Rain has always always held me captive with its beauty since childhood. I yearn for it sarrival not just in its physical deluge, but also in the form Rain has always always held me captive with its beauty since childhood. I yearn for it sarrival not just in its physical deluge, but also in the form of the quiet poetry that it writes upon the world.
I lived in Chennai for close to a decade. Come December, the city ritually has a torrential downpour. Rain becomes this uninvited and relentless tenant who floods homes, drowns memories, and leaves a watermark on life itself. My home and my childhood memories were destroyed by the floods, not once but five times during that one decade.
You'd think that this experience must have made me become weary of its arrival. But no. Even now, living in Kochi, where the rain is both muse and menace, I still find myself waiting for that first chatter on the roof, as if rain were an old friend knocking on the door.
It was with this complicated affection that I opened Mazhakaalam by Tom Mangatt. I was skeptical but my doubts were put to rest and books fared well beyond my imagination. The book is more than a collection of essays or observations; it is a lyrical anthology that celebrates the rain-soaked soul of Kerala.
Mangatt doesn’t merely write about rain; he curates it. With the keen eye of a naturalist and the heart of a poet, he gathers every literary whisper, every televised sigh, every cultural memory soaked in monsoon. Mazhakaalam does a fantastic job of binding them into a comprehensive collection work that feels at once nostalgic yet very relevant to present day times.
What struck me most about Mazhakaalam is the way it weaves together the rain’s presence across different creative minds. Authors, poets, and even television personalities are caught in the rain’s orbit. Through Tom Mangatt’s careful curation, they are offering their own vocabulary for the same familiar downpour. Mangatt’s editing acts as an umbrella under which all these voices gather, their words dripping with sentiment and reverence.
For someone like me, whose life has been bookmarked by rainy seasons, especially the alternating moods of scary chest-deep floods of Chennai to the quieter drizzles of Kochi, *Mazhakaalam* felt both personal and universal.
It reminded me of two other rain-drenched books I hold close: Alexander Frater’s Chasing the Monsoon, and Kerala: Where the Rain is Born, the elegant anthology edited by Anita Nair. Each of these books, in its own way, has taught me to embrace rain not just as weather, but as narrative.
And now, Mazhakaalam has secured its place among them.
For anyone who has ever paused at a rain-slicked window, or lost themselves to the hypnotic percussion of drops on a tin roof, Tom Mangatt's work is an invitation. it is also a reminder to remember, to romanticize, and above all, to feel the beauty of . Because the rain, after all, is not just something that happens outside. It happens within us too....more
This book is about an old India, the India during the Emergency period, and the one that has since then undergone several metamorphoses, good, bad andThis book is about an old India, the India during the Emergency period, and the one that has since then undergone several metamorphoses, good, bad and evil.
Naipaul shows a mirror to every Indian's face. The ones who take excessive pride in history but refuses to move along to the modern future. Times have since changed and India is close to becoming a a superpower, however, this old India cannot be forgotten.
Reading this book will embitter anyone who romanticized India while ignoring its flaws and fallacies....more
കെ. അരവിന്ദക്ഷന്റെ &Dz;ഗോ�&Dz; എന്ന നോവൽ സിദ്ധാർത്ഥന്റെ ജീവിതത്തെയും, പ്രത്യേകിച്ച� അദ്ദേഹ� കുടുംബത്തെയു� രാജ്യത്തെയും ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച തീരുമാനത്തെയും, ചോദ്യം ചെ�കെ. അരവിന്ദക്ഷന്റെ 'ഗോ�' എന്ന നോവൽ സിദ്ധാർത്ഥന്റെ ജീവിതത്തെയും, പ്രത്യേകിച്ച� അദ്ദേഹ� കുടുംബത്തെയു� രാജ്യത്തെയും ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച തീരുമാനത്തെയും, ചോദ്യം ചെയ്യുന്നതിലൂടെയാണ� വായനക്കാരന� ആഴത്തി� ചിന്തിപ്പിക്കുന്നത�.
സിദ്ധാർത്ഥന്റെ ആത്മീയാന്വേഷണ�, � യാത്രയിലേക്കുള്ള ആഗ്രഹം, അത� അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ വ്യക്തിപരമായ ബന്ധങ്ങള� എങ്ങനെ ബാധിച്ചു എന്നതിലേക്കാണ് � നോവൽ ചൂണ്ടിക്കാണിക്കുന്നത�.
“ഒരു പിടി മുടിച്ചുരുളുമായി കിടപ്പറയിലേക്ക� നടന്നപ്പോൾ അവ സർപ്പക്കുഞ്ഞുങ്ങളായി ശരീരമാക� ഇഴയുന്നതുപോല�...�
� വരിക� യശോദരയുട� അവസ്ഥയുട� ആഴ� സമ്മതിക്കുന്നു.
സിദ്ധാർത്ഥ� ഇല്ലാത്ത � ലോകത്തിൽ, അവളെ ചുറ്റിപറ്റ� ഒര� ശൂന്യത വളരുന്� അനുഭവം, അവളുടെ മനസ്സിനെ മൂർച്ചയാക്കുകയും ശാരീരികവും മാനസികവുമാ� ബോധ്യങ്ങളെ അലട്ടുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു.
