A few days ago, on November 26, my mind compulsively went back to the dreadful events that engulfed Mumbai – India’s commercial capital- on that day 17 years ago! As you would know, starting November 26, 2008 the city was in the grip of panic amidst concerted planned attacks by a group of Lashkar -e- Taiba terrorists from Pakistan.
In my blog post of November 27, 2020, I had recalled the tragic chain of events that took place after the terrorists landed in Mumbai in the evening of November 26, 2008.
Another 5 years have gone by since then. We remember with sorrow 166 innocents of different nationalities, mostly Indian who were killed and more than 500 who were severely injured. These didn’t take place in one place. The battle with the terrorists went on till November 29. It was centred in different locations like the Taj Palace, The Oberoi, Chabad House, Cama and Albless Hospital, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus of the Indian railways, the road leading to Girgaum Chowpatty etc.
There were many heroes in those chilling days. Many were nameless: taxi drivers who rushed injured to hospitals; Mumbaikars who sheltered passers by during the shootings on the roads; the constabulary of the Mumbai Police who were facing an enemy the likes of which they had never face before- in terms of quality of equipment or the indoctrinated ferocity of their attacks; the staff of the Taj and Oberoi Hotels who put this lives at risk to save their guests; and of course, the Naval commandos (the MARCOS) and the National Security Guard NSG who were better equipped to fight the terrorists.
Some were named too: like Vishnu Zende , the train announcer at CST whose timely announcements led thousands of people in the vast station to safety;
In my opinion, by far the bravest deed came from 54 year old Asst Sub Inspector Tukaram Omble of the Mumbai Police. He had joined the Mumbai Police in 1991 after serving in the Signals Regiment of the Indian Army. It was Omble’s sheer bravery that enabled Ajmal Kasab – one of the terrorists- to be captured alive. Kasab was armed with the dreaded AK 47. Despite this, Omble physically hung on to Kasab though he took many bullets in his chest He clung on till his colleagues overpowered Kasab. Omble was awarded a richly deserved Ashok Chakra posthumously.
We came to know later that the terrorists ( all from Pakistan) came wearing “kalavas” traditionally worn by Hindus and had IDs with Hindu names to confuse the police. There was also a bizarre claim by a few that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was behind the terror attack. The book ” 26/11: RSS Ki Sazish” was launched by veteran Congress leader Digvijay Singh.
Thanks to Omble’s bravery Kasab was captured alive. This ultimately led us to the truth behind the dastardly attacks.
Years have flown past, but we remember Omble with awe and respect. We can never forget what he singe-handedly did in the early hours of November 27, 2008.
As I write this post, my prayers – along with those of millions of cricket fans in India- are with Pratika Rawal. The opening batter sustained an injury while fielding in India’s match vs Bangladesh a few days ago. India has qualified for the semi-finals of the ICC ODI World Cup for Women. The next game against Australia is most crucial. It is a do or die match as the loser gets eliminated from the tournament. Sadly, it appears unlikely that she will be able to play in this match.
Pratika, a 25 year old from Delhi, has carved a niche for herself as the opening partner for Smriti Mandhana in the Indian Women’s Cricket team. Her presence in the match versus Australia would have meant a lot to the Indian team. Let me explain why.
India has always done well when Mandhana and Rawal have given them a solid start. The match versus New Zealand a few days ago was again extremely important for India. They had to win to enter the semi-finals. Mandhana and Rawal scored 212 in their opening partnership to give them a dream start. Both scored centuries- Mandhana 109, and Rawal 122.
Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal : Picture courtesy: Firstpost
This was the highest partnership for India in the Women’s World Cup. They broke the previous record of 184 between Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur in 2022.
This opening pair has shown promise to be potential world beaters. In the year or so that they opened the batting for India Women, they have put together 7 century opening partnerships. Out of these, 5 have been in this calendar year! This is the most for Indian women and is jointly the second highest in the history of women’s cricket. In January 2025, they started with a 233 run opening stand against Ireland with Rawal scoring 154 and Mandhana 135.
