How Girish Karnad Became a Household Name with Malgudi Days
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How Girish Karnad Became a Household Name with Malgudi Days

Malgudi Days introduced my family, which until then had only read some of Girish Karnad’s works, to his charm and subtle elegance. His WT Srinivasan represented an entire generation of Indians who had been exposed to English education and civility but stuck to their roots when it mattered the most.
All Souls’ Day: Forget Halloween, This is the Real After-Party with the Dead
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All Souls’ Day: Forget Halloween, This is the Real After-Party with the Dead

All Souls’ Day is pretty fun. Given the fact that the cemetery stayed open late on All Souls’ Day, as teenagers we’d take advantage of the darkness to visit graves and gather cigarettes and alcohol left behind by families for their late relatives. We’d find the occasional piece of fried fish left unsullied by the birds and have ourselves a good ol’ fashioned party.
Much Before Halloween There Was Bhoot Chaturdashi
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Much Before Halloween There Was Bhoot Chaturdashi

Halloween is too in-your-face. Bhoot Chaturdashi, which falls on the night before Diwali, has the kind of suspense that plays with your mind. I remember peering into the dark fearfully, thinking twice about making that trip to the bathroom on my own, lest a spirit held my body hostage.
Darna Mana Hai: What Lies Beneath Our Ghost Stories
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Darna Mana Hai: What Lies Beneath Our Ghost Stories

Ghosts don’t exist in a vacuum. They are a culmination of numerous things – actual historical events, social oppressions, and injustice. They surround us; breathing, living entities, that are hoping we might inhale them and keep their legacy alive. Or occasionally, just offer them a piece of fish.
Why I Look Forward to Baasi Eid As Much As Eid
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Why I Look Forward to Baasi Eid As Much As Eid

Eid is great from a purely gluttonous point of view, but the day after Eid is the real deal. Baasi Eid is what food dreams are made of. It’s an afterparty for two – me and my hungry soul, where I gorge on the leftovers. The dress code is a pair of comfy pyjamas and the preferred and only music is the slurping of my fingers.
What If We All Laughed a Little More Like PG Wodehouse Would’ve Wanted Us To?
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What If We All Laughed a Little More Like PG Wodehouse Would’ve Wanted Us To?

The rose-tinted escapism that defines PG Wodehouse’s oeuvre speaks volumes of a social observer who knew that the days of this rarefied existence were numbered. In his tumultuous times, his refusal to take anything seriously, be it political patriotism, the sacred lion of MGM Studios, or his own work, was its own form of irreverent resistance – one that is just as effective today as it was a hundred years ago.