An Evening With “The Courtesan, the Mahatma and the Italian Brahmin” by Manu S. Pillai

When a book moves me enough to write, then that is a truly good book in my eyes. Those books are rare, however. For every year, there comes along perhaps two, maybe three books that make me want to get my lazy tuchus off the bed and write whatever little that oozes out. It never …

Review – “The Empire”

A step in the right direction, but will it overcome prejudice and fundamentalist propaganda? The first time I came across “The Empire” was on Twitter, when I was made aware of the #BanTheEmpire hashtag. At first, I was confused, because I knew that the British empire had ceased to exist decades ago, and the only …

Naeem: Based on True Events

Naeem got out of the car, waved at the drawn looking gentleman in the car, and quickly crossed the street. The Gentleman looked distressed, and Naeem could see the effort it took for him to stop himself from coming after him, but he knew the Gentleman wouldn’t. The gentlemen never did. Some of them were …

25 Years of Manichithrathazhu : The Legacy of a Malayalam Classic

It was 23rd December, 1993. The melodious voice of K. S Chithra sang the now iconic words “Oru Murai Vanthu Paarthaya”, and a legend of unparalleled excellence and longevity was born as the audience beheld the magic of Nagavalli as the movie Manichithrathazhu (The Ornate Lock) opened in theatres. It is hard to believe that …

Hindutva and Hinduism : The Rise of Fundamentalism In Modern India

                  Today, in India, proclaiming you are a Hindu is considered tantamount to declaring your public allegiance to the Sangh Parivar, and the Hindutva movement propagated by the ruling BJP govt and its affiliates. This new reactionary strain of Hinduism, popularly called Hindutva, has drastically altered perceptions of what it means to be Hindu. To …

The Queer Experience of a Small-Town Indian

[This article was originally published by The Covai Post as part of their TCP's LGBTQ Pride effort. ]   When did I realise I was queer? I never had an epiphany of any sort that revealed to me that’s what I was. I always thought of myself as just another little boy, perhaps a little …

Whatever Happened to the 90s Divas?

A look at the declining days of the Divas, and the last of their breed.   Go to YouTube. Search Whitney Houston vs Mariah Carey, or Mariah Carey vs Celine Dion, and you’ll be sure to find a hundred or more videos showcasing the various talents of these stalwarts, and even more interestingly, the battle …

Review – Rupaul’s Drag Race Season 10: Episode 8 (Cher : The Rusical)

Hello, Kitty girls. Awww, Monique is gone. Well, now you know for sure that if you don’t now the lyrics, you go. Okay Valentina? Vixen airs her feelings that she’s annoyed and angry at the girls for saying her name, and I yawn. Eureka calls her out that she’s just angry at Eureka for no …

Review – Rupaul’s Drag Race Season 10: Episode 7 (Snatch Game)

Hello kitty gurls. Well that was an episode that took a turn! Who expected this, honestly?! Before we get into the gag of the season, the girls mourn the loss of Blair, a right little ray of sunshine. They console The Vixen, and encourage her to channel her talents more into the challenges and maybe …

Review – Rupaul’s Drag Race Season 10: Episode 6 (Drag Con Extravaganza)

Hello, Kitty girls. Another surprisingly early exit. Well, everyone this season pretty much seems to be a level playing field, so every exit seems shocking in a way. I would have expected Mayhem to go further based on her first episode, but she basically vanished after that so, yeah. The queens discuss Cracker’s inability to …