Paro Anand has been one of my favourite authors. It is largely to do with her insight into the mind of a growing child and her ability to express the curiosity, angst, imagination and aspiration with such disarming simplicity. And yet, her work is profound. This is true for her collection of short stories, "Like Smoke" that won the Sahitya Akademi Bal Puraskar in 2017. While it was previously published as 'Wild Child and Other Stories', I am quite surprised why

Parenting is not a technique but a reflection of the United philosophy of both father and mother. There is no 'bad child', but simply 'bad routines'. In today's technologically-driven environment, young parents cannot deny this truth. Most children today are buffered from all sorts of discomfort and are kept happy all the time - which affects their growth and makes them ill-equipped to handle adverse situations and challenges later in life. To connect deeply with the children, one needs to be

For the starters, I love the cover and the title of the book The Buddha of the Brothel; both invoke a fair level of curiosity. The book is a true account of Kris’s journey. Also, The Buddha of the Brothel is part travelogue, part biography, and part romance. I would highly commend Kris’s observing ability. Like few foreign authors, he hasn’t painted India black, through his sarcasm and witty English, he has shown the underbelly of Indian mafia, but on

Crime seems to always make for good copy. Whether in a book or a newspaper or magazine. I don't get any macabre thrills about reading about the crime, but I am intrigued to know what makes a person a criminal. Of late, I have been devouring books written on criminals and their psychology. The book, 'Veerappan: Chasing The Brigand' was released last year, almost 13 years after the dreaded smuggler was shot dead in an ambush by a Special Task

All roads lead to Jaipur this weekend. Thankfully Padmaavat or Padmavati has nothing to do with it. It is the annual literary cornucopia that is the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF). It is estimated that approximately three lakh people with be attending it this year. Like any other festival, this rather popular festival can get overwhelming, confusing and borderline frustrating. So I can say from personal experience that there are a few things that, if kept in mind, and followed, will

Padmavati has always fascinated me. And no, not just the movie. Allow me to say this that I find it significant and remarkable how everyone – right from protestors to activists, politicos to filmmakers seem to be piggyback riding on the sudden fame of this queen in light of the controversy surrounding the film. For me Padmavati was such a remarkable character – I am not even getting into the debate of whether she was factual or fictional. And this is

'The Hiding' is a story about a boy named Aman who lived with his mother and father. His father was a scientist. He was six when he lost his mother, and six months later, his father died in a car accident. He started staying with his uncle, aunt, and his sister. The room where his father worked was now a storeroom. One night, his uncle and aunt went to the cinema. When they left, Aman went up to the storeroom.

Author Ganesh Saili’s readers are in for a treat. Five years after ‘Gupp and Gossip,’ ‘Mussoorie Years,’ and ‘The Letters of a Mussoorie Merchant’ by Niyogi Books, Saili’s latest book, ‘Wanderings through the Garhwal Himalaya,’ has just reached the stands. “It’s a blend of years of 40 years of photography, a lifetime of work and stars in my eyes,” says the author. In two hundred pages or twenty-odd essays, the book takes you on a journey of, recording in words and

Perhaps the only actress of Hindi cinema to have ruled the box office for close to five decades; the only Hindi actress to have taken to direction while still charming the camera, Hema Malini will forever be 'Dream Girl' to generations of film lovers. From someone who was a reluctant actor to becoming an enduring screen goddess, producer, director, Hema Malini's journey is the stuff legends are made of. A life that could easily be converted to a script has

The lines from Emily Dickeson's famous Poem, Hope is a thing with feathers That perches in the soul… come alive in Prachi Raturi Mishra’s I Did It!-Exceptional stories of people who made it large! This hardcover is based on the exceptional struggle stories of 18 people from different walks of life who share their humble origins and despite that, went on to become well-known achievers. The author has very carefully handpicked and strung together tales of entrepreneurs to playback singer, author to