Anupam Patra sees his city as a person with a soul and a character. He writes of its beauty, ugliness and shortcomings and of its consequence on his own identity. He confesses that his city is messed up but he still has reasons to call it home.
Amidst soaring apartment buildings and glittering malls of Bengaluru, Anjali and Kalpana live in a compact bungalow with jasmine bushes and a washing stone in the backyard. As the city around them changes rapidly, they too have to make a choice − on what to hold on to and what to change.
Mallika’s poems present the city in its myriad hues: its din and bustle, its nonchalance, colours and smells.
THE LOUNGE | TURN OF THE PAGE Ajay Ramachandran writes about his experiences reading the works of P.G. Wodehouse, what worked for him and how he thinks Wodehouse will fare in the future: ‘…as long as Shakespeare and Dickens are read, Wodehouse will also be’, he says.
It is with absolute joy and thrill that we present to you our hundredth issue! Themed #MyWordsMyVoice, this milestone issue celebrates the platform that we hope Spark has provided to hundreds of writers to explore their creativity. Read the works of 15 writers who were invited to contribute to this issue, and an interview with Shreya Ila Anasuya about a platform that brings together gender, sexuality and disability.
An initiative of Point of View, a Mumbai-based non-profit, Skin Stories features ‘fresh new perspectives and urgent personal essays at the intersection of gender, sexuality and disability’. In this interview, Vani Viswanathan talks to Shreya Ila Anasuya, managing editor of Skin Stories, about the platform’s approach to sexuality, disability and gender; Shreya’s experience working with writers on their contributions; and the importance of featuring personal narratives on topics that don’t often come to the fore.
Read what our fiction contributors have to say about the role of creative writing in today’s world.
What is the role of creative writing in today’s world? The contributors of our 100th issue’s non-fiction pieces tell us.
The poets of our 100th issue talk about what they believe is the role of creative writing in today’s world.