Authors From The Indian Subcontinent
Quick aside, before I begin this review. Since the pandemic started, I find myself increasingly drawn to non-fiction and the more adventurous the book, the better. Doesn’t take much deduction to conclude that I am missing travelling and especially being in the mountains, and so am compensating, by reading tales …
The third in the delightful Parveen Mistry series takes us into the heart of early 1920s Bombay, as the emerging Indian independence movement sees protests and riots over the visit of the Prince of Wales and the future colonial ruler. It is an inspired choice by Ms Massey to make …
This novel was a curious read for me. I am British, but I live full time and long term in India. The novel is about Brits – of Indian and Pakistani heritage – living in London. So it was a case of “my” Asian people living in “my” British town, …
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m not much of a cook. Translation: I hardly know how to boil an egg. So I am totally not the kind of person to seek out cookbooks, but “Masala Dhaba” is totally different. Trust me. Firstly, it is written by Michael …
“Like an old man, which I am, I found myself yearning for the time, no, not the time, for the life that has gone by. Not my own biological, chronological life, but the life of the place where I was born.” These words, written by a distinguished Hindi author, Vishwanath, …
Having lived in Mumbai during the tumultuous days of 1992 and 1993, when this most cosmopolitan of Indian cities city lived through anti-Muslim riots and the subsequent bomb attacks, I was naturally intrigued by the story of Sanjay Dutt. Mr. Dutt, a Bollywood star, and the son of a well-respected, …
What an amazing world we live in. You know someone for almost 30 years, and only now discover the hidden, almost-mystical side to them. My Mumbai-based friend Lakshmi Narayan has just published her second book (& here’s a link to my review of her debut novel) and what a revelation …
“Holy Herbs Modern connections to ancient plants” What an erudite and interesting reference book this is. For anyone curious about the history and origins, the uses and the science of herbs and plants, Mr. Ahluwalia’s book is one to refer to. With many years of his career spent in …
What an extraordinarily good read this book is. And, rather puzzlingly, what an extraordinarily uneven book it is too. I dislike crisiticising someone’s writing, because it is such an intensely personal thing, but this excellent book is so uneven in its writing that it could almost have been written by …
