Vani Viswanathan talks about how, after working with Spark contributors on their submissions, the editors plough through their own contributions for the month, often attempting to surmount the infamous “writer’s block”!
When Chennai was hit by rains unprecedented in decades, its people swung into action, helping neighbours, cooking, cleaning and spreading the word on behalf of people who required assistance. Madanish, one of these proud Chennaiites, talks about his little contribution to helping the city find its feet. Text and pictures from Madanish.
Parth Pandya offers a sarcastic take on the human spirit by presenting some shining examples of daily heroes in our lives.
Bangalore, to Shruthi Rao, is an individual in her own right. She’s known her for decades and loves her even now as much as she did then, in spite of what Bangalore has now become. This passage is an attempt to understand why.
Every older generation has so much to share about our past; so many stories that tell us who we are. Deepa Venkatraghvan was fortunate to have been able to speak with her maternal grandfather about his life and also document his nostalgia. Although she regrets not having done that on her paternal side, she believes all is not lost yet.
Prone to going on nostalgia trips often, Vani Viswanathan wonders how much of nostalgia is healthy.
What exactly is Wonderland for Aman Chougle? It is a place where you’re never cynical about or resent anything, he writes.
There were times when handwritten letters pretty much helped Anupama Krishnakumar sail through tough times when she stayed away from home. Unfortunately though, letters soon made way for emails and SMSes. While admitting that she has been caught in the digital frenzy for years now, she is determined to bring letters back into her life. She shares her thoughts in this piece.
Handwritten letters have played a big role in Hindi films. Parth Pandya writes a humourous piece on the use of the letter as a plot device in Bollywood. Read on.