Till date, they have the distinction of having scored 1557 runs in the calendar year 2025. This is fairly close to the highest so far- 1635 runs by the legendary pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly in 1998. In the ongoing ODI World Cup, they are No 1 and No 2 in the runs scored- Mandhana 365 in 7 matches and Rawal 308 in 6.
Yes, India’s women cricketers have truly come of age. Recently, Smriti Mandhana scored a century in 51 balls- making her effort the fastest century for an Indian- man or woman- in One Day Internationals. Till now the fastest 100 in an ODI was by Virat Kohli and came off 52 balls! Mandhana has hit 29 sixes this year which is a world record for women beating South Africa’s Lizelle Lee who hit 28 in 2017.
Pratika has shown that she has matured vastly as a young batter. She was the fastest in women’s cricket to reach 500 ODI runs- reaching this in just 8 innings. She beat Charlotte Edwards of England who had achieved this way back in 1997. She recently became the joint fastest in the world to reach 1000 ODI runs achieving the feat in 23 innings.
With Pratika’s injury, unfortunately it appears most unlikely that she and Mandhana will break the Tendulkar-Ganguly record for the most runs as an opening pair in a calendar year. After the World Cup, the Indian women tour Australia in early 2026. Let’s hope their partnership continues to flourish there too. Mandhana and Rawal certainly have it in them to be world beaters in the opening slots for women’s cricket.
It takes a lot of courage to leave a well-paying job in India’s much vaunted Information technology (IT) sector and strike out on your own. More so when your passion is not even remotely connected with the core work you do for a living. Sunil Koshy was working for Intel when he found the urge to follow his passion for music too strong to resist. Overcoming the inevitable initial hesitation, he decided to take the plunge, as it were.
He zoned in on an interesting idea. Millions of us, the world over, sing in the comfort and privacy of our bathrooms. However, we are too shy or scared to sing in front of others leave alone a sizeable audience of strangers. His start up, enticingly christened” From Mug To Mike” (or FMTM for short) sought to teach such people to break out of their comfort zones and muster the courage to sing- for their friends and family, if not for total strangers.
Over the years, FMTM has grown from strength to strength as has Sunil’s versatility. He is a music composer, director, vocal coach, singer- and a successful entrepreneur. In this, standing shoulder to shoulder with him is his wife and biggest supporter : Co- Founder: Archana Hallikeri.
They have developed different types of workshops of varying duration. These help people pursue a hobby, that is often relegated to the back burner out of fear, namely singing. You can catch glimpses of their work in their Instagram account.
I have had the pleasure of knowing Sunil for the past few years. More than my describing him, you may like to hear him tell his own story! By happy co-incidence, I came across this interesting podcast which Vanitha of Changepreneurs did on Sunil’s birthday, August 2. Happy listening!
My take aways from Sunil’s story: 1. It calls for a certain amount of courage to buck the trend and venture into unchartered territories. 2. Following your passion is not just a catch word or a fad. A lot of hard work and perseverance is required to make a success of your endeavour. 3. When you succeed, the satisfaction you get is unmeasurable.
I am sure Sunil will agree! He has set a high benchmark not only for himself but for other young people who may be motivated to emulate him. It augurs well for the future of our country when we have role models like Sunil Koshy!
On June 25, 2025, some five weeks ago, I don’t know how many of you remembered June 25, 1975 – the day the infamous Emergency was declared in India 50 years ago! All of us old enough to do so remembered the Declaration of Emergency by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s Congress Government on that day. More than the declaration day itself, we still vividly remember the horrors perpetrated during the Emergency which ran from June 25, 1975 to March 21, 1977.
For those who have no idea what went on all those decades ago, this Factsheet released by the Press Information Bureau throws considerable light on those dark days. All of us were affected, some more than others. Some of us were lucky to come away unscathed. A few images still haunt me after all these years. The first is of George Fernandes shackled like a criminal. The second is of actress Snehalatha Reddy who died a mere 5 days after her release from prison. The third is men being forced to undergo sterilisation.
