Archive by Author

“JUST as he put one foot on to the balcony, something invisible seized his body and flung him back into the room. Then he felt a strange sensation as if something was drawing out his strength…”
Incidents such as these are generously sprinkled throughout Minakshi Chaudhry’s latest offering, More Ghost Stories of Shimla Hills. A collection of 16 stories about the supernatural, which have their origins in local folklore, as well as, from Shimla’s days as the summer capital of the British. It appears that the supposedly haunted foothills of…

The Alluring North, one of four books that make up the ‘Intriguing India’ series, is not a travelogue, nor a guide-book, nor even a retelling of ancient folklore. It is a little bit of all three. It is, in deed, the vivid journey of India’s ancient history, culture and customs, brought to life through two well-informed people who have travelled, questioned, and analysed.
What is the origin of the fear that a monster lies beneath the surface of Lake Pangong? Who was the Englishman who carved out his own kingdom…

Manju Jaidka’s novel Scandal Point is set in a colonial India approaching the twentieth century. A handsome young ruler of an Indian princely state angers the British rulers by falling in love and eloping with the Viceroy’s daughter. It is not an ordinary romance, as the elopement has far-reaching consequences.
It results in a child who grows up unaware of his lineage. Till one day, like Oedipus, he discovers the truth and embarks on a journey seeking his roots. There are no records, no documents, no witnesses, no evidence. Only…

‘I was born in India. You said your grandparents were born in what is Pakistan. But they live in India and I in Pakistan. Strange, is it not?’
Beyond the Border, based on two journeys that writer-academic Yoginder Sikand undertook to Pakistan, is a strikingly unconventional account of what life is like for ‘ordinary’ Pakistanis. The Pakistan he discovers only remotely resembles the stereotypical Muslim nation of the collective Indian imagination. From Shiela, the daughter of a feudal lord, named after her mother’s Indian best friend to a rundown, local…

by Puneetinder Kaur Sidhu

Before beginning the review, I have to say that this is my very first travel journal. I have read travel anecdotes and accounts on blogs all over the Internet, but I had not read such an extensive journal till date.
My first reaction after reading this book was simple awe and a decided kinship! It is amazing that this author can pack up her bags and leave to the most favored destinations of the world trusting a shoestring budget and a bunch of relatives & friends.…

ACCORDING to conventional wisdom, books (even as you write them) have a tendency to take on a life of their own. A shape of their own; an agenda of their own. Anthologies are no different. To start with, a brilliant, albeit somewhat obvious, idea takes root. Contributions are invited, perused, slaughtered, rejected before the chosen few make their way into the final selection. A selection that may eventually have no obvious connection to its original raison d’etre. India: A Traveller’s Literary Companion, edited by novelist and literary critic Chandrahas Choudhury,…

ANUJA Chauhan’s second book, Battle For Bittora, will make you LOL (laugh out loud). Crafted around the Lok Sabha elections, this romantic comedy brings to the reader a rather “cute” (if I may) version of the Great Indian Democracy, by marrying politics and pop-culture. Draped in humour, this book makes for a rather fine reference as to how the young view life today. With her characteristic wit, the author manages to successfully infuse the shady goings-on in politics with an element of “cool”.

The author’s strength lies in her characters:…

Nothing accords a travel enthusiast more excitement than getting a chance to read the experiences of a fellow traveller. The period, place or purpose of travel is completely immaterial. With an unshakeable belief in the famous maxim by Lao Tzu, ‘a good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving’, I prepared myself for a virtual journey alongside Henri Michaux with A Barbarian in Asia. I read the book not once, but twice. Both times I came away with the same impression. It’s a tome that says…

Mathew Vincent Menacherry’s debut novel, Arrack in the Afternoon, is the story about Varghese, a failed and drunken poet, who in a rare moment of sobriety decides to end his life. But, miraculously escapes from under the wheels of the truck he throws himself at. Karan, a conniving con man (read marketing guru) spots huge potential in the act and takes Varghese under his wings. Thence begins the fun. Through unscrupulous media manipulations and carefully orchestrated PR stunts, Karan cultivates Verghese into Vargi Baba, a celebrity god man. The social…

Mending Souls is an account of how a polymer scientist from BITS, Pilani, as alumnus and faculty, metamorphosed into America’s very own Sikh poster boy. He has inspired millions of people to balance their material and spiritual worlds by following Guru Nanak’s message of Oneness. Meet Ratanjit Singh Sondhe: variously a speaker, author, consultant entrepreneur, radio and television personality. A versatile persona, indeed; one who has justly earned his internationally renowned moniker—Mr Stress Free. Arriving in America to complete a doctorate, he changed plans midstream to try his hands at…