Magic Moments

In my early years of schooling, I lived with my grandparents. My father was posted in a quaint little hilly village famous for mining, which had no schools in the vicinity. His was a transferable job, and in those days he used to get calls for a transfer every few months, which made it difficult to have me in tow. It was during these years, that I grew addicted to stories. Grandma would spin a new story for every occasion- while getting me ready for school, making me eat balls of rice and veggies, and making me sleep. And Grandpa would fill in during the rest of the times, after coming from the office. He would open his ‘ gapa pudia ’ (a pocketful of stories) while Grandma was busy kneading the dough, cooking or doing other household chores. I slowly and steadily grew familiar with Panchatantra, Jataka Tales, and the folktales of Odisha. After about three years I shifted in with my parents, as my father was transferred to a town with a good convent school in it. My par...

Memoirs are trending these days. They are the talk of the town. People are raving about them, readers and non-readers alike. Celebrities are opening up about their long-held secrets, private lives and struggle stories through their memoirs. And fans are able to get an exclusive access to their minds and tap on to the emotions that make them the person that they are. The story of their lives offers motivation and inspiration to anyone in need of it. Memoirs have become one of the most popular and sought-after genres today. I had picked up the Kindle version of ‘An Unsuitable Boy’ by Karan Johar , sometime last year. It is a bare-it-all, an intensely emotional piece of work, with one key ingredient that Johar does the best, that is great storytelling . I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It’s a good book for those who like his work, his films and like reading about the Bollywood. It’s not a work of great art or literature for that matter, so don’t pick this up if you are lo...