Mosquito and Other Stories by Premendra Mitra
A must-read classic of Bengali Literature The Context The one joy of curating a website that focuses on Indian literature is also the amazing literary gems, classics and otherwise, that one encounter in the process. To do this, I make sure to visit local bookstores wherever I am travelling, go to libraries and read syllabi […]
Booked: Literary Events for March 2019
Looking for book-ish events in March? We looked around, and there is a little of everything happening, from conferences, plays based on literary characters, Event Name: Rumi Aur Manto What’s it about: A satirical play where Rumi and Manto bump into each other at a lit fest in today’s times. Location: Atta Galatta, Bengaluru Dates: […]
Filmi Keeda: The new book and film club in Mumbai
It gives me extreme (and very nerdy) pleasure to announce a collaboration with The Red Sparrow, a content destination for Indian films. Starting March, Purple Pencil Project and The Red Sparrow will be conducting a series of events and meetups under ‘Fimi Keeda’, a monthly or bi-monthly gathering of book and film lovers. While what […]
The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor
Goodish Farce That Could Have Been Great Satire Mr Shashi Tharoor, where are you? Of course, I am aware that you still make headlines these days, albeit mostly on these bustling social networks, but most of the time, it’s nothing but some new elaborate, almost unpronounceable and quite devilishly incoherent word that you share with […]
The Durbar: Celebrating verse in Hyderabad
In December last year, we partnered with the Ethos Literary Festival, a two-day long celebration of the verse, which was presented by Hawakal Publishers, a poetry press that has for a decade, committed to bringing out the best of contemporary Indian poetry. This time tomorrow, the same passionate duo of Kiriti Sengupta (Chief Editor of […]
Poonachi or The Story of a Black Goat by Perumal Murugan
“Once, in a village, there was a goat. No one knew where she was born. The birth of an ordinary life never leaves a trace, does it?” So begins Perumal Murugan’s tale of Poonachi, the black goat, in which he sets out to do exactly what he says doesn’t happen – make an ordinary goat […]
Half the Night is Gone by Amitabha Bagchi
Towards the end of Amitabha Bagchi’s Half the Night is Gone, one of the lead characters returns as a kathavaachak at the funeral of his own father, and says these lines in his sermon. “My friends, it is said that there are four ghats from which Tulsi’s holy lake can be approached: the ghat of […]
Booked: Your guide to literary events in February
January was all about the literature festivals, and looks like at least some of it will be spilling into February. In this post, we bring you a list of literary events in the city, from college festivals with a book-ish focus, to open mics, poetry gatherings, book readings, conferences, seminars and more. (Have an event […]
Ending on a high note: Day 3 of the Hindu Litfest 2019
After two days of compelling sessions, meaty discussions, revered speakers, impromptu musical performances and interactive workshops, The Hindu Lit for Life Festival 2019 entered into the third and final day as Bhogi-smog engulfed the city in the morning due to the smoke emitted from the burning of old wares. Nevertheless, Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert […]
Awards and more: Day 2 of the Hindu Litfest 2019
The second day of the ninth edition of The Hindu Lit For Life Fest 2019 began with pomp and enthusiasm, and was filled with a diverse and delectable menu of literary conversations in its kitty. The first session was a panel discussing Politics of Identity: New ideas of caste and Religious Assertion with Aditya Mukherjee, […]
