Known Turf

Do you remember them — standing neck-deep in water for 17 days? Did you understand what the farmers were trying to say to the state and t...

I was at a bookstore recently, trying to figure out if my new book was in stock and where it was placed. The staff was kind. They let me si...

George Orwell’s Animal Farm is one book that I feel should be compulsory reading for students above 15. It is a fabulous way of introducin...

My first collection of essays, 'Known Turf: Bantering with Bandits and Other True Tales' was translated into Italian last year and ...

Ever lost someone dear to cancer? Heard of young friends and family members battling a disease at great personal and financial cost? Oh, wh...

is now an ebook too! Those who have not possessed this delight yet, go possess at once ! It used to have a much longer title before, and w...

In his introduction to The Oxford India Anthology of Twelve Modern Indian Poets(1997), Arvind Krishna Mehrotra wrote: “To edit an anthology...

"T he narrative is strong and sublime in just the parts they should be, not letting the weight of the words take down the scenes you b...

The other day, I went to a movie. As usual, we stood up for the national anthem. For some reason – perhaps because there was no video accom...

Can you think of one thing that is common to all festivals? This element cuts across race, religion, class. This element is at the root of ...

"Tantalisingly subtitled and numbered 1 to 14, yet arranged haphazardly—like random numbers in a slot machine—these stories tell of th...

Last week, I mentioned that a group of us had gone to Carter Road with a pledge to help create safer cities. Some men held up pledges sayin...

Begin at the very source of your need. Begin the way waterfalls begin – with a rush and headlong tumble towards the unknown depths. Crash...

Words are one of the first things we ache for. A baby learns to say ‘Ma’ or ‘Pa’ or ‘Daadi’ because those are the words of first love. Then...

This afternoon, finally, I want to cry. Not because of the gangrape-murder that caused such outrage. Not because such rape-murders are repo...

"Has your approach to writing changed, since you became a published writer?" I've become more aware of the need to edit...

Once, a man in a car followed me in Saket. He asked for directions to PVR, then asked me to come with him, and ended with calling me a bi...

Dear Ladies of the Ruling Coalition, What was that about? The water-cannons and unnecessary beating up of citizens in Delhi… You were...

There have been some interesting developments in the tweaked food department. Maharashtra has admitted that cotton yield is likely to reduc...

So, she is in hospital in critical condition. There are injuries mainly on her face and stomach. The men who attacked her were armed with...