. Conservationist Anupam Sah recounts his Kumaon childhood, describes the similarity of traditions across the Himalaya and prescribes an approach to preserving this precious heritage, both built and intangible.

Postcard From Tokyo

A profound stillness underpins the world capital of frenzied materialism

Love In The Time Of Caste

Since October 2012 Meena Kandasamy has been visiting Dalit settlements in Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu, where an inter-caste marriage resulted in horrifying violence. Excerpts from a work in progress

The Biological Imperative

Shougat Dasgupta reflects on the politics of parenthood. And loving your children

A Beating Heart Behind The Words

What do we write about when we write about love, asks Janice Pariat

French Connections

Why the latest edition of Bonjour India will be an affair to remember

A Day In Jail

Encountering talent, hard work and hope in an unlikely setting

An Open Goal

Hosting the under-17 World Cup is a chance for India to become a football nation