While there were many acts that went against the principles of a free democracy, the sterilisation campaign was by far the most heinous. At that time, I worked for a cement company in a remote part of the country. One day the Headmaster of the School our Company ran for the benefit of the employees’ children was considerable agitated. He said he had received orders – verbal of course- from the relevant Government authorities to marshal all the male staff of the school to a public hospital. The reason for this was clear. They were to be sterilised as that Officer had a target to achieve! Luckily, this was not a Government run School though it was recognised by the Government. It received no funds from the Government. This and the firm diplomatic nudge by our senior management enabled the Headmaster and his staff escape a fate -inevitable for the less fortunate.
I laugh to myself when I read reports in the newspapers in which opposition leaders accuse the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being fascist! Fascists like Adolf Hitler carried out over 4,000,000 sterilisations during 12 years of Nazi rule. In our 1975-77 Emergency, 1.07 crore sterilisations took place. Written as numerals that is: 10,700,000.
As a huge fan of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) I was thrilled when we finally won the Indian Premier League (IPL) on June 3, 2025 after a wait of 18 long years! Like me, millions of fans celebrated- some long into the night and upto the early hours of June 4. It was a momentous victory coming after so many heart breaks. Remember, we had reached the finals on 3 previous occasions( 2009, 2011, and 2016) but failed to cross the line.
Naturally there was an explosion of emotion which was only to be expected. We were told there would be a grand victory parade and crowds in their thousands flocked to the Chinnaswamy Stadium hoping to see the function. Rumours/announcements of free tickets ( even if on a limited basis) added to the crowd frenzy. There was an unprecedented function on the steps of the majestic Vidhan Sudha. Even when the State team of Karnataka won the Ranji Trophy such an honour was not bestowed on the team. We watched the Chief Minister, Dy Chief Minister, and many Government big wigs with their families bask in reflected glory as the RCB players were honoured. The general public were kept far away. Yet they reached there in their thousands based on public invitations given by the CM no less. People perched precariously on lamp posts, tree tops, and even the roof of the High Court nearby. Thankfully, no one was injured.
Sadly, bad news was to follow. Near the KSCA’s Chinnaswamy Stadium there was total chaos. Survivors have described how they were not walking but carried away in the waves of frenzied fans. In the man made tragedy, 11 precious lives were lost. All were young persons. aged less than 30. They had come to celebrate but died without even catching a fleeting glimpse of the RCB players.
The print and visual media have given graphic and gory details so it not for me to repeat all that happened. The question is who is accountable? Who authorised the function in front of the Vidhana Soudha despite the warnings of senior police officials? Who was in a hurry to have the functions on June 4, when the police force were barely recovering from harrowing night of June 3 when Bengaluru celebrated RCB’s victory? Who made the announcement of free passes and the day’s program early on June 4 morning? Who decided that there would be two and not one function that day- adding to the stress of the limited police force? Who allowed the KSCA stadium to have far more people than the capacity warranted? These, and many other questions need to be answered.
The Chief Minister said he was invited by KSCA to the function so he attended. The Dy CM was present in the Chinnaswamy and pictures of him holding the trophy were splashed everywhere. The police say they did not give permission. The Police Commissioner- no less- has been suspended along with a few other senior police officers. The Secretary of the KSCA, Mr A Shankar,( an eminent CA, known to be extremely influential and powerful figure in Karnataka) and the Treasurer, Mr E S Jairam, have submitted their resignations accepting moral responsibility although they claim their roles were very limited. Nikhil Sosale, Head of Marketing for RCB, seen more prominently than even RCB skipper Rajat Patidar in the Vidhana Soudha function, has been arrested. Whether he was fleeing or not, can’t be said, but he was arrested in KIA Airport.
The State CID has been tasked to investigate the case. The High Court of Karnataka has suo moto taken up this matter for hearing on June 10. Compensation for the 11 victims was initially announced as Rs 10 Lakhs by the State Government but has now been increased to Rs 25 Lakhs.
I fear with the passage of time this story will get buried like every other. Fans need to get real. They should understand the real dangers of in being in the midst of mobs. The politicians are thick skinned. They aren’t going to lose sleep over 11 deaths- that too of people who were not celebrities. These deaths will not hurt them politically. If at all, perhaps M/s Shankar, Jairam and Raghuram Bhat ( former Karnataka and India left arm spinner and President of the KSCA) may be haunted by the last plaintive cries of innocent victims who lost contact with their loved ones and were trampled to death.