അഭിമാനവു� പ്രത്യാശയു� നിറഞ്ഞ ഒര� യുവതിയായ�, രാജ്ഞിയായി, സിദ്ധാർത്ഥന്റെ സഹധർമ്മിണിയായി യശോദരയ്ക്ക� ഉണ്ടായിരുന്ന ആധിപത്യവും വിശ്വാസവും അവൾക്ക� നഷ്ടമായി.
അതിന� പകരം അവളെ ചുറ്റിയിരുന്നതാണ� ശൂന്യതയു� നിരാകൃതിയു�. സിദ്ധാർത്ഥന്റെ യാത്� മനുഷ്യത്വത്തിന്റെയും ബന്ധത്തിന്റെയു� പുതി� വലിപ്പങ്ങൾ നമ്മുക്ക� ചോദ്യം ചെയ്യാ� ഇടവരുത്തുന്ന�.
'ഗോ�' സിദ്ധാർത്ഥന്റെ ജീവിതകഥയോട� സമാനാന്തരമായ�, യശോദരയുട� കഥ പറയുമ്പോ�, ഒര� ആധുനിക വായനക്കാരനും ആത്മീയാന്വേഷണമെന്നത� വ്യക്തിപരമായ ഒര� ത്യാഗമാണ�, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ബന്ധങ്ങള� വേർതിരിച്ചിടുന്ന ഒര� തീരുമാനം ആണ� എന്ന ചോദ്യം ചേർത്ത� ചിന്തിപ്പിക്കുന്നു. � നോവലിന്റ� വലിയ സംഭാവന അതാണ�....more
M.T. Vasudevan Nair, a master of evocative storytelling, once again weaves magic in Nashtapetta Dinangal, a collection of five short stories that delvM.T. Vasudevan Nair, a master of evocative storytelling, once again weaves magic in Nashtapetta Dinangal, a collection of five short stories that delve into the fragility of human emotions, lost time, and the bittersweet embrace of nostalgia.
Each story takes us into the lives of its characters who are caught between the present and the past, reminiscing about the bygone days that have slipped away, leaving behind a quiet ache.
The way M.T. paints these moments in vivid detail is nothing short of mesmerizing. How can somebody write like this? His prose is eloquent, his observations piercing, and his ability to capture the smallest of emotions is unparalleled.
Each character in Nashtapetta Dinangal is deemed fictional, but they feel real, real men and women with blood and flesh, as if plucked from the pages of life itself and planted into the printed pages.
Their regrets, longing, and quiet sorrows resonate deeply, making the reader pause and reflect on their own journey through time. M.T.'s writing does not rely on grand gestures.
Instead, it thrives in subtlety, where a glance, a passing conversation, or an unspoken word carries the weight of an entire lifetime. This was speficially the case with Sarojini from "Ayalkaaar".
I also liked how he got under the skin of a boy who is scared of the Odiyan and wrote with a hint of humor that leaves one with a lighthearted smile. This is one side of MT's writing that I haven't known so far.
For anyone who appreciates regional literature, this book is a must-read. It is not just a collection of stories but a window into the essence of life itself complete with its joys, regrets, and the inevitable passage of time.
Without a doubt, this is a 5-star read for me....more
Vijay Kumar’s The Idol Thief reads like a gripping crime thriller, yet the most unsettling part is that it’s all real. The book unravels the intricateVijay Kumar’s The Idol Thief reads like a gripping crime thriller, yet the most unsettling part is that it’s all real. The book unravels the intricate web of idol smuggling in India, centering on Subhash Kapoor, a once-respected New York art dealer who built an empire on stolen heritage.
What struck me most was the sheer audacity of these operations—centuries-old sculptures disappearing from temples, meticulously laundered through the global art market, and ultimately finding their way into prestigious museums. The book not only exposes the mechanics of this illicit trade but also highlights the negligence (and complicity) of authorities and institutions that turn a blind eye to provenance.
Reading this raised several troubling questions in my mind:
Why is the West so obsessed with looted artifacts from other civilizations? Is it because they lack a heritage of their own to take pride in?
Can foreign collectors and museums ever truly grasp the awe and devotion these idols inspire in India? To Indians, these deities are not mere art pieces but living embodiments of the divine—bathed, adorned with offerings of fruit and honey, lulled to sleep with hymns composed millennia ago.
How can an Indian betray his own heritage so shamelessly? And when will the Indian government wake from its slumber and take decisive action to make an example of these rogues?
Kumar’s meticulous research and passion for India’s cultural legacy shine through. His storytelling is both engaging and informative, balancing investigative depth with a compelling narrative. As someone who has always been in awe of temple architecture and sculptural beauty, this book has not only deepened my appreciation but also given me a long list of places to visit and texts to explore.
Beyond the crime itself, The Idol Thief forces an uncomfortable reckoning: How much of our past has been erased? How many sacred idols, once revered in daily worship, have been reduced to soulless museum exhibits in distant lands? And most importantly—will justice ever truly catch up with those responsible?
Reading this book has heightened my awareness of the fragility of heritage and the importance of questioning the ethics of art ownership. It’s a compelling, eye-opening read for anyone interested in history, crime, and the murky world of art smuggling....more
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