Pregnancy is an interesting journey for parents-to-be, an amalgamation of so many incidents, emotions and feelings. It’s something that spawns an entire range of new beginnings and is a phase that ends happily with the arrival of the new-born. With a child, life is never the same again and a brand new journey begins. Parth Pandya captures the happy beginnings and happy endings of this phase in an interesting piece.
On January 28, 2012, Mumbai celebrated its fourth Queer Azadi March. Vani Viswanathan attended with her camera in tow and attempted to capture the pride, joy and humanity among a sadly-rejected minority in India.
What goes on in the mind of a writer before the words begin to spill out? Anupama Krishnakumar tries to capture the maze of thoughts in a sketch.
Priya Mahadevan shares the joyful experiences of visiting Diu with her family for a vacation. Here’s a poem that talks about a trip that was loads of fun from beginning to end. Read on.
One of Spark’s core defining factors has been the columns and interviews we have published in all our issues over the last two years. This exercise has been an immensely rewarding and a spectacular learning experience for us in many ways, including but definitely not limited to gaining a deeper understanding of how people approach their areas of expertise, realising that it is their passion, intelligence, persistence and a certain humility that has taken them to where they are today, and of course, receiving our biggest reward—that of Wisdom – that’s something we have received in copious amounts during our interactions. We felt nothing would be a more befitting tribute to all the wonderful people who agreed to share their thoughts with us than bringing out a compilation of the best of our conversations. Not to mention, a small gift to all our dear readers who have read and supported us through the last two years. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting joyfully —the best of what they said.
It’s Spark’s second anniversary edition and the 25th issue – a very proud moment for us. Anupama Krishnakumar chronicles the journey of this creative pursuit over the last two years and tells you what it feels like to have run an effort like this along with a wonderful co-editor and a super-talented team. Anupama’s piece is a reflection of the January 2012 edition, the 25th issue’s theme, ‘Celebrating 25 Issues of Spark’.
You may wonder what people in villages do when they need dental help. People from remote, far-flung villages, a good few hours from civilization (i.e., towns or villages with dentists). This is the story of one such village. And remember this happened some 20 years ago, and the author doesn’t profess knowledge of what happens these days. Vani Viswanathan writes a story laced with humour to celebrate the concept of the first ever issue of Spark – the January 2010 issue themed, ‘New Beginnings’.
Anshika returns to her office after a shoot and there’s a surprise waiting for her. We bet you would want to know more. Shreya Ramachandran pens a love story representing the February 2010 theme, ‘Romance’.
Bijesh Krishnadas traces his journey as a book lover, right from the time when it all began. Join him in his journey down memory lane, as he pays a tribute to the March 2010 issue themed, ‘Down the Memory Lane’.