Yes, there are so many lessons to be learned by this 100% man made tragedy at KSCA’s Chinnaswamy Stadium.
As I write this, my mind goes to the powerful address to the nation made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday evening. I think he has been the greatest Prime Minister India has ever had. It was forceful, direct, and there was no beating about the bush. Operation Sindoor was a new highpoint in Indian military history. It was triggered by the cold blooded killing of 26 Indian men who were holidaying with their families in Pahalgam in Kashmir on April 22, 2025. About seven terrorists -most likely based in Pakistan- entered the beautiful meadows. They accosted innocent men, established that they were Hindus and shot them dead in cold blood, in front of their wives and children. Seldom has the world seen such targeted gruesome killings where innocents were murdered only and only based on their religion. This was reminiscent of the Second World War when Jews were shot dead in cold blood by the SS stormtroopers of the Nazis.
India retaliated with Operation Sindoor on May 6-7, 2025. In this swift operation, which lasted just 25 minutes, 9 terror camps and establishments used by Islamist terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and the Hizbul Mujhahideen were attacked with pin point precision. The terror establishments were hit hard. It is estimated that over 100 terrorists were killed in these raids. It was the first time that India had attacked terror camps so deep in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and indeed well within Pakistan itself. With this India had avenged the deaths of the innocents killed on April 22, 2025.
However, on May 8-9 , Pakistan escalated by sending in waves of drones to target Indian air stations and other military establishments. All these attacks were effectively thwarted by the Indian Air Defence System. Full credit should go to those who planned and executed this defensive network. It brought to mind Israel’s famed Iron Dome. This feat is all the more admirable as many of the components/subsystems used in this intricate defence system were indigenously developed and manufactured.
India then went on the offensive. India attacked carefully chosen airfields of the Pakistan Air Force such as Nur Khan near Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Rafiqi to name a few. Extensive damage was caused by the missiles fired by the Indian Air Force.
An uneasy calm came into effect on the evening of May 10, after the Director General of Military Operations of Pakistan called his Indian counterpart and asked for a cease fire.
The key take aways for me as a a keen student of military history are:-
The shape of war as we knew it in the Indian subcontinent has changed for ever. No longer will India hesitate to attack Pakistan in their backyard. Past Governments had hesitated because Pakistan had nuclear weapons and always bragged about being ready to use them, unfettered by a No First Use policy.
The use of electronic warfare, drones, etc etc have changed the contours of battle. We are unlikely to see hand to hand combat and , tank warfare on a scale that characterised past wars. The attack of airfields deep in Pakistan without Indian Air Force aircraft leaving Indian skies is a major pointer in this direction.
The use of economic pressure like shelving the Indus Water Treaty and banning trade etc were aligned with the military objectives making a comprehensive unbeatable strategy.
India’s resolve as enunciated by the Prime Minister of treating acts of terror as attacks upon India is a major change from the past. In earlier decades, sheltering under the story of ” Non State Actors” Pakistan used to harbour, train, and fund known terror groups. This was in line with their strategy of inflicting a thousand cuts on India. Going forward, these cuts will now come at a far heavier price than in the past.
We witnessed the benefits of close co-ordination between the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force with the Ministry of External Affairs. We saw extensive briefings by the Foreign Secretary accompanied by representatives of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. Later, we had media briefings by the DGMOs of the three Services. These went a long way in keeping people informed of the factual position. This helped immensely at a time when there was so much of misinformation especially on social media platforms.
The next few days and weeks will continue to be tense. More skirmishes could flare up. However, the families of the 26 innocent tourists who saw their menfolk hot in front of their eyes will have a sense of closure through Operation Sindoor.
As a die-hard fan of this cricket franchise, I feel the think tank of Royal Challengers Bengaluru have had it all too easy for far too long! Year after year we have flattered to deceive. I can’t ever forget the first match of the inaugural IPL in 2008. Brendon McCullum of KKR took us to the cleaners scoring 158, we scored 82 – and we haven’t fully recovered yet! I have watched virtually every match of RCB- both men and women- over the years so I write this with considerable anguish.
