“There are two kinds of people in this world: those who have seen ‘Gunda’, and those who shall see it.” Such overly-dramatic statements are befitting of ‘Gunda’, one of Bollywood’s oddest, most hyperbolic films. Released in 1998, ‘Gunda’ – the
When I wrote about ‘Why this Kolaveri Di’ back in January, its wave of popularity was already cresting. And yet, even now, the song reverberates around India, from bungalow to basti, spawning imitations, knock-offs and techno-remixes. (And it still racks
To be honest, I got the idea for this column when I was hit by my first water balloon of the Holi season. Miraculously, I made it until the day before Holi before this projectile exploded across my chest. (As
2011 was a momentous years for fans of Arrested Development, an American TV comedy series with a small but devoted following. First, the series, which was cancelled by Rupert Murdoch’s Fox empire in 2006, was resurrected by Netflix, the DVD
Yo readers. I am write column. Soup column. Flop column. Yes, like many random Internet auteurs, I am trying to ride the wave of popularity buoying the ubiquitous Tamil-English (Tanglish?) hit ‘Why This Kolaveri Di.’ As I type out these
There are times when a writer ‘nativates’ words in the barest skin sans implants, form, inhibitions, dogmas… these are times when the birth pangs can be smelt in a rusty blood-like aroma and felt between the fingers like nectar. Here’s
It seems like everyone has a Maggi story. I certainly have mine. When I first arrived in India, I had grand ambitions of cooking the fancy dishes I had tried in South Asian restaurants back in the States—navratan korma, malai
According to the bane of the contemporary writer’s existence – the random Internet commenter – I am just “a Westerner coming to India in the name of learning and then…writing about its deficiencies through [my] limited understanding and tainted glasses.”
“If you can hope for a thirty-six inch chest, do not be satisfied with one measuring thirty-two inches. The additional four inches will add to your happiness and usefulness.” This exhortation is from an entirely un-ironic essay called “How to