Norbu, a shy but nevertheless celebrated cook at the army mess in Dharamshala, has a task at hand today for which he needs to reach McLeod Ganj by noon. Vinita Agrawal pens a story.
Summer is here and we are sure you are looking desperately for thirst quenchers to get some relief. Anu Karthik shares three simple recipes that are special to summer, weaving them in along with her own personal memories about the season. Here are three simple and healthy ways to beat the summer heat!
THE LOUNGE | TURN OF THE PAGE ‘What I Talk About When I Talk About Running’ by Haruki Murkamai is a wonderful reflective memoir which gives a feeling of a wide colourful spread on the platter – ranging from reflective and philosophical to vivacious and spirited, says Vibha Sharma in her review of the book.
THE LOUNGE | THE INNER JOURNEY Death is an idea which has gained most prominence because of the reality status allotted to things that are perceived by us as individuals. Viswanathan Subramanian examines the reason behind our fear of death.
THE LOUNGE | MUSIC CAFÉ “Music and literature are like twins warring for attention in an artist’s mind,” says Jessu, as she traces a phase of the relationship that music and writing had with each other in her life.
Click here to buy the print version of Spark’s February 2013 issue themed ‘Romance’.
As much of the world gets ready to celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March, we at Spark thought it’s time again to pay tribute to the various spirits of womanhood through this issue, themed ‘Woman: Facets and Forms.’ Our poetry, fiction and art bring out various flavours of womanhood in an attempt to make you relate to episodes in your life, make you ponder, smile, or nod in agreement. The guest column and non-fiction are sure to make you think about the various ways in which we easily and unknowingly deny women a fair playing ground in the world. In addition, The Lounge gives you the usual fare on life, books and spirituality. Click here to access the March 2013 issue on the e-reader, ISSUU.
GUEST COLUMN | When Chetan Bhagat writes ‘I’d like Indian men to have an open mind about choosing their life partners and revise their ‘ideal woman’ criteria’, one expects that he is exhorting many Indian men to finally realize that women are equal ‘partners’ in a marriage, and are also humans with their own ideas and aspirations both within and outside the home, which are not tied to being someone’s wife or mother. But no, Mr. Bhagat fails miserably, as in his narrow view of the world that ignores disturbing everyday realities for much of India’s population, women’s lives still revolve around men. Shreya Sen tells us why this is not just pissing off, but also extremely problematic, and hardly “progressive”.
There are certain things we all say at some points of time about women, brimming with pride, joy and appreciation. Women are naturally caring, they are born to be mothers. Don’t dismiss housewives, alright, ask the men to handle the home for a week and they’ll flounder! And of course, can you ever find a better cook than your wife or your mother – God just made women that way! Have we ever thought about how we end up unknowingly stereotyping all women in these ways because we see a few such women? Three women tackle these stereotypes in their own ways while not dismissing the joys of motherhood, the pressures and demands of housework or the aroma of tadka sizzling on hot, hot food.