SERIAL NOVELS

Chapter 16 of Karna, My Son By Uma Shankari, Bangalore, India 

By now, our weary feet and weary minds felt rested. The birth of Ghatotkacha renewed our hopes. The venerable Vyasa's benedictions, prophecies and guidance filled me with a sense of awe and purpose traversing Fate's roadways, where the final destination was known, but the path leading to it was always a revelation of God's invisible hands.

SHORT STORIES

Part I of The Painting By Sneha Subramanian Kanta, Mumbai, India 

The bungalow was unnamed and had been lying witness to almost nothingness in an empty, almost cut out lane of Dhakuria. It was nearly a hundred years old; and had been built during the British Raj in India. It had a roof made by red bricks and gave a dreary; listless look. The off-white paint of the bungalow showed evidence of the wear and tear due to the elements of nature. There was a small lake which didn’t have the right to be called so.

JESSIE'S CORNER

Allowing children to grow up

Each of us loves the child within each of us, we love being children, and no matter how much we may advance in years chronologically we will always be children/kids to our parents. Hey, we might rule the board rooms, manage offices, have loads of people reporting to us—yet back home --- to parents we are still children, no matter what--- each of us just loves to pamper the child within each of us, isn’t it?

 SHAIL'S SPACE

Is Paternity Leave A Necessary Requirement?

Today, many organizations are granting paternity leave to would-be husbands in order to help them assist their wives. Some are given a week or 14 days. But, unfortunately, unlike in some foreign countries, there is no one uniform law that can force an administration to grant paternity leave to a father. There are cases where a would-be father (if he is really concerned) has to make use of saved leave for this period.

 MOVIE REVIEW BY IRENE

Devi

Devi tells the story of a human being burdened with the weight of being a goddess, and thereby being deprived of the right to lead a normal life. The story is set in rural Bengal, in the household of a rich landlord, Kalikankar Roy (Chhabi Biswas), who is so obsessed with the goddess Ma Kali (as she is called in Bengal) that he begins to believe that the goddess has been incarnated on earth as his daughter-in-law Doyamoyee (Sharmila Tagore).

 MUSIC REVIEW BY INDRANI

The Best of Ustad Amir Khan: Better than Best

Musicians of yore loved to quote a famous incident. Ustad Shah Amir (also referred to as Shahmir), a sarangi and been player worked as an accompanist to musicians of the Bhendi Bazaar Gharana. Once, during a visit to a relative’s house, he happened to open a book of notations based on the extremely tough ‘Merukhand’ gayaki. A member of the family, on noticing, snatched the book from his hand shouting that this was not meant for mere accompanists.

 RANDOM MUSINGS BY VIMALA RAMU

THE GENDER BIAS

It is true that Indian women have had a phenomenal success by obtaining 33 % reservation in the Parliament (though the bill has been passed only in the Rajya sabha as of now). But, there are times when I prefer to have the gender bias, that is, when it suits me. Though it might sound retrograde, I sometimes like to be treated as the woman that I am.

OTHER BLOGS

In Poetry Corner - Strawberry fields By Pooja L Rao, Bangalore, India    

Like the petal in the falling rain,
An old leaf trembling in a tree,
The light, one dusk, in a lonely lane,
As ethereal as a flake of snow could be....

In Poetry Corner - The Vengeful Spirit! By Sudha Varadarajan, Chennai, India    

Smouldering anger gushes forth -
Thrashing the nails of my coffin!
Revenge reverberates through
The reticent sinews of the diseased flesh...

In Social Issues - Stop child labour: You can make a difference By Lesley D. Biswas, Kolkata, India     

But who cares about such laws and these children? Our roadside shacks and fast food outlets thrive while little hands scrub vigorously at dirty dishes the whole day and wipe away the scraps of food and stains from the tables. When we sip on a cup of tea served by these same tiny hands do we spare a though for the little mite. How often do we reprimand the owner, complain to the police authority and seek a solution.

In Perspective - Greed By Irene Dhar Malik, Mumbai, India    

I was bringing my daughter home after a summertime workshop at Mumbai’s Prithvi theatre, where I believe they had been taught something about life in Gandhi’s Ashram. She had enjoyed the workshop but was at the moment busy sulking because I had refused to take her for lunch to her favourite seafood restaurant.

In Perspective - Togetherness and The Human Touch By Sneha Subramanian Kanta, Mumbai, India    

I can never forget the day when I was feeling particularly low; and I made way to Mahim Church with a friend. I have always found churches peaceful; for the quintessential feel that they exude. After getting out of the place, I spotted a lady and her son; who hugged each other after the Novena and cried together. I cannot explain how it felt to see them.