The men’s team haven’t won even once in 18 years. This makes me believe RCB has made a class act of romanticising the loser! A powerful PR ecosystem and social media presence have almost indoctrinated fans in their millions to believe it is perfectly ok to lose -as long as you try!!! Instead of a strong killer instinct with little or no patience for failures, we seemingly have a bland acceptance of fate.
I hope and pray 2025 will be a different outcome but based on recent events in the ongoing Women’s IPL, I have my grave doubts. Which leads me to the question: who is responsible for decisions ? The coach, captain, owners or none of them?? Who is the think tank for RCB? Are they in any way accountable for results?
In the Women’s IPL, RCB finished a disappointing 4th in the first edition but did really well to win the championship last year. This means we are the defending champions in 2025.
Most teams do well in their home grounds- there are many reasons for this most of which are quite obvious. We somehow don’t. The fact that RCB have lost both home games played so far is shocking to say the least. Yes, of course, they tried their best; there were injuries which prevented other good players from playing etc, but why did we make some elementary blunders???
Here are two, according to me: 1. In the first match at Bengaluru versus a strong Mumbai Indians team, knowing the size of the ground, the tendency of batters to try to hit sixes, how come we had a slow over rate that penalised us in the end. With one fielder less in the outfield, was it smart cricket? 2. In the same match, wasn’t someone keeping an eye on who’s bowling? We know the 19th and 20 th overs are the most crucial. Leaving the 19th over to Kanika Ahuja, a well-meaning but not the leading spinner of the team was asking for trouble. We could have perhaps won but we lost this game in the last ball!!!
And more blunders came up in the very next match versus less fancied UP Warriorz. 1. Renuka Singh giving away 17 runs in that one over virtually gave away the match. She may have the Purple Cap but is not the best bowler at the death. 2. Worse was to follow. In the Super Over, Kim Garth was excellent to restrict UP Warriorz to just 8 runs. We needed 9 to win. Instead of sending in one in red hot form- Elyse Perry ( holder of the Orange Cap with 235 runs and an average of 117 and a strike rate of 160 including 90 not out in 56 balls in this very match), we sent Richa Ghosh – and worst of all Smriti Mandhana went in herself when she has not been a great player of spin bowling. Sophie Eccelstone added to her batting performance of 33 which got MI to the super over, by defending 8 runs. She gave away only 4!! How can you win matches if you can’t score 5 runs in the crucial make or break over????
Still we will rationalise and say it was only a game, they did their best, we are sorry to disappoint our fans, we will come back stronger next time etc etc. Another example of romanticising the loser!
I sometimes wonder based on what I have seen in the IPL over the years, whether it is the owner’s ego that propels the team’s urge to win! Looks like the Ambanis, the Goenkas, the Marans, and SRK don’t take kindly to defeat- though I am sure they accept they can’t win every game every year. RCB has no owner in that sense. We started off with a single owner, Dr Vijay Mallya. Love him or hate him he was there in your face. Today RCB is owned by United Spirits Limited, part of the Dieago Group. It is a corporate entity. Winning or losing a IPL title may not matter much to the company executives- as it does to us fans. They are more interested in revenues from advertising, publicity campaigns, brand, marketing, and social media presence. We are more interested in winning matches!
It was a little difficult to digest at first but I had to accept my friend was right. She pointed out that we were now in the eighth decade of our lives!! When you get to my age, you tend to be more philosophical about things around you. One thing is certain- your health is key to your overall success in life. I know of many cases of very wealthy people not being able to enjoy what they have earned. Not because they don’t want to spend, but because their health just does not allow them to live the life they would like to. Indeed, health is wealth!
Paying attention to health is not just for older people as was the popular opinion in my youth! If anything, it applies more to younger people than ever before. I was astonished to read that in Bengaluru doctors have found a 30 % increase in people in their 30s having bypass surgery!
Stress levels too are growing alarmingly as seen by that startling statistic in the previous paragraph! In my experience, reading has been a good habit to cultivate and pursue across all ages. Read from your device or from a physical book – but do read! I know that many young people don’t read as much as we used to at their age. “Where’s the time, uncle?” is a plaintive cry! The answer is simple. You have to make time for what you consider important. Check out this article by Jim Kwik. Investing just 30 minutes a day to reading- whatever you like- can do your health a world of good.
