Down the rabbit hole of science and art
The city of Prague, now the capital of the Czech Republic, was once the breeding hotspot of the 20th century’s greatest writers, scientists, scholars, and activists.
2w ago
Witnessing the Turkish century
In the post-9/11 world, no country’s name has been evoked more than Turkey’s (or its newly rebranded name of Türkiye) in public discussions by foreign policy pundits and politicians alike, to demonstrate the harmonious symbiosis of the East and West, Islam and secularism, and tradition and modernity.
4m ago
An enigma amongst nations
In Alex Christofi’s newly published fascinating book—Cypria: A Journey to the Heart of the Mediterranean—we get a deep close-range look at one of world civilisation’s interesting hotspots that has long swayed between the cross-currents of the rise and fall of the great monotheisms.
5m ago
A love letter to traveling with friends
A review of ‘Roaming’ (Drawn and Quarterly, 2023) by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
7m ago
A graphic novel on the push and pull of friendships
The stories occur in places deeply etched into many of our memories—from rooftops to buses to benches in the park to the digital world of emails and texts.
2y ago
Lee Lai's 'Stone Fruit': Jokes, rhymes, and the depths of relationships
One of the most searing scenes in Lee Lai’s magnificent graphic novel, Stone Fruit (Fantagraphics, 2021) is when a young child, Nessie,
2y ago
Abdulrazak Gurnahs 'Afterlives': The repercussions of colonialism, unveiled
Abdulrazak Gurnah, this year’s Nobel laureate in literature, seems to come as an admirable choice compared to the Nobel Prize’s controversial recent history.
3y ago
Blood Brothers: exploring Ali and X’s bittersweet friendship
There are very few friendships that have attracted the public eye and provoked reactions of dread and rapacious approval in equanimity. One of those friendships - better described as blood brothers - is that of the charismatic militant civil rights activist, Malcolm X and the greatest boxer of all time, the ballistic and eye-brow raising trash talker, Muhammad Ali.
3y ago
October 6, 2020
Shopping amidst a pandemic
The parking gates are disinfected routinely with hand wash and hand sanitisers available in each section of the store itself. A strict policy of wearing a mask is maintained at all times amongst the staff with a hand sanitiser in their pockets. Customers are not allowed to enter until they have a mask at their disposal to wear.
October 2, 2020
The myth of the Batman
Batman is consistently ranked in the list of top superheroes with him not having the one attribute that his fellow superheroes share in common – superpowers. The psychological makeup of the Dark Knight has taken a host of different shapes of guilt, shame, and alienation.
September 25, 2020
The new normal for internships
Virtual internships have largely become the norm since the countrywide lockdown commenced in March and even now, as lockdowns have been largely relaxed, internships take place remotely ensuring maximum safety and social distancing. For numerous fresh graduates and students who find themselves locked in uncertainty, the proliferation of numerous virtual internships, both at home and abroad, present a new lifeline of opportunity and hope to eke out a sense of working outside.
September 24, 2020
Sketchy memories
Travis Dandro’s King of King Court: A Memoir (Drawn & Quarterly, 2019) is a large, dense book that reads light and fast. The coming of age story is packed with the raw emotional power of the author’s traumatic childhood.
September 18, 2020
Online interviews in the age of remote working
The lockdown following the global Covid-19 pandemic has shrunk the office space from a shared space saturated with buzzing colleagues to largely solitary confinement in a room with a laptop, pencil, notepad, and yes, the most important accessory, good internet connectivity.
September 8, 2020
Tips on trying different varieties of tea
With its origins going back as far as 5,000 years, green tea is commonly drunk in a serene emerald green tint.
September 1, 2020
Virtual Reality made easy
Since the onslaught of the coronavirus, many of us have been cooped up in our homes far away from the usual hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle.
August 27, 2020
Crimes that history cannot absolve
Korean literature has been enjoying a literary renaissance for quite some time through translation, from the likes of Hang Kang’s beguiling yet gruesome novel, The Vegetarian (2007) to Yeonmi Park’s heart wrenching memoir, In Order to Live (2015).
August 25, 2020
Reviving fondness of vogue through reading
As we spend more time whiling away our time on Netflix or any other streaming service during the quarantine period, we should also be acutely aware of the importance of self-care in our times of compulsory isolation.
August 14, 2020
Clash of the tech titans
Social media has also not been left untouched as proponents and distractors of social distancing battle it out. The world of technology likewise has its fair share of arguments with the latest battle-taking place between tech billionaires of Silicon Valley, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg on the easing down of lockdowns.
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