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Not a day goes by when the news headlines fail to report something about the troubles associated with caste-based discrimination which has forced members of the lower castes to live in poverty, restricted to low-paying menial jobs that are considered undignified and unclean. In 1947, having won freedom...
Caste societyAnuja Chandramouli’s book ‘Ganga: The Constant Goddess’ retells the story of Ganga, one of the most revered entity in Hindu mythology. Anuja Chandramouli’s ‘Ganga’ begins with a prelude- Pralaya or the great deluge. “Sleep continued to elude her as she watched over those who slept. It...
Book Review Ganga Anuja ChandramouliBelieved to be the liquid manifestation of Shakti and the nurturer of the three worlds with her life-sustaining waters, Goddess Ganga is the epitome of beauty and purity, famous for her indomitable spirit and boundless charm. Renowned as a devoted daughter, a caring mother, a passionate lover, and a...
Book reviews Fiction Indian author mythologicalThe great epic, Mahabharata is India’s greatest pride (and most rightly so). Its mammoth story covers everything under the sun and offers advice for every situation. With its innumerable (literally) characters, it is not shocking that Anuja Chandramouli chose Arjuna to be the central character of her...
I am a self-proclaimed Mahabharata fan. And you can actually con me into reading anything in the name of the epic. I have read it from the perspective of its various characters. Like Karan in Shivaji Samant’s Mrituanjaya. Gandhari in Manu Sharma’s Gandhari Ki Atmakatha. And a couple of version of...
My thanks to the author Anuja Chandramouli and Rupa Publishing Co Ltd for a review copy of this book. The river Ganges or Ganga is of course, the most sacred river in India, and in mythology she is also a goddess, who lived in the heavens but came to earth after a sage–king, Bhagirath, undertook a...
The AutHer Awards, a joint initiative by JK Paper and The Times of India, is given to Indian women writers in appreciation of their outstanding books in various categories including fiction, non-fiction, debut, children’s book and popular choice category. Mytho-fiction writer Anuja Chandramouli won...
eShe: How did the idea for the book come about? Anuja Chandramouli: Being a horror movie aficionado, a topper in abnormal psychology and one of those people with a morbid fascination for all things dark and disturbing, I wanted to write a book that was intense, more than a little messed up and wildly...
The events of the past year and a half have encouraged us to reprioritise because there is a limit to how many times one can bake, cat-cow on the yoga mat or yearn for the days when we took travelling and eating out for granted. We pay slightly more attention to societal issues and are shaken out of...
During the course of the pandemic, some have had it better than others. And they are reminded of it constantly. The loss and bereavement left in the wake of COVID and its mutant strains has been chronicled with punctilious effort across the digital network, making it impossible to remain unscathed by...
When in lockdown mode, I always promise myself that I am going to make it to the other side having padded up my resume to sizable proportions in addition to pursuing worthwhile pursuits that don’t include wishing that this is all over. The idea is to eat right, work out diligently, follow it up with...
Currently, India is on its knees, rocked by a new vicious strain of a virus on a rampage which has led to a national catastrophe and a terrifying spike in the infection and mortality rate. Every time somebody calls, sends a message or puts up a desperate post on social media it is either a plea for help...
These are bizarre times. Headlines heavily laden with alarm inform us that India is battling a record Covid surge that makes 2020 look like a dream year. Hospitals are running out of beds, oxygen, and anti-viral drugs like Remdesivir while the infection and death toll are steadily mounting. There are...
If you have the stomach for it and tend not to throw up when confronted with all things revolting, it is always amusing to watch politicians in action when elections are around the corner. They step out wearing crisp ethnic wear, sporting bad dye/toupee jobs, palms folded together reverentially, flashing...
It is hard for me to make up my mind. Should I go bonkers, cooped up at home during the pandemic or risk getting infected by stepping out and living a little? Should I work harder on losing the weight I piled on during the lockdown or encourage myself to love my own self even if the said self is dangerously...
Abigail Dean’s exquisitely crafted psychological thriller, Girl A has been welcomed with thunderous applause and record sales. The protagonist, Lex Gracie, who saves herself and her siblings who have endured unspeakable trauma, is a fascinating character. The creative choice made by Dean not to focus...
The demise of 2020 was boisterously celebrated across the world, with reckless disregard for social distancing. After all, it is now almost universally acknowledged that annus horribilis does not begin to describe the sheer awfulness of the year gone by. The coronavirus has laid waste to global health...
The controversial ‘love jihad’ ordinance recently enforced by the Uttar Pradesh government for the purpose of preventing ‘canny’ Muslim men from sweeping ‘clueless’ Hindu girls off their feet in order to get them to change their faith has provoked vehement opposition. This is an ugly measure...
In recent years, Indian publishers seemed to have given short story writers the short end of the stick which is why it is lovely that 2020 threw up some beautiful collections by authors at the top of their game such as Nisha Susan. Two-time Commonwealth Short Story Prize Winner, Anushka Jasraj, also...
There are many tedious, irritating, mind-numbing jobs in the world but housework has earned its place somewhere at the very top of the list. The reasons are painfully obvious. Nobody likes to scrub the toilet or pick out little pieces of food from the sink, sweep and swab the floors till they shine,...
Mysterious screaming heard in the decrepit stairway of a suburban housing complex, evidence of domestic abuse, a suicide case that may just turn out to be cold-blooded murder, thefts involving wedding gifts as well as hefty chunks of cash, and a mounting body count. It is hard to imagine this material...
Letitia Wright, who rose to fame with her star-making turn in Black Panther, posted a link to a YouTube video that raised questions about the Covid-19 vaccine. Needless to say, Wright was savaged on social media, accused of endorsing unscientific viewpoints and supporting anti-vaccine propaganda. For...
The Greatest Hindi Stories Ever Told, selected and translated by Poonam Saxena, definitively makes good on its boast. This collection is a labour of love from Saxena, who confesses herself to be a devourer of Hindi Literature. Regional writers, barring a few who have enjoyed universal acclaim, have...
I have a sneaking admiration for WhatsApp warriors who devote much of their energy towards proliferating positivity via posts that usually feature photos of cuddly kittens, yoga practitioners showing off their flexibility, and rousing quotes that are meant to motivate in a bid to counter the constant...
Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan, wife of Pakistan’s first Prime Minister, was one of the key players in an age when history was being made. She witnessed first-hand the birth of a nation, carved out of the sacrifice of those who fell during the Partition—the darkest chapter in the history of both...
Sudeep Chakravarti’s The Baptism of Toni Calangute manages an affecting trifecta in that it is somehow harrowing, humorous and ultimately hopeful. It tells the tale, of two cousins—Toni and Dino who have taken it on themselves to serve as the protectors of their beloved Aparanta, known to the uninitiated...
It is not just Ganga’s tale but the various other characters in the form of many Indian Gods and Goddesses are also well developed and given space in this enriching book. Anuja writes simply and for the ordinary folk who love a story. Even if you have read the story of Ganga and are familiar with the...
‘Arjuna – Saga of the Pandava Warrior Prince’ is the debut novel from Anuja Chandramouli. Out of her deep love for the epic of Mahabharata, Anuja decided to pay her homage to this epic by retelling it with a modern panache. ‘Janmajaya’, son of ‘Parikshit’, who is the son of ‘Abhimanyu’,...
When the mighty Arjuna stands frozen in the midst of the Kurukshetra war, it is Krishna, his sarathy, who talks to him of the inevitable. “Know that the soul to be immortal by which all this [universe] is pervaded. No one can compass the destruction of that which is imperishable.” And true to this...