And for us older folk? Critical is the need to keep our brain engaged and active! Most of the points mentioned in this article from the Harvard Medical School on keeping your brain young appear to be just common sense! But as the old gag goes, common sense is sadly often uncommon!
Abraham Lincoln put it so well when he said, ” “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
I hadn’t visited an ATM in many months, perhaps years. There used to be one around the corner from where we live. Since we were going out for a few days, at my age, I thought it might be prudent to withdraw some money. Just to be on the safe side! On reaching where the ATM used to be, in its place I found a shop selling seat covers and auto accessories. As I stood there puzzled, a grizzled middle-aged onion-potato seller smiled from behind his push cart. ” The ATM you are looking for closed down long ago, sir” he said. “No one comes here anymore. So they closed it. Every payment is done digitally these days”. He pointed happily to the QR Code he exhibited on his hand cart. “All of us are using this these days! You don’t have to carry cash any more.”
Hearing this from a hand cart vendor reminded me that we are now in a new India. A very different one from the days of my childhood in the 1950s and 1960s. Then we would have counted out each note and coin carefully, rubbing the note to make sure two notes were not going out in place of one! Today, a click and the transaction is done.
This message was reinforced recently at a hospital. I saw an elderly lady watch bewildered when the bill for her husband was settled with a few clicks on her son’s smartphone. I could relate to what went through her mind. Years ago, getting the patient discharged from the hospital would have been a major operation in itself! It would involve withdrawing money from the bank, carrying it carefully and paying it at the hospital so that the patient would be discharged.
For us in India, at work or at home, in urban areas and increasingly in rural areas too digital payments have overshadowed the traditional cash payments. The figures speak for themselves. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Parliament in her budget speech that India saw 7,400 crore digital payments of Rs 126 lakh crore through UPI in 2022.” (For those who may not be familiar with the terms, “lakhs” and “crores” commonly used in India: 100,000 makes 1 lakh and 100 lakhs makes 1 crore).
Yes, indeed the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) introduced in 2016 has taken the country by storm. Payments through Phone Pe, Google Pay, Pay Tm and other mobile App based platforms account for 42 % of all transactions. The older payment modes such as the credit cards and debit cards- once considered quite sauve and chic- had a share of just 7 % and 14 %, and are falling rapidly year on year.
The pandemic created havoc in many ways but it did help in strengthening the roots of the digital payments systems. Everyone and his uncle – especially in India’s cities and towns- started using online shopping, online payment gateways and the like based on several factors, key amongst them:- speed, convenience and reliability. Apart from person to person payments, there are many examples where digitisation has changed the way we live. One success story has been in the toll collections in National Highways. Earlier, there used to be long queues at the toll gates while people counted out notes laboriously. Today, thanks to FASTag and such methods, not only has the system become streamlined, saving valuable time but the numbers have also increased substantially. In 2022, toll collections at national and state highways brought in Rs 50,855 crore- an impressive 46% more than the previous year!
The use of mobile phones has been a major contributor to this galloping pace of progress for digital payments. In past years, politicians -especially in the Opposition – were skeptical whether our people would be able to use such sophisticated systems. Today, India has 1.2 billion mobile phone users with 600 millions smartphone users. Even in remote places, you will find the ubiquitous mobile phone and in its wake- social media!
Apart from having a large user base, India has become the world’s second largest manufacturer of mobile phones. The Economic Survey said the out put had increased from 6 crore units in 2015 to 31 crore units in 2022.
Those who wish to go through an easy to understand primer on digital payment will find this article on Digital Payments in India in Easebuzz to be of use.
So we have to move with the times. The writing on the wall is clear. Year after year, we shall see more advances in technology which will make our lives easier. Unfortunately, this applies equally to fraudsters too! To protect ourselves, we must learn best practices to stay safe and be cautious when we transact online.
My previous post in this blog was about the first day of the XI Bangalore Literature Festival held on December 3 and 4, 2022. Today’s is about some of the sessions I attended and enjoyed on December 4.
