Yet again, Amitav Ghosh sails on opium

Man and opium have a relationship that goes back to the infancy of mankind. Human civilization is inconceivable without it,' Amitav Ghosh said during an interview with an American radio station in......

Assassins in the Garden

With the felling of the mango tree at his home, Bijoy Venugopal lost more than just a tree. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh 'The mango trees are in flower,' my father said two weeks ago with an ache in......

Readers condole: They died for no fault

We asked our readers to send in their condolence messages for the slain 76 CRPF personnel and police men who were the victims of Naxal slaughter in Dantewada, Chattisgarh on Tuesday. And the......

Indian writers are quite adventurous

Who will win the 2008 Man Booker Prize? The trade offices of literary fiction have not shaken off the miasma of Midnight's Children winning the Booker of Bookers in July. Reviewers will not let us......

Soundtracks filmmakers love

Imagine watching The Godfather without the soundtrack, or any James Bond flick, or Mission Impossible without the signature tune that launched a thousand ringtones. What would the movies do without......

Spider-Man 2 spins a Strings tune

Ourfriendly neighbouring pop duo andour friendly neighbourhood superhero havejoined handsto spin a musical web. Na jaane kyun, a track from Pakistani pop band Strings' recent album Dhaani, will......

Farhan Akhtar and the art of war

With the August 2001 release of Dil Chahta Hai, first-time director Farhan Akhtar hopped onto the Hindi film industry bus in outsize shoes. His quirky protagonist Akash, played by Aamir Khan,......

Happy Birthday, Norma Jean

This day in 1926, Norma Jean Mortensen was born to Gladys Baker in Los Angeles, California. Since her father's identity was undetermined, she was baptised Norma Jean Baker.August 5, 1962, she was......