My week-long voyage to Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh was full of excitement,adventure, learning and joy. Set in the historical backdrop of mid-nineteenth century the novel’s canvas is as wide as an ocean, carrying in its womb multitudes of stories, characters, themes, locations, languages…… yet remaining placid, cool and calm. I became interested in the book after reading aContinue reading “A voyage to Sea of Poppies”
Category Archives: English
How to improve Reading
Read, read and read. Read a newspaper, magazine, editorial, stories, novels if you want to enhance your skill of reading. This was the advice we used to get from our elders. And by and large it was correct. However if you want to achieve a certain level as a reader within a limited time, thenContinue reading “How to improve Reading”
Ustad Abdul Karim Khan
Ustad Abdul Karim Khan was one of the legendary singers of Hindustani classical music in India. He was the founder of the famous Kirana Gharana in the traditions of Hindustani classical music. Apart from his immense contribution to music, he represents the cultural unity and diversity of what we know today as India. He was from Kiryana in UP from whereContinue reading “Ustad Abdul Karim Khan”
My first encounter with humans
Yesterday was a painful day for me. I had come out in the open for an evening crawl. The hot day of the rainy season had been followed by a light breeze in the evening. I wanted to breathe the fresh air. I had lived in the dark fissures of my underground home for long.Continue reading “My first encounter with humans”
Dalrymple’s The Anarchy: a review
‘History is boring’ is a common refrain from students in schools. And one obvious reason is the history books have generally been written by the historians who are skilled in historiography but are unable to connect with the common reader. Very few historians have the ability to build engaging narratives in their books. And WilliamContinue reading “Dalrymple’s The Anarchy: a review”
Language is a skill
A language is a skill based subject. It is not like Science or Social Sciences for which understanding of concepts is more important. It is more like swimming, cycling or flying for which mere knowledge and understanding are not enough. The more you use them, the more proficient you become. It is very important, therefore,Continue reading “Language is a skill”
Facts are elusive
The evolution of internet came with the promise of making facts available at the click of a button. But day by day facts are becoming elusive, available only to those who have the skill to trace them. A fact can be verified by anyone. That Ashok was an Indian king in the ancient period isContinue reading “Facts are elusive”
D C Kala’s book on Jim Corbett
Everybody knows Jim Corbett as a hunter, wildlife expert and as an established writer. But I was more interested to discover the life that he lived at Mokama Ghat, a small village on the bank of Ganga in Bihar. He had spent about 20 years of his life there with the Railways. I wanted toContinue reading “D C Kala’s book on Jim Corbett”
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