Yes, the man we once knew as “Sandokan” looked older, thinner perhaps but he still had his good looks and his voice was as deep as ever. Seeing Kabir Bedi speak about his debut book- “Stories I Must Tell” reminded me that in his prime he was probably the most handsome man in India. To us, he was Sandokan from the Italian TV series of that name based on the books by Emilio Salgari. He was also the guy who acted in a James Bond movie partly shot in India- “Octopussy” in which my college friend Vijay Amrithraj also had a role. His book, published by Westland in April 2021 in keeping with its title seems to be bare it all kind of book. Engaging him in the discussion was V K Karthika a veteran in the Indian publishing industry. The book has received many rave reviews, with Vir Sanghvi saying: “It’s the best memoir by an Indian celebrity that I have read.” That, to my mind, is saying a lot!
To be honest, I had not heard of Saikat Majumdar but was interested in hearing him speak being told he taught English Literature at Stanford University. His book called, ” The Middle Finger” was published by Simon and Schuster in early 2022. In the course of the conversation with HK Surya, we got to know the book was about the protagonist finding her feet in a new University after she moved to India from the United States. It seems to be an interesting story.
I stayed on in The Red Couch for the next session in which my friend Sumaa Tekur chatted with Rita Chhablani about her three recent books in a session titled, “Relationships Done Different”. I found this conversation to be quite charming, Rita spoke of the differences in the days when she was a youngster and the present day. I could totally relate to all that she said being not just of her age but older! She spoke from her heart and shared what worked for her. After all, as she said, each person has to find out what his/her own style is as a writer. By the way, Sumaa too has blossomed as an author. I am happy that her first book, ” The Inner Light- A Beginner’s Guide to Spirituality and Finding Peace” was published by Hay House Publishers in July 2022.
The next session I attended was by far the most crowded in the Festival. It was a very enjoyable one for all that. For the many who were seated, there were an equal number of standees. This was Sudha Murty ‘s “The Magic Of The Lost Story” with Manu Pillai. The lady is 72s, has written more than 40 books and is as enthusiastic as ever before. She brought an infectious energy to the audience. Full of quips and homely wisdom, she was at her best and didn’t disppoint the large crowd that had gathered to listen to her. For example, she said how a lady is first known as someone’s daughter, then someone’s wife, then someone’s mother, and here after a pause she said, and nowadays as someone’s mother in law. The audience burst into laughter knowing her son in law Rishi Saunak is now the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. As always, her talk was replete with personal examples and we heard about her Ajji and her mother and how they influenced her with the stories they told her when she was a small girl. She highlighted the need for good books for kids and how she hoped her books would keep kids away from the addictive computer games.
It was nearly 12.45 by the time I got ready for the next important item on my agenda- lunch. We authors and speakers had been asked to be at the designated lounge for authors half hour before our session. Mine was at 2.00 pm and I didn’t want to be late. This diligency resulted in an unexpected bonus! I was delighted to find myself lunching with Kabir Bedi, whom I had seen at a distance this morning. It was a great experience for me, as we had hero worshipped him during our younger days!
When I told him that I had written a few thrillers, he said he loved thrillers. He told me with considerable pride that his grand daughter Alaya had acted very well with Kartik Aaryan in a recently released thriller on Disney Hotstar called , “Freddy” .
I am happy to say my interview with the Raghu and Pushpa on their latest historical novel, ” Destiny’s Child” published by Penguin Viking in February 2022 was well received by the audience. Raghu and Pushpa bring a lot of passion and hard work to their writing.
Their research has been meticulous .This is evident from the success of their first book- a historical novel on one of Raghu’s ancestors Sir Chettur Sankaran Nair, who at one time was the only Indian member of the Viceroy’s Council, no less. This book, ” The Case That Shook The Empire” is being made into a movie by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and has the famous actor Akshay Kumar in a lead role.The Palats’ second book is in the same genre. This is the story of Parukutty Neithyaramma, the consort of Maharaja Rama Varma XVI who ruled Cochin from 1914 to 1932. The thinking and approaches of this formidable lady to social and political issues were far in advance of her times. It was satisfying to start and end on time in keeping with this important tradition of the Bangalore Literature Festival.
A pretty large crowd gathered to hear J Sai Deepak speak about his latest book, ,” India, Bharath and Pakistan: The Constitutional Journey Of A Sandwiched Civilisation” published by Bloomsbury Publishing in August 2022. Sai Deepak describes himself as being an engineer-turned-litigator. He practices as an arguing counsel before the Union in 1947. Supreme Court of India and the High Court of Delhi. After getting a degree in Mechanical Engineering Anna University, Sai Deepak went to the Law School of IIT Kharagpur and got a bachelor’s degree in law in 2009. He has since argued in many important civil, commercial and constitutional matters. I have always admired his logic and way of arguing his case in television and can only imagine how effective he must be in the courtroom. I consider him to be one of India’s sharpest legal minds at a relatively young age. He spoke of his latest book and answered a lot of questions from the audience. I thought he was incisive and crisp in his comments. Sai Deepak does not hesitate to call a spade a spade in voicing his opinions on issues like secularism in our country.
The erstwhile kingdom of Mysore was always considered one of the best ruled princely states as they were called during the British Raj. Mysore was far ahead of most others when it came to education and welfare measures for the people. It was natural therefore for me to eagerly wait for Deepti Navaratana to talk about her new book ” The Maverick Maharajah : The Life and Times of His Highness Maharajah Sri Jayachamrajendra Wadiyar” , published by Harper Collins India in July 2022. Deepti’s book is about HH Sri Jayachamrajendra Wadiyar who ruled the properous kingdom of Mysore from 1940 to 1950. He was the first prince to sign the declaration to join the newly formed Indian Union in 1947. A major patron of the arts and a skilled musician himself, he was known all over the world fas a connoisseur of both Indian and Western classical music. Talking to Deepti about his illustrious ancestor and lineage was the young, suave His Highness Sri Yaduveer Wadiyar of Mysore. Yes, I know the privy purse was abolished by Mrs Indira Gandhi in 1971 and the princes and their titles don’t exist any longer in law in India, but for many of us and his subjects in the old Mysore state, the Mysore Maharajah will always remain His Highness in our minds. I enjoyed this session immensely.
The next session had Anupama Bijur in conversation with Shobhaa De, who needs no introduction and Gayatri Gill about ” Love In The Lockdown.” The two writers spoke of their experiences during the Covid 19 pandemic particularly during the darkest days when no one had a clue what was going on and how long it would last. Both of them wrote extensively during their forced confinement indoors during the pandemic. They described what they went through and how their experiences as also what they heard and saw influenced their writing. The writers left us echoing the sentiment that human relationships did undergo a big shift due to the pandemic. Indeed, we have so much to be grateful for coming out of the pandemic as we did.
In my last podcast I had mentioned meeting some interesting people. If Kabir Bedi and Damodar Mauzo were well into their 70s, Zac Sangeeth is not even in his teens! At lunch on Day 1, when I met Festival Director Shinie Antony at lunch at my table was a young boy with his parents. I thought he was accompanying his parents one or both of whom were writers. I almost fell out of my chair when I came to know he was a published author at 10 and now at 11 had written a sequel to his book! Zac Sangeeth -had a session ” The World’s Youngest Historian” which i missed because I was elsewhere in another session. I came to know that his books ” World History in 3 Points’ and “ More World History in 3 Points” have been published in 2022 by Hachette India. What is admirable is his innovative – and shall I say very contemporary – approach to writing about what is often termed a boring and dry subject. This is a remarkable feat for one so young. His writing has made world history more readable and hence more appealing to both young and old alike.
Thanks to Shinie Antony, Festival Director and her team ; to the organisers who did some meticulous planning; to the galaxy of authors who spoke of their work; to the volunteers who were so dedicated and committed; and to the audiences who were most interested and knowledgeable.
I throughly enjoyed the XI Bangalore Literature Festival and am already looking forward to the XII edition to be held on November 25 and 26, 2023.
Here’s where you can listen to the podcastversion of this post,
Prem Rao : Stories from a Story Teller 